<TITLE>22. Par 150-153</TITLE>L-150   Look the way we used to do it years ago. Sister Gertie was the pianist. When I pastored here, I--I had to be pastor, deacon, trustee, and everything else at once, see, but I--I had to do it. Now you don't have to do it that way, see, because you got men to carry this out. But when the... I had ushers, Brother Seward and all of them at the door. They had books piled around there at the door, setting in a chair, or something or another. And when someone come in, you showed them a place to hang your coat or helped them to their seat, give them a songbook and asked them to "be in prayer." And then everybody set in their seat and silently prayed until starting time. See? And then at starting time, Sister Gertie, the pianist, got up there and started the music before... when the people are--are coming together.

L-151 I would suggest to have your organist to get up there with some real nice music. And if she can't be here, put it on tape and then play it, or something another. And have music, real sweet sacred music going on. So... And ask people... And if people goes to talking and carrying on like that, let one of the deacons get up at the microphone up there at the desk and say, "sh, sh, sh," like that. Say, "At the tabernacle here, we--we want you to come to worship. Let's not make noise now, listen to the music. Get your seat, set down, be reverent see, pray or read the Bible. This in the sanctuary here is where the Lord dwells. And we want everybody to be real reverent and worship, not to be running around, talking before the services. Congregate yourself, and you've come here to talk to the Lord. See? Either be in silent prayer, see, or read your Bible."

L-152   When I went into the Marble church up there at--at the... Norman Vincent Peale, you've heard of him, you see. And I went into... A great psychology, he's a teacher, you know. And I went into his church, I just thought that, "I wished my tabernacle would do that again." Them deacons standing right there at the door just as soon as you come in. They, of course, they hand you a Sunday school slip, taken you right down. You had to empty three times, you know, it only hold about four or five hundred, you know; and New York's a big place, and he's a popular man. And I think they had to have one class at ten o'clock and one at eleven, same sermon right over again, same service exactly, same sheet of paper. But when they dismissed, and they had (I believe) five minutes for the church to be exactly... Nobody else could come in till they got out, then the deacons opened the way and the other church filled up. They had those old box seats, you know, they go in like that, and set down in the pews where you open the door. Old fashion, it's been standing there for--for nearly two hundred years, I guess, the old Marble church has.

L-153   And you could have heard a pin drop anywhere in that church, and everybody in prayer for at least thirty minutes before the first note was ever hit on the organ, the prelude. And just everybody in prayer. I thought, "How wonderful it is!" Then when that minister... That prelude, about... I think they played one prelude for about three to five minutes, How Great Thou Art, or something like that, and on like that. And then when they did, everybody stopped praying and was listening to the prelude. See, it give a change, from prayer to the prelude. And then when they played that, then the choir leader directed the choir. Then they had a congregational song and the choir. And then they were ready for their Sunday school class. See? And then--and then when it was over, there was nothing went on except Divine worship, all the time, and that's what we come there for.


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