CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOUR. -
I. HISTORY
This is the name of a Protestant youth society, which may be translated as “Christian Activity” or also “Christian Action or Endeavour.” It was founded in 1881 in a small town in Maine (United States of America) by the Congregationalist pastor Francesco E. Clark. He had begun with a small group of volunteers for the study of the Bible, and, seeing that young people of both sexes flocked to it in large numbers, conceived the idea of founding a youth society that would work for the “kingdom of God,” and called it C. E. He gave it an exclusively religious and practical character, proposing to the young associates lofty ideals that aroused their enthusiasm; and it enjoyed extraordinary success, first throughout North America and subsequently in other countries. II. THE FOUR PRINCIPLES OR IDEALS OF C. E. — They are summarized in these few words: confession of Christ, service of Christ, companions of the people of Christ, loyalty to the Church of Christ.Confession of Christ. — The member of C. E. must not be deterred by human respect in the practice of his religion; he must speak of Christ whenever an opportunity presents itself; he must cultivate a life of piety through prayer and the study of the Bible. As a practical proof of this confession, all “active” members must sign a pledge made to God (hence the accusation directed against Clark of having introduced religious vows into a Protestant institution): for example, to pray every day, to read the Bible, to attend meetings, etc. In the meeting halls, in full view of everyone, many models of various acts of piety and zeal are displayed, including every
The associate or “endevorist” may read and choose whichever he prefers.
Service of Christ. - Piety and the study of the Bible must be the associate’s fundamental practice. Its fruit is the “service of Christ.” This embraces every religious and philanthropic activity. Turning to particular cases, young people are encouraged to offer themselves to the pastor to help him form choirs for sacred music, committees for oversight, propaganda, and the beautification and cleaning of the church; to lead misguided companions and friends onto the right path; to visit prisoners, the sick, and the poor in their homes; to take an interest in missions, choosing one as the object of their study, establishing contact with a missionary, and procuring gifts and alms for him; and to establish small printing presses for publishing church notices, religious leaflets, and pamphlets. Other recommendations include adorning the pulpit with flowers, repairing the common Bibles and hymnals used in the church when they have become worn, or replacing them at one’s own expense; and encouraging young women to offer occasionally to take the pastor’s wife’s place in the household tasks, so that she may rest and make visits, etc. To organize all these many activities, periodic meetings are convened, on which the sound functioning of the society chiefly depends. These meetings are organized, divided, and subdivided in such a way that all the young associates may take part in them and assume some responsibility. The strictness with which attendance and order are insisted upon, the method by which proceedings are conducted, and the guidance of active and experienced leaders have contributed to the society’s astonishing success.
Companions of the People of Christ. - This is intended to indicate that the society must work for everyone and with everyone, excluding no one, whatever the nation or religion to which he belongs.
Loyalty to the Church of Christ. - By this principle, the society, although founded by a Congregationalist pastor, is declared interdenominational, since it inculcates in each associate the duty of remaining faithful to his denomination or church; it is therefore declared that the natural head of each group must be the minister or pastor. It should be noted that, although the associates belong to many different denominations, the society does not appear to have encountered difficulties with any of them; this must be attributed to the fact that Clark and the continuators of the movement, having established the fundamental principles, leave full freedom to the individual groups, provided that they remain faithful to them.
III. INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF C. E. - The center or bond of union among all the groups was and is the International Society of C. E. (The International Society of C. E.), headquartered in Boston, U.S.A., at 41 Mt. Vernon St.; it endeavors to hold a large gathering or congress every two years.
One of the most celebrated was held in S. Francisco on the occasion of the jubilee of the Society’s founding (1881–1931). The statistics presented at that gathering recorded 80,113 societies or groups spread throughout the world; the number of members belonging to each group varied from 10 to 100 or more, and, taking 50 as the average, there were 4,000,000 members, as the association claimed, belonging to more than 20 different Churches or sects. Some, in studying these figures, pointed out that the Y.M.C.A. (v.) or Christian Association of Young Men, much older since it was founded in 1844, despite the attractions of entertainment, gymnastics, and so forth, in that same year, 1931, had only 800,000 members, whereas C. E., in less time and with religious ideals alone—which were therefore greater, more universal, and consequently more capable of capturing the imagination of young people—had five times as many members.
IV. C. E. IN ITALY. – In Italy, C. E. is represented by the «Federazione giovanile valdese», whose motto is «Per Cristo e per la Chiesa».
Statuto-regolamento della Federazione giovanile valdese, Roma 1931; C. Crivelli, I protestanti in Italia, II, Isola del Liri 1938, pp. 368-72. Camillo Crivelli