The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-01-25
TOO MANY CITY
CHURCHES TODAY
insufficient Financial Support
Leads to Abandonment
of Fields

Washington. Jan. 25.-Humanitar-
ian and philanthropic efforts OF the
federal council of the Churches of
Christ in America were outlined by
Bishop f: r. Hendrix of Kansas City,
Mo-. president of the council in a
speech before President Taft at the
white house today
Bishop Hendrix presented th h e
greetings of the council on the oc-
casion of the annual meeting of it's
executive committee. He said:
Our fathers in the very first
amendment to the constitution for
bade congress to make any law res
pectiEg the establishment OF religion,
wisely deeming it the duty OF the
church to establish the state and not
church. Thus from the beginning. in
the free exercise of their religious
views, the various churches have en-
pressed their devotion to the best
interests of our common country,
notably to Washington and Lincoln,
when our national government be-
gan and when it was in greatest
peril. The memorable responses to
these greetings showed how grateful
they were to the highest executives in
our land in the two preceding CEN
turies. Representing more than 1O0,-
600 ministers CT the gospel and some
100000 coLmunicants, or nine
tenths of the Protestans of our coun-
try. federated in permanent organ
ization known as THE Federal Coun-
Gil of the Churches of Christ in Amer
ica," we bring Christian greetings to
the chief ruler of the greatest nation
in history standing for self-govern-
ment
AS former greetings were made
by individual churches and were well
coined by our rulers when the fate
of the nation was yet undecided. much
more we believe will he welcomed
this Christian greeting to our chief
magistrate by the federated churches
as the sign of the compact and grow
ing strength of our national union
The late Justice Brewer declared that
such a federation of churches w;,s al
so an unmistakable proof that ours
is a Christian nation despite the fact
that we have no established church.
I'VE are happy to state that the
growing spirit OF Catholics and the
belief that the work OF the churches
could lie better done in cooperation
than in separation ripcned into this
notable and permanent federation.
not of individual Christians but of
churches, and that by the authority
and the unanimous action of the high
est ecclesiastical assemblies OF the
land.
believing with Webster that what
makes good Christians nakcs good
citizens, we are glad to state that in
addition to the distinctively religious
work which is sought to be done by
all the churches as never before. such
as home ana foreign missions and the
vital work of evangelism. the federal
council Of churches is doing in uni
son humanitarian and p!lilanthropic
work calculated at once to bless and
to strengthen the nation. Thus
through our large standing conn. it.
tees OF some two hundred leading
ministers and laymen. careful study
is being given to the advancement of
such great interests as Sunday OBJ
servance. temperance. the sanctity of
the home. the church and social SER
vice. and literature and education.
Happy results have attended these
efforts In checking race-track ganbl-
ing. In annulling loose divorce laws,
In stopping twelve -hOmrs-a -day labor
and that for seven days in the week.