Covenanter Witness Vol. 54 - Rparchives.org

motion."
meditate."
me."
A Gift for God
Address at the dedication of the Educational Addition to the church, New Alexandria, Pa. March 18, 1955
Prof. J. B. Willson, D.D.
(Continued from last week)
What is the Purpose of This New Building
Its first purpose is WORSHIP
Worship began with an altar under the open sky.
When these returned captives came to restore their
place of worship, they first set the altar upon its
bases, and proceeded with the offerings. They kept
also the feast of tabernacles as it is written. When
the foundation of the house was laid, they sang
praises to God, after the ordinances of David, king
of Israel. When they dedicated the house, they pre
sented the offerings and "set the priests in their
divisions, and the Levites in their courses, for the
service of God. ... as it is written in the book of
Moses.
The Psalms are full of the thought of wor
shiping in God's house. "I was glad when they
said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord."
"Lord, I have loved the habitation of
thy house,
and the place where thine honour dwelleth." "How
amiable (lovely) are thy tabernacles, O Lord of
hosts!"
The Psalmist said again "One thing have
I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that
I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days
of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and
to inquire in his temple." "To behold"
some one
has said "I look at God, and He looks at "To
inquire"
may also mean "to
Both ideas
include some thoughtful study
of God and of His
Revelation to men. This is one purpose in our wor
ship ; it is the special purpose in our Sabbath School
work. God's Word will be studied in this building.
The President of Princeton University in a
message last fall to alumni and parents of under
graduates quoted from a former President of the
eighteenth century, Dr. Witherspoon, a definition
of a liberal education as one designed to "put all
human powers into Dr. Dodds considers
this still applicable in 1954. He says : "If the individ
ual man of the twentieth century is to develop
all his powers to the highest possible degree and
to permit none of them to remain dormant or un
used, if he is to learn how to use them in his ef
fort to live honorably and well in an age when (as in
all ages) it is very difficult to do either, if he is
to make only the wisest choices among the myriad
possible options which lie open to him in his per
sonal life, humanistic studies are clearly indispensible
to him." If this be true of the studies of
the secular schools, how much more true is it of the
studies in our church schools If we are going to
put all human powers into the right kind of motion,
if we are to make the right choices in life, we need
to know God, and we need to know Him through
His Word. We had in our Seminary within fairly
recent years students from our Seminary in Ire
land. They were accustomed to having examinations
in Sabbath School classes, with grades given out.
Would that help us to maintain higher standards of
progress
May 25, 1955
A second purpose of this building is FELLOWSHIP
In Israel there must have been a happy fellow
ship in connection with the annual journeys to Je
rusalem for the feasts. It would compare with our
good times at summer camps and conferences. That
in later times, at least, they traveled in different
groups, perhaps general family or age groups, would
appear from the account in Luke's Gospel of Joseph,
Mary and Jesus going to a passover.
It does us good always to meet together in wor
ship. Some churches have a plan for every one to
speak to the person behind him at the close of the
service. We ought to greet our fellow-church-mem
bers regularly, and to ask about absentees. We
ought to make a special point to greet visitors. There
is a bond of
unity in worshiping together. Families
and individuals are bound up together in the bundle
of life in the great family of God.
Social gatherings of the people of a congregation
are a part of the church life. There are the mis
sionary societies, the young people's Society, perhaps
a Men's League, which meet regularly for worship,
for study and for fellowship. My thoughts go back
to the Allegheny congregation of my youth. We
young people had many good times together. We had
our regular socials, an annual summer picnic, and iceskating
in winter. My social life was bound up with
my fellow Covenanters, thanks to the leadership of
our faithful pastor, Dr. W. J. Coleman. I know you
have this opportunity here, under the leadership
of your pastor. I covet the same experience for all
young people,
in their several churches.
The church building should be adapted to such
social events. It is neither convenient nor fitting
to have them in the auditorium which should be
reserved so far as possible for worship. We need a
kitchen, and a room large enough for tables to
seat all the congregation and more, and also adapt
ed for games. These needs are provided for in this
new building.
The third purpose of this building is SERVICE
We worship together as those who are saved
to serve. We are our brothers' keepers. We are to
go into all the world and preach the Gospel. We
have responsibility also for material welfare. Church
members have always been helpers of their neigh
bors and of all in need. Deacons were chosen in the
apostolic church to direct this service, and should
still take the responsibility for it. Churches are still
the center of every united effort for others, and
leaders in every good work. That kind of service will
be taught in this building, and from it we trust
all will go forth to do their part.
The church by its very presence and by its
teaching serves the community and the nation. Long
ago a minister wote a railroad company to thank
them for the courtesy of reduced rates. A letter of
acknowledgment said that if it were not for the
churches railroad trains could not run. The church
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