THODIST EPISCOPAL ZION CHURCH
VOLUME PORT^Y-SBVEN
:SDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1923
THE OFFICIAL ORGAN OETHE AFRIC
CHARLOTTE NORTH CAROLINA
NUMBER FIFTY-ONE
AN OBSERVER’S
VIEWS.
Getting Church in Newspaper—
* Pastor*—Candidates——MaMng
the World Laugh—“Editorial
« Translation”—That Bishopric
and One Wife Matter.
By Rev. H. T. Medford.
Seeming Disadvantage of a Pastor
Candidate.
The Tennessee annual conference
met at Logan Temple church, where
we have the distinction of being the
pastor, a few weeks agoi. Several
candidates wrote us expressing re
grets that they could not visit the
conference because of the exacting
demands of their pastorate. The
pastor-candidate seems to be put at a
disadvantage in this regard. It is
very hard four them to “walk about
Zion," or even ride about Zion and
see the brethren at the conferences.
They must stay on the job at the^r
posts of duty in these days of stiff
competition in the pastorate, or
' something goes sorely lackly. Those
of us Who ‘ crave” to see and talk
with the men on the field must ask
our brethren to please “take the
will for the deed,” and not forget us
because we are forced to ‘ hold the
fort” at home, and can’t well come
among them.
Getting the Church News in the Pa
pers.'
It seems that many Zion preachers
in a number cf large centers should
wake up to the importance Of getting
their Church before the reading pub
- lie mora r««»lftriy~a8d
ly. We chance to read race papers
from several localities where we
know Ziotn is really on the map, but
J other denominations far outshine us
when we read the church news from
those Centers- The value of newspa
per publicity must not be overlook
-• ed. An old stale schedule of services
run off somewhere in the corner of a
<■ i • paper, unchanged for a year or more
r: is not sufficient notice that a church
.A is in town. People know about Ivory
j.; ( 8oap and buy it because they see it
in the papers, magazines and on bill
^boards. In almost like manner a
man’s church is known, respected and
^ (Continued to page 8)
things~pIcked up.
While Busy Here And There.
By Dr. J. H. Branner.
The Tennessee conference presided
over by one of the mast gifted sons
of Zion, Bishop G. C. Clement, has
grown to be one of the leading Con
ferences of the great A. M. E. Zion
Church under his eight years’ admin
istration .
The ministry of this conference
will compare favorably with that of
any other conference in our Churcn.
Quite a number of them are asm
rants for honors in the Church, but
none as yet desire the office erf a
bishop.
Rev. S. A. Chambers, of Etowah,
is a scholar, a writer, a preacher and
a poet- He desires the office of the
editorship of The Star of Zion.
Dr. H. T. Medford is one of Liv
ingstone College’s brightest stars, and
is one of the best church organizers
and pastors *in Zion. He is an able
preacher, a good thinker and splendid
writer.
His kind, amiable disposition shown
to all men and his hospitable spirit
in his home has lifted him high in the
estimation of bis large membership at
Logan Temple and also of the citi
zens of Knoxville. f
He has the confidence of all the
ministers of the Tennessee confer
ence, who will not' forget that he,
too, desires to edit either the Quar
terly Review or The Star of Zion.
Let it be ever remembered that he is
fully capable of taking care of which
ever one of these periodicals is com
mitted to his^care.
to page 8)
EDITORI A L.
The world comes into the Lord’s natal
day this year, still bleeding and still striv
ing. Once upon a time when Jesus said
tearfully, “Ye shall not see me henceforth
until ye shall say, blessed is he' that cometh
in the name of the Lord,” he was uttering
a principle not to-the Jews only, but to all
nations.
Christmas is typical of “good w£fi” and
“peace on earth,” but that will never obtain
until men shall see the King of peace.
• Bethlehem is in Jerusalem really. The
event of Bethlehem can be enacted in every
place. Actually the whole world can be
made Bethlehem to those who have discov
ered the personal gift of the Christ child.
May He come anew into, our city, our
homes, our hearts on His natal day.
Christmas will be a day of reality in the
midst of sorrow and suffering to countless
thousands who make Christmas a practice,
and Christmas joys theiYpwn. .
But alas! for those Who leave out the
real Christmas gift, choke the day with,
selfish sating of themselves and their
friends. Many will give, presents the days
before and get up Xmas morning, unwrap
their presents and spend momerita of selfish
glee. Then after the morning meal will
turn to the next engagements of the day.
