Newspapers / Africo-American Presbyterian (Wilmington, N.C.) / March 24, 1938, edition 1 / Page 1
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Afric(p!fcnerican ' “AND YE SHALL KNOW THE TRUTH, AND THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE.”—John viii:32. - 1 - ■- -. VOL. LIX. CHARLOTTE, N. C„ THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 1938. THE TWENTY-FOURTH ANNUAL WORKERS CONFERENCE Rev. L. B. West, D. D., Secretary The . Twenty-fourth Annual Workers’ Conference, under the auspices of the Unit of Work for Colored People of the Board of National Missions of the Presbyterian Church, U. S. A., met at Johnson C. Smith Uni versity, Charlotte, March 7 to 11. The sessions were held in the beautiful University church; of which the Rev. Henry L. McCrorey, D. D., LL.D., is the pastor. King’s weather pre vailed. The Conference was largely attended. Two hun dred and sixty delegates regis tered from fourteen States. From start to finish the Confer ence was interesting. The opin ion was freely expressed that this was the best Conference we have had. The opening devotional exer cises were conducted by the Rev. D. Talmage Murray, of At lanta, Ga. Rev. Murray ex pressed the idea that the Con ference could not accomplish much without the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. The Rev. John M. Gaston, D. D., L.L. D., Secretary of the Unit, presided over the Confer ence. In his opening remarks Dr. Gaston said that he was glad that God in his providence had brought us to the Twenty fourth Annual Workers’ Con ference. He expressed the hope that this Conference would crown them all. Advisory Committee The Advisory Committee to the Board of National Missions is made up as follows: Rev. B. R. Smith, D. D., Chairman; Rev. J. B. Barber, Secretary; Rev. F. C. Shirley, D. D., Rev. Chas. H. Shute, D. D., Rev. C. A. Ward; D. EK, Rev, W. L. lines, D. D., Dean L. S. Cozart, Mrs. J. D. Stanback, Mrs. J. G. Por ter, Mrs. A. H. Georgie, Rev. A. S. Clark, D. D., Rev. W. J. Nelson, D. D. The Committee held its meetings in the Theolog ical Library. The Rev. Herman N. Morse, D. D., Administrative Secretary of the Board, pre sented to the Committee mat ters for consideration. The findings of the Committee were forwarded to the Board. National Missions Chairmen The chairmen of the Nation al Missions Committees in Syn ods and Presbyteries held their meetings in the Y. M. C. A. Hall of the Carnegie Library. Synodical representatives were Revs. G. W. Long, Atlan tic; J. B. Barber, Blue Ridge; F. C. Shirley, Catawba; and G. E. Caesar, Canadian. Pres byterial—Revs. T. C. Boyd, White River; Rev. A. W. Rice, Birmingham; Rev. E. B. Clark son, LeVere; Rev. J. H. Hays wood, Cape Fear; Rev. W. J. Nelson, Fairfield; Rev. A. S. Clark, Knox; Prof. R. W. Boul ware, McClelland; Rev. J. R. Pearson, Atlantic; Rev. H. C. Miller, Yadkin. The Larger Parish Plan was considered. A committee, con sisting of Revs. A. B. McCoy, T. B. Hargrave and L. B. West, appointed at the last meeting to study and report at this meeting on the Larger Parish Plan, made its- report through the Secretary, Rev. Hargrave. The Committee recommended a point in each Synod for parish development. Staff Members The Conference was favored with the presence of the follow ing persons from headquarters: Miss R. Marie Preston, District Secretary, Chicago, Illinois; Miss Virginia Ray, Field Rep resentative, Pittsburgh, Pa.; Miss Mabel M. Sheibley, Secre tary for Education and Public ity, New York; Rev. Frederick Thorne, D. D., Secretary for Young People’s Work, New York; Rev. M. A. Chappel, D.D., Secretary of Promotion, New York. These added much to the Conference with their gra cious words of greetings and their inexhaustible store of in formation. Bible Hour The Conference was fortunate in securing the Rev. Louis H. Evans, D. D., of Pittsburgh, Pa., to conduct the Bible Hour. He is pastor of the Third Pres byterian church of Pittsburgh and President of the Board of National Missions. Dr. Evans is scholarly and evangelical. He captivated the Conference with his masterly presentation of the Word of God. His general theme was, “Bases of Assur ance” in Christian living. The First Epistle of John, chapters 1 to 5, was used as the back ground of his uplifting