Word: methodists
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Thus Newsman Hartzell Spence describes his father's first parish in One Foot in Heaven: The Life of a Practical Parson (Whittlesey House; $2.50). The Rev. William H (for nothing) Spence was a Methodist minister who in 30 years of pastorates in Iowa, Colorado and Nebraska never left a parish with less than a 25% net increase in its membership. You seemed to hear an organ playing Onward, Christian Soldiers when he came into the room...
...fundamentals. He cut his sermons from an hour and a half to 24 minutes. At first he would no more have drunk a highball than try to get a laugh in church. Later he even ordered a set of books called Wit and Humor of America from the Methodist Book Concern, took to reading Mark Twain. It helped...
Because a sister of the parish hates to be caught unprepared by her preacher, on his pastoral rounds he would linger out front tying his horse (later testing his tires) until she had time to whip off her apron and straighten up the parlor. Because the Methodist Discipline forbade smoking, he passed out chocolate cigars when his son was born. But he knew how to call his shots. When a parishioner begged him to tell her daughter not to accept a job in Manhattan because something might happen to her there, Parson Spence looked her in the eye, said...
Keynoter of the Mission is the world's No. 1 missionary, lean, fervid, greying E. (for Eli) Stanley Jones, who humbly calls himself "evangelist to the high castes of India." Dr. Jones went to India as a Methodist missionary in 1907, has since converted many a Brahman, written nine books (best-known: The Christ of the Indian Road, with sales past the 600,000 mark), founded at Lucknow the first Christian Ashram (from an Indian word meaning "a forest colony for spiritual fellowship and meditation"). In Indian costume-a long white cloak, tight trousers, sandals-Dr. Jones last summer...
...Hamilton M. Gifford, Minister of the Epworth Methodist Episcopal Church...