Why Belong?
By Daniel A Poling

1. I should belong to the church because I ought to be better than I am. Henry Ward Beecher once said: "The church is not a gallery for the exhibition of eminent Christians,but a school for the education of imperfect ones.
2. I should belong to the church because of what I can give to it and do through it, as well as because of what I may get out of it. The church is not a dormitory for sleepers; it is an institution of workers. It is not only a rest camp; it is a front—line trench.
3. I should belong to the church because every man should pay his debts and do his share toward discharging the obligation of society. Not only has the church been the bearer of the good news of personal salvation; it has been and is the supreme uplifting and conserving agency, without which "civilization would lapse into barbarism and press its way to perdition.
4. I should belong to the church because of memories - memories of things I can never forget, memories of faces that will never fade, memories of vows that are the glory of youth.
5. I should belong to the church because of hope — hope that lives when promises are dead, hope that paves the way for progress, hope that visions peace and social justice, hope for all time to come - and hope for eternity, the great hope that casts its anchor behind Jesus Christ.
6. I should belong to the church because of the strong men in it who need reinforcing, the weak men in it who need rebuking. If I say that I am not good enough, my humility recommends me. If I sitin the seat of the scornful, by inactivity condemns me.
7. I should belong to the church - but not until I am ready to join a going concern; not until I am willing to become an active partner with Jesus Christ.