A MODEL MISSIONARY MEETING.
By David Paulson
Recently, while in Los Angeles, Cal., I improved an opportunity to attend the regular missionary meeting of our church in that city. The first part of the meeting was occupied by different members who had been engaged in some phase of missionary work. This portion of the meeting was very interesting, as it represented individual effort. The leader related some interesting and instructive experiences that she had met with during the week; and a quartet rendered an inspiring missionary song, after which a study of China was taken up. Half a dozen workers had been assigned different parts of this great subject; as, “The Country,” “People,” “Religions,” “Industries,” etc. Dividing the program in this manner has the advantage of setting a number to work, thus furnishing them an excellent incentive to study the subject under consideration; and it also serves to present to the audience more of a variety than when the whole subject is presented by a single person. These workers gave evidence that they had given careful thought to the preparation of their respective papers. It was really refreshing to drop into this live missionary meeting. If worldly men can become enthusiastic over purely worldly schemes and business projects, is it too much to expect enthusiasm of us when we gather together to talk over our experiences in helping perishing humanity, and to lay plans for the rescuing of human souls that are going to destruction right before our eyes? What a pitiful sight is a dull, half-dead missionary meeting, some of the members asleep, and most of the rest so indifferent and restless that they are impatient for the meeting to close! We trust that there are but few missionary meetings where such a picture could fully apply, but there is usually plenty of room for improvement. Let us make our missionary meetings so interesting that the young people will be drawn into them.