Norwich bulletin., 1921-11-10
COUNTRY CHURCH PROBLEM
 BEFORE CONGREGATIONAL

The 200 delegates to the conference of the Congregational churches of Con- necticut gathered for the morning ses- sion Wednesday at g o'clock at the First Church of Christ. Dr. Watson A. Phil lips of New Haven, chairman of the Con- necticut Home Mission society, presided over the morning session, it being pre- dorninantly Home Mission day. Rev. finders o. Peterson, pastor of the Swed- ish Congregational church In New Lon- don. led the opening devotions.
 After the presentation of conference business Rev. Douglas Horton of Mid dletown gave an address on By the Side of the Pilgrim Pool. He made a pIea for the minister. poorly paid at the best, during the years of his active ministry, who at last stands by the pool as the lame man did in the gospel story-this time the Pilgrim Pool The church today is awakening to the situation of such faithful servant and is now un-
 dertaking to do him justice.
 1 The conference welcomed to the plat l form Mrs. Charles S. Thayer of Hart 1 ford, president of the Wonan's Congre-
 gational Home Missionary Union of Con- necticut and listened to a charming pres entation of the work of that active or ganization in its co-operati-e labors for 1 all the churches
 Perhaps the significant, address of the
 morning was given by Rev. Wilson R. Stewart, pastor at degree among the Congregational churches of Connecticut
 who spoke on The Crux of the Country 1 Church. Among other things he said: They talk about the church as di- | vine organization but the church is the
 most human thing I know anything about. Indeed they are so human that
 have come to the conclusion that their very continued existence proves there
 must be something divine about it after all" He told of remarkable cases of I church revivals ans made clear that wise
 handling of almost any situation will
 build up a strong church. In answer
 to a question, MT. Stewart advised under
 ordinary conditions that the minister connect himself with the local grange
 Rev Marshall Dawson of Storrs pf,4,.s-
 cd the wisdom of active cooperation by
 the rural ministry with all local forces for community betterment.
 Reaching Aliens.
 Rev. H. M Bowden, director of the Foreign Speaking Work of the Congre.
 gational Home Mission society addressed
 the conference on The Slav and the
 Church. He arraigned the usual anti foreign attitude of the church people to- ward these peoples yho are not often ex
 pected or desired In the average Congre
 gational church. A most important tasl
 before the American church are the out
 sireds, working men and women, es- pecially the foreign people among them We can reach them, he said. if we go a } our job tn the right way. We can reacl Slovaks and Bohemians (Ciechs) but WI 3 are not so sure of being able to reaci g the Polish types.
 2 Problem in Small Towns
 l The closing speaker of the morning : was Rev. Sherrod Soule of Hartford, su . perintendent e the Missionary Society O
 Connecticut who took, as his theme, N : Mean City. St. Paul's negative designa e tion of his native city of Tarsus. Tn
 earliest religious. orghnizatio in ever a town and municipality in Connection
 was Congregational. In these days whe n we are welcoming all other religion f forces in our modern cooperative spirit 0 we as ngregationalists must stil
 "carry on" The rural problem in tn S state is almost everywhere 2 Congrega a tional problem. The larger portion C Q the address was given to a careful ar D. alysis of the Congregational status of ? 1t leading cities in the state, reaching r. hopeful conclusion for the forward lool - The closing session of the conferenc
 for the afternoon was given to the di. " cusson of several practical problem ,e faced by the churches.
 y- Addresses given were as follows IS What the Church Should Do For Me 2 and What Men Should Do For tf n Church" Rev Harris E. Starr, New Hs F, ven; How Can It. Be Done?" Rev. Or ;. vile A. Petty, New Haven; "Speci II Problems and Opportunities of Rural R Id gions." Rev. Roscoe Nelson, Windst T. Industrial Centers, Rev. Leslie H. Pert of rieu, Waterbury; Residential District re Rev. James J. Dunlop. Hartford Su1 III urban Retreats, Rev. P. Miles Snyde is East Hartford 'Cown-town Areas
 Rev. Robert E. Brown, Waterbury. as The closing moments of the sessit ,d were impressive, as the ffty-fourth a ee nual meeting of the conference adiourn' of to meet year from now with the Go lg gregational church at Bristol.