Evening star., 1923-04-28
ME. Church UNION, ,
M'D0WELL'S TOPIC
Bishop Says Alliance Must
Be One of Souls to Effect
Maximum Good.
MAKES CENTENARY PLEA
Membership Can and Will Raise
Fund Needed to Serve This
Age. He Declares.

'1'he Two Methodisins.s an article
which has TO do with laliticatlon OF
the Methodist churches by Bishop
William +. Mcdowell, = printed In
the Pacific Christian advocate. 1t
~ as follows:
Our church has befors it at present
two commanding ENTERPRISES. though
the church as Il wholS may not be
aware of their significance, the uni
fication of Methodism saud the post
centenary plans to serve the present
age Those who are: close to the
centers of those moveinents are tre-
mendously sobercI b!' them. How
VIII the church mceS these mighty
issues: How Will these two enter
priseS affect tn" real life of tn"
church" In VIVA, spirit, with what
thoughts. does the church come I"
their solution WHAT Kind of Il
church will we havs if both these
plans succeed" In Il. church the life
= much NOR" than: meat and the
body much more tl!an raiment. far
more than money and organization
Expects lnidcation.
"We can probablS accomplish the
formal unitcation: of the two
churches. We can: doubtless agree
upon a plan which will at least
partially satisfy a:l parties to the
union. We can certainly raise the
money recently agreed upon as the
amount we oughtEto raise for our
work in the world: Considering our
numbers. our means. the world 5
needs AMI our rela1io ion To them. il is
really not SO muzh after all. BY
good financial plans, every member
CanvaSses, increase Of stewardship
and proper publicity and stimulation
II can unguestion.lbl be- done.
Both of these things ought to be
done. And the effort to do them
will do us good. -Th" very endeavor
to do them. the thinking through the
problems involved: the bringing in of
our tithes, the education in world
CONCERNS. the prayers for guidance
ana wisdom. will enlarge our minds,
extend our mental: horizon and vision
and quicken our spiritual life. The
reflex alone viii Ee beneficial to the
church. The direct gifts of grace and
blessing which God will surely give
as we faithfully: try and humbly
pray will be beyotu price.
But no one can be at the heart
of things without craving and deSir-
ing more than this. good as this
would be. DIR. l.. Z. Jacks of the
HILBERT Journal has written a very
thoughtful article for the February
Atlantic Monthly which has real
bearing on our unifcation adventure.
Hear this: a league Of nations to be
worth the name lus,t be league
fss it sspn mfye b% joinlng of n9
I'D the official gosernments of all
nations, would obviously he a useless
contrivance. UnlesS ii unitary soul
inspired its workir 5gs, it would not
work at all.
Must BE SeuI IniOn
Make the proneE substitutIons of
words for words ahd this is mes
sage to our church!s. 1t then would
read, read; A ,n unifieation ] "f churches to be
ton of Methodist s:uls A mere com
bination of ecclesia stical machinery.
effected by joining up the general
conferences of tie two churches
would obviously hG a useless contri-
vance. Unless "A natary soul inspired
Its workings, it w9uld not work at
all.
The same Genctal statement can
he made about oux proposed funds
We must raise then$ and we can raise
them. They are nn= too large. They
are desperately Eeeaed. 1t is no time
for pettineSS or crSa king. And it is
no time to be aSkiEg for smaller be-
neVolenCe in the nasne of larger spir-
ituality. coEetouslseSS and Stinginess
are not the soil in (which real spirit
nality or any other good thing grows
Nor must We get olsr emphasis wrong
our means and enGS reversed or our
spirit upside dow5l. This financial
enterprise upon wSich we are enter
ing with high he;srt iS not for our
church just a piece of big business
This looks not toward statistical COL
umns. quotas and credits, but toward
redemption near aGd far And we do