The Washington herald., 1915-11-28

revivalist
Appropriate ceremonies marked the be-
| ginning of work a few days ago on the
| tabernacle at Trenton, NJ j., where Mr..
Sunday will begin his evangelistic work
next January. Clergymcn of nearly ev-
cry denomination in the city were pres
| ent, as We're members of the various
Sunday committees.
An address was delivered by Rev.
Henry Collin Minton, pastor of the First
Presbyterian Church and former modera-
| tor OF the General Assembly. In antici-
patton OF the Sunday revival peighbor-
hood meetings are being held twice a
, week throughout the city and vicinity.
The territory has been divided into If.
| teen districts. these In turn being SUBJ
| divided into sixty sections. The sections
in turn have been divided into blocks of
| about forty families each. Over these
committees of three have been appointed
for carrying on the work within each
unit of the organization.
The recent convention of the Episco-
pal Diocese of New York had before II a
| clergy pension plan that is said TO be
the first and largest OF its kind In any
American religious body. AS q rule
churches endeavor to raise big sums for
pensions by gift. The Episcopal Church
one Just presented TO New York. Some
of the best actuaries in the country have
assisted in drawing up this Episcopal
plan.
Affected by the arrangement in New
York and its suburbs are 759 Episcopal
clergymen. or more than an eighth of the
5.SOS in the entire church. The plan
simply Is that parishes pay, in addition
to the salary OF their rectors, per cent
pension fund.
An account is kept by the fund with
every individual clergyman. No matter
where he may go. how long he may stay.
whatever sums are paid In by congrega-
tons OF which he was rector go to him
or his family In the event of death or
disability, and at IS years OF age he will
receive the total The plan is simply
deferred salary carried by the church as
a whole.
In New York diocese. not counting the
suburbs in New Jersey and in Long
Island. which are in other dioceses. there
are 43l Episcopal clergymen to be af-
fected by action OF the New York con-
vention
The combined salaries of all Episcopal
clergy in the United States Is 10000. II
the pension plan is operative in behalf
OF all of them 1900 a year would 20
INTO DeuSlCu Inc Sdldl iCS VI
New York clergy ON the average are far
above the 81 200. which is the average for
the country. Episcopal congregations Of
New York and vicinity will be called
upon to pay each year II this plan goes
through approximating Sl50.OOO more than
they now pay for salaries of their clergy
men.
In order to get the plan started. and
TO pay pensions to clergy who will reach
10 lie rtTffh In
the next few years, a nest egg OF 5000
900 is proposed. An effort to raise this
sum. begun ten years ago and now
abandoned, brought In $780, 900. This sum
has been turned into the fund. and II
New York and other dioceses adopt the
pension plan as a whole. campaign is
10 start at once to obtain the 100000.
That sum raised, the pension plan will
thereafter go on automatically. and, It
is declared, cannot fail on it's financial
side.
All principal Protestant bodies in
America have these pension plans on
hand, and the sums they unitedly ask
for reach an even $4,000 900. Actuaries
saw that an additional sl5.0o0.oo o will be
required. There are in all 1900 minis
tiers to be cared for. Methodists lead in
amount of money asked for. Most of
these bodies are seeking to raise these
Episcopal authorities have taken UP the
deferred salary plan.
Bishop Lawrence, OF Massachusetts. Is
at the head of the Episcopal pension
plan, and J. Pierpont Morgan is its treas
urer.
A Lutheran clergyman Of Philadelphia,
Rev Daniel E. Weigle. Is a persistent
and successful user of the telephone and
Its. h.E Oh IN
known to the residents of the north
western part of the city, in which his
parish is situated, according TO an inter-
esting article in the Public Ledger.
Mr.. weigle breaches TO a congregation
of anywhere from FIVE hundred TO eight
hundred people every Sunday night. which
is good evidence that his publicity cam
paign is a success.
As a result of the minister's publicity
campaign, Messiah Church Is known
Philadelphia, and in fact
the State.
The advertising of Messiah Church has
enhanced the value of real estate in that
and owners of large prop
critics in its vicinity. although not MEM
beers of the church. show their apprecia-
ton by contributing to the church's
work.
Among the methods used by the pastor
are the sending-out OF personal letters
and the diligent use of the telephone.
After all, however, 1t Is upon news
paper publicity that Mr.. Weigle depends
to draw his audiences. He believes
that a church should be advertised like
a business house. in large blocks of
space with big type. The theaters and
attract the people by that
method. and the church must adopt the
same business-like advertising IL it de-
sires TO reach the Masses" say this pas
tor. The time has arrived when the
church must advertise on a big scale
to advertising in their annual budgets.
Just as business houses do
Church in the North now numbers $685.
the past week. The net increase in men,
bership last year was $4,000.
The report shows that Methodism Is
losing membership slowly in New Eng
land. holding it's own in the New York
and growing most rapidly in
Philadelphia, Chicago, Omaha and Min
neapolis
The Methodist Church now has f.
+s7. 200 Sunday school children, gain last
year of 313. 800, the largest increase in its
There are 5000 Methodist min
isters
Methodist property in America is worth
sS27 .34l, 600, and the annual expenses of
the church are 100000.
Conditions here are very much i'm
proved writes DR.. ]. w. Butler, from
Mexico City. in letter. dated October