Evening star., 1950-11-28
By Casper Names
Stor Sfcff Correspondent

stor Stoff Correspondent
CLEVELAND, Nov. 28.-First
steps in the formation of a Ma
tional Council of Churches of
Christ will abe taken here tonight
with a special service in the Cleve-
land Public Auditorium.
Despite the blizzard that Grip
Piled the city most Of the official
delegates to the constituting con-
,vention have managed to reach
Cleveland.
Effects of the snow were so seri-
Gus rumors grew that the con-
vention had been called off. They
reached such proportions an Off
cial denial was issued by church
officials and Mayor Thomas A.
Burke of Cleveland.
Mayor Burke said a radio an
nouncement made Saturday night,
asking persons to stay out of
Cleveland "is now an unnecessary
request" He assured church Off
ellis that the hotels and the public
auditorium were prepared to ham
die the anticipated 5000 official
and visiting delegates.
CoIorful Affair Tonight.
The special service tonight is
expected to be a colorful affair
as the representatives of 20 COM
munions, Is Protestant and four
Eastern Orthodox. join in prayers
for the success of the New Council
of Churches. DR.. Ralph w. Sock
man of New York, minister of
Christ Methodist Church, will be
the speaker.
Church leaders taking part in
the service will include the Right
Rev. Frank w. Sterrett, Episcopal
bishop of Bethlehem, Pa; Bishop
John A. Gregg, senior bishop of
the A. M. E. Church; the Rev.
P. o. Bersell,, president of the
Augustana Evangelical Lutheran
Church; the Rev. Benjamin r.
Lacy. jr.. moderator of the Pres
byterian Church in the United
States, and the Rev. Henry A..
Vruwink. president of the General
synod. Reformed Church in
America.
The formal act of constituting
the National Council will take
place tomorrow morning when
representatives Of the 20 commun-
ions, having 100000 churches
and 31,1S3,2 ,227 members, will sign
official documents bringing the
new body into existence. DR..
Franklin Clark Fry, president of
the United Lutheran Church In
America. will preside.
Dulles Honored.
John Foster Dulles, an American
delegate TO the United Nations,
was honored last night at a Fed
eral Council of Churches dinner
meeting for his service to the
churches in international affairs.
A scroll was accepted for Mr.. Dull
les in his absence by Mrs. Douglas
Horton. former president of We'll
lesley College. The scroll praised
Mr.. Dulles generous devotion
and steadfast loyalty" to the
churches as well as his services
"to the nation and to the cause of
q just and durable peace"
In a speech read by DIR. Walter
Van Kirk of the Federal Council,
Mr.. Dulles asserted was with Rus
sia was neither inevitable or i'm
minent."
"As Stain has pointed out,
Communist strategy does not re-
Quire it to be constantly on the
offensive" the statement said
''Techniques of advance, and in
the face of powerful opposition, it
is necessary at time to gain a
respite. The free world can win
such a respite if it realizes its
possibilities in the way of spiritual,
intellectual and material power"
To gain time is to gain hope,
Mr.. Dulles said. This is impor-
tant in dealing with the evil of
atheistic communism, which is
organized in so formidable a
manner that we cannot consist
emily with our safety, deal with it
recklessly. The unholy alliance of
the Russian state and Soviet COM
munism can be frustrated. but not
by methods which are dictated by
unreasoning passion"
Other Actions.
Today was given over wholly to
actions by the Federal Council of
Churches and seven other national
interdenominational agencies to
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