Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-05
NATIONAL CHURCH
PLANS ADVANCED
Steps Leading to FuIfiIIment
of Project Taken by Pres
byterian Leaders.

Hope for q National Presbyterian
Church in Washington, q project which
has been in the minds of the members
of that faith for q century and q quar-
ter, seemed nearer fulflllment today as
Presbyterian leaders here revealed plans
for bringing the proposal into reality.
The plans call for merger of the
congregations Of the Church of the
Covenant, the old First Presbyterian
Church and the Washington Heights
Presbyterian Church on Kalorama road.
If this merger is completed 1t will give
the National Church q communicate
membership Of 1,178 and assets aggre-
eating 100000.
The merger agreement, however, has
not been definitely concluded, and the
plans are undergoing further consider
alton at the hands of the official boards
Of the respective churches.
Location Not Decided.
No location for the National Church
has been selected and upon determine
ton of this question, 1t was said, hinges
in large measure the entrance of the
Washington Heights Church into the
merger.
The Church Of the Covenant has
thrown into the merger its church
property, at Eighteenth and N streets,
valued at $750,000. This gift, however,
is conditioned upon the National
Church raising . fund Of $1,000, 900
within flve years. II.
The old First Church will place its
property and funds derived from the
sale OF the old church building on John
Marshall place into the general funds,
and they are to be counted as q part
Of the 81 900, 900 which the Church of
the Covenant makes q condition of its
participation.
The property Of the First Church
was sold recently to the District for
$l25, 900, and it also owns Q valuable
lot on Massachusetts, avenue beyond the
British embassy.
washington Heights Church property
has not been valued, but it Is in the
heart OF one of the finest groups of
apartment houses in the city.
$425,oo0 Given Anonymously.
An anonymous donor has given $425,-
600 toward the building of National
Presbyterian Church in Washington,
making his gift conditional upon the
raising by the national church of
100000. This will bring the total from
this source up to $S25,0o0.
Clarence A. Aspinwali, chairman Of
the board of trustees of the Church of
the Covenant, today issued the follow
Ing statement:
mo agreement of any kind has been
made between the Church of the Cove
nant and the First Presbyterian Church
or between the Church of the Covenant
and the Washington Heights Presby-
terisn Church. Informal discussions
have taken place between representa-
tives of the Church of the Covenant
and the First Presbyterian Church, but
no agreement has been made nor can
any agreement be made until the mat
ter has been submitted to the congre-
cations of both churches and approved
by them. No discussions of any kind
have been had between the Church of
the Covenant and the Washington
Heights Presbyterian Church, and there
is no authority for the statement that
the Church Of the Covenant, the First
Presbyterian Church and the Washing
ton Heights Presbyterian Church are
to be merged.
An agreement has been made between
the Church of the Covenant and the
National Presbyterian Church which
will result in a merger of the two bodies
when and If the National Presbyterian
Caurch within period of Ave years
shall have raised the sum of $l,000,000
When that has been accomplished the
two churches will merge. The ques-
ton of the erection of a new church
edifice will then be subject to the de-
cision of the officers of the National
Presbyterian Church as well as the
matter Of site.
"Presbyterians throughout the city
and the country have evinced great
interest in the proposal to erect in
Washington an edifice to serve as the
national church of that denomination
and 1t Is hoped that eventually this
may be accomplished"
With the project the names Of the
Rev. DR., Charles Wood, pastor emeritus
of the Church of the Covenant, and
that of the Rev. John C. Palmer, pastor
of the Washington Heights Church, are
nFoYainentIv associated