John Haynes Holmes

Minister of the Church of the Messiah

Series 1918-1919——­No.  VI

PRICE, FIVE CENTS

Published by the

Church of the Messiah

Park Avenue and 34th Street

New York City

[1]

NOTICE

The Messiah Pulpit, by tradition and practice, is a free platform, dedicated to the ideal of truth.  Its sermons, in both their spoken and written form, are the utterances of the preacher, who accepts for them exclusive responsibility.

The publication of these sermons is made possible by a private fund for this purpose.  Contributions to this fund are needed, and may be sent to Rev. John Haynes Holmes, 61 East 34th Street, New York City.

[2]

A statement: 

On the Future of This Church

On Sunday, November 24 last, as most of you know.  I was invited by unanimous vote of the people of All Souls Church, Chicago, “to take up the work laid down by (their) beloved pastor,” the late Dr. Jenkin Lloyd Jones.  On Thursday, November 28, I received this call through the personal visitation of two members of the Chicago church, and agreed to give it most earnest consideration.  On Sunday, December 1, through my associate, Mr. Brown, I announced this call to the congregation of the Church of the Messiah, explaining that it involved the ministry of All Souls Church, the directorship of Abraham Lincoln Centre, and the editorship of the weekly liberal religious journal, called “Unity.”  I stated in my announcement that I had asked and been granted ample time for the consideration of this call, but that I intended to answer it as speedily as possible.  On Thursday last, just five weeks to a day after receiving the invitation to Chicago, I sent my reply for transmission to the people of All Souls Church this morning.  I choose this same time to announce to you my decision.

At the beginning of my consideration of the problem, I found questions of personal inclination and comfort inevitably to the fore.  For twelve years minus one month, I have lived and labored in New York City.  Every particle of moral energy which I possess, I have invested here.  Nearly all of my friends are associated with this community.  Especially am I bound by ties of deepest reverence and affection to this church.  Here are memories of joy and sorrow and great trial which are more truly a part of me than the voice with which I speak, or the hand with which I turn these pages.  It [3] needed but this single summons to teach me what I had not known—­how deeply my roots are struck into the soil of this place, and how great the pain and hazard of their exposure, removal and replanting.