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PAGE 12, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9, 1982, WHITBY FREE PRESS Perry award open The Whitby Chamber of Commerce will ac- cept nominations for this year's Peter Perry Award until June 25. The award is given to Whitby's outstanding citizen of the year. Nominees must be resi- dents of the Town of Whitby and shall not be disqualified because of his office, employment, business or association with the chamber. Nominations should be made in writing and submitted to the cham- ber's secretary at 416 Centre Street South. The winner of the award will be made at a dinner to be held at the Heydenshore Pavilion on July 22. MW ow E a a a E i a E a i i i E E E i E E E i .1 E E I E E E E -i I Student gives critique of television evangelism The Church Speaks Sponsored by the WHITBY MINISTERIAL ASSOCIATION 1 By DAPHNE L. HUNT The number of viewers watching TV evangelists has declined since the first gospel hours were broad- cast in the 1950's. In 1957, viewership of people claiming to watch religious services on television stood at 29 per cent of the population, said Rev. AI Reimers, ministry assistant to the president of Crossroads Christian Communications Inc., which produces 100 Huntley Street. "It slid from 9 per cent in 1975 to 5 per cent in 1981," he said. Reimers also said that church at- tendance has increased significantly because of television ministries like 100 Huntley Street. "We have received feedback from pastors that have new members as a result of TV evangelism." CBC's Man Alive host, Roy Bonisteel, does not share Reimer's "church door opener" view of tele- vision evangelism. "TV evangelism has little to do with Christianity. They are men, for the most part, dressed in three- piece suits, talking to the lonely who have their religion screwed up and their lives screwed up, saying if you send in your ten dollars, you will be saved." Money from television ministries is channelled in- to the production of more television shows. "You get more for your dollar, if you give to the local church. Money goes to the Third World for service, and mainline churches handle this very well." There is a decline in the attendance at churches for a number of reasons. Much of the church's work -is being done outside the church and young people usually stay out of churches but go back later in life. "The mainline churches are not concerned about. this ... they were too big in the fifties and were inef- fectual," he said. Russia's churches have a strong attendance record due to persecution. It is difficult to go to church there. "The church was at its peak in the first hundred years when it was a crime to be a Christian." In North America, it is easy to go to church and so people become "fat and lazy", he said. Rev. Phil Karpetz, secretary of the department of communication and stewardship of the Baptist Con- vention of Ontario and Quebec said TV evangelists do not feel they are replacing services. "The primary purpose of any evangelism is 'to have church follow-up." Television evangelism has not affected church at- LAIAAA IAAAAAAAAIAAlu&AAAAMAA&&&&AAIAAAAAA1I f zmpm uu lý fMERCURY AUTO BODYqasý 324 ASH STREET, WHITBY EXPERT AUTO PAINTING AT AN AFFORDABLE PRICE! THE CORPORATION OF THETOWNOFWHITBY TOWNOF WHITBY 1982 FINAL TAX NOTICE THIRD INSTALLMENT The third installment of taxes for 1982 is due and payable June 15, 1982. If pay- ment is not received by the due date, penalty at the rate of 1½1% per month, or part thereof, will be charged on the o'verdue balance. Taxes may be paid at any Whitby bank without bank collection charged or at the Municipal Office; 575 Rossland Road East, Whitby, Ontario. Deborah A. Smart, Tax Collector, TOWN OF WHITBY. 9 mm ---------- a à À Àu À À 'm • COMPLETE COLLISION • REPAIRS & PAINTING • FRAME REPAIRS " FREE ESTIMATES • CARS DONE BY APPOINTMENT ONLY, "NOT YOUR AVERAGE BODY SHQP- 668-8522 ýýwwwm tendance very much, "however (it) may have in- creased it," he said, "fewer church people watch than non-church people. It does serve a need for some people." Keith Woollard is the associate secretary of the division of communications of the United Church of Canada. He said when spiritual needs are not being met in the church, church-goers turn to "televange- lism." "Personally, I look at this as a supplementary diet. The degree to which people need a supple- mentary diet is dependent on church attendance and varies with each congregation." Because there has been a general decline in tele- vision viewing habits, "there is'also a slight decline in watching the electronic church." People are becoming dissatisfied with what they are watching and screen programming is displaced by TV games and videocassette machines. "Televangelism is reaching out. The church in the New Testament is an ecclesia, a gathering of people in the physical sense." Woollard said church attendance is influenced by other factors. Increases are attributable to the mobility of the population and the effectiveness of congregational ministry. Decreases are attributable to the insuffi- ciency of "the diet of worship and nurture." Jim McClure, minister at St. Andrew's Presby- terian Church in Whitby, said TV evangelism is "beneficial for shut-ins, but makes active people lazy." The electronic church causes "people to become obsessed with financial aggrandisement, the gospel is watered down and neglected" and that "the Christian life is active," he said. TV evangelism has changed the main thrust of Christianity. Churches "might say, 'this is a way of reaching people, we'll put a dollar there just to keep it on TV'." Before television, churches went to minister in foreign missions and were supported by the church at home. "These people who minister on TV are, asking people (those who are ministered to) to pay the way of TV." McClure said TV evangelists "have to be show- men with attractive lines. Some of these men are phonies ... there's money in it ... there is little care," except if "yoù send in the money." Bonisteel said "worship cannot occur over TV. It is one-to-one on TV. The traditional church is the best way." Reimers said the theme and motto of a Catholie charismatic conference in Montreal, 1978, was Acts 2, verse 43: "They spent their time in learning from the apostIes, taking part in the fellowship meals and the prayers." "We offer teaching," said Reimers, "though not systematic, and we invite people to phone in. The fellowship is in the local church. 100 Huntley Street is not on Sunday morning because David Mainse is a pastor and most othe people visible on the program go to church. "We do not want to do anything to compete (with local churches) ... During the week, (we) try to en- courage seven-day religion." EDITOR'S NOTE: Miss Hunt, daughter of the Rev. Gerald Hunt, is a Durham College journalism student working at Global Television. She attends Whitby Baptist Church.