The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1906-11-06

more Congregational churches than
her sister Dakota to the south than
Nebraska, Minnesota or Wisconsin
had at the same age. Even the good
~ state of Iowa had thirty fewer
4 Congregational churches az the same
age.
/ To accomplish these results the de-
nomination has poured into the state
4 fully half million dollars to care for
the missionary work among the In
dams, to plant Sunday schools. help
support ministers, build churches and
parsonages, and aid I'm carrying on
the work of Fargo college and the
academy at New Rockford.
1t may occur to some that the
growth of these years has been made
by planting churches where they were
not needed. We some times hear this
i criticism. While some mistakes have
doubtless been made we are remark
ably free from fault in this respect.
! Nearly half of our churches are i'm
places whore there is no other church,
almost twenty-five per cent are locat-
ed where there is a another church
.lbut not holding services I'm the same
Language, leaving only a little over
one-quarter where there are other
churches in the same language.
Our churches gave last year for be-
nevolences nearly SO per resident
member, and made substantial in
crease in membership. over a dozen
are building houses or worship at the
present time. In addition a Congre-
gational club has been maintained for
six years meeting i'm Fargo and Moor
! head. Our churches have also taken
! steps TO enter the state federation of
! churches TO be organized
A few words might be fifty said as
to the growth of other religious bod
les. In round numbers there are be-
tween 200 and 800 Lutheran churches
in the state and about 200 Methodist
| l73 Presbyterian, about the same num-
Der of Catholic churches. Then we
come in with our 100 and the Baptist
with about a hundred, more than half
German and Scandinavian, and the
Episcopalian with fewer than fifty
| The German Evangelical churches
number about thirty. and some other
bodies have less than a dozen.
think 1t is safe to say there are about
1000 churches in our state, and there
has been spent between one and two
million dollars of outside missionary
money in building up the present
| church work of our state
The churches Of our order have TAX
en- root in this state i'm part because
of the adaptability Of our church gov
eminent for the gathering of all kinds
OF people into sort Of union church.
| Ours lis the second choice of most
Protestant christians II they cannot
have their own. Many Of our church,
es are made up of people who were al
most all brought up in other denom-
nations And some of them had not
even one Congregationalist at their
organization.
Our denomination has been true to
/ the great missionary idea OF the early
| christian church and also TO this same
spirit in their spiritual ancestors of
the Pilgrim faith. We furnished
some of the early missionaries among
the Indians and have done as much as
any for their care.
/ We have cared for Christian educa-
ton, and have now as you know the
only christian college in the state In
this also we have been true to our
! spiritual ancestors who in New Eng
land established Harvard, Yale, Will
liams, Dartmouth, Oberlin and Mar
/ iettes in Ohio, and nearly for
| ty others across the country
1 We have spent more money for the
support of Christian education than
all the other Protestant churches of
1 the state. In this service we have
been casting bread upon the water.
1 In christian ethics we have been OF
/ the temper Of our Puritan ancestors.
! have heard of the stalwart and Wig
orous work done by Mr. Simmons to
prevent North Dakota from granting
a charter to the Louisiana lottery. A
telegram came from our Home Mis-
lsionary society to superintendent
Simmons when they were in the midst
of the anti-lottery campaign to go
ahead and they would back him. 9th
ers Of our men deserve mention for
| their heroism | know our people
nave been earnest and devoted in se-
curing and maintaining the prohibi-
ton law of the state.
The upward movement for the high
| er life OF this city was helped along
by some vigorous service by the pas
tor of this church DIR. Beard in his
other term of service.
Our denomination at its recent
meeting in Jamestown, voiced its
own and the moral convictions of a
host of christian citizens In protest
ts-sSutASA tire EttNdlIOH I'd ~ AlRu ONCE
man OF doubtful moral character.
Whether all agree with them or not
the Puritan conscience was express
ed. All will agree TO that.
The next five or ten years are to
be as important as any of the past
IN opportunities for the planting Of
Pilgrim churches. We should es-
| tablish fifty English speaking church,
es in the next five years for 1t is safe
10 expect there will be 200 new towns
started In that time. We should add
70 these twenty-five German churches
and AZ many Scandinavian making Il
hundred more of our churches.
It we can have the men and The
money we can do II.
With such additions to our NUM-
ben. and all OF them saturated with
the spirit of devotion to missions To
christian education and to the high
est ideals Of citizenship, shall we NOT
see our splendid young state take ia