The Ohio Independent Baptist, September 1954

• .... l . ------~~-----11:_i _E OHIO INDEPENDENT BAPTIST_________ September 1954 YOUR FIELD AND MINE I~,T R1\IJJ>II 'J'. L ( 1 l)LlT~ l) F o ·to1·i,1, {)hio • • PLANNING FOR THE FALL ADVANCE • ~ k.-:-tpeak ll>lf o tlie cltilclre>i of Israel, tl1al tJ, ey go fo1·warcl.' Ex. 14 :15 Tl1e ,,ro1·l{ of tl1 Lorcl i11 ol11· C 11lll'C11 . 011g}1t to g'o f or,v·ard all tl1e ~,..ec1r a1·01111d, b11t ,,,e expect it to boo111 i11 tl1e fall. ~ l1n1n1e1· 111a3~ e 01ne Olll-,,i1111i11g· a11d t lie 1·eacl1i11g· of a 11e,v fa111ily 01· t,, 1 0 b11t 111ode1·n , ...acatio11 habit 11ece - a1--ilJ· c11t into the total atte11dance. Tl1e11 co111e the fall ,,,he11 ,, ...e try to • 1--egai11 all ,vho ,\·e1·e ,vith 11. i11 the pr·ing a11d to r eacl1 otl1er a well. To malre 0111· fall worl{ effective there n1u t be ome pla11ni11g. The old log·a11 i till good : ' ' Pla11 your work and worlr yot11"' pla11. ' Before 11 a "\\ 1 e w1--ite ,ve l1ave lette1-- from eve11 of 011r Ohio pa - tor and it i likely that their re– po1·t a1--e typical of ,vhat we would have if we had w1'itte11 to all of them. All of the e pa tor do ome pla11nino· a11d they try in one way or anothe1-- to get the church e to adopt thei1' plan . One aid he be– gan hi fall plan in l\fay a11other in July and a11othe1-- in Augrt t. One aid h e t1--ie to plan 01 e q11ar– ter in advance for each of the f ol1r p eriod of the year. 011e did 11ot map 011t any l1ard and fa. t plan but triecl to be en itive to the 11eed of hi people and empha. ize on e thing at a time, a ' ' mi. ~ ion , u11- day chool . pecial mu ic, eva11gel– i m, Bible teaching· . . . . Alway . omething· to look forward to. ' 1l' Jio hall Pla11? A 11 ucce f11l pa tor do 0111e planning and, a Pa tor Ilt1 ey of Bellefo11tai11e aid are de iroi1 of balance a11d eelr to h1111 over– empha. i . ' Yet very few pa tor are mao·netic e11011gh to do all the planning them elve a11d ec11re the enli. tment of their people. 11 of the pa. to1' r eply i11g to 011r qt1e - tionnaire call their leader into con ultatio11. T~ 7 0 of them u ed the council j .., ten1 a11d met with all tl1e officer. of the ch11rch together. The othe1' met with each group deacon teacher , )'"Ollth officer and o forth a11d tried to hel 1) the1u "\\1 ork 11p a co-ordinated program. For the pecial n1eeting. there 11 uall)r i 11ot too 1n11ch oppo itio11 to long range planning. Pa tor B11rt of Pe11field -Junction reported that u ch meetings ,,?ere planned a )rea1· i11 adva11c0. 111 • on1e ca. s, i11 01·de1· to g· t on1 out. ta11cli11g eva11ge 1 i~ t 01· I eake1· it i. 11ece. - arv to book l1i111 two or th1· e year ~ . in aclvan ce. 11r ch11rche oon lear11 that, eve11 if they are lo,v to accept the it11atio11. The cliffi– ci1lt}r for the average pa tor i to get hi people to ee the 11eed of pla1111i11g the local activiti . Each grot1p want to pla11 their own activitie and ocial meeting j11 t a fe,v week ahead and then they ru11 into all l{ind of conflict with the other . 