Evening star., 1953-06-04
Rate! Of Growth
Of Church Lags,
Methodists Say
Outstripped by Rise
In Population, D. C.
Area Group Told
Sy the Associated Press

WESTMINSTER, Mo-, June 4.
-Methodists of the Maryland
Washington area heard q report
today that their church has
grown to record membership but
does not keep pace with popula-
ton increases.
The 324 churches or charges
in the Baltimore Conference now
have 176,500 members, a gain
Of about 2.400 from a year ago.
They gave almost 81 million
last year to the district. ma
tional and international work Of
the church.
The figures were given to the
Baltimore Conference at the
first business session of its an
nual four-day meeting.
$4,000 In Sunday Schools.
The Rev. Norman Trott, super.
intendent of the Baltimore South
District, pointed out that another
129, 900 youngsters and adults are
enrolled in Sunday School.
Pointing out that the net gain
in membership for 1952-53 was q
little more than one per cent, the,
Rev. Mr.. Trott said:
"We cannot be content year by
year to report slight net gains in
membership when such gains are
less than the population growth
Of the area we serve" .-.
He said the white population
within the bounds Of the confer
ence-Washington and Mary
lands IA counties west of Chesa-
peake Bay-grew 25.5 per cent
between 1910 and 1850. but in
the same period church mem
bership increased only 23.6 per
cent.
His figures and observations
were embodied in the annual re-
port of the six district superin-
tendents-three in Baltimore,
two in Washington and one in
the Hagerstown district for West
ern Maryland.
Stress Social Issues.
Meanwhile, a group of Mary.
land and WASHINGTON MethodiStS
has proposed to fellow church.
men they "ought to be facing up
to these issues and doing some
thing about" the problems Of
race relations, communism, mar
riage and divorce, crime and
morals.
The declaration was embodied
In a report being submitted for
approval tomorrow at the an
nual Baltimore conference Of
the Methodist Church by its
Social Projects Commission.
10 Ministers Memorialized.
The conference today memo
rialized 10 ministers who have
died since its last annual session
last June.
The Rev. Clarence E. Wise.
pastor of Lewis Memorial
Church, Washington, delivered
the memorial address after the
four day conference opened with
a communion service.
The 10 ministers included the
Rev. James Shera Montgomery,
who retired in 1888 after a paste.
rate at the Metropolitan Meth
odist Church in Washington and
served for time as chaplain Of
the United States Senate.
Another conference commit
tee, the Committee on World
Peace. has proposed the church
bring its influence to bear
against atheism, communism,
fascism and all ideologies
dangerous to the common good"
Attack Segregation.
The churchmen took their own
church to task for its racial seq
regation. saying:
"The Christian church cannot
speak to the secular world on
the evils of racial segregation
and discrimination so long as 1t
remains among the chief sinners.
The presence of these evils
within the church places the
church in the unenviable position
of providing ammunition for
communism's theological guns"
The commission suggested
ministers who are members Of
the conference should exchange
pulpits with ministers of the
Washington Conference Meth
odiSt Churches. The Washing
ton conference Is the Negro
division. Of the church with
roughly the same geographical
limits as the Baltimore confer
ence-Washington. the IA Mary
land counties west of CheSa-
peake Bay. and small slices Of
adjoining West Virginia and
Pennsylvania.
Church activities such as lead
ership schools should be inter-
racial. it suggested.
Discuss Child Welfare.
The member churches should
work with county and city well
fare boards, with foster home
agencies, and with authorities
handling the adoption Of chill
dren in an effort to combat
juvenile delinquency and other
ills from the breaking up Of
homes. The best preventive, the
commission said. Is Christian
worship in the home and q
Christian family life.
Bishop g. Bromley Oman,
resident bishop of Washington,
will organize the conference as
its presiding officer by designat-
ing various aides and commit
tees.
Ministerial changes, always
the climax of the conference,
will come at the final session
Sunday afternoon. Most of the
AS ministers who are members