v^ I*. ■■' ■'" ',/' ' -■ '' Book 7rG Coipglit}J' COPYRIGHT DEPOStlV PRAYER- MEETING PLANS y:?v/^)/ 4 Copyrighted 1S93 by U. S. C. E. Price $2.00 per hundred. Publishing Department THE UNITED SOCIETY OF CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR 646 Washington Street, Boston. 1893 -^ ^^ € ^k> PRAYER=MEETING PLANS TO BE WORKED OUT. THE IDEAL PRAYER MEETING, By Rev. H. W. Pope. I. The ideal prayer meeting never happens. In other words, it is not a thing of chance. You may go into a meeting unpre- pared, and yet enjoy the service ; but if it is a good meeting, somebody has put prayer and thought and work into it. The laws of grace are as rigid, and as reliable, too, as the laws of nature. " Heaven may be had for the asking," says the poet, but the ideal prayer meeting cannot. It is as true here as else- where that "whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." Preparation. Hence the leader should prepare carefully. The hymns can be selected; one person can be asked to pray for the sick, another for the absent, and so on. Attention to details helps immenselyo But especially should the leader wait upon God in prayer until his heart burns with love, and his soul is sensitive to the faintest whisper of the Holy Spirit. If athletes train for a boat-race or a ball-game, simply to secure the applause of people, surely the Christian can afford to train for a spiritual conflict where all the forces of heaven and hell are arrayed against each other, where eternal destinies are at stake, and where every part of the service is watched with keenest solici- tude by " so great a cloud of witnesses." Not only the leader, but all the members, should prepare. Let them read, think, and pray over the subject. Let them deny themselves daily, for a godly hfe is the best preparation for an ideal meeting. Let them gather up spiritual strength all the week and concentrate it upon this service, making it the supreme hour of the week, the hour " When heaven comes down, our souls to greet, And glory crowns the mercy-seat." 2. The ideal prayer meeting has an object as well as a sub- ject,* — a definite object, never to be forgotten by the leader or the workers. What is that object? It is not simply to have an interesting, or a lively, meeting. A service may be interesting, lively, and even vivacious, and yet be so devoid of spirituality as to suggest only "sounding brass " and " tinkling cymbals." The real object is to awaken spiritual emotion, to bring the soul face to face with God, to kindle the fires of devotion until the altar is all ablaze with the sacrifice of willing hearts, until there comes over the audience that indescribable thrill and holy hush that betoken the presence of God, and make every heart ready to say, " O God, thy will be done ! " This is the true object of a prayer meeting: to bring every soul to the point where it is willing to do its duty, so that decisions may be made and results may be secured, right then and there. This is the time for the superintendent to secure teachers, for the missionary committee to obtain subscriptions, and, above all, for the pastor to secure decisions for Christ. At the close of a meeting where the theme was temperance, the tide of feeling rose so high that sixty-four young men and women signed a total-abstinence pledge, and thereby completely revolutionized the temperance sentiment of that church. Whatever the subject of the meeting may be, never lose sight of the object. Feeling that does not lead to action is of questionable value. A Cheery fleeting. 3. The ideal meeting is cheerful, social, and hearty. Have a bright carpet on the floor, appropriate pictures on the wall, flowers on the table, and the room seated with chairs. Make it look as little like a church, and as much like a home, as pos- sible. Lay off hats, wraps, and overshoes in the vestibule, or in a wardrobe provided for the purpose. Let the whole atmos- phere of the service be bright, breezy, and cheerful, calculated to blow all the bitterness out of one, and to invigorate and tone up the weary and discouraged. Have a " smile-'em-up committee" at the door to welcome strangers, and to distribute the audience wisely, — the small boys apart from each other, the workers near the unconverted, and the timid ones near the more spiritual. The man at the door needs to have the skill of a general, and a face as bright as the headlight of an engine. Never express disappointment because of a small attend- ance. If invited to a banquet in honor of William E. Gladstone, would you complain in his hearing because some of the minor guests were absent ? Neither is it any compliment to our Master to admit a feeling of disappointment at the size of a meeting in which he is present. Into this "rest for the weary," come with your thanksgiving and rejoicing. Make the welkin ring with song. Let the most spiritual members lead in prayer until a strong devotional atmosphere has been created, which will make it easy for any one to confess Christ. Be simple, and, above all, sincere, especially in prayer. Remember the Quaker that was to share the room of another at a convention. After they had knelt and prayed, the Quaker took his hat and prepared to depart. "Hold on," said the other; "I thought you were going to spend the night with me." " I was," said the Quaker, " but since I heard you pray, I have changed my mind. If you are the kind of man you said you were in your prayer, I am afraid to sleep with you." Be cheerful. Paul had his discouragements, but he