New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1918-04-20
NJ. f. STRENGTH IN
new YORK DECLINES
East Side Churches Being Closed;
Committee to Investigate

is at present ana the plans for the flu
ture. occupied much of the time of
the New York East conference in Sos
$40" Oh Friday. The Laymen's ASSOC
cation also had the same suhiec+ I'M
In the laymen's MEETING tho Nv,
'ork lily society was the subject of
pointed remarks. One speaker pro-
tested against action looking to the
oisconttnuanco of Trinity church in
New York While another demanded To
know what became of the money
winch the society received for the
sale OF church property when made
IN the general conference the debate
concerned the appointment of a COM
Hllttee or ten to go into the problem
ana report back to the next confer
ence. If need be the committee will
confer with the New York CITY So
ciety.
THE future of Meth ooism IN tho
east side of New York is concerned in
the plans of the New York City socie-
fty,~ said Rev. DR.. Downey, discussing
Hhs report of Rev. Willard l.. Robin
son, executive secretary of the socie-
Ty, after the presentation of the re-
fport. 1T may mean the abandon
msnt of New York east side. 1t would
be better to abandon the section
knowingly than to die q lingering
painful DEATH he said in comment
ing on the reduction in the confer
ence berevolence. He suggested e.
conference to get together with the
church extension society, the Home
Mission and the New York City So
ciety.
Another suggestion that there be a
committee to investigate the decad-
ence of Methodism made by Rev.
Alfred J.. Faust and he proposed the
appointment of a committee Of ten
members, five from. New York and
i've from Brooklyn to go into the
matter.
Executive Secretary Robinson, an
swering criticism that there wos not
close enough relation between the
conference and the New York City
society, said that the bishop and dis
trict superintendent were members Of
the executives board that meets
monthly and every minister of the
conference was a member of the
board of managers that meets hi
monthly Resenting the suspicion
cast on the New York City society he
served notice that If the conference
does not once and for all bury tho.
suspicion deep and stop the insinua-
lions the society Will come to the
next conference with the deeds to the
properties 1t holds.
We've tried to get the truth and
facts before you and 1t is time this
talk ceases" said Secretary Robin
son with much feeling.
A minister of the conference said
that his personal feeling was that if
the conference prev1oIely had the
ia TT cd cra
of conditions things would not be as
they are. He spoke of the confer
ence being in the eve of the greatest
constructive period Of M eth dism
and he supported the report Of the
society and the resolution for the ap-
pointnent Of the special committee.
The conference voted to authorize
Bishop Wilson to appoint the COM
nittee.
Secretary Robinson's report for the
New York City society follows
Churches Decline.
1.-THE extent of the work as it
Is now carried on. For more than
fifty years the City society has been
the agency Of Methodism in Manhat-
tan and the Bronx for conserving its
downtown churches, adapting the
forms of their ministry to meet the
changing conditions and extending
The work by the erection of new
churches in the growing parts of both
bcroughs. There are only fourteen
churches in the whole city that have
not at some time been directly aided
by the society. The shifting of pop
ulation, the encroaohment of bust
ness, the influx of foreigners have
brought one church after another to
fece the crisis when 1t could not
longer be supported by it's neighbor-
hood constituency. At such times
Nhe City society has been appealed to,
and eighteen churches have been
taken over by it and continued under
fits care for an average of twelve
years each. In pioneering new work,
thirty-five new churches have been
located and their work continued
under the care of the society for an
average Of twentv-four years each
These latter include many of our
strongest churches, such as Washing
Ton Heights, Calvary, Grace and ST
Andrews. The society has invested
n these churches $36O,0O0 from
which 1t can receive no interest or
pther income and which will only be
repaid at such time as the church Is
ecld The churches that have been
taken over by the society, a rule,
hsye resisted help until they have
1lortga ged their property for all they
ecuId secure in this way, and then,
s h en- the transfer to the society was
made, the remaining equity had only
hypothetical value. In this way
he society has been shouldered with
Mortgages of more than half mill
lion dollars.
sat the present time twenty eight