THE COUNTRY CHURCH 449 



V. THE CHURCH THE SERVANT OP THE COMMUNITY 



Policy 



The country church should regard itself as the servant of the 

 entire community, and should be deeply concerned with all legit- 

 imate agencies in the community; it should give them support 

 and promotion as there may be opportunity or need. It should 

 suggest and inspire rather than instigate and supervise, but it 

 may undertake any new service for which there is not other pro- 

 vision. 



Cooperation with Other Agencies. The church should recog- 

 nize a division of functions in the community, and should co- 

 operate with other institutions and organizations. Such adjust- 

 ments are made individually for the most part, but by public ad- 

 vocacy and by its educational methods the church may exert its 

 collective influence for all ends that may help to upbuild the com- 

 munity. 



Program 



Community movements should be instigated or aided by active 

 cooperation, as the need may be, for such ends as the following : 



1. Temperance, wherever the community is suffering from in- 

 temperance or lawlessness ; a campaign for no license or prohibi- 

 tion ; law enforcement ; Sabbath observance. 



2. Public health and sanitation. 



3. Good roads. 



4. School education for rural life, and ordinarily consolidated 

 schools. 



5. Intellectual development by means of libraries, lectures, 

 reading circles, clubs, and similar agencies. 



6. Provisions for public recreation, and a Saturday half-holi- 

 day for agricultural laborers. 



7. Promotion of demonstrations of recreation on church 

 grounds if no better place can be had. 



8. Better farming and better farm homes, with special stress 

 upon extension work of agricultural colleges. 



9. Beauty of village, roadsides and private grounds. 



10. Celebration of religious and patriotic holidays, observance 

 of old home week, and production of historical pageants. 