kept them to himself. His motto was, " Rejoice in the Lord alway," and his tone was ever jubilant, " Thanks be to God which giveth us the victory." So far as possible, tell what the Lord has done, instead of talking always about what ought to be done. Cultivate the habit of hand-shaking, and do not wait for an introduction. In short, strive to be " one of those spirits chosen of heaven, to turn the sunny side of things to human eyes." A Part for All. 4. The ideal meeting is one in which all take part. If any one is silent, some message may be lost that God had intrusted to that soul for delivery, and it is not for the messenger to say that his Master's message is unimportant. There are some things that lie within the reach of all. You can fill up the front seats, and thus support the leader. You can speak early in the meeting, and one sentence then is worth a dozen later on. You can rise when you speak, and thus give to your words the added weight and dignity of your presence. Stand up, stand up for Jesus. These are little things, it is true ; but they represent sacrifice, and sacrifice is what pleases God, and brings down the blessing. Indeed, the spiritual power of any meeting is measured by the amount of sacrifice in it. Any one can repeat a verse of Scripture, and if it is selected with care and prayer, as David chose his five smooth stones from the brook, God will use it to strengthen the host of Israel, and to carry conviction to sinners. Remember that the Word of God is the sword of the Spirit. Use it for a purpose, and expect results. But no believer should be satisfied until he is able to express the feelings that the Spirit awakens in his heart. Expression is the law of spiritual growth. The Dead Sea is dead because it has no outlet, and even the water of life will grow stagnant unless it is shared with other hearts. Therefore, "let the redeemed of the Lord say so." Jesus Christ is on trial before the world, and we are his wit- nesses. If we know anything in his favor, let us speak it out, remembering always that one word of testimony is worth an hour of talk. Paul's affirmations are sublimely eloquent, — "I know that in me dwelleth no good thing," " I know whom I have believed," " I know that all things work together for good to them that love God," and " I know that I have a building of God, a house not made with hands." If we know these four things, our testimony is too valuable to be suppressed. Prayer in Prayer Meetings. Finally, I believe that every one can, if he will, learn to pray in public. In a Christian Endeavor society numbering eighty active members, every one learned to lead in public worship, including fifty young ladies. Some formed a little prayer circle for private practice. A few at first wrote out their thoughts and read them, others resorted to the prayer-book, while others still took a verse of Scripture and converted it into a prayer, until at length, like Paul's sailors, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship, they all came safe to land. Doubtless it is hard for many, but what do we enlist for, if it is not to endure hardness? If our effectiveness as Christian workers depends upon it, we can afford to make the sacrifice. Mr. Edison tells us that in perfecting the phonograph, he had great difficulty in making it reproduce the letter '*s." " I said to it, * Specia, specia,' and the obstinate thing responded, ' Pecia, pecia.' It was enough to try the patience of a saint; but I worked at it from eighteen to twenty hours a day for seven long months, and at length I conquered it." If one can toil like that to overcome a mechanical difficulty, surely a Christian can well afford to labor long and hard to fit himself for the Master's service. When Mary was looking for a present for the Lord, she did not purchase the cheapest box of perfume that would answer. She kept inquiring, we can imagine, whether there was anything better, until finally the merchant brought out the alabaster box, saying, " This is the finest thing in the market, but it is very expensive. The price is three hundred dollars." " Never mind," said Mary, " it is none too good for my Master." And so she took it home, and broke it at the Master's feet; and the perfume of it is still spreading, yet losing nothing of its sweetness. At a meeting held one hot night in August, the leader read this story, and suggested that each one break an alabaster box by offering that service which would cost them most. The meeting opened. One after another precious box was broken^ and the fragrance of the ointment filled the house. Prayer after prayer was poured into the ear of One who was felt to be present. It seemed like the day of Pentecost. When the roll was examined, it was found that of the fifty-three active mem- bers present, forty-four had offered prayer, seven had given testimonies, and two, quotations of prose or poetry. Not one had offered only a verse of Scripture. It was an ideal prayer meeting. So may they all be, for us, at least, if you and I, dear brother and sister, break an alabaster box at the Master's feet. " O thou by whom we come to God, The Life, the Truth, the Way, The path of prayer thyself hast trod ; Lord, teach us how to pray." HINTS TO PRAYER=MEETING LEADERS, By Rev. G. M. Howe. THERE are a great many ways in which prayer meetings may be improved by their leaders and made more effective, but I wish to mention only three : — I. Be punctual. A good many leaders have either bad habits or poor timepieces. They may have both. What possible reason can any one have for being late at any appointment, and, above all, at a prayer meeting.'