Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 February 1914 — GO-TO-CHURCH SUNDAY WAS/GREAT SUCCESS [ARTICLE]

GO-TO-CHURCH SUNDAY WAS/GREAT SUCCESS

All Churches Well Tilled and Mass Meeting brought Out Very Large Congregation

The Go-to-Church Sunday was a great success and Rensselaer can feel proud of the record made. In conjunction with hundreds of other cities all over the country the ministers and churches of Rensselaer united their efforts and forces to get the people of the city to attend church yesterday. The weather was ideal after the storm of Saturday. The sun shown through a cloudless sky The snow was crisp and the sidewalks Were in good condition. Prom 9 a. m., when the children began crowding to Sunday Schools, until the hour of the night services, the streets were filled with people going to chucrh. The morning and evening services at all the churches filled the church buildings with great and attentive congregations. The one feature of the go to church Sunday in Rensselaer was the great union mass meeting at the Methodist church at 2:30. The people began coming before two o’clock and when Dr. Curnick announced the first hymn the church and Sunday School room were crowded with as fine and representative crowd of Rensselaer people as could be gathered together. This union service was of great interest. The four ministers of the city, Revs. Curnick, Parrett, Wright and Winn., representing the Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist and Christian churches, spoke on appropriate subjects. Special music was rendered by the choir of the Methodist church. A male quartette was sung by J. D. Allman, Harry Jacobs, Dr. H. L. Brown and J. P. Hammond. Mrs. Vfrindfi Rainier Barnes sung a most beautiful solo, accompanied on the piano by Mrs. M. D. Gwin. Miss Georgia Harris was pianist. The collection taken up amounted to $lO.Bl, which will about pay the expense canvass, including the printing. At the dose of the service the great congregation sung “Blest Be the Tie That Binds," and it was a grand sight to see hundreds of church members, representing all the churches, and scores of nonchurch people, all joining in singing this song of Christian unity and faith. The ministers of the city all feel elated over the success of the go to church movement and all expressed the hope that it may become an annual event. * Now that Rensselaer has had its great church going day, it as hoped that many v of our good citizens who *do not belong to our church, will join some church and help the Christian people to work for the moral and religious welfare of our beautiful community. .