The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-02-03
MAKES PLEA FOR
 GREAT UNION OF
 CHURCH BODIES
Dr.. Peach Says Rivalry Is Resulting In Waste of
 Efficiency.
HAVE MORE CHURCHES
 THAN ARE NECESSARY
Scores Catholics and Pro testants Alike in Great
 Campaign.

New York, Feb. 3.-Charging that 'the competitions and rivalries of evangelical denominations in the United States have resulted in as- founding waste and ineffic1ency," and that S6 per cent. of the Protestant churches have a total seating ca pactty of more than 53,000,000, OF three times their requirement.. Rev. Dr. Robert Westly Peach, pastor of a Reformed Episcopal church i'll New ark, N. J., makes a plea for organic union of 22 national church bodies.
 Dr. Peach's recommendations, to- gether with others, will be discussed by The Interchurch Council on Or ganic Union which begins a four days session in Philadelphia. today. The Newark clergyman is one of 50 composing the Ad Interim Committee representing various Protestant de- nominations which was appointed last December upon an invitation by the Presbyterian Church, to approve a plan for bringing about a merger. In his statement, @ minority report, he declared that Protestants had built perhaps 100000 superflous churches at a cost of $500,000.0
 eff not one church had been built in the past 13 years" he said, those standing in 1906 would accommodate at 9. single service every Protestant conamunicant of the year 1919 and every Roman Catholic in our coun- try, baptized infants included, and, besides, every man, woman and child in Canada, Cuba and Porto Rico and there would still be much room to spare.
 These s6 per cent of our church es reported over three sittings for every communicant. At the same time, the Romas Catholic churches reporting had one sitting for every two and one-fourth members-a ratio of nearly seven to one in our dis favor The Roman churches are crowded, ours, on an average less than one-quarter filled-for 1t Is the exceptional church which, at its prin- cipal Sunday service, has an attend ance equalling 80 per cent. Of Its communicant roll.''
 The upkeep and the salaries incl dent to maintaining services in Pro- testat churches, Dr. Peach said make necessary the raising annually of millions of wasted dollars; make necessary, moreover, gruelling efforts to raise this money. Inevitably there has arisen The Great Protestant Or der of Mendtcant Pastors and Sis ters, UnincOrp orated. Inevitably also has followed a widespread defectiou of church members, weary of contin- ual solicitation to give outright and te buy tickets for auppers. entertain. ments, bazaars, etc. Not the givins has repe1ed, in most instances" con- tinued pr. Peach, for the American people are generous-but the need, less calls for unecononic giving. Upon members who remainstead. I fast have fallen the heavier burdens , l he said. "This defection also is main 1 ly responsible for increasing the two out of three empty pews caused b1 | over-churching the three out of four Let not the pastors and members O ! exceptional congregations bIindl1 ! question the general validity of thes' ! estimates. Withal, we have thous ands of settled communities without : | single church. In Ohio, for example the recent Methodist Episcopal sur yey has discovered scores of town | ships, six miles square, without 1 single resident minister. To wicke: waste we add woeful inefficiency. l Tn our division" said Dr. Peach
 tour people are grooming under tn | burdens caused thereby, and unde 1 the reproach of incompetency, no 1 OuIyJ put Iue masses 1S l nore our weakened testimony and re ject our appeal; our problems ar | multiplied, our fellowship is marre6
 our Lord is dishonored. These ar
 the conditions organic unity is set t
 cure.''
 Rev. William H. Black, D. D., c
 the Presbyterian Church, Marshal i Mo, another member of the Ad In
 terim Committee, in a minority re
 port, advocated the use of the ter
 anthology of the United States gov i ernment for cE1aracterizing the pro
 posed new united church and oppos
 ed a "restatement of the fundamer
 tai doctrines of Christian belief" de cIaring that ''aIl evangelical churche
 recognize and teach that the Hol
 Scriptures are the inspired word (
 God and are the only infa1lfble rul
 of faith and practice"
 Invitations have been extended [ 12 other Protestant denomination
 making 34 in all, to become member of the conference planning organi union.