VOL. I. "Not to be ministered unto but to minister." DECEMBER 1, 1904. Two Anniversaries. On December 3 our Church reached its seventy-eighth anniversary, and on Dec. 10, that of the Howard Sunday School will arrive. Dr. Joseph Tuckerman, the founder of the ministry-at-large, of which our Church and Sunday School were the earliest organized institutions, held his first service on Sunday evening, Dec. 3, 1826, in an old paint shop, on the corner of Portland and Merrimac Streets. On the following Sunday, the Howard Sunday School was begun, with seven teachers and three scholars, a few more coming in the afternoon. It was a bitterly cold day and they were obliged to gather close about the stove to keep warm, the wind easily penetrating the old building. For two years meetings were continued in this place, and then came the first chapel in Friend Street. Outgrowing this, in 1836, Pitts Street Chapel was built, and in 1869 the present church-home in Bulfinch Place, which in turn, after a service of thirty-four years, has been remodelled to meet the needs of our day. Seventy-eight years have passed, and yet, with all the changes that have taken place, the work of the ministry-at-large is precisely the same, in its central purpose at least, as in Dr. Tuckerman's time, or throughout the long ministry of his noblest follower, Mr. Winkley. Under the fostering care of the Benevolent Fraternity of Churches, it has extended its influence over the city, with other centers at the Parker Memorial, North End Union, Morgan Memorial and the Channing Church in Dorchester. It stands to-day, as all through these years our Church and Sunday School have stood, for the development of Christian character, the establishment of the Kingdom of God, by faith, NO. 2 The hope and love, in the hearts of men. ministry-at-large is a ministry of loving service to all. "One holy Church of God appears, Through every age and race, Unwasted by the lapse of years, Unchanged by changing place. Her priests are all God's faithful sons, Sunday Services. Special attention is called to the Church Calendar, printed in this issue of OUR WORK, in order to emphasize the supreme importance of the Sunday services and to invite the hearty co-operation of all the members of our various organizations in making these more successful. The personal interest of each one is earnestly requested, and there are two ways at least, in which this may be expressed: first, by being present, regularly, oneself; and second, by inviting friends. No church is truly alive unless it has something of the missionary spirit, that is, unless it is seeking to give of its best to others. No church member is doing his full duty unless he is trying to strengthen the Sunday Services by his presence and encouragement. The success of the Sunday School, the Guild and the Church, depends upon this conscientious loyalty and zeal. Above every other means of helpfulness we urge regular attendance upon the service of worship at 3.15 o'clock, and upon the Communion Service once a month. Let us strengthen these, and the Sunday School and all other branches of our work will flourish. The Winkley Guild. Some of the announcements of the Guild for December and January are: December 4, Rev. George Hale Reed, of Belmont, "The Need and the Creed"; December 11, Miss Belle Cummins, "What Does True Friendship Require?" December 25, the meeting will probably be omitted as it will be Christmas night. January 8, Rev. J. B. W. Day, of the Channing Church, Dorchester, will give an address; January 15, Mr. O. A. McMurdie, "The Dignity of Labor"; January 29, Mr. Frederick S. Melcher, of Newton Center, will speak. Notwithstanding the threatening weather of Sunday evening, November 27, we are able to report that a good number attended the Boston Federation meeting at Wollaston. There were twelve in all who went down. The meeting was an enthusiastic one and there were one or two things accomplished which will do much to make the Federation of value to its neighbors as well as its own members. One particularly fine thing was the vote to pledge seventy-five dollars to the National Union for the purpose of sending a speaker to New Jersey. Women's Alliance. The Alliance announcements for December and January, are as follows: December 7, A "Seven" Party. December 14, Study Class, "An Ideal Christmas." December 21, (evening meeting). Rev. William I. Lawrance will speak on "Unitarianism in Japan." January 11, Study Class, "The True Aim of Life." January 25, Miss Bertha Langmaid will speak on "The Cheerful Letter Work." From "Treasured Thoughts." We cannot teach the higher truths by words. When people get the holy spirit by deeds they understand it. Eliot Circle. The Fair, held on Friday, November 4, proved a success in all respects. Lunch was served from 12 until 2 o'clock and supper from 5.30 until 8 o'clock. The spirit of good will and helpfulness prevailed. Old time friendships were renewed and new ones were made. It was a happy time for the workers and they should feel that the year is opening well for them. Red, White and Blue Club. On Monday evening, November 14. Mr. Hobart W. Winkley addressed the Club. "Quit ye like men" was the subject. His words of counsel and advice were appreciated and could but prove an incentive to the upbuilding of true manly character. At this meeting Mr. Winkley became an associate member, thus heading the list. On Saturday evening, December 3, the Young Men's Reading Room was opened and hereafter it will be open on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 7 until 9 P.M. It is hoped that all the men, both young and old, will be interested in this new undertaking and prove their friendliness by a visit to the room. John Howard Lend-a-Hand Club. The Club again regrets to announce the death of one of its members-Miss Susan Remick. Miss Remick was one of the charter members of the Club, and as such was always greatly interested in its work, ever giving her most loyal support to every effort of the Club to lend a hand. Her loss will not only be deeply felt by the Club, but by all who knew and loved her. A course of Stereopticon Lectures will be arranged for January and February. The speakers and subjects will be announced in the next number of OUR WORK. 3 P.M. Eliot Circle, first Friday in the month. SATURDAY. 