Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 256, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 October 1919 — CHRISTIAN CHURCH CONVENTION CLOSES. [ARTICLE]

CHRISTIAN CHURCH CONVENTION CLOSES.

The international convention of the Christian churches dosed at Cincinnati, 0., Monday night. Rev. and Mrs. W. T. Barbre returned to Rensselaer Tuesday morning. The pastor reports .* an epochal making * convention and believes the nine-teen-hundred-nineteen convention is to mark the beginning of a new era for this church. At this convention practically all of the missionary and benevolent agencies of the church were unified into one great organization to be known as the United Christian Missionary society, which will carry on the major portion of the missionary and benevolent work of the church at home and abroad. The societies forming the merged society were the Foreign Christian Missionary society, Hie Christian Woman’s Board of Missions, the American Christian Missionary society, the Board of Church Extension, the Board of Ministerial Relief and the National Benevolent association. The American Temperance board will come in later, but the board of education will be independent and co-operate with this organization. The purpose of the unification is greater efficiency and

to avoid over-lapping and waste. The convention was addressed by many very able preachers of the Christian church and other communions. Rev. Edgar Dewitt Jones, Bloomington, 111., who is considered one of America’s most eloquent preachers, was chairman of the convention and gave the president’s address on '‘The Old Evangel and the New Era.” Rev. S. Earl Taylor, general secretary oi the interchurch world movement, and the chairman of the centenary movement of the Methodist Episcopal church, addressed the meeting on “The Inter-Church World Movement,” and on Sunday evening Music Hall, seating nearly ten thousand people, was packed to hear an address by Daniel Poling, associate president of the United Society of Christian Endeavor, who spoke on “The Call of the New Crusade,** which was 7 a jalea ySor Christian u On Sunday afternoon, in order to accommodate . the large audiences, three large auditoriums were used in which the communion service was held. Between twelve and fifteen thousand people partook of the Lord’s supper in these places. This was the most impressive service of the convention.

The business of the convention was conducted at the afternoon session on Saturday, at which Rev. Raphael Miller, Kansas City, Mo., was elected president. Rev. Miller is one of the youngest men ever honored with this position, which was due to his popularity as one of the leaders of the recent men and millions movement. He is probably one of the highest salaried ministers in America of his age. Many very important and forward-looking resolutions were adopted by the convention. Some of the movements endorsed were the inter-church world movement, the united budget campaign for missions and benevolences, and the early adoption of the league of nations. Two resolutions affecting the local church were heartily and unanimously adopted urging all ministers salaries be raised from twenty-five per cent for those receiving fifteen hundred dollars or less to ten per cent for those receiving three thousand and over. The other urged that a campaign be conducted among the churches urging all those that do not now own residences for their ministers to make early plans for the building of one. The _place of meeting for next year was not determined at this meeting, but will be announced later.