Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1919-04-11
WHAT is THE CENTENARY
MOVEMENT OF THE
MET ODIST
CHURCH?
BY John Birrell

This question is being asked by a
great many people, and it is being an
swered. There are, however. those
who do nor grasp the matter in the
least. For instance:
Dr. Ingram. our district superintend-
ent. of the Lacrosse district, was
asked: Who is this Saint Henry that
our church is commemOrating We
have heard of ST. john st. Mathew
and ST. Bartholomew, but we have
never heard of Saint Henry before"
One woman at Eau Claire referred
to the Centenary as the sanitary
movement in the church. She was not
far wrong for it does include a cleans
ing. purifying and health giving work.
1t has been called the centenary
n-ten-ary) because the church is go
ing to send out ten missionaries where
formerly she sent one. and give ten dol
lars where formerly she gave only one.
And it has also been referred to as
the cemetery" movement. There is
even some truth in that 1t may mean
which reminds one of a story of a min
lister who was conducting funeral,
and in the course of his remarks said ::
The corpse has been member OF the
church for twenty years."
Then what is the centenary move
ment? 1t is commemorative OF the
one hundredth anniversary of Meth
Odist missions. 1t is Gods trumpet call
to Methodism to face the worlds great
est crisis. 1t is a call to repent. The
church has been praying Thy King
dom come on EARTH" but has not min
istered to hungry millions in foreign
fields and nearer home.
So worldwide emergencies crowd
upon us demanding vast expenditure of
wealth and large enlistment of the
youth of the church. The general
warning comes to the church for pre-
paredness" for the great after war"
The church is being tested as never be-
fore
The need of the hour is revived
a II d nightly spiritualized church.
The centenary movement in Gods
providence. was raised up by the gen
eral conference not primarily to supply
of m6siey, but to lift Method
ism to new plane of spiritual vision
and ministry from which it shall
accomplish its part of the Christian
conquest of the world
Questions are being asked concern
ing the "Inter-church World Move
ment' and the relation Of the Centen-
airy to it, 1t is difficult for a Method
time with becoming mOdesty about the
whole matter: but it is a recognized
fact that the Interchurch World Move
ment received it's strongest impulse
from our own centenary movement
The inter-church movement is' a joint
program. including twenty-seven lead
ing protestant churches. for the Chris
tiOn conquest of the world.
This program will begin about OctO-
her 1. 1919. In the meantime special
church programs now I'M
der way are TO be completed. 1t is
therefore proposed 10 carry through
the Centenary program just as out
lined. and to use the Centenary organ
iZatiOn as a great demonstration
ground for the perfecting of plans for
the larger campaign of the allied
churches. Leaders of various denom-
nations will be thrown into the Cen
tenary campaign during its closing
days and the eyes of the Christian
world are being turned upon the Cen
tenary movement in way altogether
but for the greater cam
paign which is to follow.
DR.. S. Earl Taylor has been chosen
the marshall FOch'' of the inter-church
forces. Not until the separate fingers
become the closed fist, were the allies
in Erope able to strike the effective
blow And not until the protestant
forces unite against the common enemy
shall the battle be won for God and his
Christ
A brief article on the Centenary will
appear each week.