The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-12-11
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS


 church in Birmingham on yesterday morning is one of the epochal things born out of the great war
 From hearing some of the leaders in addresses before great conventions and from the reading of some of it's printed programmes. l will try to give here brief summary of some of the things for which it stands and some of the things it hopes to accomplish.
 On November 5-S, 1919, there was held in Atlantic City. N. J., one of the most notable conferences ever assem- bIed. At the call of the interchurch world movement of North America more than 100 of the leaders of the evangelical churches in America came together to spend three days in prayer and conference in preparation for their going forth to carry the message and programme of the interchurch world movement to every state in the union through 67 state and metropolitan con- ferences.
  prayer and discussion. They were not q group of men and women salaried to be professional propagandists. This national leaders training conference was made up of busy pastors of great churches, who are giving time and service because they believe in the programme of united, world wide ad- -.. T released by their boards from import ant work for this work of yet%larger importance; of leaders of denomina- tional forward movements who have realized the possibilities of the great est forward movement of the church of God since the Reformation.
 No programme of whirlwind cam paign speeches was given. On the various departments of the movement these leaders discussed the work to be done and took counsel together, and in his opening address here pr. John w. Laird, pastor of the Mount Vernon Methodist Episcopal church, the off,
  plain that the present gathering was not d cangress. but rather a school of instruction. with no cut-and-dried pro- gramme. and that probably no motion or resolution would be either offered or passed.
 The prime object of the interchurch world movement is to change the church from a field to force, for at present the church is one of the great est undeveloped fields in the world l Much of it's membership is not en- listed. Some place it as low as % per cent Then there are losses from the mbershp of the church the total evangelical constituency is at least 75 per cent more than at present. enrolled. There is also great undeveloped wealth, but the greatest loss is in the ] field of intercession, for with too many the prayer habit is weak.
 | It is made plain that the programme ! of the interchurch world movement cannot be carried through by human means alone. Superhuman forces must | be at work. There must be a new seeking after God. Some of the {, dynamics. Christ, the Holy Spirit, the | Bible, an aroused church, evangelism the stewardship message. an adequate programme, united advance. And all of these energies to be released through the power of prayer
 l All the evangelical forces will be called to prayer at watch night serv- | ices, in groups or in private, in the closing moments of 1919. The nation | will be summoned to renewed conse- ! era ation during the week of prayer l To nrto 1-11 Tlxa iu Ar, Awakened Church." There will come ] a united call to build home altars, and | this will be accomplished by the en- listment and training of millions of ! intercessors in the individual churches | There will also be an attempt to mobil- ! ize the prayer power of the churches around the united day of prayer of the women's home and foreign mis- sionary societies, February 20. 1920, with the lifework appeal, including the day of prayer for students, on the same day.
 | There need be no fear that the inter- church world movement will lose it. | self in the organization of great lot ! of administrative machinery, for it's leaders are building it on prayer first, | then evangelism and education in the l broadest sense of the term. A simul- l taneous evangelistic campaign and in- 1 gathering into the churches during the early months of 1920. but especially during the Lenten season, eliminating i in a great~in- gathering on Easter Sun day, is part of the programme. A striving to make the prayer meetings more effective. an effort to-give wide- 1 spread circulation of devotional books and pamphlets and greater use of propagating the spiritual message through publicity channels will be sought and taught.
 l Stress is laid on the fact that the interohurch world movement is a CO., | operative and not a consolidated un- l dertaking. It is frankly recognized l that the movement is only possible rpon the basis of denominational ac- ] tivities. Denominational programmes 1 must be enlarged rather than reduced | to make it effective. Happily, forward movements in many denominations have already prepared the way. En- largement must be one of CO operation doing together all possible things and doing separately whatever can be best cooperating.
 Out of the conference of denomina- tional leaders the fact has evolved that cooperating denominations have cer- 1 tain tasks which are not distinctive to l the denominations: sucN as adequate ministerial support. pensions, Bible 1 school enlargement promotion of mis- 1 sionary study. stewardship, interces- 1 sion, etc. These things must still be carried on by the respective denomina- | tions, but with cooperative resources ! in publicity. prayer and conference