Report of Missouri Farmers' Week. ' 105 



The pledge system of finance has been introduced for the 

 local work and for benevolences as well. Our ideal is a pledge 

 from every man, woman and child. We have devised an en- 

 velope for making payments which answers all purposes. A 

 financial secretary keeps an account with each individual and 

 sends statements at the end of each quarter if necessary. We 

 have found that the pledge system is a great improvement over 

 the old way of taking collections once a year for the "Boards." 

 This church in the last ten years, in addition to building a 

 $10,000 edifice, remodeling the manse, making other improve- 

 ments and increasing the minister's salary forty per cent, has 

 given to benevolences $5,270, as against $6,407 in the fifty 

 years preceding. 



As a rule the various societies in the church are not made 

 money-raising institutions. The system for raising money by 

 sociables, fairs and other devices has been almost entirely 

 abolished. 



As an ideal we are working toward the entire support, our- 

 selves, of both a home and foreign missionary. 



There have been no evangelistic services in this church by 

 professional evangelists for ten years. Formerly this was a 

 favorite method. Such distinguished evangelists as Moody 

 and Sankey, and Majors Cole and Whittle have conducted meet- 

 ings in the Du Page Church. And these were successful, too. 

 But there is not another ten-year period in the history of the 

 church that shows as many accessions as the last decade. 



The one by one method as illustrated by the Master and by 

 Andrew and Philip has been used. A great deal of the evan- 

 gelistic work is done through the Sunday school. Every class 

 is a personal work class. The teachers are encouraged to lead 

 their pupils in personal work. 



Great care is taken to press the claims of Christ and the 

 church upon the young. The parents co-operate with the pas- 

 tor in this work of dealing with the young. This is done through 

 pastoral visitation and through pastoral letters. Occasional 

 sermons are preached to the children, and a christian training 

 class is conducted for those who are about to enter the church. 

 There have been few communion services when there was not 

 somebody to unite with the church, and between communion 

 seasons members have been received. There is scarcely a per- 

 son in the parish between the ages of ten and twenty-one years 

 of age who is not a member of the church. 



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