“Your pastor prays earnestly that this season of work, offering, and pleasure may be used by the Lord to help humanity and add to the glory of His Kingdom on earth.”

This is the tenor of the letters sent each year.  This is the purpose held ever before the workers.

Each committee is urged to meet as soon as possible, and, as a rule, the chairman calls a meeting within a week after the receipt of the list.  Each committee upon meeting elects a president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer, which, together with the original executive committee, form the executive committee of the fair.

During the summer and fall, until the opening of the fair, these various committees work to secure contributions or whatever may be needed for the special work they have been appointed to do.  If they need costumes, or expensive decorations for the booths, they give entertainments to raise the money.  All this depends upon the character of the fair in general.  Sometimes it is a fair in the accepted sense of the word, devoted to the selling of such goods as interested friends and well-wishers have contributed.  At other times it takes on special significance.  At one fair each committee represented a country, the members dressed in the costume of its people, the booth so far as possible was typical of a home, or some special building.  Such products of the country as could be obtained were among the articles sold or exhibited.

Every committee meeting is opened with prayer, and each night during the fair a prayer meeting is held.  In addition, a committee is appointed to look after the throng of strangers visiting the fair, and whenever possible, to get them to register in a book kept especially for that purpose at the entrance.  To all those who sign the register, a New Year’s greeting is sent as a little token of recognition and appreciation of their help.

Much of the great tide of membership that flows into the church comes through the doors of these church fairs.  The fairs are really revival seasons.  They are practical illustrations of how a working church prays, and a praying church works.  Christianity has on its working clothes.  But it is Christianity none the less, outspoken in its faith, fearless in its testimony, full of the love that desires to help every man and woman to a higher, happier life.

The church entertainments form another important feature of church life.  Indeed, from the first of September until summer is well started, few weekday nights pass but that some religious service or some entertainment is taking place in The Temple.  In the height of the season, it is no uncommon thing for two or three to be given in various halls of The Temple on one evening.  An out-of-town man attending a lecture at the Lower Temple, and seeing the throngs of people pouring in at various entrances, asked the custodian of the door if there were a rear entrance to the auditorium.