and in spiring talks. Memorial Services Services were conducted in memory of the Reverend W. L. McEwan, D. D., who for years conducted the Bible hour. Dr. McEwan went to his reward last October. Dr. H. L. McCro ev in speaking of Dr. McEwan as a preacher declared he was a great man and a great preach er. His sermons were soul born and soul-gripping. Dr. Z. A. Dockery said that the hope in God’s word seized the soul of Dr. McEwan and that his life was built-up and confirmed by the Word. He was a man of great spiritual power. Dr. J. M. Gaston spoke of Dr. McEwan as a friend. He said that in all of his years of inti mate friendship with him, he was as near perfection as any man he had known. The hymn, “It is not death to die,” was sung, and Dr. A. S. Clark offered prayer. Evangelism A seminar on present-day evangelism was conducted. Rev. L. B. West, Field Representa tive, read the Scripture, prayed, and presented-the speakers follows: Rev. T. B. Hargrave, Evangelist for Blue Ridge and Canadian Synods. He traced the history of evangelism and said that men needed the gospel today as in other days. Rev. W. E. Houston, Evangelist for Atlantic and Catawba Synods. He said men will be evangelized for Christ in proportion as his followers give themselves to the task. The Church Subjects pertaining to the work of the Church were dis cussed as follows: “More Ade quate Church Buildings,” by Rev. A. S. Meachem, minister of Pleasant Valley church, Broken Bow, Okla. He showed the necessity for more adequate church buildings, and contend ed that better buildings would go a long way in advancing our work and developing the King dom of God. He told of the new life that has come to the Pleasant Valley church, since the dilapidated building had been replaced by a new build ing with a seven-room manse nearby. “Methods of Securing Funds for Church Expenses and Be nevolences,” Rev. C. J. Baker, D. D., pastor of Miller Memo rial church, Birmingham, Ala. Dr. Baker mentioned several outmoded methods, such as Rallies, Fairs, uniform assess ments, etc., and then made a stirring appeal for the Every Member Canvass and the tithe as the best methods for finan cing the Church. “How to Make the Rural Church Function More Effi ciently,” Rev. M. J. Jackson, D. D. , pastor of Ebenezer church, Dalzell, S. C. Dr. Jack son discussed the subject ably from every angle. Among oth er things he said that the rural church can be of great help in the matter of establishing, and standing, for, law and order. “The Church and Family Life,” by Rev. S. A. Downer, D. D., pastor, East Vine Ave nue Presbyterian church, Knox ville, Tenn. Dr. Downer in a clear cut and convincing man ner showed the relationship be tween the church and the home. He pictured the benefits that have come to the Church be cause of godly lives. He de plored the perils which threat en. the spiritual life of the home, and declared that the home needs religion and needs it more than anything else. There is an obligation resting upon the home which cannot be transferred. “Co-operation Between Church and School,” by Dean L. S. Co zart, of Barber-Scotia Jr. Col lege, Concord. In a very com prehensive manner Dean Co zart showed how the church and school had co-operated in the past. He said that to some extent they had gotten apart. He contended that the church and school need to stop point ing the accusing finger at each other and co-operate for the benefit of humanity. Larger Parish Plan The Rev. G. W. Long, D. D., is the minister in charge of the Larger Parish Plan in connec tion with the Second church, Cheraw, S. C. What this plan is accomplishing was told to the Conference in an interesting manner. There was a display of charts and pictures. Seated on the rostrum with Dr. Long were the staff of workers. Dif ferent phases of the work were presented as follows: The Laney Mission, Mrs. W. F. Robinson; the McDonald Mission and oth er Sunday schools, Mrs. Olethia Counts; the Powe Mission, Miss Ebiora James; Evangelism, Rev. H. L. Counts; Education, Prof. Henry Marshall; Recrea tion, Prof. Jack Benson; Health, Miss Blanche Sowell; Social Service, Mrs. G. W. Long. Dr. Long said that from a small be ginning the parish had steadily grown from year to year. Community Center The Rev. Jesse