Welsh Journals

TfSe i2ewpoi[f £resSyfcrian. ORDER OF SERVICES. HAVELOCK STREET. Sunday—10.15 a.m. ...... Prayer Meeting 11 a.m. & 6.30 p.m....... Preaching 2.30 p.m. ......... School 3 p.m. ... ... Men's Service Communion—First Sunday in the month. Monday—7.15 p.m.......... Prayer Meeting 8.15 p.m.......... C. E. Society Tuesday—6.30 p.m. ...... Band of Hope 7.30 p.m.......... Teachers'Class Wednesday—3.30 p.m....... Dorcas Society 7.30 p.m. ... .. Church Meeting 8.30 p.m ...... Singing Practice Thursday—7.30 p.m....... Boys'Brigade CAERLEON ROAD. Sunday—11 a.m. & 6.30 p.m....... Preaching 2.30 p.m............. School 3—4 p.m. ...... Adult Bible Class 6 p.m. .. ...... Open Air Service Communion—First Sunday in the month. Monday—7.30 p.m. 8.30 p.m... Tuesday—2.30 p.m. ...... Mothers* Meeting 7 p.m. .. ...... Band of Hope 8 p.m. " Hope of Maindee " Good Templars Lodge Wednesday—7.30 p.m....... Church Meeting 8.30 p.m. ... ... Choir Practice Thursday—7.30 p.m....... Boys'Brigade Prayer Meeting Y.P.S. Christian Endeavour MONTHLY NOTES. (September, 1896.) HE Summer Season is gone, and now the Winter is coming ! The Winter is the time for work. Are our Churches ready ? We ought to put in a good Winter's record, six months of real work for Christ and His Church. It is time for the various Committees to meet and draw out their plans. May the Light from above shine upon them, and may their programmes be wisely drawn. Our Prayer Meetings have kept up throughout the Summer. It is a matter for devout thankfulness that, notwithstanding holidays and excursions, our Members have attended the Prayer Meetings with faithfulness. This is a most encouraging sign, and we wish to give it its due credit. It augurs well for our Winter's Meetings. We anticipate that large numbers will meet for prayer from week to week, and that the power of the Churches will rise therewith. The Sunday Morning Prayer Meeting deserves to thrive more. The few who attend are much blessed. It is said that Football Teams, before entering upon a critical match, have half-an-hour's practice together, so as to get themselves into trim. What an admirable hint for Sunday morning worshippers ? Half-an-hour's prayer before Service—a few short, warm, striving petitions before the throne of grace—how they would trim the heart and mind ! Why, everything would go better. The pews would be filled with prayer- sharpened people. And the pulpit would soon feel the inspiration. Pulpit and pew, sermon and song, would alike be much the better, How about our Church Meetings ? We fear that some of our Members do not quite understand the pur¬ pose of these Meetings. A Prayer Meeting they under¬ stand ; but a Church Meeting, what is it ? Is it a business Meetiag ? Is it a Committee ? What is it good for? Why multiply Meetings so much ? Can we not do without a Church Meeting? Some of our readers know well that the Church Meeting has always been one of the notable features of our Denomin .tion. As the Class Meeting distinguishes the Wesleyans, so the Church Meeting distinguishes us. If we give it up, we should at once lose a distinctive part of our religious work, one of those things that came into being with us, and still continue to set apart our character and to justify our existence. What then is a Church Meeting ? It is a Meeting for the pure and simple purpose of promoting growth and progress in the Christian life. As little business as possible is transacted : the less, the better. The Meeting is not a Committee, but a homely, free, loving communion of saints. There are various ways of con¬ ducting it. Each Church knows best what way will suit. One week the Sunday Sermons are reviewed, one Member quoting striking thoughts and passages, and stating what blessing the message has brought. Another week some doctrinal subject or some passage of Scripture is discussed. Yet another week some practical question of interest to the Church is brought under notice and earnestly considered. The Meetings are open to Members only.