The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-05-18
BISHOP DARST
REVIEWS WORK
OF HIS DIOCESE

dressing Tie OlSC annual COnVen
ton of the Episcopal Diocese o
East Carolina here today and tn,
30th over which he has presided
Bishop Thomas c. Darst of Will
mington, reviewed the accomplish
ments OF the church during thu
year just past, the o2portunitie.
for greater service in the y ca
ahead, and urged a 'reconsecra.
ton of all our powers to the serv'
Ice of God"
Our soldiers and sailors and
airmen, our sons and daughters
who are representing us in this
mighty struggle for the preserva-
ton of a decent world, must find
God in the churches and in our
lives when they come home" he
said.
Bishop Darst voiced h S deep
and humble gratitude to the cler-
gy and people for their kindness
and tender solicitude during my
long and trying illness" and plac-
ed in the permanent records my
heartfelt thanks to my brother
bishops, (Pennick, Gribbin. Jet,
and LittelD, who so gladly and
willingly came to my assistance.
He mentioned new churches es-
tablished, others soon to be built,
still others repaired, and announc-
ed the diocesan debt had been dis
charged. He spoke of the expand
ed service of churches in military
areas and the demands upon the
clergy because Of the inroads upon
it's ranks for chaplainc.
He commended the services Of
the Rev. w. R. Noe, who added
many of the bishops duties to his
regular work as executive secre-
tary, treasurer, secretary of the
convention and editor Of The Mis-
sion Herald, besides conducting
regular services at several mis-
sions and churches.
He praised the progress of Ne
gro churches in the diocese and
expressed confidence of greater
progress in them.
There are dangerous, difficult
Sand please God, glorious d y S
ahead of us as Christians and a
church." Bishop Darst said.
We do not have to rebuild
churches, but we do have to re-
vitalize congregations. We do
have to light the fire of zeal and
warm our churches with the spirit
of the living God in human
hearts"
The future is not without grave
perils, from the prosperity that
has come in the wake of war, he
added.
His annual address closed with
an earnest plea for the sound and
right improvement of the oppor-
tunitiec that peace will bring.
''At the close of this war;" he
declared, the United States will
stand as the most powerful, the
most influential and possibly, I'M
less our leaders are very wise, the
most feared nation in all the earth
The Church of the living God must
play its fine, constructive part in
seeing that the power of our ma
ton shall be beneficent and that
its mighty influence shall be ex-
erted for the good of the world.
There is truly a great day
ahead for men who sense their
responsibilities as sons of God, for
men who believe that the program
of Jesus is the only foundation on
which we can build decent world
1--WE are confident that victory
will come to the Allied armies
we will rejoice and be glad some
fine morning when the news of
peace flashes around the world,
but the glad news will be of no
avail unlecs we win the victory
over all that binders us from god
ly union and concord in the years
that lie ahead. We can not live
happily or according to the plan
of God in world dominated by
fear and hate.
Adjustments will have to be
maze by force OF arms. The world
will have to be policed until the
bitterness engendered by war is
over and rebellious men learn he
art of living in harmony with their
neighbors across the border, but
our vision and purpose as church
and a nation must go far beyond
sanctions and compulsory bo,1nda.
ries and enforced payment for
Erievous damages.
Our vision must be the vision
Of a new world wherein righteous
ness shall be perfectly at home
world of men of one blood, heirs
OF common heritage, united in
common task, brothers in spite
OF race or cline because the Wis
ion OF Jesus has been realized in
the worldwide acceptanc of the
sovereignty Of the God and Fa-
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