2 PACIFIC UNION RECORDER
Duties of Church Officers
The church of God is designed 10 be
a city set upon a hilo wo hight that can
not be hidden, She is to be the salt of
the earth,
heneficent
diffusing to the world her
and saving influence, very
member 3s therefore to be an active
principle of righteousness and a servant
of mankind,
That the
ot God
has been
great and eternal purpose
may be carried out, the church
established by Him, and her
perfected. As the
Founder and Corner-stone of this organ-
simple organization
ization was the servant of men. so the
object and aim of the chureh is service,
Our Saviour Lid down this great principle
in His teaching, © Whosoever will be great
among vou, let him be your minister:
and whosoever will be chief among vou,
even as the
let him be servant:
Son of Man came not to he ministered
your
unto, but to minister, and to give Ths
lite «a Matt, 20:
26-28. If any man serve Meo let him
follow Me,’ 12:20.
There are positions of honor within the
ransom for many,’
John
gift of the church, and to desire these
Spirit
1), and to those who
positions 1s commended by the
of God (1
taithtully fill these positions we are re
quired to show double honor. 1 Tim,
walled to fll these
church are ovi-
Tim. 3:
5:17. Those who are
places oft honor in the
dently called to be, not the ‘lords over
but the chief
The oversight of the flock 1s entrusted
to the
Peter
and the extent of the responsibilities of
the ehureh elder. It
a shepherd he ix to he conversant with
God's heritage, servants,
elder. This expression used by
furnishes the kev to the duties,
mmplies that as
4
the spiritual condition of each member
of the precious flock that the ehiet Shep
herd has entrusted to his eave,
what is seen in some of
idea of the
them 1s to
To judge hy
our churches, the duty of
that
preside at
elders prevails with
meetings, fo exercise some
authority in shaping the affairs of the
church, to read an article or perhaps
to attempt a sermon for the regular
service, with no responsibility beyond
the hour of worship.
The
our halt dead, cold and formal churches.
result 1s oscen in the number of
Those who desive the office of an
clder desire a good work, but that they
desire and
robbed of
may appreciate what they
that the church may not be
should
they
the service «due her,
ever
hive hetore them the experience of the
shepherd Jacob, © In the day the drought
consumed me, and the frost by night,
and my sleep departed from my eves.
FO means watehfulness, self-denial and
faithiul
But to him
service at oanv and all times
who will thus serve and
follow Christ, He has promised, Him
will My
To the church elders of Fphesus, Paul
Mather honor,
said, Take heed therefore unto vour-
selves, and to all the floek, over the whieh
the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers,
for | know this, that after my
departing shall grievous wolves enter iu
Also
of vour own selves shall nen arise, speak:
among vou, not spaving the tloek,
io perverse things, to draw away dis
= - .
ciples after them” Fvery member of
the church 1s ta he watched with the
tenderest solictiude as our brother who
has heen purchased by the blood ot
Christ,
Too often individuals are permitted to
hecome discouraged, disheartened, and
cold without any effort being put forth
Week after
without =a
by the elder to help then
week 1s allowed to pass by
word of encouragement or any Libor be-
ing put forth for them until they hive
finally drifted bevond the influence that
held
condition in
should have them.
This
aliowed to continue until the chureh roll
some instances is
has upon it many names who ave found
to he dead weights and sometimes a dis
grace to the churches; but had the elder
heen instant in season and out of season,
with all
time
had he mn tenderness exhorted
doctrine, had
with and for
long-sutfering and
heen taken to visit, pray
them, many might have been saved,
There is no phase of church work with
which the faithful
he intimately connected and deeply iu-
overseer must not
terested. All other officers have heen
placed in the church to assist him and
make his work efficient. Perhaps the
deacon stands nearest to him to help in
hunting out and visiting the poor and
sick, to take charge of the financial min-
isiration of the church, and to have in
charge the more material vet important
part of the church serviee, such as see
ing that the place of worship is main:
tained in good and neat order, and ar
ranging for all special features of the
(rod,
should
service of the house of
The
Letween the elder and the librarian.
oXISt
The
atm of the two with the missionary leader,
closest cooperation
it there is ene, should be to help every
member to become an active worker in
the chureh, and a Light bearer in the
communityv-——to show them how to work,
to help them in their work. This is
the hope of the ehureh against all spire
tual
To every officer in church and Rabbath-
SICK ITOSS.
school the elder must extend this same
oversight and cooperation, a tellow-serv-
aut with them in the house of God, each
ot them
here. but hereafter, for
¢ hiet Shepherd
receive a crown of glory that fadeth not
away. WwW. T.
looking for their reward not
*“when the
shall appear, veo shall
Knox.
Bet &-
4508
The Field
Stockholders’ Meeting of the Pacific
Press Publishing Company
meeting of
The thirty-second annual
the stockholders of the Pacific Press
Publishing Company was held in their
new factory building at Mountain View,
Cal, on Wednesday, Jan, 30, 1907, A
good representation of the stockholders
besides a number of con-
friends from dif-
Reports from
was present,
ference workers and
ferent parts of the state,
the main publishing house, and also from
its branches, were presented.
The
elected as a
following named persons were
hoard of directors for the
ensuing vear: Ho Wo Cottrell, MLC
Wilcox, . IH. Jones, Ho IL Hall, AO,
Tait, 1K. A. Chapman, and HH. Go Childs.
The board organized as follows: presi
dent, Ho WL
veneral manager,
I. G.
was chosen as auditor.
(‘ottrell; vice-president and
H. Jones; seeretary
and treasurer, Childs, JJ. JJ. Tre:
[and
Fllder M. (. Wilcox was chosen editor
Signs of the Elder
Tait. associate editor: Miss Kath-
or the Times and
ALO.
rina
of Our
The
was selected: HLH.
Wilcox was chosen editor
Friend.
publishing committee
Hall, CH. Jones,
Blossom
[ttle
following
ALCL Wilcox, ALO. Tait, KK. R. Palmer,
ALLL Bourdeau, T1W., Cottrell, and
Max Hill
Department officers were chosen as fol-
lows: HoH. Hall, manager of the Book
and Sales Department: Jas. Cochran,
mannger of the Kansas City Branch:
WV. Sample, manager of the Portland
Branch.
The stockholders were well pleased.
ard expressed their approval of the man-