CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOUR

CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOUR

### I. Historical Background

Christian Endeavour is the name of a Protestant youth society that may be translated as “Christian Activity” or “Christian Effort.” It was founded in 1881 in a small town in Maine (United States of America) by the Congregationalist pastor Francis E. Clark. He had begun with a small group of volunteers for Bible study, and seeing how many young people of both sexes flocked to it, he conceived the idea of founding a youth society that would work for the “kingdom of God,” and he called it C.E. He gave it an exclusively religious and practical character, proposing to the young members lofty ideals that aroused their enthusiasm, and it met with extraordinary success first throughout North America and later in other countries.

### II. The Four Principles or Ideals of C.E.

They are summarized in these few words: confession of Christ, service to Christ, companionship with the people of Christ, loyalty to the Church of Christ.

**Confession of Christ.** – The C.E. member must not be ashamed to practice his religion in public; he must speak of Christ whenever an opportunity arises; he must cultivate a life of piety through prayer and Bible study. As a practical test of this confession, all “active” members must sign a pledge made to God (hence the accusation leveled at Clark of having introduced religious vows into a Protestant institution): for example, to pray daily, to read the Bible, to attend meetings, etc. In the meeting rooms, and in full view of all, many models of different acts of piety and zeal are displayed, from which each associate or “endeavourer” can read and choose the one that appeals to him most.

**Service to Christ.** – Piety and Bible study must be the fundamental practice of the associate. The fruit of this is “service to Christ.” This embraces any religious or philanthropic activity. To give concrete examples, young people are encouraged to offer themselves to the pastor to help form choirs for sacred music, committees for vigilance, for propaganda, for beautifying and cleaning the church; to lead astray companions and friends back to 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 personal study, putting oneself in touch with a missionary, procuring gifts and alms; to found small printing presses to publish church notices, leaflets, and religious pamphlets. Other suggestions include adorning the pulpit with flowers, recommending Bibles and common prayer books used in church when they are worn out, or replacing them at one’s own expense; and for the young women, offering to help the pastor’s wife with household chores so that she may rest and make visits, etc. To organize all these manifold activities, periodic meetings are held, in which the smooth running of the society is chiefly ensured. These meetings are arranged, divided, and subdivided so that all young members may take part and have some responsibility. The strict insistence on attendance and order, the methodical way in which things are carried out, and the guidance of active and experienced leaders have contributed to the remarkable success of the society.

**Companionship with the people of Christ.** – This means that the society must work for all and with all, excluding no one, whatever nation or religion they may belong to.

**Loyalty to the Church of Christ.** – With this principle, the society, though founded by a Congregationalist pastor, is declared interdenominational, since it urges each member to remain faithful to his own sect or church. It is declared that the natural leader of each group must be the minister or pastor. It is noteworthy that, since the members belong to many different sects, the society does not seem to have encountered difficulties with any of them, and this is 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 they remain faithful to them.

### III. The International Society of C.E.

The center or bond of union among all the groups is and has been the International Society of C.E. (The International Society of C.E.), headquartered in Boston, U.S.A., 41 Mt. Vernon St., which endeavors to hold a large meeting or congress every two years.

One of the most celebrated was that held in San Francisco on the occasion of the jubilee of the founding of the Society (1881–1931). In the statistics presented at that meeting, there were 80,113 societies or groups scattered throughout the world; the number of members in each group varies from 10 to 100 or more, and taking an average of 50, the association claims to have 4,000,000 members belonging to more than 20 different Churches or sects. Some, studying these figures, have observed that the Y.M.C.A. (q.v.) or Young Men’s Christian Association, much older since it was founded in 1844, despite its attractions of entertainment, gymnastics, etc., in that same year 1931 had only 800,000 members, whereas C.E., in a shorter time and with only religious ideals—hence greater, more universal, and therefore more capable of striking the imagination of young people—counted a membership five times greater.

### IV. C.E. in Italy

In Italy, C.E. is represented by the “Federazione giovanile valdese” whose motto is “For Christ and for the Church.”

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