^ The service is appointed for a given hour. As leader you are conversant with this fact. Why- should you fritter away the time which should be devoted to preparation, and come into the room five minutes late? Why, after you arrive, should you spend another five minutes looking up hymns, or searching your Bible for the lesson which you are to read ? Remember that " punctuality is morality." 2. Begin the service in such a way as to impress all present with the fact that it means something. There is something in the tone and manner in which the hymns are announced, the Scripture read, and the prayers offered, that gives character and meaning to the entire service. If, as leader, you are alive and earnest, the meeting will be a wide-awake one ; but if you are dull and slow, the service will very likely be monotonous. See to it that you do not fail in this. 3. From the moment you begin the service until the time of closing, do not lose sight of the meaning and purpose of the meeting. Some Endeavor leaders go through the opening exercises in a " dead-and-alive " sort of way. Others go on in a measured way, with a rising and falhng inflection, which becomes a regular sing-song, both meaningless and tiresome. Others still go through their parts as if they had no conception of their importance or value. Then, again, there are some who rush through the readings and other preliminary exercises as if they were on a race-course, striving for a prize. But all leaders are not like those we have described. There are those who put so much thought into their work, who read so delightfully and pray so earnestly, that those in attendance are made to feel that God is present, leading them to lofty heights of devotion. From the opening to the close the spirit of the meeting is so sustained that there is no consciousness of weariness, no wishing that it was over. No, there is nothing of 10 this; but all present feel that they have enjoyed a genuine and profitable service. When to Stop. When the hour is up, and the time has arrived for the evening meeting, — stop I When the attendance is small^ and every one present has evidently had his say, — stop / When the meeting has been brought, by some strong testi- mony, to a fitting climax that will dwell in the memory, if it is near the time to close, introduce some form of concert testimony that will give utterance to those who have not yet taken part, and then — stop I Without waiting for the pauses to lengthen, — stop I Without giving a chance for restlessness and yawning, — stop I Without scolding the members for failing to " occupy the time," — stop ! With no announcement that " there are just four minutes more," — which no one will be selfish enough to take, — stop / With no preliminary nervous looking up a closing hymn, and then looking around to see if any one is about to speak, and then looking for a better hymn and reconnoitring again, — stop ! With a few brisk words of encouragement, and a few reverent words of prayer, and a verse of a parting song, with the pastor's benediction, — stop I But if no meeting follows, and the members are evidently eager to speak and eager to listen, — don't stop ! If there is one hesitant member, with whom you know the prayer-meeting committee is working to lead him into fuller expression, and if you think him on the point of taking part, though the rest are through, wait a minute, — don't stop ! II If the impression of the meeting is deepening, — don't stop ! If souls are being born into the Kingdom, — don't stop ! If the visitors are getting restless, but the members are eager and interested, — don''t stop ! With tact, with common sense, with a prayerful desire for the best, hold on, — don''t stop ! 1. Prayer=Meeting Points. Many a prayer meeting has gone up in useless sentiment or down in dead formality for lack of some definite point or object. The leader should make an effort to bring at least one new thought into the meeting, at least one that is not universally dwelt upon. Points, points, are what we want in our meetings, and not too many of them in one service. Be content to make one clear, bristling, sticking point. Leave secondly, thirdly, and tenthly over for the second, third, and tenth meetings. A prayer meeting to be effectual must be conducted. Let the leader keep his hands on the reins steadily but gently. Many meetings are left to run down, and down they do run. Do not let the meeting die. The beast that dies a natural death is good for nothing ; it will not do for meat. A meeting should not be closed hastily, or precipitately, like an army beating a retreat. Different topics will be applied differently. It would be well often to make direct personal applications. If an opportunity should be given, and an earnest appeal made, the result would often be an immediate choice by some one of Christ and his kingdom. We should seek for immediate and direct results. 