Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1916-04-27
SEEK TO BRING
CHRISTIAN UNION
AFTER THE WAR
Laymen'S Missionary Move
ment Has Plan to Harmon
lie Many Widely Separated
CreedS After War Ends,

gether again the widely separated
men of the warning nations Of the
world will be one of the tasks which
the leaders of the -aymen's Mission
Iary Movement will undertake az the
close of the war, according to one fea-
lture OF the program announced to-
night at the opening OF the National
Missionary congress
This announcement was made az
the close of a report presented by
the general secretary. William j.
Millar. on the progress made hy the
Laymens Missionary Movement since
its organization ON November 10,
t906--a period Of practically ten
years. A large number of suggestions
were made for the extension of The
laymen's work, hut the one OF greatest
scope was outlined as follows.
ITO organize at the close of the
war Worlds Laymen's Missionary
Movement, federation Of the nation
al movements Of Christendom aud
also of mission lands, and to assist in
this arrange for the visitation of these
countries by comm sions OF strong
laymcn and ministers TO confer with
the Christian leaders of these nations
Ian unselfish service of this kind
would bring them together again with
the supreme purpose Of making Christ
known throughout the world.
Remarkable Progress wade.
In accomplishing the tasks which
the founders OF the Laynen'h Mission
AIRY Movement SIT for itself decade
ago remarkable progress has been
made These tasks were, chiefly. TO
supply the lack of the masculine cle-
ment in church activity and to correct
the unbusinesslike methods OF the
church and missionary finance which
has for some years retarded progress.
In the latter connection. tha figures
show that the foreign missionary gifts
Of Canada and the United states for
the year preceding last January We're
$1S,T43.99O as compared with SIX, ~
125 for the year 1908. the year before
the laymen's movement came into be-
dng--an average increase Of Sl,ooV,oVv
a year for foreign missions alone. and
gain for the decade greater thah
that for the previous nine decades
This is a milllon-dollar-age and
the church is now thinking in those
terms" says the report few
years ago 1t would have been almost
unthinkable for an Individual TO put a
million dollars into a single gitt FOR
the missionary ana benevolent work
OF the church. II was unhoard OF Tor
n single individual to assume the eN-
penses for n large portion OF territory
in the mission field, hut all Of TINS
has taken place in the last few years
of this decade
Between 1904 and 1914, while
commitment church membership III
fourteen OF the leading Protestant de-
nominations increased 2a.3 per cent
the contributions for all local church
expenses increased 3g7 per cent, the
contributions to missionary ana ne
nevolent work in the Cnited states
62S per cent and the contributions to
foreign missionary work $40 per
cent. Yet it is a startling fact that
the weekly average per meinpcr TO
local church expenses has inereaseu
during that time only .0l6 cents
while the average per member TO
and benevolent work mas
Increased only about ! cent per week.
II Is difficult TO get away from the
feeling that the church Is still play
ing with its great task and that there
is need for still greater effort 10
awaken adequate interest among the
Iaymen."
Campnign la Canada.
The activities OF the movement
have included national campaign IN
CANADA, 190S-O9, during which con-
were held in twenty-four
leading cities. a similiir campaign IN
seventy cities OF tho United states
during ig09-10. when over seventy
thousand registered delegates attend
ed, and campaign, Just ending dur
ng which there have been eonNen-
ions in sixty-nine cities of the lnlteu
states with Il record attendance az
1ne Of these conventions, in Los An
If $500 men registered as delegates.
rhe total paid registration OF the sew
snfy conventions of 1903 and l9lo
Nas approximately 20 goo men, and IN
he sixty-nine conventions of the pres
)nt season l0t,It5 men, q GAIN OF
30 l-3 per cent.
During the last ten years national
Or local efforts along the line or the
work inaugurated in the United states
ma Canada have been organized IN
England, Scotland, Australia, Ceylon.
Germany, Holland, sweden. Denmark,
south Africa and New Zealand
The report points out that the ann
II the movement has been TO increase
1ot the mechanics but the dynamics OF
he church, and an outline IS given OF
he organization. which has been
worked out aiong simple lines, under
he direction of committees. chiel
Jhase Of the educational propaganda
$ the matter OF conferences and con-
tentions. and it is pointed out that
Turing the decade nearly 5000 sucn
conferences have been held. Fully
600, 900 pieces Of literature have
,een distributed.
"A practical phase Of the work OF
he movement liz the appeal 70 the
business instincts of men. says the
'eport When the attention Of the
aymen was called TO the conditions
inder the old financial methods OF
he church, and they realized how I'M
they had been the ABB |
Of trying to finance great
World enterprise on the methods IN
,ogue, they responded heartily to the !
iimpe yet practicable plans of the
which possess the merit Of
ystem and thoroughness eharacteris-
ic of great business enterprises,
THE report disclaims for the move
nent credit for all of the advance |
which has been made In the last de-
AIDE. II considers, however, that the |
has borne a notable part 10 |
he bringing about Of better condi-
Ions
"The vision OF the mon Of the |
says the report, has been |
charging during the past |
ears Loss than half century ago 1