The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-10-13
lIHERANS Of AMERICA SEND
GREETINGS TO BATTLE FRONT

afr t,ion"
/ The commissioners sent by the
( American lutheran churches have
: blanket authority 70 back the French
churches with men and money Thd@
/ VIII spend a number of months in
France TO go over the entire feld be
: fore returning to America 70 make
hual Suggestions OF The assistance that
shall rc rendered The plan is not TO
establish 81 new organization or dis
rctlvo agency but TO utilize the
1fta orea ai1atjoN and foundation
oh has already been laid hy the
renCh Lutheran churches and TO
. ia&ke use Of the fullest extent Of the
equipment which is so happily situa-
ted 20 meet the situation.
Or J a Stub. executive secretary
II he National Lutheran commission
recently empha sized that the commits
sion MIu hack the overseas service
10 IT'S last dollar He said, our motto
has been that the church must so
SSiae-snA-nr- A0ys- TheY- arc III
France making the supreme sacrifice
There the church must he. We have
81 COO 600 10 back our boys and we
can get more If that ia not enough,
We will use i for the boys that are
fighting on the frontier line OF free
DOM
WIN the GSfA 0HShU1HNf OF contact
with the French Lrthe ran churches
The orga pization of the war service OF
the Lutheran church in this country
is complete II has been a. stosy OF
progress and achievement unparalleled
tn the history Of this Lutheran church
in America The first great achieve
ment was the combination n every
part % the Lutheran church fer COM
mon action III the National Lutheran
communion. II has been stated in the
past that the Lutheran church was
more divided than any other Protest
ant body and that wherever two Iuth-
Grams met there were two church di-
visions. Whatever may have been the
truth IN the past. in the wartime ser
vice the divisions Of the church were
forgotten and the resources OF the
whole church we're placed in hack OF
the common agency. the National Lu-
theran commission
The wartime service nf the National
commission today covers every camp
in America. 1t has camp paStors es-
tabliehed in every lamp. giving all
their time to prepare spiritually the
boys in the army Al many camps 1t
has brotherhood buildings as centhes
Of activity or social centres outside
OF the camps whore the camp pastors
/ have their headquarters whore the
t men come 70 lounge, 10 read. 20 write,
or 10 attend religious services.
There are at present 10 Lutheran
Chaplains in the army and navy The
National Lutheran commission has
I been assisting them to do their worn
more effectively. apart from the fact
that IL has supplied them with the
I names ri bows to get in touch with
and brought them in touch with pa
rents that were anxious about their
sons, It has equipped them with mo
torCyc1es. autom ohiles communion
sets, pulpits and affairs books and
many other things
Another important line Of activity
has just been brought to a successful
conclusion II is . group OF socia.
centres In the 'iarTo sea port towns Of
the Atlantic Coast Boston, Newport
r. /, New York. Philadelphia. Bal
tinore, Newport News, Norfolk. Va
and Charleston. s. c. The organization
of these centres is uncer the direction
of Miss Mary T. Narkley, one Of this
headquarters secretaries of the Ma
t!onal Lutheran commission in New
York. Splendid buildings have beer
obtained containing reading, writin.
and lounging rooms as we'll as slice p
ing rooms ard offering cafeteri;
service. The Lutheran people of tbs
! Various NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. elWIlo, II ~
various centres have been organize {
10 devote time and money In order Il
give these social centres in the soapor
towns the air CT home, The slogan
Of these centres u.s. ITO provide &
home for t74>eie Ssni's soldiers sail
and marines
The success OF the National Luther
an commission has had n vital cffec
on The internal Development OF thu
Lutheran church. u has brouGh
home 20 the church the truth Of Mar
shall FoChs recent statement ahou
the strategy of alliance" The Luth
!. eran church throughout the countr,
is realizing the importance of think
ing and acting in common to MAKE
it's resources count for most There
is a strong trend toward common ac
ton which has already expressed il
self in the organization of the Ma
tlonsl Lutheran council last Septem
Der, One prominent lutheran express
ed II The Lutheran church is grad
Mating from the period of provincial
ism and internal division TO becum,
"a national unit and n national poweI
in the religious life OF America"