2. To Crowd the Prayer fleeting. At the Quebec convention Rev. W. L. Mitchell gave the 12 following recipe for crowding the midweek prayer meeting. It will apply in every point to our Christian Endeavor meetings : " Visit Wednesday afternoons and invite those visited to be present. Be prompt in beginning and closing. Let every member come in a devotional spirit, not with a spirit of criticism. Begin with a bright, joyous hymn, and sing happy hymns through the meeting. Let the leader come filled with a pre- pared subject. Be thoroughly in earnest; be on fire. Let the leader have something worth saying and say it. Be perfectly natural and be in earnest. HaVe an aim, and work it out. Avoid long prayers and frequent repetitions. Let the testi- monies be brief. Be sympathetic ; be quiet. Be prepared to take part yourselves, and carry out your intentions. Be a pray-er and a listener; pray before coming. Seek to be constantly under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Be always genial and kindly to strangers, and invite them to come again. Let there be plenty of music interspersed. Let there be diversity and variety. Ask for a blessing and expect it. Be humble ; you are only one of the army and not the most important person. Do all to the glory of God." 3. Just as riuch ! '* The prayer-meeting committee should do just as much for the church prayer meeting as for their own, except appointing of leaders and assigning of topics. They can secure a large attendance. They can fill the front seats. They can make every meeting interesting. In some churches the pastor may find it beneficial to give the Christian Endeavor society charge of one meeting a month, and charge of the printing and distri- bution of topic cards, the pastor choosing the topics." 4, For Answer in the fleeting. Mr. Albert B. Wilson writes : " I wish to testify to the useful- ness of the series of questions on the prayer-meeting page of 7^/ie Golden Rule^ headed * For answer in the meeting.' In the First Baptist Society of Rahway, N. J., we have adopted the plan of cutting these questions out and sending each one to some one who is unused to expressing himself in his own words. We have sent them mostly to our young lady members, with wonderful results. Those who before never took part beyond reading a verse now talk regularly in the meetings, and even lead in prayer. Practice begets confidence. It' has made our meetings more interesting, and I would most heartily recom- mend this plan to other societies." 5. Put them on the Blackboard. The uses to which prayer-meeting committees may apply the questions given on the prayer-meeting page " For answer in the meeting " are not all discovered yet, by any means. One society we have heard of writes them on a blackboard which is placed in front of the members one week before the meeting. The members read them, note down the questions they would like to think aboiit, and come much better prepared to take part because of their thought during the week. 6. Cottage fleetings. The Christian Endeavor society of the Baptist Church of Wellington, New Zealand, calls its prayer-meeting committee a " Prayer and cottage meeting committee," and makes a special feature of arranging for cottage prayer meetings to be held when required in the homes of the aged and those who are unable to go to church. To these meetings, six active members 14 are appointed to go with a leader, and spend an hour in singing and testifying. In many societies this method of delegated attendance at cottage meetings would work well. 7. A Hymn Roll-Call. Miss Sadie E. Mercer, of Cruickshank, Ontario, sends this helpful account of a new plan for conducting a consecration meeting. " In response to his or her name each member repeated a verse of a favorite hymn, some adding the reason for its being a favorite. The meeting was one of the best we have ever had, owing in a great measure to the words of one of our oldest members, as with voice tremulous with deep feeling he repeated Addison's beautiful lines, begin- ning, * Ten thousand thousand precious gifts my daily thanks employ.' Then in a few earnest words calculated to strengthen the feeblest faith, he testified to the goodness and mercy that had followed him for nearly seventy years, ending with an earnest appeal to those who were still ^ on the mountains wild and bare ' to come with us that we might do them good. We should be very glad to hear from other societies in regard to their methods of making these meetings not only the most interesting and profitable to themselves, but the most pregnant with good to those who have no experimental knowledge of the saving love of Jesus." 8. A Pledge fleeting. Mr. Fred H. Poor, of the society in the Lincoln Street Presby- terian Church, of Wichita, Kan., tells us about a very successful pledge meeting. The pledge was divided into six parts, which were given to six Endeavorers, who prepared each a five-minute talk on their theme, the leader closing the meeting with an 15 earnest address. This society repeats the pledge at every meeting. 9. A Question Meeting. The Endeavorers of the Parliament Street Baptist Society, of Toronto, Canada, are planning an interesting meeting. Each member will study the chapter for the evening, and come bringing one or more questions written on slips of paper. These will be put together, and each person present will then take one and give an answer to it. Such a meeting, for an occasional variety, may be made both interesting and profitable. 10. Your Favorite Passage. The prayer-meeting service may be delightfully varied by asking each member of the society to name, on a slip of paper, his favorite passage of Scripture. These may be gathered up and read, with appropriate comment, by the pastor. The fact that many of the slips are duplicated again and again will in itself be a matter of interest, as showing what texts have the strongest hold upon the hearts of believers. 