NEW WAYS.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20500, 19 March 1932, Page 16

NEW WAYS.

CHURCH KEEPS UP WITH THE TIMES. SERVICE ON THE BEACH. (rsoit OU» ; Otrx COBUS.POXSZHT.) SYDNEY, March 10. The harvest thanksgiving service held on the Bondi (Sydney) beach last Sunday afternoon was an instance of the modern trend of religion, which is finding, it more and more necessary to keep up with the times. Beach services are not new to Auckland, but■. that opportunity for extending religious knowledge has never been seizeu in Australia. Now thero is talk-of a great national service at Botidi as part of the Bridge Week celebrations, with the surfers iparching intheir costumes. The sponsors of the scheme have not met with much encouragement from _ the ministers of the various denominations, and they fear that they may lose a splendid opportunity'for a great public thanksgiving on a spectacular Bcale. An,appeal is now being made to a well-known citjr preacher to carry out the service—a preacher who is not averse to publicity methods. There are many Chiireh leaders in Sydney who believe in the slogan, "It Pays to Advertise," and they , select as titles for their sermons controversial subjects with a popular appeal.. Modernity, however, has its disadvantages.. One Church in a great industrial suourb decided to display a suitable moving picture as a means of - attracting an audience—and some money. Unfortunately the church was crowded early with children, .who stamped, and shouted, and whistled. They did not contribute 5s to the plate, and the experiment has not been repeated; v Some ministers insist , that sensationalism has no permanent value, and. they are content, to go along the well-worn path, accompanied, for the most part, by small congregations. The Be v. W. J. Grant (Presbyterian) is one who believes in the power of advertisement, and it Was with considerable opposition that he chooses for his jermons titles that catah the public eye. He is rewarded with a crowded church. He also believes that churches should be made more comfortable, and he believes that there is no earthly reason why women should not be permitted to enter a church without a hat should they choose to do so. . As much care should be exercised in the design of a church as in that of a.place of entertainment. There should be fans in the summer and a heating installation in the winter.