The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1920-03-11
CHRISTIAN COOPERATION
IN WORLD RECONSTRUCTION
Key Note in Great IntercHurch Con.
ference at Grand Forks
Last Week.

About three hundred ministers, of
more than dozen denominations, rep
resenting many thousand members,
We're present at the Interchurch meet
ing in Grand Forks last week. It'll
is the first meeting of the kind in the
history of the state, and marks the
beginning Of new era lin religious
cooperation and achievement.
Leading men of different denomin-
ations put on the program, by adj
dresses, charts, maps, and lantern
slides, they gave survey OF the
world situation. The whole part by
countries, states, counties and COM
munities is being studied, and the re-
suits from time to time given TO the
public. The results of a preliminary
study were presented at the Grand
Forks meeting. The facts presented
were startling indeed. For instance,
there are 100000 people in the
heart of Africa without a missionary,
and without ray Of light from Chris
tan civilization. In India there are
42,5OO baby girls under one year of
age who are married, and 25,OOO,0OO
widows in India who are treated as
slaves and outcasts. There are 200,-
100000 people in the world who are
always hungry, one half of the worlds
population without doctors or hos
pitfalls, and 1,20O,0 100000 who are il
literate. Religious education is es-
sential to the development Of a we'll
rounded life, and safe citizenship in a
democracy, yet there are 27,0OO,OOO
under twenty five years Of age in the
United States who are receiving no
religious instruction, and $4,000 of
that number are in the state of North
Dakota.
The Interchurch World Movement
is not new organization, but is
rather movement to secure coopera-
ton of all the churches so that there
may be given the impact Of all
churches doing the same thing at the
same time. In educational, mission
airy, and benevolent enterprises at
home and abroad it is designed that
all should act together. The over
head expenses of the Interchurch act
ivities will be provided jointly by the
cooperating denominations, but never
to exceed five percent of the money
raised. The Centenary of Methodism
cost less, than three percent, and in
the Helena area only l 2/10 per cent
for the whole campaign. Each de-
nomination will raise it's own funds,
secure it's own recruits for service,
and carry out it's program along its
own UNCONVENTIONAL line, but all
branches of the church working on the
same task, and thru the clearing house
of the Interchurch, overlapping pre-
vented, and no place neglected.
DR.. C. L. Clifford who was one of
the men attending from Minot, con-
siders that this movement marks a
new era in the moral and religious re-
construction of the world. The plan
is comprehensive, constructive, and on
scale gigantic enough to be COM
mensurate with the crying needs of
humanity, In the financial drive
which is more than dollar for every
minute since Christ was born.
The convention at Grand Forks was
similar to those being held in
every state in the union, by seven
groups of men carefully selected for
that purpose. These will be followed
by similar conventions to be held in
every one of the 1912 counties in the
United States. The Ward county
convention will be held in Minot the
week following Easter. This will
of course be largely attended by peo-
pie from every part Of the county.