WORLD CENTRE FOR CHURCHES

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 8 November 1928, Page 6

WORLD CENTRE FOR CHURCHES

i'O BE ESTABLISHED AT GENEVA. The most, important action thus far taxeix by tire inter-church conference on Life and Work at Prague, centred upon this establishment at Geneva of an international Ghristion Institute and lie,search Bureau, through, which the co-operative world of Protestantism will seek to modify the complex social problems of Ehroue. This institute is intended as the beginning of a move to I make G eneva the centre of world-wide Protestant activity, by means of which the churches of various lands may bo brought into closer co-operation with other international agencies located there, such as- the League of Nations, the International Labour Office, the International YIM.C.A. and the World Student Federation. ‘‘We aim to achieve in Geneva,” said Dr. Worth M. Tippy of New York, “a centre for a vast amount of social humanitarian work, especially m southern Europe. One of the first projects undertaken bv the Institute will be to furnish capital at a low rate of interest for home building purposes. This plan will enable small wage earners to own their home without burdening this household with crushing obligations. One of the| chief causes of the present disintegration of the moral and spiritual life of appalling numbers of families of the socalled lower classes of society is the housing misery. It is the duty of the church to interest themselves and cooperate their efforts to attack this problem.” The- Geneva Institute will also furnish an international base of action for efforts on behalf of world peace and world wide prohibition. The conference also took the step of looking toward an international! religious press 1 service. I Dr. H.inderer, of Berlin, explaining 1 the need of united effort in the field of religious journalism, said: “We can i never expect to influence the nations in goodwill and mutual understanding, or for racial or industrial co-operation Until we recognise the responsibility of the press'-, both religious and secular, to further these moral objectives. The Christian forces of the world welcome every effort to establish journalism, on an international basis and for the lifting o-f the press above the narrow considerations of party, class or nation.” The Youth Commission, under the chairmanship of Basil Mathsws, of Geneva, voted to hold a number of international camps for youth throughout Europe next summer.