The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-03-05
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS


 Methodist church to attend the state wide pastors. conference of the inter church movement.
 
 And in passing, wish to commend the pastor and board of stewards of the First Methodist church for the lib- eral way in which they are permitting it 10 be used not merely for their own denomnational affairs but for any good thing which needs downtown auditorium.
 Now, this may seem small thing. but the Constant demand that Is being put on the church requires considerable expense besides the wear and tear. I was out on yesterday when the streets were flooded and everyone coming in- side the building was dripping wet or carrying a leaking umbrella. All of this does not make for the tidiness of a house Of worship. spoke to Dr. Stewart about it, and in his big-hearted manner he said: "Weil, Frank, it may be hard on the car pet and 1t may dfsarrange things a bit, but what's the use of having commo- dious church if it is to be shut up all during the week and only opened on Sundays? I told my folks if the carpet wore out we would just buy another one, but was for making the "OId First" pay dividends every day in the year if possible.
 Dr. Grogan, upon whose shoulders | has fallen the task of getting the con ference together. has worked like a | beaver and Is still hard al it. Few peo- pie who have never been behind the scenes have any idea of the amount of | Is the slightest sign that something of importance is on foot. I feel sure that he feels repaid for his efforts, for the 1 delegates came in large numbers. l
 | I sat facing the audience of pastors during part of the morning service in order to study their faces. Now, in the congregation were white and coIored l pastors, the latter occupying one entire I | the latter filled up the two remaining ones. I was glad that so many of the colored pastors were out for it means l that they wanted to get in sympathetic touch with the white preachers of the state, and there seemed to be deepen l ing sense that if the race question was properly settled 1t would be through l the pastoral leadership.
 But I started out to say that in spite of the fact that some young preachers feel Dit hestant about speaking in ministers meeting, I really know of no more attentive and sympathetic body of hearers than is a church full of clergymen. I saw this evidenced at the Methodist district conference at Fountain Heights church on Tuesday, when Brother Harris was preaching. His helpful sermon was punctuated by many fervent amens.
 I watched the faces of the delegates Lat the interehureh movement, and they were made up of preachers from the
 
 and unless pastor gave his denomina- tional cleavage no one was the wiser unless we count those who knew him personally, for it was impossible to distinguish any difference in the rapt 1 attention given each one on the pfe- prayerful attention of those present.
 
 | I am an expert when it comes to att tending ministers conferences I not only go to our Baptist ones, but ffe- auently drop in on those of other de- nominations, and, of course. am a mem Der of the Birmingham Pastors Union, which meets once month and brings together most of the preachers of the Protestant forces in the district. I get great joy out of the fellowship which exists in this body of busy ministers. T In the south I am familiar with the
 pastors unions in Louisville, Nashville, FAtlanta, and Montgomery. and am sure that they are but representative of the various ones in the cities through out the country. They have been great places for tohing down denominational antasonisms, for it was easy to meet on a footing absolutely free of sectarian rivalry, and listen to one another's ] addresses and papers, and then brush elbows in a social way.
 I for one am glad that the old days of ! religious debate are growing to be a thing of the past, and that men who love the Christ can find ample common ground for association and co-opera- tion. I believe in denominations, for in the present state Of things 1t arrear rs to me to be wise to keep up the denom- national fences, but I see no need for building them too high or keeping them so close as to shut out the balance of the religious world.
 the broad policies Of the interchurch movement, for the programme is stu pendous and too many sided to be in terpreted by me; but I do say that the state-w wide pastors conference which has been in session here was made pos- l sible largely through the fact that for many years back local pastors unions have been in existence, gFsing the brethren of the various churches an op- iportunity to have common meeting . i.<l- -ES~ a.