Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1922-01-14
PLAN TO MOBILIZE
EPISCOPAL LAYMEN
Inaugurate Movement to Pro-
mote Closer Fellowship With
All Christian Bodies.

philadelphia, Jan. 14.--Plans for
mobilizing thousands OF Episcopal
Church laymon OF Pennsylvania, Del
aware, Maryland. the District OF Col
umbia. Virginia and West Virginia
Into az Federation OF laymen's ASSOC
Citations were. launched In this city
yesterday.
Development OF Increased lay ac-
tiyity In the Churchs work and the
promotion Of closer fellowship with
all Christian bodies are the aims OF
tho movement. 1t Is exclusively n
laymen's movement and is the direct
result OF action taken by the Synod
OF the Province OF Washington at It's
meeting In Wilmington, Del, In No
vember.
The Synod commended tho move
ment and named n committee consist
Ing Of one representative from each
OF the thirteen dioceses comprising
the Province. That committee was
called together for its initial meeting
yesterday by the Hon. Ira w. Stratton
of Reading, Pa. chairman. and repre-
senting the Diocese OF Bethlehem. The
meeting was held in the Church House
OF tho Diocese OF Pennsylvania. 202
South 18th street
Philadelphia was chosen for the
first meeting because in this city 100
years ago was born the Domestic and
Foreign Missionary Society of the
Episcopal Church and which has car
ried the Gospel to the utterrnost parts
OF the earth. AZ a first step in the
utilization OF the man power OF the
Dioceses represented at the meeting
OF yesterday 1t was decided to request
each Bishop issue pastoral TO his
laity calling attention to the move
ment- There will be further meeting
held In rhe city OF Washington at
which each member Of tho COMMITTEES
VIII report on the various lay organ
izations and their activities and meth
DDS OF work.
The members OF tho committees
which met here and the Dioceses
represented are: Mr.. Stratton, repre-
senting Bethlehem Diocese; Harry e.
6peakman of Wilmington, Delaware
Diocese; Thomas Perkins, Chester
town, Nd, Easton Diocese; Severn p.
Kerr, Sharon, Pa, Erie Diocese: Gen
era Charles NJ. Clement, Sunbury, Pa,
Harrisburg Diocese; DIR. Henry Bar
ton Jacobs. Baltimore. Maryland Do
cese; Charles S. Shoemaker. Pitts
burg, Diocese OF Pittsburg; Theodore
s. Garnett. Norfolk. Southern Virginia
Diocese; w. d. Mount. LynchburK,
Diocese OF Southwestern Virginia;
John NJ. Taylor, Richmond. Diocese
Of Virginia; S. NJ. Kramer, Washing
ton. ID. c., Diocese of Washington and
K. l.. Archer. Huntington, w. Va,
Diocese of West Virginia. The Do
cese of Pennsylvania was represented
by Edward II. Bonsall, of this city.
In the absence of Mr.. Kramer, Of
Washington, that Diocese was repre-
scented by Byron L. Adams.
The movement is not to revolution
ize things" explained Mr.. Stratton.
1T is to get our laymen working and
get into closer fellowship with all
Christian bodies and Christian men.
The Church is a going plant but it is
not running on full time.
Here and there 1T is apparently
suffering from sleeping sickness We
laynen must catch the germ and
Isolate 1t. We laymen have in many
instances been sitting In Church as
we do In an observation car, with our
backs TO the engine and we never
see things until they have passed us.
Conditions have been in other In
stances like an automobile turned
turtle with the wheels going around
but not getting anywhere. The pur-
pose of this laymen's movement Is 10
get results