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The work of a Church in the modern world is
more varied than it has been for centuries. Today a
church is a center of service for all who live within
automobile distance of its doors.
Throughout the year,
Sunday after Sunday, the
services of worship are the center of Church life. To
these are added the celebration of "holy days" which
mark the peak of each season. The mood of a
beautiful building, the inspiration of congregational
singing, the uplift of great music, the words of holy
writ, the strengthening of common prayer, and the
sincere searching of sermons; all these are the work of
the Church.
The educational task
is never done. It begins in
preparation for the baptism of a child, is continued in
Church School and parents' councils, broadens into
the enthusiastic program of youth, matures in many
adult groups, lectures and classes. Yes, it even follows
those who cannot come to Church service - to their
homes, their colleges, to Asia, to Europe or to the mission fields. Through the printed page, the educational
work of the Church reaches the readers of leaflets,
pamphlets, books, magazines, and newspapers and
through radio and television.
The fellowship of the Church
is one of its finest
functions. This is partly made real on the mission field,
in relief, in social services, in stands made for civic
righteousness, and in the contributions made by good
Christian people to community life and leadership. It
is also the interweaving of world life through the personal relations of those who come to or go forth from
the Church across international lines. This is one of the
most significant services a Church can render in our
time.
Personal care, soul-nurture is, above all else, the
chief concern of the members of a modern Church.
This is a concern of each for all and all for each. It entails an enormous amount of counseling and visiting,
with special thought for the key points of life - high
school graduation and college selection, marriage,
vocational choice, tragedies, sins, child nurture and the
ultimate facing of death.
All these and more are the work of a Church in
the modern world. They are the work of our Church;
they are our work for Christ.
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