The Wenham Plan 
A Church Organized in Departments 
WU Veet can we give our church 
members to do? A church 
needs some system of activity as truly 
as any other organism; work is neces- 
sary to interest. How can we render 
evident the fact that a church is a 
working organization? The tendency 
is for a congregation to be a delibera- 
tive body, an absorbing body, some- 
time a fault-finding body. The same 
employer makes work for idle hands 
within the church as outside. And 
chiefly there is a world to save for 
Christ—how can we best get about it? 
Facing this question two years ago, 
a small church outside the city at- 
tempted to solve its problem by or- 
ganizing in departments. From the 
“Men and Religion Movement” came 
titles for the departments already 
provided—social service, Bible study, 
boys’ work, missions, church exten- 
sion and membership. Does not the 
very list suggest Christian activity? 
Social service looks with reforming 
eyes toward the moral and spiritual 
environment and has advocated vill- 
age improvements, conducted a 
“Standard Oil” campaign against 
mosquitoes, helped secure a_ better 
housing law, and has participated in 
victories for no-license. The depart- 
ment aims to impart a sympathetic 
understanding of social reform in the 
state and nation, and maintains a 
monthly Sunday night forum, with 
speakers and discussion, following the 
example of Ford Hall and the Labor 
Temple humbly and afar off. 
The department of Bible study en- 
courages every one to search the 
Scriptures, and provides lectures on 
Biblical themes. It advocates for our 
Sunday school and for individuals a 
graded system of study possessing 
pedagogic merit. It trains Sunday 
school teachers. 
Boy’s work is another name for 
supervised recreation activities 
amongst the children of the com 
munity. Boy Scouting is an especial 
favorite, and baseball is not neglected 
as a means of grace. 
The department of missions makes 
an “every-member canvass” of the 
congregation and raises the church’s 
apportionment. Missionary barrels 
are packed and sent to encourage 
Christ’s workers on the frontier. 
Stereopticon lectures are offered, a 
study class is carried on for people of 
all ages and both sexes, and once a 
month the opening exercises of the 
Sunday school are conducted by this 
NORTH SHORE BREEZE 
From the Congregationalist, Sept. 24 
department in the interest of missions. 
Church extension is concerned with 
special evangelistic neighborhood 
gatherings in homes or schoolhouses 
and with cottage prayer meetings. 
Once a year special evangelistic meet- 
ings are held, with visiting pastors in 
charge, when the Saviour’s appeal is 
tenderly presented to all hearts. 
The department of membership 
aims to add new members and to ren- 
der membership more helpful. The 
department provides church ushers, a 
reception committee for church ser- 
vices, free pews for strangers, district 
visitors to look after the sick and new 
comers, floral decorations for the 
church and messengers to distribute 
the flowers after service. It manages 
the Congregationalist club. 
No change was made in the organ- 
ization of the Sunday school, the Y. 
P. S. C. E., the Ladies’ Aid Society, 
the examining committee or the finan- 
cial board. The music committee and 
choir are practically a seventh de- 
partment of the church. Old machin- 
ery was abolished so far as it con- 
flicted with the new plan—the former 
calling committee, the missionary 
committee and the periodic mission- 
ary collections. As it happened, the 
old-style prayer meeting had abolish- 
ed itself some time before this reor- 
ganization took place. The church no 
longer elects ushers, leaving their ap- 
pointment to the department of mem- 
bership. 
A CHAIRMAN FOR EACH DEpART- 
MENT 
At the annual meeting of the church 
a chairman is elected or each of the 
six departments. It happens that 
three of these are, by sex, male and 
three female. Because there was not 
sufficient eligible material within the 
membership, the church ventured 
outside and chose two of the chair- 
men from the congregation. Of 
course, all derive their authority sole- 
ly from their election by the church, 
an election in which only members 
participate. From time to time the 
chairmen meet with the minister as a 
church cabinet. 
Each chairman appointed a suitable 
time and invited enlistment in ‘his de- 
partment. Any one of the congrega- 
tion might join upon the simple basis 
of interest in the particular line of 
work involved. One might enroll in 
two or more departments. Each de- 
partment held a business meeting and 
elected its own secretary, who should 
also act as treasurer. Necessary 
committees were appointed in each 
dpartment. The deacons are chair- 
men, each of a department. So far as 
they have spare energy they also 
serve as general managers and inter- 
department adjusters. The minister 
is general adviser, and is not a depart- 
ment officer. 
If one were to appraise the plan 
after two years of trial, he would first 
note that no miracle had _ been. 
wrought. The church has not be- 
come a large metropolitan center, with 
crowds thronging the services, and it © 
is still outside the city. Certainly, 
however, many new people, both 
members and others, are happily at 
work for the dear Master, along lines 
of their own choosing. No friction 
has developed whatever. Every one 
is reasonably contented and cheerful. 
And far more respect is paid to the 
church by the community to which 
it ministers. 
FAIR PLAY ASKED 
Tre VoteE—ALL THREE MEN wILL 
Now Run 
As a result of a recount of the vote 
for the Republican nomination in the 
23d Essex district at Manchester = 
Tuesday evening, the vote stands a 
tie between Mayor Harry C. Foster 
and Fred M. Gorman, each man re- 
ceiving 293 votes. As the vote was 
declared on election night Mayor Fos- 
ter led by two votes. 
In the recount at Gloucester Mayor 
Foster lost one vote in Ward 5. In 
Manchester a vote declared a blank 
by the counters was decided by the 
registrars for Gorman. Both men 
will run on nomination papers and 
there will be no regular Republican 
candidate. 
Augustus Hubbard, the third can- 
didate at the recent primaries, who 
* received only a few votes less than 
the others, will also run, thus making 
three men in the contest on nomina- 
tion papers. 
There appears to be some question 
as to the way in which Ward 5 of 
Gloucester is being used in this mat- 
ter of representation at the state 
house. When the original agree- 
ment was made in 1906 for a ten- 
year period—an agreement signed by 
the chairmen of the committees repre- 
senting Wards 4, 5, and 8 of Glouces- 
ter and the Town of Manchester—it 
was the understanding that Ward 5 
