Fig. 10.—This attractive and modern church building was erected by the Christian people living in the vicinity of the country village of Ogden, Kansas. Four different denominations participated at its dedication. Its ruling body is undenominational.
It will be agreed that the gospel of the Master of men may be made so broad and inviting as to attract all who have a spark of religion in their natures, and that means practically every one in the community. But there is no good reason why the rural church should stand alone as such. It should and can be made a social as well as a religious center for the whole community. So, let there be constructed a modern building with big windows, and several apartments for Sunday school classes, and for meetings of social groups, such as the grange, the farmers’ institute, the sewing society, and the literary and debating clubs. Then there should be apparatus for the preparation of meals, with a room in which a long table might be spread as occasion demands. Outside of this building there should be a children’s playground with some simple apparatus for play.
Not less frequently than one afternoon of the month—and twice would be better—the people of the community should drop everything and come together for a good social time and a general exchange of ideas. On an occasion of this kind the town minister could be present or someone from the outside who would bring with him at least one helpful and practical idea about building up country life. Let this building be regarded as the property of every man, woman, and child in the community and strive to bring it to pass that the legitimate and worthy interest of all shall be actually served there.
Constructive work of the church
This country church here thought of need be no less a religious affair, but it must become distinctively a socializing agency. It must not merely save souls, but it must save and conserve and develop for this present life the bodily, the moral, and the intellectual powers of the young. One cannot adequately develop those splendid latent powers in young people solely by means of teaching them the Sunday school lesson or preaching to them, no matter how true the gospel may be. The evidence is ample to show that boys and girls who attend church and Sunday school are nevertheless falling into many vicious habits of conduct, and are growing up without many of the forms of discipline and training essential for stable Christian character and social and moral efficiency. In fact as a means of temporal salvation the old-fashioned church and Sunday school are proving more and more a failure.
Now, as soon as the church realizes the meaning of the foregoing situation and acts accordingly, just so soon will this splendid old institution be enabled to do efficient work in vitalizing the practical affairs of the community in which it is located. To illustrate this point: The great curse of boyhood to-day is the tobacco habit, and this vitiating practice is slowly working its way among the country youth. The youth who acquires the smoking habit before becoming physically matured thereby depletes his physical health to a marked degree, reduces his mental efficiency ten to fifty per cent, and almost completely destroys his power of initiative. Such a youth is never found contending for any moral issue or any high and worthy cause of the people. His constructive instinct is made more quiescent, while his disposition to condone evil is greatly and permanently increased. Boys who attend church and Sunday school are also, like others, falling victims to the sex evils of various forms.
An innovation in the rural church
Perhaps there is no better illustration of how the economic affairs of the neighborhood may be vitally linked with the church service than the work carried on under the direction of Superintendent George W. Brown, of Paris, Illinois. During one year Mr. Brown conducted on seven different occasions an over-Sunday program, somewhat as follows:—