9 A.M.-12 M. Sphinx Club. Classes in sewing, 1.30 P.M. Basket Weaving Class. The Church will be open every day from 10 until 1 o'clock. Mr. Eliot will be at the church on Wednesdays, and on other days by appointment. Miss Jones on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and Miss Stokes on Tuesdays and Fridays. The Flower Work. During the last six years the distribution of flowers has been an important part of our summer work. From early spring until the late frosts, these messengers of the Father's love are eagerly sought and sent far and wide, carrying their messages of hope and cheer into many homes where their presence is like the visit of a dear friend. Thousands of blossoms go forth from this center each season on their ministry of love to the sick, the sad, the sorrowing and those who are bravely facing life amid much that is discouraging. The House-Warming. On Friday evening, November 18, the friends of Mr. Eliot and of the chapel gathered to the number of several hundred for a house-warming and for services which dedicated the remodelled church to its new uses. Rev. Paul Revere Frothingham, Rev. E. A. Horton and Rev. Alfred D. K. Shurtleff joined in the service, and but little was left unsaid of the work of the Bulfinch Place Church, of the range of Mr. Eliot's religious influence, of the strength of his work among his people, and of the larger opportunities of usefulness now before him. Mr. Eliot's response was tender and self-restrained. He threw the veil over his own achievements, insisting strongly that all that was said of him was due to others who had done the work, and so won the hearts of all. This house-warming marked the passing of ten happy years of his ministry there. The crowded church and vestries, the words of good cheer, the touching expressions of personal devotion which came to him, must have warmed his heart as they did the hearts of his friends. Nor was Mr. Winkley forgotten, who through a long life has enriched and blessed the lives of three generations of his people. He could not personally join in these congratulations, but his spirit was there as fresh and young and active as ever. --W. H. R. in The Christian Register. Sphinx Club. The classes are running in good order with twenty-five pupils, all of whom take great interest in their work. A cooking class for mother's is being formed to be held on whatever day is found most convenient for the majority of the members. The class will open the first of the year. Any ladies wishing to join will please apply to Miss Jones. The work of finishing the gymnasium dressing-rooms and baths has begun. There will be three showers and two tubs. The floors and partitions will be made of asbestolith. The lockers will be furnished by the Narragansett Machine Company, which firm is also bidding upon the gymnasium apparatus. There will be chest weights, parallel and horizontal bars, jumping stand, striking ball, basket ball, dumb-bells, Indian clubs, etc. Arrangements will be made for class-work as soon as the gymnasium is ready, about February 1. VOL. I. "Not to be ministered unto but to minister." JANUARY 1, 1905. Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul, As the swift seasons roll! Leave thy low-vaulted past! Let each new temple, nobler than the last, Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast, Till thou at length art free, Leaving thine outgrown shell by life's unresting sea. -O. W. HOLMES. A Happy New Year. To each and every member of our congregation and to all our friends, A Happy New Year! Yes, the old year has gone, and, try as we may, we cannot call back one minute of its three hundred sixty-six days; but the New Year has come, and we hope to use all the minutes of its three hundred and sixty-five days. What can we do for ourselves and for one another, to make this year one of the happiest and best? 1. Begin each day with the "upward look." You will see God in the sky, or upon the mountain-tops, or in the Christlife, or in "the love of those whom we love best." 2. Close each day with the "inward look," for God is there, waiting to forgive and to give. 3. Remember this word by Robert Louis Stevenson: "The world is so full of a number of things, I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings." 4. Sing all you can, and do not be afraid to laugh heartily. "Let me go where'er I will I hear a sky-born music still: It is not only in the rose, It is not only in the bird, Not only where the rainbow glows, NO. 3 5. Throughout each day, look forward and outward. Waste no time in self-congratulation or self-pity. Do something every day for some one else, to make at least one other person happier. Make life worth living by living it worthily. The Winkley Guild. The programme as outlined for January and February is as follows; the dates not given are to be filled in later. January 1, Mr. Carlton Ames Wheeler, President of the National Y. P. R. U., will give an address on "The Spirit of Organization." January 8, Mr. O. A. McMurdie, "The Dignity of Labor." January 15, Rev. J. B. W. Day, of Channing Church, Dorchester, will give an address. January 22, paper by Miss Anna D. Kinsley. January 29, address by Mr. Frederick G. Melchor, of Newton Centre. February 12, Lincoln's Birthday, in charge of the Red, White and Blue Club. February 26, meeting of the Boston Federation at Neponset. Particulars will be announced later. There will be no meeting of our own Guild that evening. Attention is called to the change in the meetings for the eighth and the fifteenth of January. Mr. Day who was to have spoken on the eighth has been changed to the fifteenth, and Mr. McMurdie has taken the date originally assigned to Mr. Day. The Calendar for this month gives a fine promise for the "New Year"; let us all join in making the promise good. The success of our Guild meetings does not depend upon the speakers alone; it depends just as much upon those who take part, or those who attend the meetings. The attendance has not been as good lately as it ought to have been. Why not begin a new record this month and see if we cannot go above our average of last |