The Lakeland evening telegram., 1922-06-23
CHINA WANTS A
UNITED PROGRAM
OF CHURCH WORK

Shanghai, June 23.-At what was
held to be the greatest religious gath
ering ever held in China, the National
Christian Conference, which assem-
bled in Shanghai recently with twelve
hundred delegates attending, a review
of the whole vast field of Protestant
Christian mission work in China was
undertaken and changes the pro-
cedure of the highest Importance to
general mission endeavor in China
were authorized.
The main body of delegates that
came from all parts of China number
ing a thousand was about evenly di-
vided, half Chinese and half foreign.
In addition to these some two hun
dred visiting delegates from foreign
countries attended the conference,
including twenty-four from America,
nineteen from Great Britain and five
from countries of continental Europe.
Among the prominent figures attend
ing the big meeting from other lands
were DR.. John R. Mott of the Worlds
Student Christian Federation; F. S.
Brockman, of the Y. NJ. C. A.; X. S.
Latroutte, formerly of the Yale Mis-
sion and now holding the chair of
missions at Yale University; Marshall
Broomhall, of the home staff of the
China Inland Mission; DR.. II. T.
Hodgkin, of the Friends Foreign Mis-
sionary Association; J. H. Oldham
secretary Of the International Mission
Council; D. Carl Helm, of the Bazara
Mission; count j. Moltke, of the DAN
ish' Mission Council, and Bishop Mich
olas of Siberia.
An outstanding feature of the con-
ference was the voicing of a desire
and purpose by purely Chinese con-
ference commission that a united
Christian church Indigenous to China
shall come into being. The single big
achievement of the conference, how
ever, was the authorization of a de-
cided modification in the method of
coordinating Protestant Christian
missicn work in China.
In offering the report it made, the
Chinese commission, composed of men
and women, expressed regret that
Christian Chinese are divided by de-
nOminationalism of the West. DR.. T.
r. Lew, spokesman of the commits
sion, pointed cut that this denomi-
nationalisms is based upon differ
ences, the historical significance of
which, however real and vital to the
missionaries of the West, is not un-
derstood by the Chinese. For this
Il 4 I.
instead of being a source of inspira-
ton, has been and is a source of be-
wilderment and inefficiency. The
speaker expressed the belief that it
is only the united church that can
save China.
The change made by the conference
in the method of co-ordinating mis-
sion work brings to a termination the
activities of the China Continuation
Committee, a body that grew out of
The Missionary Conference of 1913 in
Shanghai and a number of preceding
conferences at Canton, Shanghai.
Tsinanfu, Peking Hankow and Muk-
den. Since it was Termed this COM
mittee has served as a means of COM
munication between the Protestant
Christian forces of China and mis-
sion organizations of Western coun-
tries. Its aim has been to promote
cooperation and coordination among
Christian forces in China and gener-
ally to serve as a clearing house in
connection with all aspects of mis-
sionary work in China
Through the changes effected at the
conference this work is being taken
over and it's scope enlarged by Ma
tional Christian Council having one
hundred members, representing Pro-
testant Christian denominational in
terests and acting in an advisory ca
pacity without, however, having any
powers in connection with doctrinal
or ecclesiastical questions.
When your breath is bad. appetite