CHAPTER VI. 

 THE COUNTRY CHURCH PROGRAMME. 



President Butterfield, in his book " The Country 

 Church and the Rural Problem," says : "I do not 

 happen to know of a rural church with a programme of 

 work which constitutes a really live attack upon the 

 essential problems of rural civilization." Daring as 

 aviator's flight and yet more full of risk may seem any 

 attempt even to sketch such a programme. But yet to 

 ,do so is simply to endeavor to translate into the terms 

 of the concrete case before us the general programme of 

 Christianity, which is: 



To proclaim good news to such as are in need; 

 To announce release to the prisoners of war, 

 And recovery of sight to those who do not see; 

 To set at liberty those whom tyranny has crushed; 

 To proclaim the year of grace with the Lord. 



The first desideratum for such a programme is 

 TIVP OVERSIGHT. This problem gives the Boards of Social 

 Service another field of operation. Our efficient Sec- 

 retaries, who have accomplished so much in the way of 

 guiding legislation on moral and social problems, so 

 much in promoting sane and strong evangelism, so much 

 in fighting organized vice, and are now taking up lines 

 of work which will help solve the city problem, must 

 also become our trained and scientific leaders in this 

 field of social service for the uplift of country life. 



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