The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1916-04-27
TASK OF LAYzNEN
MA " BE DIFFICULT

one OF the tasks which the leaders of
the Laymen's Missionary Movement
Will undertake at the close of the
war. according to one feature Of the
program announced at the opening
session Of the national military con-
gress.
The announcement was made at
the close Of a report presented by the
general secretary. William B. Miller.
one the progress made by the lay
mems Missionary Movement since its
Organization on November is, 1906.
"a period Of practically ten years.
A large number Of suggestions were
made for the extension Of the lay
mems work. but the one OF greatest
scope was outlined as follows:
Worlds Movement.
ITO organize at the close of the
war a Worlds Layman's Missionary
Movement. federation of the National
Movements of Christendom and also OF
mission lands. and to assist in this
arrange for the visitation OF these
countries by commissions OF strong
laymen and ministers to confer with
the Christian leaders OF these nations.
The war has widely separated the
Christian men OF the nations,-an un-
selfish service of this kind would bring
them together again with the one SUI
preme purpose Of making Christ
known throughout the world"
In accomplishing the tasks which
the founders Of the Laymcn's Mission
airy Movement set for itself a decade
ago remarkable progress has been
made. These tasks were, chiefly, to
supply the lack of the masculine ele-
ment In church activity and to correct
the unbusincsslike methods OF church
and missionary finance which has for
years retarded progress. In the latter
connection. the figures show that the
foreign missionary gifts Of Canada and
the United States for the year preced-
ing last January were $1S,793, $50 as
compared with $s,120,725 for the year
1905, the year before the laymen's
movement came into being-an aver
age increase of $1,000 900 a year for
foreign missions alone, and a gain for
tho decade greater than that for the
previous nine decades combined.
Big Thinking.
This Is a million-dollar-age, and
the church is now thinking in those
terms" says the report. "A few years
ago 1t would have been almost un-
thinkable for an individual to put a
million dollars into single gift for
the missionary and benevolent work
of the church. 1t was unheard of for
a single individual to assume the ex-
penses for large portion OF territory
In the mission field, but all of this has
taken place In the last few years of
this decade.
Between 1904 and 1914. while COM
municant church membership in four
teen of the leading Protestant denomi-
nations increased 25.3 per cent, the
contributions for all local church ex.
penses increased 39.7 per cent, the
contributions to missionary and beney-
olent work in the United States CPS
per cent, and the contributions to for
eign missionary work S7.5 per cent
Yet it is startling fact that the week.
ly average per member to local church
expenses has increased during that
time only .016 cents, while the aver
age per member to missionary and
benevolent work has increased only
about one cent per week. It is diff
cult to get away from the feeling that
the church is still playing with Its
great task and that there is need for
still greater effort to awaken ade-
quate interest among the laymen."
The activities OF the movement have
included national campaign in Cam
ada. 190S-09, during which conventions
were held in twenty-four leading;
cities; a similar campaign in seventy
cities OF the United States during 1909
10. when over seventy thousand reg
istered delegates attended; and cam
paign, just ended during which there
have been conventions in sixty-nine
cities Of the United States with a rec
ord attendance at one of these conyen-
lions. in Los Angeles, OF $3.50 men reg
istered as delegates. The total paid
registration Of the seventy conventions
Of 1909 and 1910 was approximately
10000 men, and in the sixty-nine con-
men. gain OF thirty-three and one
third per cent.
Work OF Ten Years.
During the last ten years national
or local efforts along the line Of the
work tnaugurated In the United States
and Canada have been organized in
England, Scotland, Australia, Ceylon,
Germany, Holland, Sweden, Denmark.
South Africa and New Zealand.
The report points out that the aim
of the movement has been to increase.
not the mechanics but the dynanios of
the church, and an outline Is given Of