The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-11-08

1
First Methodist church? mo telling, but
DR.. G. w. Read is a good man to begin
| with today, because from beginning to
| end of any story connected with DIR.
| Read. one word will suffice to write be-
I meath his life-size portrait That word is
Strong"
| DR.. Read possesses the rare quality or
| knowing what he thinks and thinking
what he says. Therefore the sincerity
i which Is characteristic of the pastor
who says that his little flock of 500 peo-
pie of the Methodist church at Athens
make up in quality what they lack in
quantity.
| The fact that this congregation has
this year raised more money per capita
| than any other church in the North
| Alabama conference, and that they
! pledged and have paid up to date their
quota of $500 on centenary fund, is proof
of the quality of this plucky congrega-
| ton.
Then there's DIR. James A. Duncan.
| Birmingham people know him because
| he lived here four years as pastor of
| the First Methodist church. and his name
| is familiar in the south as nephew Of
the revered Bishop w. w. Duncan.
| Tom Sawyer-like and Mark Antony
| like, DR.. Duncan, if he had tears might
|
| ton of the flowers that kind friends
would strew should he shuttle off this
| mortal coil"
| That is, if his mind were funeral bent,
and if the Tuscaloosa people could wait
| until such time to throw bouquets. But
| DIR. Duncan is too wide-awake to think
on his own obituary, and the Tusca-
loosa people want him back at First
| church so much that at the last quar-
terly conference they pounded him with
bouquets instead of the sugar and soap
1 and brickbats with which Methodist
| preachers are sometimes pounded.
1.-THE First Methodist church Of Tusca-
loosa was probably the first church in
Southern Methodism whose centenary
quota was paid the day after the cam
paign closed" said DIR. Duncan. land
| the stewards have guaranteed the amount
| for the next four years"
| This church of the Druid City is noted
! as one beloved by young people, ana
scores of young men and women from
the State university are in the Sunday
| school and engaged in active church
work
| More room will be afforded when the
| main building of the new church is
! erected. which is to be accomplished
| this year at a cost of $685.
| Once upon a time there was small
boy who pleaded nightly with an
obstreperous father to go with him to
prayer meeting. For several weeks
| this continued and finally the father
decided that prayer meeting couldn't
be more serious than his sons anxiety
| about it. So they went.
| The hours of the following Wednes
/ day evening were passing without the
usual insistent invitation extended by
young America How about it, son?'
said the father. Don't you want to
| go with dad to prayer meeting AGAIN."
| "Tve been" was the terse response.
| Once upon another time there was
another little bov who grew to be
man that never forgot he used to be
| a boy. He's a man now. every Inch
of him. His name is Rev. F. L. Aid
| ridge, at present pastor of the Syla-
| cauge church. Because he doesn't for
get the boys and girls they do not for
! get prayer meetings and Sunday
| schools and church services, They
| have been and come again as regularly
as they attend scout meeting, of which
| this man with the boy heart Is scout
| Master.
Every year he and Mrs. Aldridge go
on camps with the young people, and
| it is a well-known fact that through
| their influence all the girls who at
tended last camp and most of the boys
were persuaded to go to college.
greatfwork for today and tomorrow is
being accomplished by this beloved
pastor and his wife. AS statistical sec
retary of the conference Mr.. Aldridge
reported wonderful centenary accom-
plishments. and all other claims in
creased over any former year, showing
that North Alabama Methodism is
prospecting.
There is no place like home" said
DIR. r. E. Tyler, who, in the interest of
interchurch world movement, is living
| temporarily in Tampa, as headquar-
tiers for the rural survey of churches
in Florida.
"This interchurch movement is the
| only machinery without any lost mo-
| tion," commented Mrs. James H Nc
| Coy, in speaking of the work she had
| seen in Florida. And certainly there
| is no lost motion when it comes to those
who are gathering the facts about rural
| conditions What DIR. J. M. Archibald
| is doing for Alabama, and DR.. w A. J.
Brock for South Carolina, DIR. Tyler is
doing for Florida. Since Bishop At
kins' appointment of Mr.. Tyler to
! Florida last year the rural survey has
| already covered half of that state.
| $50 many interesting but alarming
| facts are brought to light in connec-
| ton with this work" said Mr. Tyler.
| For instance, in one county of Florida
| we found only one resident pastor. All
| these things will be remedied by the
| interchurch movement, which repre-
| sents the cooperation of so denomlna-
| tions at work in home and foreign
The centenary movement is back 81 !.
so far as the Methodist church goes,
| and the rural part is only one phase,
| where a survey is made Of every viii
lage and hamlet under 10000 popula-
| ton"
OF course, Mr.. Tyler will come back to
his native state when his work In
Florida is over. Though the confer
ence there invites him to transfer, his
| own conference appreciates him too
highly to give him up unless the need
there were more urgent than that at
home.
How goes it with Albany First
church" was the irrelevant question
put to DR.. w p. McGlawn when he
was in the middle of a conversation
| with layman any pastor would like
| to have on his church register, DIR.
J. L. Gunter of Albany
oh" replied DR.. McGlawn. ''the Cen
trail Methodist is about to apply for
l 1T e. Wi no y1J