Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-06-30
RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES ARE INCREASING
GREAT CHURCH GROWTH IN FIVE YEARS

Thousands OF persons have beef
added To the congregations of, ant
thousands OF dollars have been spen
for new equipment and In the extern
sion Of work by the churches Of Homo
lulu during the last five years. In il
religious activities Honolulu is not Il
be outdone by progressive cities o.
similar size on the mainland, and
during the period between 1912 and
1917 interest In church work and
church life has increased by leaps ano
bounds until there has been built VI
| as fine and as complete an organfZa
ton as will be found anywhere.
So great has oeen this growth and
| so keen the inter est In religious work
that the Star-Bulletin, since a few
months after its inception, has deVot
ed each Saturday an entire page to
religious news, including items on
both local and mainland activities
Honolulu's leading churches contrib
ute weekly to this page.
Central Union Gains
During the past five years the mem,
bership Of Central Union church has
increased from 1855 to 1905 individu.
ais and, In the number OF families
represented, from 7S5 to &c. It's ex.
penses have mounted from 81 1863 to
S21,156 and its beneyolences have
risen proportionately. The revision
Of the church rules has simplified and
broadened the requirements for mem,
bership.
The Bible school has grown more
IN efficiency throughout all depart
ments than in numbers, though they
have increased slightly. Il has added
greatly to its own equipment and In
creased its beneyolences from $S64.50
to s932.7O. -...
The WomaI's Board Of Missions has
revised It's constitution, reorganized
it's committee work and come into a
closer touch with the problems OF the
community without losing its wide out.
look upon the foreign field.
The most spectacular gain in mem.
bership has been made by the Wo-
mems Society, which now enrolls 3l7
as over against I45. To this enter.
prising organization are due many
Improvements IN the social life Of the
church. As~. a.,
The most outstanding innovation in
these years is the creation OF q reli.s
gious education committee, which is
now q recognized and important factor
In the work OF the church and Bible
school. ...-' 81.
A Methodist Aloha s.
Five years ago the First Methodist:
church had Just moved to its new
property at Beretania and Victoria
street. The church building was
completed. but the organ was not In.
stalled. The property changes, thep,,
have been addition of the organ, mino,
improvements, and the parsonage now
In course Of construction. /
The new location has proved de-
cided advantage, and the work has
grown steadily. Membership has
gained S. per cent; Sunday school en-
rolment SO per cent. The amount con-
trihuted for the support Of the church
has nearly doubled. while the amount
returned BY. the church for missions
and other benevolent causes is three
times greater than five years ago.
But while statistics should tell the
truth. they never tell the whole truth.
To this figure skeleton must be added
flesh and clothes. The things q church
has most satisfaction in do not appear
In compilations. The boys and girls
trained In. -the nurture and adnonf-
ton Of the LORD, = the men and women