Evening star., 1949-04-26
Failure 10 Find Pulpit
For CoIored Minister
Posipones Exchange

Inability to find readily a white
pulpit for a coloped minister forced
postponement Of a scheduled pas
tor exchange for Presbyterian
churches in the Washington area
planned for next Sunday.
The exchange, set by the March
meeting of the Washington City
Presbytery, was postponed unit
a later date, after the Rev. James
C. Fail. pastor of metropolitan
Presbyterian Church, told tho
gathering yesterday that only two
of the denominations three col
ored pastors here had been placed
Consequently, he said, it seemed
wise to abandon the exchange plar
for the time being.
Mr.. Fahl later said only about
IL of the presbytery's more thar
40 churches in this area had beer
contacted.
1T seems to me unfortunate
that the presbytery turned thu
program down on only a partia
report, which is unfair to tht
ipresbytery as a WHOLE Rev. DR.
Henry B. Wooding. pastor of Eek
| ington Presbyterian Church. said
Other laymen and minister.
then rose to decry what, at thai
point, seemed complete abandon.
ment of the exchange Sunda,
plan. several asserted they hao
not been called, each declaring he
would be glad to welcome q col
ored pastor to his church.
Apparently taking the view that
these remarks implied failure oi
the chairman to do the job thor.
oughly, Mr.. Fahl told the meeting
he was resigning as head of the
committee.
DR.. Hollister then proposed q
motion calling for continuance ot
the committee with it's present
chairman assuring Mr.. Fahl that
the "presbytery is back of you.
The motion. which was passed
unanimously. asked that a date be
set at a time far enough ahead
so the exchange program could be
arranged properly. 1t was said
later efforts will be made to hold
the pulpit exchanges before sum-
mer.
Four Pass Tests.
Two Washington area youths
passed a public examination at
the meeting to be licensed to
preach. and two others passed
similar tests to qualify. them for
ordination as ministers. John H
Houdeshel. 4501 Oliver street
Riverdale. Md, and George B.
Christian. a senior at Howard
University. were approved as IL
censed to preach in the presby-
terry. Mr.. Houdeshel is a member
of Riverdale Presbyterian Church
and Mr.. Christian of Fifteenth
Street Presbyterian Church.
Cuifton E. Olmstead, TOO Ho-
bart street NV, a member OF
Gunton- n-Temple Memorial Pres
byterian Church, and Milton B
Vereide, 1924 Massachusetts, ave-
nue. NV, member of New York
Avenue Presbyterian Church, were
approved for ordination.
School Aid Bill Opposed.
The Presbytery also went on rec
ord as opposing Senate bill 246
proposed by Senator Thomas
Democrat. of Utah for Federal aid
to education. The bill, approved
by the Senate Labor and Public
Welfare Committee, provides that
$500, 100000 may be distributed
annually among States for ele-
mentary and secondary schools.
Noting that States may allot
money to private and parochial
schools If their constitutions per-
NIT it, the resolution approved by
the Presbytery declared "this pro-
vision would result ultimately in
a violation of the position Of the
United States and the Presbyte-
rian Church in the United States
of America guaranteeing separa-
f;o,, of church and State"