The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-01-18
Churches Are
10 Repay Old
Debt to Area
Federation to Study Means
of Aiding Needy
Congregations.
BY CLIvE INQUIRE
Executive Secretary indianapolis Baptist
Association


Executive Secretary Indianapolis Baptist
Association.
Indications that the churches OF
indianapolis will sometime UNDER
take to pay an ancient debt for serv-
ice rendered by churches on the
close-in South and West Side are
pointed out by DR.. Ernest N. Evans,
executive secretary of the Church
Federation of indianapolis.
Hanging on his Office wall in the
Y. M. G. A. building IS the map pre-
pared several years ago by the In
dianapolis Community Plan Com
mittee. They have marked in solid
black the area in question. It COW
ers census tracts 20, %, 81, SO, rs,
n, 70 and SO and reports a popula-
ton of about 10000.
On the map it looks like the two
equal sides Of mammoth isosceles
triangle with its apex at the cor
ner of Missouri and Washington-s
1t covers an area of about four
square miles.
Prospered Years Ago
A generation ago this district had
churches that carried on as profit
ably" as any in the city. It was a
favorite section for middle-class
householders who wanted to live
within walking distance of the bust
ness district. Now the old churches
are largely gone and only few
of the old householders remain.
The migration farther out that
started about the turn of the CEN
fury turned an army of well trained
leaders into the outlying churches,
greatly to the enrichment of those
churches but almost to the total I'M
doing of the churches at the center
from which the valuable gift Of
personnel was drawn. Some of the
outstanding members on official
boards of the strongest churches re-
late with pride that they used to
play in Military Park and around
the South Side market.
Now Present Problem
These sections, in turn, have not
Jared well in the transaction. They
have suffered the fate of other close
in residence sections in other cities.
They present today an outstanding
home mission problem in Indianap-
oils. Their population has in
creased; human needs have mount
ed to the sky; the churches that
have been able to weather the Or
deal Of intervening years have done
so against untold handicaps and in
some cases only by reason of incred-
ible persistence on the part of
few of the old saints who stoutly
refused to let their testimony" die.
At the time when financial re-
sources were diminishing to the van
iShing point these churches were
faced with human problems many
times over more difficult and more
numerous than they had encounter
ed in their more prosperous days.
Several of the denominations still
represented in the field are demon
strating rare strategy in projecting
here a vigorous nome mission pro-
gram. Churches that otherwise
would not be able to meet the in
creasing social demands made upon
them are given the backing of their
denominations.
Still Garry On
Fletcher Place Methodist Church,
Mayer Chapel Presbyterian Church
and Garden Baptist Church are
cases in point. All of these churches,
representing as they do total de-
nominational attack, are providing
their increasing constituency with
varied program of social activi-
ties. The character effect of this
service can not be tabulated, but it
is strong contributing factor in
the direction of community welfare
and rehabilitation of homes.
At the suggestion of church lead
ers DR.. Evans is placing informa-
ton about this close-in community
before the committee of the church
federation of which DR.. John S. Fer
guson is chairman. There is more
than a possibility that this step will
point the way toward a type of
horne mission work in Indianapolis
very rare in large city centers.