Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-03-06
CONFERENCE ON
MISSION ENDS
Success Attends Meetings at First
Methodist in Interest OF World
Reconstruction.
PROGRAM OF HIGH ORDER
Churches Cooperate in Making
Meetings Best Yet Held By
Teams in the States.

The worlds reconstruction and
missionary conference. which came
10 a close last evening after four
splendid meetings at the First
Methodist church, was one Of the
most successful held in any city
by the team which is travelling
from place to place, holding the
conferences in an effort 20 quicken
the interest in the great program
which has been laid out for the
church during the months follow
ing the war.
Enthusiasm ran high at all the
sessions, and the conference was
indeed a success from ell stand
points. The attendance was ex-
/eptiOnally good, and the repre-
sentatives of the various Methodist
churches in the tri-cities made
every effort to make me local
meeting one of the best held in
the states. Their efforts were well
spent and the splendid cOOpera-
tiOn between the churches OF the
three cities is possibly largely ac-
countable for the helpful confer
ence
Beginning with the opening
meeting Wednesday evening, and
closing with last nights session.
the local Methodists entered into
the spirit Of the meetings and have
derived much benefit from their
efforts.
The closing number last even
ing was an address by Dr..
Howard Musser, The Jungle
Man" called such because of the
fact that he spent ten years as a
missionary in India. He spoke of
the denominational lines in this
country, which he predicts will soon
be a thing of the past. In the course
<of his address he said in part:
~@The centenary is a voice crying
Come on come on to unity of effort
for the salvation of the world. In
two-thirds of the world. Christian
unity prevails. In the mission fields,
one denomination is responsible for
q particular field. 1t will be the
same in this country inside of the
next % years.
UNCONVENTIONAL lines are going
into the discard. We are going to
have practical Christian unity. l
do not know what the denomination
of the future will be called. 1t does
not matter. 1t matters simply that
II shall meet the needs of the mod
ern world.
THE Methodist church has gone
ahead with it's plans for adequately
meeting the worlds need. Out of it
already has grown great inter-de-
nOminational union to raise four or
five hundred millions to take care
of an adequate program. Our call
for the centenary quota is our part
of this.
But the message must have men
TO carry it. We need revivals in the
church. Preachers come from re
vivals. The reason we are short on
preachers we are short on revivals.
The reason for the Red Cross,
lodges, and the like is that the
church of Christ has somewhere
failed to meet a human need it
should have filled.
THE centenary is a call for the
cbErch to take its proper place in
~rfie solution of the worlds prob
lens. to resume its leadership. and
to furnish the leaders, in the social
reconstruction of the world"
survey Oh II EClu-
The address by Ralph E. Diffen-
dorfer, associate executive secre-
tary of the centenary commission
was on The National Survey and
Program.
THE first step taken in making
the home survey was to prepare
and send out a QUESTIONABLE to
district superintendents. bishops
and home mission pastors" Mr..
Diffendorfer in explaining the sur
vey. said:
''The QUESTIONABLE was intended
30 secure information on two
points; first, our present home mis-
sion and church extension program;
second, the necessity for enlarging
our present program.
THE second step taken in the
survey was TO send representatives
fQm our office down to the field to |
confer with district superintend- /
ents. bishops, and in many in
stances pastors and laymen. In /
these conferences the principles |
upon which the survey was being .
made were discussed. and then in .
these principles. the home mission .
in annual conference dis /
tricts were taken up and needs tab /
ulated.
THE third step taken was inten- |
sive studies of our cities and a
large number OF typical rural dis
tricts.
To study cities in this manner a
team of three. and in some cases
four, city experts visited the cities,