“NO MORE CHURCHES WANTED”

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXIX, Issue 79, 23 May 1911, Page 4

“NO MORE CHURCHES WANTED”

An ii!tort'stilll; sidelight on the prob--1 oni of church-going, is given I»y the London “Clirouiele’s” Berlin correspondent. “(.Munch authorities in Berlin,” he says, “are in eonstei nation at what they regard as the deplorable shrinkage in the Sunday collections throughout Berlin and the province of Brandenburg generally. Congregations remain unresponsive and callous to the most fervid appeals for missionary work, whether at home or abroad, and other branches of home work such as church extension are treated v. ith the same indifference. it often happens that even in tin 1 riclnst and most fashionable districts special offertories do not excel! £o, and not a few congregating;; are content to contribute as many shillings. in view of these ' facts a large section of the population of Berlin are protesting against the building of new churches when those already existing are not half full, and when so many citizens show, by their absence run! lack of participation, how indifferent they are to the claims of the national cnurch on their attention. Cimilar complaints are heard with regal d to the r.iuid decrease in toe number ol cotdirmalions, and to Ihe sti iking increase in recession;-. Churchmen here n.titibnte the decay id cnnrch life to the spread of libera! theology, and to the frequent remoteiv'ss of pabnt I;.ailing from tne r.< r.;-