Omaha daily bee., 1919-02-08
Many SPEAKERS
TOBE AT MEETOF
THE METHODISTS
Methodist World Program
Convention Opens Tuesday
at First Methodist
Church.

The Methodist "World Program
convention" which opens Tuesday
evening in the First Methodist
church, might have been called a
Wake Up Methodist" convention,
for one of its main objects is to
arouse the church to the needs of
every place under the sun where
this denomination has been APP
pointed to labor
Headquarters have been estab-
lished in the Y. NJ {. A. building,
where the registration of delegates
and other convention business is
being looked after. From the NUM-
Der of applications for rooms, that
have been received up to date, it is
expected that the attendance will
exceed that of any gathering of
Methodists ever held in this part of
the country. Arrangements are
being made to supplement hotel ac-
commodations by opening private
homes for guests, and the fourteen
Methodist churches Of the city are
canvassing their constituency in
order to provide rooms for the visi-
tors.
DR.. Fisher Principal Speaker.
DR.. Fred B. Fisher Of New York,
known all the over the world as a
public speaker and as the leader of
the laymen's missionary movement,
IS to be the presiding officer at the
sessions of the convention. He
will also be the principal speaker at
the mass meeting in Brandeis
theater Tuesday evening, and will
deliver his lecture on Christian
Democracy for the World"
DR.. Fisher is director Of the ma
tional campaign committee of the
Missionary Centenary organization,
under whose auspices this series of
conventions is being held.
Three banquets will be served on
the closing night of the convention.
The ministers will dine at the First
Methodist church. and the laymen
and lay ladies at the Masonic
Temple.
DR.. Reisner Present.
DR.. Christian f. Reisner, who Or
iginated the minute men idea for
church purposes, will be present
at the convention. He is we'll known |
in this part of the country, having
been born in Kansas. and for many
years leading pastor in the west |
A. y. Smith of Council Bluffs, min
ute man chairman for the Omaha |
area, has nearly 4,500 minute men
speakers enrolled in his Office, 81 |
of whom represent the Omaha
Methodist churches. They are
among the most active boosters for |
the convention and the general CEN
tenary movement. and are deliver
ing five-niinute speeches at many of
the services in the churches in the
interest of the world program.
Buildings For District.
The centenary world program is
Of considerable local interest be-
cause of the fact that it includes
in its provisions eleven building
projects in the Omaha district, five
of which are in the city of Omaha
itself. The total cost of the five
Omaha enterprises will reach in the
neighborhood of $365,000, Of which
the Centenary commission will do
nate $4,000.
In the state of Nebraska the bene-
fits from the centenary fund will |
amount to 100000, and about the
same amount will be assigned to
the mission work in Iowa. This |
money is devoted chiefly to the de-
velopment and support of work in
down town city churches and to
sparsely settled rural communities.
Many Workers Needy.
The program not only provides
for financial assistance to needy
churches and unchurched neighbour
hoods, but calls for a large number
of new religious workers, pastors,
missionaries, deaconesses and teach
ers. The present demand is for
10000 such workers each year, and
Omaha area is expected to furnish
s per cent of this number. Its
quota of the 100000 centenary
fund is almost 8 per cent, or S.
100000. As the membership of the
Methodist church in these states is
over 10000, and in general this is
one of the most prosperous sec
tions of the country, there is no
doubt that the financial goal will be
reached.
In order to accomplish all these
results a carefully worked out
program Of education and cultiva-
ton Of the field has been going for
ward for several months. DR.. Geo.
w. Isham is the executive secretary
for this area, and with an able staff
Of assistants he is directing the cen
tenary work from the area head
quarters in the City National Bank
Much literature is being
sent out each week, and a news
sheet, called the Fly Leaf" is being
published and distributed through
the area.