The sun., 1903-01-18
STORY or TaR $so,ooo,0oN.


HOW THE HEMETHODIST EPISCOPAL
CHURCH RAISED yTS FUND.
Account Of tAe Tweatieth Ceatusy Thank
Onesing started In ls08-Methods
by which the Msney Was Gathered
New Yerk's Fart In the Movement.
Where are the peesimists who said that
Methodist optimism was to como q cropper
on the threshold q the new century? They
were ma..y and loquacious In 1903, when
the Methodist Episcopal Btshops called
for a twentieth century thank offering of
$50 900 900 10 be raised within three years.
Even within Methodist ranks there was
considerable criticism. The sum Of S20.-
900 900 loomed large, and there was an inn
preston that It would have been safer to
be content with $4,000 900. The Methodist
Episct pal branch Of the Methodist Church
In this country had raised Si0.000.0tO In
1870 to celebrate the ono hundredth anniver.
sary Of the Introduction Of Methodism into
this country. What had been done once
could be done again-but s2oooo.o 900!
However. the Bishops had said 80 900 900,
though even among the Bishops there
had been argument. The amount was
fixed, the call was made. Even the faint
hearts quoted 1T Il impossible, there fore
II shall be done"
Figuratively speaking. the whole Church
rolled up It's sleeves and went TO work.
On the 3ist Of last December. tns 30. 900 600
WAS all pledged and the general movement
was formally closed, although certain local
movements that were . part OF the en-
thusiastic response to the call, are still
going on.
The time limit for the general movement
had been extended one year, but once more
fed its optimism.
The story Of the raising Of that fund will
never be told In detail 1t would be long,
and q great deal OF 1t would be interesting.
but the general results will be all that the
public at large will hear. Tho of,cial re.
port gives this summary Of the way the total
fund b made up:
Church schools. @.i5o.eiy
Psi.sa.sropIes ana cAsnuss. ........... sSS.7si
Conference claimant fund ..,....... COZ 900
Churches In desusute communsses. $4,000
Total. ,e:o.acds10
The individual effort, the systematic
energy. the mastery organization stand
ing behind those figures. one can only
guess at vaguely. The Rev. Edmund
n. Mills Of the Central New York Confer
ence is the one man most responsible for
this church triumph. He was appointed
secretary q tho commission into whose
hands the organization Of the movement
was given.
He had q marvellous church organiza-
he knew how to press every smallest part
Of that great instrument into service. The
raising OF the fund has been q wonder
fully planned campaign, wonderfully car
ried out, and TO the men who formulated
the broad campaign plans and cont rolled
their general working. unetinted praise IL
due. but here. as in all campaigns, there
were the men behind the guns.
The general success depended upon
local effort and many loyal layman, many
a pastor Of a heavily mort gagged church
in . little town, many a president or trus.
Tee Of a struggling church school worked
miracles out Of hand. In connection with
The Methodist Episcopal Church has
about 2,7O0,OOO members In this country.
About 40 900 900 10 raised annually for
the current expenses and ordinary work
Of the church. This yearly cont tribution
thank efYsrings. II has poured into the
church &C hers Inst a. usual, and the Twen-
tieth Csntury Fund has been entirely an
out side or supplementary contribution,
Consequently. even among the Nrallar
churches. few Of the methods ordinar-
lily employed to assist in raising no
essary funds have been pressed into
service. Ice cream festivals and oyster
sociables did not cut much figure In the
movements. The money was raised almost
entirely by individual subscription. and
IL was In the obtaining Of thoee individual
subscriptions that unlimited energy and
strateg ~ came into pli Co..
The church schools and colleges sought
help outside OF their own neighborhoods.
Not only the folk Of the college community
and the school alumni all over the land.
dist, were called upon to swell the college
funds.
Representatives Of the schools travelled
all over the country. urging the needs and
the merits Of the institutions and In many
instances endowment funds were secured
tion Whatever with the school or even with
the Methodist Church. save a. both stood
for the advancement Of learning. One
small and heavily handicapped Western
college received $50 900 from man who does
not live In the State In which the college In
located and IL not Methodist.
General foraRine has not been the rule
in any other department OF the work, "a II
has been In connection with the school
fund. The other interests have been local
and have called for local work.
No one outside Of the community In
which a church In situated is interested In
the debt Of that church. Church charitable
have, a. a rule, only a local
hold: and. while there Is q general sentiment
In regard to aged ministers and general
feeling that the smak pro DIVISION heretofore
made for them in the Methodist Church In a
blot upon the record OF the church. even
that interest is to large extent localized.
So, In the local work lies the secret Of the
general triumph. and possibly the best way
to get at an understanding Of the work
that has been done il TO study the work
Of some one locality.
New York oity was slow in getting into
line. For more than two year, after the
general movement began New York was
entirely out Of touch with il and showed
not the slightest enthusiasm.
Then. all OF a sudden, New York Metho-
dists woke and rubbed their eyes. They
were far behind the procession. but when
New York IL once In motion. IL acquires a
tremendous momentum.
Thank oiferingf Whv. Of course,' said