B. Barber, pastor of Leonard Street church at Chattanooga, Tenn., in his inimitable and characteristic manner showed what the church can do toward commu nity betterment. He said the church should analyze the needs of the community, and utilize ■all the available resources in' meeting those needs. Rev. Bar ber punctuated his talk with il lustrations of what the Newton Community Center at Chatta nooga had done for the better ment of that community, along the lines of health, recreation, better living conditions, inter racial work, etc. Young People’s Forum A Young People’s Forum was conducted by the Rev. Frederick Thorne, D. D., Secretary for Young People’s Work. Dr. Thorne said that there were several hindrances which were terfered with the development of spiritual life among the young people. He mentioned several hindrances. He de clared that in spite of these hindrances many young people were pressing on to something greater and better. Dr. Thorne called upon the following per sons to speak of the work in Sunday schools and among young, people as they had ob served it: Miss Ethel Goines, worker among young people in Blue Ridge Synod; Miss Naomi Freeman, worker among young people, Catawba Synod; Rev. R. L. Jeans, Sabbath School Missionary, Cape Fear Presby tery, and Rev. T. A. Jenkins, pastor of Shiloh church, Knox ville, Tenn. The Schools “Recent Developments at Mary Allen Junior College,” was the subject of an illuminating address of Dean E. H. Steele, of Crockett, Texas. Dean Steele showed how the school had moved forward along all lines, until today it is a recognized in stitution in the educational and religious life of Texas. The Rev. H. S. Davis, Prin cipal of Mary Potter school, Oxford, gave an historical re view of Mary Potter’s contribu tion to human welfare. Rev. Davis delighted the Conference as he called the roster of men and women here and there in the different walks of life, in positions of leadership and re sponsibility, who had graduated from Mary Potter school. Mrs. A. S. Clark, of Cordele, Ga., traced the founding, and steady development of the Gil lespie-Selden Institute. She said the school began with 27 pupils and 2 teachers. It now has 450 pupils with 27 teachers. Mrs. Clark declared that the Gilles pie school had been spoken of by some of the State authori ties as the most outstanding school of its kind in the State of Georgia. She spoke of the hospital in connection with the school, and the fine work that it had done. She was more than pleased to tell of the new ad ministration building and hos pital which now adorn the camp fas. “The Value of the Teacher Training Department at Mary Holmes” was told captivatingly by Dean Mary E. Foresman, of West Point, Miss. Dean Fores man presented facts and figures indicating the very fine piece of work which Mary Holmes is doing for the educational life of Mississippi. Dean T. E. McKinney, of Johnson C. Smith University, in a scholarly and pointed paper told the Conference that the emphasis in University Educa tion today should be placed on the production of good, strong character. The Sunday School The Rev. A. B. McCoy, D. D., of Atlanta, Ga., Superintendent of Sabbath School Missions, spoke on the subject, “The Sun day School Parish.” He said that there were 47 parishes un der the Unit of Sabbath School Work in the four colored Syn ods. In 18 of these parishes special work was being done; 5 of them had full-time paid workers. Dr. McCoy drew a viv id picture of what was being done in leadership training classes, Daily Vacation Bible schools, week day religious in struction, young people’s leagues and conferences and evangelistic services. Women’s Night On Women’s Night a popular program was rendered. Mrs. G. W. Long, president of Atlan tic Synodical, presided. The principal address was made by Mrs. Agnes B. Snively of Pitts burgh, Pa: She referred to hesr 18 years of service in the work and the pleasure she had re ceived in working in the four Synodicals. She was thankful for what had been accomplished and was hopeful the years ahead were full of blessings. At the conclusion of her ad dress Mrs. Long in a simple but impressive manner presented Mrs. Snively with a ring and a radio, gifts from the four Syn odicals in token of their appre ciation of