BECAUSE of the high rental costs of securing large auditoriums and the stringent requisites for pitching tents in our large cities, our churches must become evangelistic centers."
Thus spoke R. T. Hudson, pastor of the two-thousand-member Ephesus church in New York City. In harmony with his stated philosophy, Elder Hudson has begun a series of Sunday night services, which has attracted audiences of two thousand.
Special features mark the weekly Sunday night program. I sat in my car outside the church and saw many of the entrants run up the stairs. Their object? To get a seat. This has continued for four weeks. The opening subject was "The Catholic Church and the Reformation." In this message Elder Hudson cited the positive contribution of Catholicism to Reformation thought. This was followed by "The Lutheran Church and the Reformation." This program continues until he preaches "The Adventist Church and the Reformation." He emphasizes the contribution of each church to Christian thought and shows Adventism as constituting the fuller revelation, and hence the continuing reformation.
Elder Hudson has also secured the services of the George Frederick Handel Symphony Orchestra for these meetings. This outstanding musical group has been a feature attracting widespread interest by its touching rendering of spiritual music.
A two-hundred-voice choir also provides a musical spiritual lift to the meetings. Their inspirational rendition of "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" is indeed a thing of living beauty.
Preaching to standing-room-only crowds each Sunday night, Pastor Hudson opines, "You can't carry a Sunday night program like this by staying at home and looking at television."
This pastor, under God, has led more than seven hundred souls to Christ in five vears.
