irection, thus greatly increasing its obligations and more than doubling
its annual budget of expenses. There was some questioning as to how it
could be done, but, without waiting for clearer light, it moved forward
unanimously to the enlarged work.

What do we find to be the result of the three years? They have been the
three most prosperous years of the church's history. Two men have been
added to the clerical force. The expenses of the church have been met, and
the bills have been paid when they were due. The contributions for home
and foreign missions have more than doubled. More members have been
received than during any other similar period. There has been perfect
harmony and the people have been glad and happy in their common work. Ten
places of worship have been established in the country around where
regular services are held. The people in these neighborhoods attend their
own services and do not come into the village church as some of them
formerly did. The present arrangement does not tend to build up a large
central congregation, but has the opposite effect. Thirty former central
members have become part of a newly formed church three miles away. There
has been no great increase in the population, either of the village or of
the country around. But the congregations and the Sunday-schools were
never so large as they have been during this period. It has been found
impossible to accommodate all those who wished to worship with the church,
or properly to care for those attending the Sunday-school. A larger
building became an actual necessity, and in the summer of 1913 an addition
was made, increasing the seating capacity of the building by one third,
and providing a number of rooms for Sunday-school and social purpose. Can
we doubt that the blessing of God will attend any church that sees the
vision, and with faith and courage and sacrifice gives itself to the work
of making it a reality?

8. When all the ministers and all the churches catch the vision of the
Larger Parish and address themselves to the work of making it a reality,
the rural regions will be rehabilitated, religiously, morally, and
socially, and a splendid impulse will be given to the work throughout the
whole country. If some practical plan can be adopted by the village
churches for extension work, the whole aspect of the country situation may
be quickly changed. The people, both in the villages and in the open
country, are more ready for some s