Mrs. Snively’s serv ices. Mrs. Snively most gra ciously accepted the gifts, in well chosen words. The Con ference was delighted to know that although Mrs. Snively was retired officially, she would still be active in the work. Men’s Night The Rev. Dr. Louis H. Evans spoke on Men’s Night on “Old Ironsides.” He gave the his tory surrounding the ship Iron sides. He vividly told of how Old Ironsides cleared the seas of pirates. He likened the Church to the ship, and showed how the Church is engaged in clearing the world of sin. He challenged the men to get on board the ship of the Church and work for the redemption of mankind. Promotional Conference A Promotional Conference, full of information and inspira tion, on the matters of steward ship, the budget, the every member canvass, etc., was con ducted by Rev. Arthur H. Li mouze, D. D., Secretary of Pro motion of the Board of Nation al Missions, and Rev. H. C. Web er, D. D., of the Promotion De partment of the General Coun cil. This Conference came to a close in the College Chapel with motion pictures by Dr. Limouze. Committees The following committees were appointed: Findings—Revs. C. J. Baker, G. E. Caesar, H. S. Davis, G. W. Long. Resolutions of Thanks—Revs. J. E. McMillan, C. A. Edington, D. T. Murray, Mrs. J. D. Stan back. Necrology—Revs. W. L. Metz, A. W. Rice, T. C. Boyd and Z. A. Dockery. The reports of these commit tees will be published later. (Continued on Page S) LETS FACE FACTS By Rev. H. W. Givens In the great struggle for ad vancement in Presbyterianism in the South here are some facts it might be well for us to con sider before we set our minds either for or against consolida tion. In Catawba Synod, ac cording to the minutes of the General Assembly for 1937, here are some facts. We find that in Cape Fear Presbytery there are 3 church es whose membership ranges from 150 to 326; 4 from 100 to 145; 16 from 30 to 80, and 16 below 16. In Catawba, there are three churches whose membership ranges from 302 to 329; 3 from 152 to 216; 6 from 102 to 152; 9 from 59 to 96; 23 from 40 to 60, and 6 whose membership is less than 40. And, more sig nificant than all these, there is only one self-supporting church in our bounds. Southern Virginia has 3 churches whose membership is from 100 to 125; 3 from 70 to 99; 9 from 40 to 69, and 16 be low 40. Yadkin has 2 churches whose membership is from 217 to 228; 6 from 100 to 150; 8 from 70 to 90; 9 from 40 to 69, and the rest below 13. These are some facts that should cause us to get busy and dp something about it since we have been pn the battle field something like seventy years. For seventy years we have been laboring and these are the facts that confront us after these many years. Perhaps some of us have not thought much about the matter, but to me it is worth serious thought. Then, too, we might remind ourselves that some of these churches in the lower brackets t|*e some of the oldest ones. I rmly beneve that small mem bership is not the fault of the minister nor of the congrega tion, but because of the condi tions under which they are forced to labor. In many of these cases the members have moved to other places and there are none to take their places. Shifts in population are among the greatest causes of small, dying churches. And because of that the people are being taxed to the very limit of their strength to try to carry on. One more fact that might be called to our attention, is that in the Catawba Synod with its 174 churches 58 of these have an enrollment of less than 40 members; or to be more exact, one-third of the churches in the Catawba Synod have less than 40 members. While some may use this as an excuse for no fear, I think this is a great challenge for better work. This is not only a challenge to those of us who preach the gospel, but a challenge to those who sit in the pews. While I do not for once contend that we can erad icate all the evils that have stolen into our folds over night, I do think that the time has come when we should begin to lay the foundation for the coming generation to build in the future. All over the Southern field one can easily come across a struggling congregation that holds on only because they were planted there long ago. Their intentions may be good and their contribution to