Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-06-06
Southern Baptists
To Seek DeferTnent
For Lay Workers
By Cospor Nonnes
Sfur Sfun Corraspondenf


ST. LOUIS, June 5.-Southern
Baptists today adopted a resolu-
ton asking Congress to place
"full-time, vocational lay re-
ligious workers or students pre-
pairing for such service" in the
4-D classification of Selective
service.
The denominations adherents
were urged to support a bill
introduced in the House by Rep
resentative Lucas, Democrat of
Texas. The measure would
amend the Selective Service Act
to permit lay religious workers to
be deferred in the same way that
ministers are.
The messengers (delegates)
also adopted a resolution calling
on BaptistS to hold daily devo-
tional services in their places of
work as means of fostering bet
ter employe-employer relation
ships. It said past experience has
shown that such a service was
effective in bringing better I'M
derstanding between worker and
employer.
Preparations Urged.
Preparation for the time when
missionaries will be admitted to
Iron and Bamboo Curtain coun-
tries was called for in a motion
approved by the gathering. 1t
urged Baptists to increase their
giving in this field.
Another measure recommended
the appointment of committee
to study special newspaper adj
vertising as a means of bringing
the denominations teachings to
the public. The statement OBJ
served that "some other religious
groups are using the channel of
propaganda with apparent eff
fectiveness, and concluded it
would be wise for Southern Bap-
fists to study the ACCESSIBILITY of
doing the same. The messengers
approved appointment of a COM
mittee to study and report on
the matter to the 1855 conven-
ton.
An interesting step for the de-
nomination to take was adop-
ton of a resolution to appoint
a committee to study the pos
sibility of making a motion
picture on the life Of a great
historical Baptist figure. prob
ably Roger Williams. The COM
mittee was instructed to investi-
gate the problem and to con-
slider whether it would be pos
sible to make the film in CO.
operation with other BaptiSts in
the country and overseas. The
effect obviously was inspired by
the success of the Martin Luther
film produced by the LutheranS
and the John Wesley picture
produced by the MethodiStS.
Country Church Is Backbone.
The country church Is the
backbone of the Southern Bap-
fist movement, the Rev. Sam w.
Scantlan, superintendent Of rural
and city missions, Oklahoma
Baptist general convention told
the gathering today.
Despite the tremendous growth
of urban areas, Mr.. Scantlan
said country people are building
better churches than they ever
had before, are employing
trained full-time pastors and are
providing vital witness for the
denomination.
The messengers today voted to
hold the 1855 convention in
Miami. Fla, the 1856 meeting in
Kansas City, Mo-. and the 1857
gathering in Chicago. Nearly H.
600 official messengers registered
this week. about the same num-
Der as those who attended the
1852 meeting in Miami and ap-
proximately 1000 fewer than
those at Houston last year. Wis
itors probably more than doubled
the messenger figure.
Most significant action Of the
week, leaders believe. was adop-
ton of the resolution calling on
Baptists to cooperate with the
Supreme Court ruling abollshing
segregation in the public schools.
Since most of the denominations
nearly 8 million members are
residents of the Southern States.
their influence on making the
adjustment required by the Su-
preme Court decision can be
most important.
The conventions action fol-
lowed similar one voted q week
ago by the Presbyterian Church.
U. S. (Southern) at its General
Assembly in Montreal, N. c.