Evening star., 1925-10-21
Approval of S1,25O, 900 Con-
gregationaI Edifice Here
Expected in Council.
MODERATOR APPLAUDED
IN REFERRING TO PLAN
Presidents Frank Speech on Need
of Religion to Uphold Govern
ment Impresses Delegates.

Official backing by the National
Council of Congregational Churches OF
the United States of the sl,2500o0
building campaign of the First Con
/ gregational Church. Tenth and G.
streets. was forecast at today's ses.
| sion Of the twentyfrst biennial con
clave, which convened in the Wash
ington Auditorium yesterday for nine
! days delibera tions.
In taking up the expected pledge Of
! support in the raising Of the fund for
a new downtown church in the Ma
tional Capital, Moderator +. j. Iiar-
wood referred TO il as "a matter de
manding and being WORTHY of the
. thought of the entire denomination.
Delegates Show Approval
While the delegates received the
announcement with applause and ap-
/ peared ready to vote on the question
at once, leaders on the platform de-
cided that the question should be rc,
ferred to the business committee ~
the council and presentation to be
made later today or tomorrow.
The action to be taken by the
council is expected to make il posi-
| BILE for Rev. DR.. Jason Nobel Pierce,
the Presidents pastor. to solicit sup
port for the building fund in Congre
gational churches throughout the
country. 1t seemed TO be the sense
of the delegates today that they feel
the need of a church would be ma
tional in character and yet in har
mony with Congregational principles.
Presidents Frank Speech.
President Coolidge, IN a remark
ably frank address delivered before
delegates attending the council last
night informed them that law en-
forcement and religion go hand in
| hand in this country. He declared
that the political success Of our Gov
! ernment relies more and more upon
/ the religious convictions of our people.
! The view was taken by the Presi-
/ dent that the people must be educat-
! ed to a determination 70 observe the
! law. and. in his opinion. the motive
! for this must be furnished by religion.
! Universal education must go hand in
! hand with such an effort. he said. But
| such an educational growth must be
accompanied by moral growth, and
/ the power for the latter must come
! from religion.
Commission Gives Support.
/ The important commission on mis-
! sicllS Of the council has already gone
on record as favoring country-Wide
support among CongTegationalists for
| the new church.
| In view of the large service rem
| dered to the entire nation 10y the First
| Congregational Church Of Washing
/ ton" says a report OF the commits
| sion. "and of the comparatively
limited resources of the permanent
membership of that church, the com
| mission has approved the proposal
| that an appeal be made to individual
| neregationalists, and also ultimate
| " to the Congregational churches. for
| funds with which to build and per
| haps begin an endowment for what
| might be called for convenience
| national church in our Capital City"
When this mornings session opened
! the first question taken up was the
! proposition to create an Office of as
! sociate moderator. After considerable
! debate 1t was decided to refer the
! question to the business committee
| for the time being.
Ultimate Adoption Likely.
| Explanation was made this morning
| that the creation of the associate
! moderatorship will always guarantee
| that either the moderator or the asso-
! ciate moderator will be q layman
| This would do away with the annual
| skirmish over whether a layman or 2
| clergyman should be elected mod
orator. 1t was apparent that the pro
/ posal would ultimately be adopted
! After this debate was concluded the
| all-important committee Of l. was
! called TO the platform and after multi
graphed copies of the committee
| final report We're distributed the dele
gates plunged into their most serious
task, that of deciding on the proposed
merger of II missionary organizations
| into two general bodies and the con
| solidation of three church publications
| into one.
| Discussion on the proposed merger
and consolidation is expected TO con
tinue this afternoon and in some
quarters 1t IS predicted it will last
/ for no less than three days,