1903

Newfield, NJ, January 1, 1903 

Beloved in Christ;

I address to you my First Pastoral Letter. I wish you a Happy New Year. You have called me as your pastor and I desire to be successful along all lines of the Master’s work. It is necessary that the pastor have the hearty and prayerful co-operation of every individual member. Your pastor will be just what you make him, if you rally around him and hold up his hands, (Ex. 17:11, 12.) he will be a success; if he is a failure, the responsibility lies in part upon yourself. In order to make the pastor a success it will be necessary for each member to adhere to the following rules:

1.   Pray for him daily. 2 Thes. 3:1

2.   Guard his reputation carefully. Rom. 8:33. (You must remember what hurts him, injures the church.) Luke 8:17, 18. I Thes. 5:12, 13.

3.   Hear him preach weekly. Heb. 10:25.

4.   Listen to his words wakefully. I Thes. 5:12, 13.

5.   Treasure them up joyfully. Heb. 13:17.

6.   Subscribe liberally to his salary. I Cor. 16:2. "Even so hath the Lord ordained that they who preach the gospel should live by the gospel."

7.   Pay him promptly. So that he can avoid debt. Ps. 22:25, Eccl. 4:4, 5.

8.   Labor with him prayerfully and sympathetically. James 4:11.

9.   Be sure to attend all the meetings of the church, especially the prayer meeting. Heb. 12:14.

10.   Greet him cordially. Support the Sunday School, State Convention, Missionary and other kindred Societies of our denomination.

YOUR PASTOR