Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-02-03
SAYS Church UNITT|
WOULD STOP WASTE
Newark Clergyman Terms IA.
100000 Churches in Country
SuperfIuous and Costly
UNION TO DISCUSS PROBLEM

'The entire world is in process, !,
reconstruction, change, and wa boo.
improvement of methods. The s,r
thing is inevitable in the church. Nor
is the time for reorganization. m.
hour has arrived when the Protes,.s.
churches must unite, cease duplico,i..
OF effort and duplication of expend;
This declaration was made TODAY !,
Of the City Missions and Church bEsetaly Eetly
SION Board OF the Presbytery of Pbila
delphla. The question Of church un,
VIII be the theme of delegates to n,
sessions of the Interchurch Connc;, '0e
Organic Union, which begin this nf,,, ~
noon at 2.30 o'clock in Witbersno,.,, ,,
Hall. The sessions will last four gUva daSs
Similar sentiments were expressed 4.
the Rev. Robert Westly Peach. of Nav
ark, N. j. He said: ''s"'
Competitions and rivalries of evar.
gelical denominations in the Unitsa
states have resulted in astoundinsH
waste and inefficiency."
Doctor Peach and hundreds of othc,
Protestant ministers of the countryl
are making plea for organ;sI
union OF twenty two national
church bodies. The Newark clergyman
is one. of fifty composing the ad interim
committee representing various Prot
estant denominations, appointed last
december upon an invitation OF M
Presbyterian Church, to approve plan
for the merger. In his statement Doctor
leach said Protestants had "built 100.
600 superfuous churches at cost ot
$500, ,000, ,000." y
More than 200 delegates from ,n
parts Of the country are expected n
attend the conference here. DR.. VIII.
liam II. Roberts, stated clerk d,
the Presbyterian General Assemble
will preside. Business reports viii
be heard this afternoon and the BIZ
general session will be Wednesday eve.
ming, when addresses will be made by
nationally prominent ministers. Sur.
gestions and minority reports will 4,
made by the Rev. William H. Black. of
Marshall, Mo-, the Rev. John S. Romir,
Of the Moravian Church, and Alfred d
Garrett. of the Society of Friends, a,
well as by Doctor Peach. 4
IF not single church had bees
built in the last thirteen years." Docto,
Peach says, "those standing in 19Os
would accommodate at single seryic,
every Protestant commitment of ths
year 1919 and every Roman Catholic
in our country, baptized infants in,
cluded, and besides, every man, woman
and child in Canada. Cuba and lortO
Rico, and there would still be room Il
spare.
"The upkeep and salaries incideut
to maintaining services in Protestant
| churches make necessary the raisin,
annually of millions of wasted dollars
Inevitably there has arisen the Great
Protestant Order of Medicant PASTOR
and Sisters, unincorporated. And vel
| we have thousands Of settled commu9
mites without single resident pastor.
I'm our division" said Doctor
Peach, "our people are groaning under
the burdens caused thereby, and under
the reprQach of incompetency, not only.
but the unchurched masses ignore our
weakened testimony and reject our ap-
peal; our problems are multiplied, oui
fellowship is marred, our Lord is dis
honored. These are the conditions or.
ganic unity is set to cure"
The United Church of Christ is thu
name selected for the proposed or.
ganic union. Without adopting AMI
symbol or creed, this united churci
proposes to recognize in the "bistorit
creeds OF. the evangelical communion
varying expressions of their common
Christian faith.