1· if long ra11ge pla11 are made, it is very ea y to f 01·o·et and fail to work the plan. The be t Cllre for u ch difficultie i the making of an activitie cal– endar. Only one pa tor, II0,va1--d Young of W elli11gton r eported that a calendar ha bee11 u ed a11d he had mimeographed it. a11cl ent it to all hi member . A11other thoug·ht it wo11ld be a good idea to have 011e po ted i11 the church office f o1-- hi o,v11 1,efere11ce. The only danger i11 u ch a y tern pa1"– tic11la1·ly if all activitie are plan– n ed for a year i11 adva11ce i tl1at it. may ~ 11b. titute l1un1a11 icl ea. £01, the leadi11g of the lloly pirit. one brother ay W e try to e11 e the 11eed a11d the11 cat1 e t .h e pro– gram to meet the 11eed rathe1· tl1a11 have omething· c11t and c1riec1 fo1"' the whole yea1·. ' Yet a quarterly calenda1, i a gr eat help in keepino~ the ,vork of the chu1,ch and of jt departme11t , befor e 011r p eople. ome of tl1e parties a11cl idea n1ay ha·,{e to be clropped bt1t 011ly fo1-– good a11d 11fficie11t rea 011 . F all Rally Pla1i s The great c1t1e tio11 in the fall i · ,vhat ,vill ,·vo1"'k the be t to get the con titl1e11cy rallied bacl{ a£te1-- ~ the u111mer ll1n1p . '1 1 h e olcl idea i. to p11t 011 a bio· Rally Day pro– g1"'a1n and i11vite all to atte11d. The p1~0ITT'a111 i. largely made up of r eacli.J.1g ancl 011g that preach the n eed of faithf11l atte11da11ce the r e t of the 3rear in u11day chool. 'rwo pa to1' 1"eported that tl1ey till have u cl1 progr·am , tho11gh one 1nade it plai11 that it wa 011ly a climax of a ,vhole 1"ally month. Pa to1-- Cla"\v on of olumb11. en1- pha ize a rallyi11g to all tl1e ~ er,,_ ice of the chu1"'ch all throt1gh ep- t ember ~·011cl.· 011t earcls l)oth l)efo1·c.> a11d a£t er Rally l)ay. Ile l1ses spot a11noi1ncement: ove1· t l1e 1--aclio al ·o. 011e reported that the la. t three unday of eptembe1-- ,ver e ll ed a rally clay . T\,TO ch111·ches de– pe11d llpon e, ,angeli tic meetjng in "' eptember to ta1't the fall ,,..01·k out. Ot1r ow11 habit ha been to end out a pa to1--al lett er a f e,v day befor e the . econd u11day of eptember telli11g of ome of our plan and urgi11g all to get into the harne . vVe u e the church bulletin to l11·ge a t epping up of the atte11dance u11til ,ve reach our goal for Rally Day. In tead of a proo·ram we l11·ge each teache1.. to malce the le on o inter e ting that all will wa11t to co11ti11t1e. :\fy er– n1011. are al o i11 l<eepi11g witl1 the day. Balanced Pla1111 i11g big Rally Day cro,vd mean little unle ,ve ha"\~e a balanced and challenging progra1n for the re t of the yea1,. An evangeli tic cam– pai0'11 once a year to in pire ot1l– ,vi1111ing all the yea1"' i a mi1 t. The ,vhole program of p1--eachi11g t eacl1- ing·, a11d of yo11th work ho11ld be evangeli tic. alling a11d pe1-- 011al worl{ demand a . eparate tt1dy b11t we ca11 a3r that it i. the be t ,vay to build 11p attenda11ce and win oul ever de, ri ed. ·\\Thatever el e ,ve leave out let u not leave vi ita– t io11 out of 011r plan . Evangeli n1 i: 11ot all, eve11 if it i the mo t i111po1--ta11t. Fo1 .. a bal– a11ced program we n1t1 t d11cate 0111 .. p eople i11 h1·i tian faith and p1"'actice. l\Io t of ot11-- ch11rche plan for a n1i io11ar)r 011fer e11ce I 01-- a Bible co11fe1 ..e11 e 01· botl1 each yea1--. If ,ve " Ti h to ha, Te one big 1najor en1pha i eacl1 c111arter w11J" 11ot pla11 it 011 t 0111etl1ing like thi (with , 1 a1·iatio11 f1~on1 year to yea1' ) ? l1nday chool g1·0,, 1 tl1 a11d p er 011al eva11g·elil.; 111 i11 the fall, either a Bible or 111i io11ary con- £ erence i11 the ,~"i11ter a11 e,,.ange– li tic ca111pai 0·11 i11 the pri11g a11cl a trong ) 7 0llth 11·ogra111 incl1tdi11g \ 7 acation Bibl cl1ool a11d can1p , d111"'ing the 11111111e1--. The idea i that by pla1111i11g ,,Te ca11 bri11g a balanced variet\"" i11to ot1r "·orl{ ., that ,vill l<eep it i11te1"'e ti11g the )"ear a1'011nd.