Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-12-23
DR.. MELVIN p. BURNS
On Fields for Church Work

one big field for the churches to work in
" is that of the districts changing from
strictly residential to semiresdential areas
intcrspcrscd with foreigners or more cspc-
cially with cheap boarding houses. according
to DR.. Melvin =. Burns. superintendent of
the department of city work of the Board of
Home Missions Of the Methodist Church.
DR.. Burns has divided his program here
into four larger branches, following the plan
adopted in other cities since the beginning
of the city work of the board. in connection
with the opening of the centenary drive
three years ago.
THE four divisions declares DR.. Burns,
are % downtown, GU industrial. C3D
foreign speaking. subdivded into American
ization and Christianization work, and (4l
semirosidential.
"For many years the church has been on
thc retreat from all of these communities.
The downtown church is seldom very
thriving institution and it is only recently
that the different denominations have awak-
ened to the importance of this field. In taCt
it took the war to open the eyes of the
church to the great necessity OF work among
the foreign. Before that no denomination
had given this work serious attention.
Boarding Houses Replace Homes
Then there is one great section of all
cities which has just begun TO be COnsid-
cred: i. O.. the area Of shabby gentlity,
formerly filled with the houses of the we'll
to do who have begun to move out into the
suburbs or Mt least into the outer districts
of the city. Foreign born begin to creep
into these localities or. more frequently still
they become the area of countless boarding
houses. tenantcd by young people seeking
work in the city.
'Instead of remaining to work among
these classes, the church has pretty generally
followed the former inhabitants out into
the suburban or outer districts. Only Just
recently has the fight been taken up again
in this very necessary field.
And in coming back on to the battlefield
the churches must necessarily disregard for
mer standards, prcc"dcnts and statements
of theology. They must work out Il new
fundamental program broad enough to cover
the actual needs Of every person in these
variouSly populated districts.
"Such a campaign was attempted in New
York city not :" many years ago in respect
TO the old Union Church, which once had
been popular and well filed but which one
day woke up to find itself in the center of
a hotel, apartment house and theatre dis
trict Instead of selling the church and
abandoning the fight. the board installed II
fighting, progrcSsiv" minister and spent a
great deal of money on welfare work
"As a result the theatre people and the
hotel people were attracted Girls focked
to the MONDAY lunch which was arranged,
the young people Of the ncighborhood came
IN great numbers to the reCrcational rooms
and from membership of fifteen the I'nion
Church increased that number to from 300
to 900.
Success Can Be Repeated
What the Rev. John Benson did there
and other up to date clrrgymrn have done in
other downtown churches in many cities Of
the United States, can be done elsewhere,
'In addition to tho foreign born. which
have probably been thoroughly discussed in
connection with all forms Of welfare work
but which still constitute an importnnt
church work there is the question of the
most central part Of tho city, the region of
| big hotels and clubs, containing largely n
transient population, but with Just enough
permanent residents to make il an integral
| part of church work.
These hotels can be reached and their
occupants brought to church. This hns
been proved In a number Of instances Jut
there must b. more than the Sunday servicn
| and the "Wednesday night PRAYER meeting
There must be socinl work Of all kinds in
| Guiding the provision Of cheap lunches rcgt
rooms games, entertainments and the like
The hotels can be reached by inyitations
| distributed to every room, and the clubs in
| the same way. But this will not suffice
| II Is more than n question OF getting thc
| neOple once to attend a church service That
! service must be vital and comDellinp cnomgb
| TO bring them again, and, above all il mist
| be backed up by real, up-to date welfare
| work with purpose. Once the tron
sients are brought in, even IL only tempo.
rarly, the residents VIII come to the churches
| also for the simple reason that they will see
that those churches stand for something
definite and progressive,
| Then, OF course, there is the phase NJ
| work among derelCts--an entirely dIfferont
| page of the book, but one just as vital Tha
supplying of work for such people, at thc
u same time intoxicating Christian and Ameri.