The Washington herald., 1915-10-10
IN THE REALM OF RELIGION

At best the longest life is short
all too short-for the noblest Of tasks,
that Of the Christian minister Great
is the influence Of the law and medi-
and statesman; marvellous the power
Of the press: great. also. the opportu-
nifty Of the merchant and manufac.
turer who feed Ind clothe the people;
but nothing can be higher than the
call to sheperd Christs poor and
weak; and happy the minister who
never has Interpreted his ministry in
terms Of intellect alone or has never
secularized his sacred calling, and
who. at the end Of his life, is able
to say, Behold, these are the sheep
is lost" :!
The Methodists are planning to make
the coming year one Of the greatest in
their history and are asking from their
churches Endorsement of the Methodist
Forward Movement.
''Our goal" says the circular Of the
Methodist Forward Movement, lis to Sc
cure $4,000 net gain In our membership
in one year: to enroll $4,000 Methodists
to serve time in the Time League; to en-
list LOO Methodist young people for spe-
cial Christian service as a life work"
The program involves securing loo GEN.
ters in Methodism to adopt a series of
plans for evangelism for the whole year.
This includes organized personal and con-
tinuous public evangelism; special OBJ
servance of epochal days and seasons.
such as Watch Night, December 81; Pas
sion Week, and Easter; Win-My- -Chum
Week, November TIA: Go to Prayer
Meeting Week. November 1913, and Go
to Church Sunday, January 2. 1916. A
plan of promotion to make the program
effective is included. This involves one
centraIemeeting of one or more days for
every Annual Conference, to which shall
be invited every pastor and layman in
terested in promoting the program, to-
gether with a rally of the Methodist work
ers in a local center. These central meet
ings will be conducted in about sixty ma
jor cities Of the United States, and led
by team of workers, including two or
leaders, to inspire and instruct, pray and
plan for . worldwide revival in Method
ism.
The missionary authorities Of the Prot
estant Episcopal Church announce the
completion of their financial year with
$4,000 ahead Of last year. and last year
$s.ooo ahead of the ope before that. The
total this year is the largest sum ever re-
SSiAC4 " We opPhSo W iSSo oioi vi 1nC
same authorities announce also the rails
ing of an emergency fund of $s7l 900 in
addition to the regular fund. The sum
they set out to get was 100000. and ef-
forts will be continued, the board states.
until the other $4,000 is in hand. Practi-
cally the whole s400 900 has already been
secured, the statement says, because Of
the increase Of the $4,000 mentioned.
A striking feature Of the campaign, so
those authorities say. has been the inter
est taken in missions by people who had
not heretofore believed in missions. elpe-
cially in foreign missions. The raising of
an additional fund hurt the regular gifts
not at ALL but rather stimulated them. A
very large number of business men and
professional men, heretofore not entering
into personal Christian work. gave time
to canvasses. On the whole. SO the men,
bers Of the board say. the effect upon the
church has been Of more value than the
money secured.
The 500. 600 fund was to reimburse re-
served funds that had been drawn upon
to pay deficits. Some was to be used to
cover an expected deficit this year. owing
to the war. For the first time in eight
years the Episcopal board now finds itself
free from debt. Episcopal church au-
thorities profess to believe that financial
conditions are improved to stay, at least
insofar as they AFFECT Christian prob.
lens.