The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-12-22

ed by the Interchurch Conference. tc l become effective when two-thirds oi 1 the thirty denominations in the confer
 ence approved. That having been done l the Executive Committee of the con l ference. Rev. pr. William H. Roperts 1 of Philadelphia, being the chairman mas
 taken up the matter of arranging the | details for the council meeting. The | Federal Council will be the largest most representative and probably the | most effective of any of the federations | Fully twenty-five denominations will De | included in the official membership, and approximately 1S,000,O00 communicate will be thus represented fin the organ l ization. The place of the first meet l ing of the Federal Council has not deF | initely been fixed. but there IS taIk oi Philadelphia and Washington.
 The movement is not to be confound- | ed with plans for church union. about | which much Is now being heard. The | objects of the Council, as stated ip | the plan, are to express the fellowship | of the Christian church. to bring the de- nominations into united service. to en- | courage mutual counsel, to secure n larger combined influence in matters af- fecting the moral and social condition &sof the people. and to assist In the or ganization of local branches to promote the aims of the Council in their com
 munities. The Council. which will meet every four years. is to have authority
 over the Christian bodies belonging to 1t.
 The Baptist Churches abroad are all ready arranging for the Centennial Baptist Congress at Berlin. which will open August 29. It is probable that America will send delegates. many of them unofficially. and that the proceed ings will be conducted in both English I.1 in knowing what vii be done.
 The third International Congrega- tional Council has been set for June
 30 to July TO- at Edinburgh. There are to be 400 delegates divided as fol- lows: United States, 150; Great Brit ain, 15O: rest of world, 100. Secretary R. J. Wells of the Congregational in Boston recently conferring with the National Council of this country as to the program, but nothing definite has been decided as yet. The first council was held in London in 1891 and the second in Boston eight years later.
 Biggest Congress in England.
 The one big gathering of next year abroad will be lthe an-Anglican Con- gress at London, in June. opening on the 18th and lasting ten days at least The Congress has aroused keen inter- est in the United States, and a very large number Of delegates may be eX- pected to cross the Atlantic to be pres ent. Negotiations have been entered into with the shipping companies with reference to the chartering of one or more special steamers. as. if only l 1000 delegates come, the usual accomrnoda- tion would be severely taxed.
 Representatives are expected from all, or almost all, of the 246 dioceses throughout the world. The Congress will open with a service at Westmin- ster Abbey, and the meetings will be held at the Church House with even ing gatherings at Albert Hall.
 The main feature is to be the pre- sentation in St. Paul's Cathedral on St. John the Baptists day of an ecu menical thank offering" Prepara- tions are being actively made for coI-