CHURCH OF CHRIST

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 301, 16 September 1936, Page 16

CHURCH OF CHRIST

Organiser Visits Wellington Fraternal delegate from California to a conference of the Church of Christ at Melbourne, Mr. Milo J. Smith, of San Francisco, was a through passenger to Australia by the Maunganui. During his brief visit to Wellington he was entertained at luncheon at the National Club by members of the local Church of Christ, when Mr. E. R. Vickery was chairman, and Mr. R. A. Wright, M.P., welcomed the guest of honour. In an interview with “The Dominion,” Mr. Smith said that for the past eleven years he had been occupied with the establishment of new churches in Northern California. It was his task to go out into new territory, supervise the formation of a new church, find a suitable pastor, and, having set the young organisation on its feet, develop it to the point of self-support. "You see, I am interested in the practical aspects of Christianity. I don’t believe in the sort of Christianity that concentrates wholly on a. future existence. I like to study the application of Christian principles to the everyday problems of modern life,” he said. Mr. Smith explained that the territory in which he worked was about 700 miles long, and stretched the full width of the State of California. It contained some 15,000 members of his church.

“Americans are not what you’d cail deeply interested in religion,” he stated. “But they., are concerned with ethical Christianity. My church, however, is making very great progress in California, and we do feel that Christianity has a definite appeal to the average intelligent citizen.”