the great Church may be sincere, but how much better work could they do if they were transplanted into better soil where they could bloom in the way God intended? A flower might be ever so beautiful, and its fragrance ever so sweet, but if it is planted out of reach of human habitation its sweetness will be wasted. In order for us to recapture the youth of our day and stimu late the interest of the old and at the same time save our churches from themselves, we have got to consolidate them in places where the people are. Some Churches use the method of Zoning, perhaps it would work among Presbyterians. ‘ Sometime in the future I hope to present some more facts con cerning Catawba Synod and the Church at large. I am convinced that by facing facts we can be inspired to greater work. By facing facts we are able to find our mistakes and make them stepping-stones to future activ ities. MANNING DISTRICT OF FAIRFIELD PRESBYTERIAL By Mrs. Katie E. Cain, Secretary The Missionary Societies of this district held their meeting Saturday, March 12, in Friend ship church, at Alcolu, Claren don Co., S. C. Six churches aye in this district, namely: Good will, Melina, Friendship, West minister, Harmony Elizabeth and Mt. Carmel (Manning). The meeting was called to or der by the President, Mrs. W. J. Nelson, of Goodwill, and the fol lowing program carried out: Devotional period was led by Mesdames Rosa Johnson, of Goodwill, and Queen Collins, of Friendship; singing, “I Am Thine, 0 Lord,” Scripture read ing, Gen. 18:1-10; prayer by Mrs. Collins; singing, ‘‘Take the Name ol Jesus With You; prayer by Mrs. Johnson; wel come address, Mrs. A. E. Cous er; response, Mrs. Eliza White, of Melina; reading of the min utes of the last meeting. Expressions were given by ihe President of the various societies about their work dur ing the year. Then the hymn, “Work for the Night Is Com ing” was sung. The theme of the meeting was “The Christian Home.” 1. What Should Our Church Do to Help Build Christian Homes? Papers were read on this sub ject by Mrs. M. A. Tomlin, of Westminster church, and Mes dames Annie E. Cain and Rosa Johnson, of Goodwill. 2. What Should Our Church Do to Prepare the Young Peo ple and Adults" for Christian Home-Making? This question was discussed by Mrs. Ruth Cain, of Goodwill, and Miss Ethel Neeley, of the faculty of Goodwill Academy. 3. What Should Our Church Do to Help Parents to Become Effective Teachers of their Children? This was discussed by Mrs. Wilma Davis, of Har mony church, and Miss Beat rice Byne, a teacher of the pub lic school of Friendship. The following named minis ters gave very timely talks on the subject: Rev. Mr. Cannon, Rev. Dr. Nelson and Rev. Dr. Pogue. Extracts about mission work and a letter published in “Women and Missions” by Miss Elizabeth Taylor were read by Mrs. W. J. Nelson. A solo, “My Task,” was sung by Mrs. Susan Milton, of Friend ship. Rev. Dr. I. P. Pogue, the guest speaker, spoke on the subject, “Helping God at His Job,” based on I Cor. 3:9: “For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, were benefitted and encouraged by this splendid address. Prayer was offered by the Rev. Mr. Stinson, pastor of Friendship. , A collection was lifted by Elder Collins, of Friendship, and Mr. McKinley Muldrow, of Goodwill church. The collection amounted to $6.10. We adjourned to meet at Me lina on the first Saturday in August. A bountiful dinner was served. We thank Rev. Stinson and his good people for their hospital ity, and congratulate them on their nice, clean church and surroundings. The benediction was pronounced by Rev. Dr. Nelson. Miss Nannie Burroughs, in a pre-convention message at Los Angeles, told the members of the National Baptist Conven tion that “we are always talk ing about being Negroes—For get it. I do not believe anybody can keep anybody from advanc ing and I do not believe that anybody is trying.” Miss Bur roughs declared in the same message, “We have discovered America, we must now discover ourselves. The Negro needs to secure a new way to live and a new way to live.”—The Sunday School Informer.
Africo-American Presbyterian (Wilmington, N.C.)
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March 24, 1938, edition 1
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