The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1919-08-29
RELIGIOUS WORK
SURVEY TO START
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tors, what families in the county are
without pastoral oversight, ETC.
The surveyors are also expected to
report upon church groupings, upon
conflicts in parish boundaries, upon
areas withouts Christian influences,
upon community centers or social
buildings, such as lodges and oranges
and upon any other matters that Will
throw light on the problems of the
churches in this county.
The county council will be expect
ed to assemble this information. 1t
will then be sent on for tabulation
to the state council but, in the mean
time, the facts will be laid before all
the leaders in all the denominations
of the county who will be invited to
attend conferences where local pro-
grams to fit the ascertained facts will
NC Wolhcu ouC W NC SolHiloH dSiCC
ment.
What is being done in Caledonia
county is being repeated in every
one of the 5000 rural counties of the
United States. Similar studies Of
religious conditions abroad are be-
ing made through the missionaries
in the field, through governmental
forces, through private agencies and
through the headquarters of the
great American missionary societies
In the course of time the Inter
church World Movement expects to
have on file a map of every county in
the United States which will show
every railroad, trolley line, road, viii
lage, hamlet, church, lodge, school,
and where every isolated farm house
stands in relation to some church or
other religious center.
The Inter-church World Move
ment is cooperative effort of the
missionary boards, church extension
societies, and similar benevolent
agencies of all the Evangelical
churches to work out unified Chris
tian program. 1t is not a movement
for organic church union. On the
contrary, it expects each denomina-
tional society to preserve its own
identity and work with its own
money through its own machinery.
The idea is to make a systematic and
complete study of everything that is
to be done and to have all the con-
stituent bodies get together and
agree upon which part of the work
each, is to undertake.
The movement originated last fall
with certain members of the Foreign
Missionary Board of the Presbyteri-
an church, South. Acting upon a
suggestion from these men, 1876 rep
resentatives of various missionary
societies of many denominations met
in New York City in December This
conference decided that something OF
the kind could be done and appointed
committee of 20 leaders in various
! churches to work out plan.
The committee of 20 worked out
a system of cooperation it thought
would be satisfactory. To consider it
a general conference was called al
Cleveland in May. This conference
was attended by 500 delegates repre-
senting 200 different religious agen
cies.
1t amplfied and approved the plar
and, from that movement, the Inter
church World Movement was an ac
complshed fact. The general com
mittee includes such we'll kpowl
leaders as Stephen Baker, Fred B
Smith, James M. Spears, Warren S
Stone, f. P. Haggard, Raymond To
bins and John Willis Blair. S. Ear
Taylor, executive secretary Of TIL
Methodist Centenary organization, i
general secretary John r. Mott, in
temational head of tie Y. M. c. A.
chairman of the executive commit
tee.
Realizing that no adequate pro
gram of cooperation could be work
ed out until all the facts were know
the movement already has begun it
surveys. The foreign survey was pu
under the general care of Ralph A
Ward, authority on China. TIL
home survey was put in charge of I
e. Diffendorfer, who did simila
work for the Methodist Centenary
The home surveys may be divide
roughly into two parts, rural SUI
veys, city surveys. The rural sun
veys are under the direction of D.