The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1911-08-10
Planned TO MAKE
CHURCH MORE
MASCULINE
|This Is the Prime Purpose Of the
Men and Religion Forward Move
ment" Which VIII Ie Launched
In Fall.
Preparations and Years Campaign
To Cost 81 800, oOO-All Creeds
Will Participate.

ITO make the church more mascu-
line. is the plan OF the Men and Reli-
gion Forward Movement" said II. B.
Parker, executive secretary OF the
movement In Detroit. TO The Times.
The reason why more men don't go
70 church nowadays Is that they re-
gard the church as a feminine insti-
tuition. BY the new plan OF reaching
out for men II Is not intended to have
them supplant the women In the
church. The women have practically
built up the church, and we want them
to continue their good work. but We
must have the men, and the Men and
Religion Forward Movement Is the
means devised for getting them.
AT any rate, II Is going to be tried.
and II II falls IL will be a terrible blow
to the church, for II is going to cost
upwards OF $1.000.00U to carry on the
work for a year, In addition to $780,
900 to get II started. However. the
men who are promoting the big under
taking are OF the brightest and braini-
est In the country, and IL Is not likely
that the scheme wnl fail. The leaders
picked TO carry on the heavy part OF
the campaign are also stout-hearted
and otherwise equipped In such man
ner as to spell success for their work.
Among them are Fred b. Smith, OF
New York. one OF the most successful
evangelists 10 men In the country,
now head religious director OF the Y.
M. G. AS OF the United States; Ray
mond Robbins, of Chicago, who Is
devoting a fortune he made N tho
klondike to the promotion of religion,
and Dr. Isaac Lansing, OF White Plains.
N. Y, the first man to put Christian
emphasis on social service work
In this campaign, which will begin
throughout the country, next October,
There will be over 100 OF the leading
expert religious workers OF the United
States and Canada employed. They
will work In teams of ten or more and
will move from city to city, staying at
least ten days In each place. The
work will last one year. After that,
the work In each city will be In the
hands Of a committee of 100. composed
of the best church workers available.
The head, or president, OF the Detroit
committee is William W. Wetherbee,
while James Schermerhorn, publisher
of The Times. Is vice-president. The
whole committee OF 100 has been
chosen, but we are not yet prepared
TO give out the names.
For the promotion of the Men and
Religion Forward Movement. most of
the leading church organizations have
provided men for the work. The
brotherhood Of st. Andrew has given
two men; the Gideons, one; the Inter-
national Sunday School association.
three. with expenses. while the inter
national committee OF the Y. NJ. G. A.
has set aside all OF its men, over 20.
In addition TO these, many more will
be engaged at good salaries for the
whole year. There will be colored
workers as we'll as the whites the
colored men TO work among those Of
their own color In this way, II Is ex-
pected that every class, color and creed
will be reached! There are Catholics
on local committees In differen. places,
as the movement In intended to en-
brace the Roman Catholic church as
well as those OF the Protestant faith.
The Lutheran Brotherhood Is also go
ing to take part This Is something
Extraordinary, as the Lutherans sell
dom take an active part In evangelistic
movements of this kind. However, the
scheme Is calculated to help every
denomination none benefting more
than another. according to the plans.
THE campaign Is intended to. bring
the men OF the country into The church
as workers, the complaint now being
fhat there Is nothing attractive for
them, nothing for them to 20. If the
plan works out as We thluk and hope
II will, IL will mean that the ministry
will be changed to certain extent.
The average minister will become a
sort of executive head. with the men
OF the church ready to assist him at
any and all times.
I'm Detroit. as In other cities, the
experts will work In a sort OF circle;
| that Is, they will have four or Ave
meeting each night on different sub
jects and in different parts OF the city.
There will be, for instance, two ex-
perts TO conduct q meeting In & Ger
| tain section Of the city on social SER
vice; another to talk on boy work In
another district; two more to speak on
bible study; two on evangelistlc work;
| two on community extension; two on
the sex question, etc. Besides these
meetings, there will De shop classes
|during the noon hours; that is, meet
ings among the employees In the big
factory districts; also there will be a
big mass meeting down town every
night during the campaign. For this
work In Detroit, Il is estimated that
between $4,000 and $4,000 will be
needed. Neighborilg points, even as
far away az Bay CITY. will benefit by
the meetings In Detroit, II having
been arranged for them to send dele
gates to the sessions OF the experts
Mr.. Parker, the local secretary has
Just returned from Silver Bay, Lake
George, where he attended a meeting