CHURCH AND RADIO

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22580, 19 November 1936, Page 14

CHURCH AND RADIO

USE OF B STATIONS PURCHASE SUGGESTED REACHING OUTSIDERS A suggestion tliiit the Protestant Churches of the Dominion should consider co-o peril ting to purchase 15 stations in the four main centres for religious purposes was put forward at the annual synod of the Auckland district of the Methodist Church last night, when the part to he played by broadcasting in bringing outsiders into the Church was discussed. The synod decided after considerable discussion to recommend to the Methodist Conference that early in its session it should appoint a committee to consider how best the Church might use the facilities for broadcasting, and further its use as it handmaid of religion. The chairman of the district, the K. L). Patchett, said the question of church attendance and the outsider was not a local problem or a New Zealand problem. The Rev. W- Walker asked if the tremendous facilities offered to the Christian Church to-day through the broadcasting agency had been considered. "It is deplorable that the Church has been so very slow to really comprehend the opportunity of reaching the ■whole Dominion through broadcasting," he said. "There are approximately 200,000 sets m the countrv to-dav, and taking listeners to each set, approximately SOO,OOO could be reached through tins means " , , ~ Mr. Walker said it was true that the number of'licences for K stations was restricted, but there wore a number o stations on the market to-day, and nothing could hinder the churches from buving them so that one m each centre could be used for spreading religion. \|,. j> ('lark said that nothing was more vital to the future of tho Church and Christianity than that they should seize this method and uso it lor all it was worth.