Fowl and fruits, nuts and sweet meats,
friends, feathers and fussy music and rides,
and rollicking, and their Christmas spent
But still something will be missing that will
leave an aching void when the day is gone.
No gift made to the two-thirds of the
world’s people facing starvation in Russia,
Germany, Asia and Africa, no little chil
without food and gifts have shared their
gifts, no alms to the poor at our gates. No
church door darkened, no prayer prayed,"
no thoughtful word spoken to the soul in
darkness. Hamlet was played with Hamlet
left out. Christ did not get into their '
calculations and therefore was not born
into their Christmas day.
But may he who reads these lines be
think himself upon these things. May your
day have Jesus in it, your world be a Beth
lehem, your visits, to those in cheerless
gloom or blighting error, your gifts tne
offerings of your Share to Christ’s needy
ones. “In as much as you have done it
unto the least of'these my brethren, ye
have done it unto me.”
In this way only will the Christ child '
be in our Christmas day.
It is said that Scarborough the great
English resort was once a fishing station.
It had a spring of crystal waters where
travelers were refreshed. A man afflicted
with rheumatism conceived that the spring
would heal him. He accordingly drank the
water for a time and was restored to
health. He told others and they in turn
told others until it became the haunt of
many. A house was built, to provide for
the vsitors and then a. hotel, a store, a play
house and on it grew until now from fifty
to a hundred thousand go there each sea
son. But L is discovered that one out of
a hundred visitors knows that there is a
spring there. So will tens of millions ob
serve Christmas day in sordid sensual ways,
with Christ left out.
Oh I let us see the face of our Lord and
his brethren on His natal day and it will
be Bethlehem everywhere. *
-
suited to The Star of'Zion than to the
Quarterly Review, also writes!: “It is
generally conceded that R. Alexander
Carrol, who gave_ us our best cate
chism, is the logical man for the V.
WATCHING THE
BREAKERS
^ews And Nothing But News*
By W. H. Davenpoh.
It is said that President Coolidge
in his first message, to Congress said
some things about the Negro. What
was it? I
Editor W. J. Walls, like many
ethers, favors an orderly General
Conference. It goes without spying
that the noise and confusion1, the
clamor and total disregard foar all
orderly procedure which has charac
terized and disgraced us for twelve
years will not be repeated at Indian
apolis. Moreover orderliness can he
helped by refraining tot introduce
strangers, visitors, friends, noted city
pastors and passers-by who drop
if perchance they may ventilate their
hobbies. Cut out the hot air; let’s
have order . T
For the Quarterly Review: H. T.
Medford, P- K.
Argyle
vieile
Dr. H. M. Reed, New Orleans, has
done a monumental work in “The
Creole City ” In the erection of our.
magnificent church, there he had one
of the hardest problems of bis life.
Our good Bishop Rt. Rev. Paris A.
Wallace is enthusiastic over; (that
great achievement. *
(Continued to page 8)
WHO WILL ANSWER?
By Walter Raleigh, Lovell.
In a recent issue of the Southwes
tern Christian Advocate, the able:
editor, Dr. L. H. King, writing un
ment,” asks this Question: “Do these
indictments imply an admission that J
the purely Negro Church has fallen
down?” Every Negro, especially
churchmen, should read this article. 'll
It is very likely that the average per- • j
son Avho belongs to a distinctly Negro
church, will disagree with Dr.~4Rtngfs ^ ;
carefully drawn inferences whir*
frankly border upon conclusions. m -|
But, even'so, there is much food for
serious thought in what he lias to -
say anent the Negro church. f^ead
it.
The article in question quotes at
length from the Young Allenite, an.
A. M.. E. Publication, edited by Dr.*
Ira T. Bryant, who, it appears, as a
veritable “Flea in the collar” of the
A. M. E. bishops. Another quota- j
tion from * the Afro-American deals
with the unpleasant happenings of
the “Baptist Brethren,” who appar
ently have troubles of their own,
having conventions and conventions.
Since reading this highly significant
article, we have been looking for a
reply from some able writer who be*
lieves in the future of the Negro v
Church. And whatever we may say
here is, as the subject indicates,
merely a quest for an answer, and ]
,nott conclusions.