11. A Leaders' Conference. It would be well for the prayer-meeting committee to gather the leaders appointed for the meetings of several months in advance, and have a conference regarding new and good plans for carrying on prayer meetings. The files of The Golden Rule might be consulted, and the scrap-book of the prayer-meeting committee. Some bright worker might read a practical paper, which might then be discussed. The pastor should be present and assist. Leaders should not work independently of each other and of the committee. This plan has in it great possi- bilities of good. i6 12. Special Meetings. Occasionally it will be found helpful to arrange for a special praise or promise meeting, using the exercises prepared by the United Society. These can also be used to good advantage when the society takes charge of the Sunday evening church service, as many societies do occasionally. Suggestions. 1. Make your prayer-meeting room as attractive as possible. Have the large wall pledge in a conspicuous place, and if possible get the set of Christian Endeavor mottoes, which the United Society have had beautifully Hthographed. 2. Have an attractive topic card and plenty of them so that every one that attends the meeting can have one. 3. ^ ten-minute prayer meeting, held in an adjoining room just before the Christian Endeavor meeting, in which all the members of the committee and the leader join will be found most helpful. 4. Keep a record of the part taken by each member in every meeting, and so be ready by a quiet suggestion to get them out of the ruts if they have gotten into the habit of doing the same thing at every meeting. This will help give variety to the service. 5. Encourage timid members in every possible way. Tell them how much their word of testimony or prayer helped you. A word of appreciation and encouragement will make it much easier to take part next time. 6. If the room is large, arrange the seats so the company will be as close together as possible, and near the leader. If the attendants persist in taking the back seats, rope off a certain 17 number, and do not use them until the others are full. Have ushers to meet the people and seat them. A kindly greeting by an usher will make a stranger feel much more at home, and if care is taken in seating him to place him near one of the most cordial and genial members, he will be sure of a second welcome. 7. Be sure that the meetings are well advertised and that all the young people are invited, whether they are members or not. If your church services are advertised in the papers, see that the notice of your Christian Endeavor meeting is included. Strangers in town will appreciate this. 8. Aim for spiritual results. Have it understood that the pastor shall be ready to take charge of the meeting at any time, and press for immediate decision if the Spirit seems to be pres- ent in converting power. Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide Treatment Date: August 2005 PreservationTechnologies A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATION 1 1 1 1 homson Park Drive Cranberry Township. PA 1606( !794) '-79-2^^^ Prayer=Meeting Committee Supplies. LEAFLETS. per loo Prayer-Meeting Plans $2.00 Drawing the Net 2.00 Prayer-Meeting Hints 2.00 Broadside on the Pledge 2.00 Raise the Standard 1.5c Revised Pledge Leaflet . . . i.oo Apply the Test i.oo Take the Next Step i.oo The Christian Life .50 Christ's Apprentices 3.00 Hints to Leaders i.oo The Verse-Readers' Class . . . . . . . . . 2.00 Consecration Meeting , . . i.oo Believe ... * 1.50 CARDS. Invitation Card .50 Prayer-Meeting Reminder Card .50 Reciprocal Prayer Card .75 Suggestions to Leaders ... - .50 Suggestions to Members .50 Daily Readings and Topics 1.50 Prayer-Meeting Topics for One Year i.oo Suggestions to Prayer-Meeting Committee, each .... .03 (Set of 5, 10 cents.) Send for samples and prices of beautiful embossed Topic and Invitation Cards. Ideal Record and Roll-Call Book, each i.oo Systematic Record Book, each .5c (In sets of five, 35 cents each.) Handy Record Book, each .10 (In sets of five, 8 cents each.) Record List, each .03 (In lots of five or more 2 cents each.) Special Meetings. HOW to secure pleasing variety in the meetings, and keep them out of the ruts, is a problem constantly facing the prayer-meeting committee. How to arrange for missionary and temperance meetings is a question constantly before the committees having that work in charge. We call your atten- tion to the following exercises as One Answer to these Questions. We shall add to the number of these exercises as rapidly as we secure suitable material. We are arranging for a series of missionary exercises to cover the different important fields. As soon as they are ready announcement will be made in The Golden Rule. Per 100 Promise Service Nos. i, 2, 3 and 4 ... $2.00 (Sample copy, 3 cents.) Praise Service Nos. i, 2 and 3 . . . . 2.00 ( Sample copy, 3 cents.) Temperance Service No. i 2.00 (Sample copy, 3 cents.) Temperance Service Nos. 2 and 3 ... 2.00 ( Sample copy, with recitation sheet, 5 cents.) Missionary Service No. i 2.00 ( Sample copy, 3 cents.) Missionary Service No. 2 3.00 (Sample copy, 5 cents.) Junior Services, " Anniversary," " Graduation,'* " Pledge," 2.00 (Sample copy, 3 cents.) Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process Neutralizing agent; Magnesium Oxide Treatment Date: August 2005 PreservationTechnologies I A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATION H 1 •; 1 T'-'.'TiOOn Park D'lve Crar.t&rry Township. PA 1b066 (724)779-2111 ' t «%' I « LIBRARY OF CCmGRESS 014 629 518 6 • ■ fe