T THE NEW YORK HE metropolitan area of New York has been called the "Metropolis of Mankind." It encloses more than one-twelfth of the life of the United States, while every year Wall street, Fifth avenue, the "Great White Way," Coney Island and the universities attract approximately thirty-five million strangers with money to spend and minds to be impressed. "Everything that relates to life in New York is of vast proportions. Four transients arrive every second, a passenger train comes into the city terminals every fifty-two seconds and a ship clears every forty-two minutes. A child is born every six minutes, a wedding takes place every thirteen minutes and a funeral is held every fourteen minutes. There is a real estate transfer every twenty-five minutes, a new building is erected every fifty-one minutes, a fire occurs every thirty minutes and every day more than three hundred people come to the city to live."* These figures refer only to Greater New York and are by no means adequate for the entire metropolitan area. The problems of water, food, housing and transportation which have been created by this vast concentrated mass of humanity are staggering. But an indomitable spirit has solved many of them. A subterranean stream of pure water flowing one hundred and nineteen miles provides the city with a water supply which would furnish every human being in the world with over a quart of water a day. The food for this metropolitan population for one week only would require 266 train loads of provisions reaching in an unbroken line of cars from New York to Philadelphia. In a single day the subways, elevated and surface lines of Greater New York carry twice as many people as do all the steam railroads of the United States. The total wealth of this area is estimated at between twenty-five and fifty billions of dollars. In the last few years New York has captured the leadership in finance, music and fashion. It is becoming the greatest of all university centers and recently has grown to be the good Samaritan for many needy peoples throughout the world. New York considers nothing impossible, and with her characteristic "step lively" speeds vast undertakings to their happy termination. *W. J. Showalter, in “National Geographic Magazine." The water and food problems of this area have been successfully solved, the transportation problems partially so, but the greatest problem of all remains unsolved: How can this world metropolis with its great human problems of childhood, homelife, work, play and social relationships, be transformed into a city of God? This concentration of eight and one-half million souls constitutes the most appealing possible challenge to organized religion. Failure of the church here to venture a heroic and mighty program at this critical moment would be an international disaster. If the organization and methods of yesterday are not sufficient for today, how much less are they adequate for tomorrow. The opportunity is too vast for any one denomination. It invites a cooperative effort of all churches sharing common ideals. It compels a new concentration of time, money, personal sacrifice and service. PROBLEMS Ο UTSTANDING problems of Christian statesmanship in this area are as follows: 1. How to simplify the public utterance and ecclesiastical practise of churches and communions so that their witness will become as com A CONFIDENT ADVANCE N Greater New York nearly three out of four entage. This has put an enormous responsibility upon the American-born fourth. The supreme object of American Christians is not only to maintain American ideals but to bring pelling to the indifferent as the life and teaching the spirit of Jesus into all human relationships. of Jesus are to his followers. 2. How to intensify the life and Christian service of individual church members so that This responsibility rests with terrific pressure upon a metropolitan minority. faith and love and unselfish service will become The Protestant share of this task is tremendous. master-passions. 3. How to turn the mind of each church from trying selfishly to enlarge or even save its own life, into a virile attempt to establish the kingdom of God in the life of the community. 4. How to win the confidence and practical cooperation of all the various races and nationalities of a given community, so that the divisive note shall disappear and common interests and unifying projects shall be stressed. 5. How to eliminate un-Christlike competition between Protestant communions and substitute practical goodwill and effective cooperation. 6. How to beget a new confidence and courage in hundreds of churches whose struggle for existence has killed an aggressive, victorious spirit. 7. How to get each church to make a definite program for its own future, based upon a scientific study of facts and utilizing the most efficient business methods. 8. How to get groups of churches in given districts to adopt a vigorous, unifying community program, and operate it harmoniously. Is it too much to think that the minds which have brilliantly solved the staggering food and transportation problems of this area will fail, should they concentrate with the same compulsion upon the most vital problem of all: How to bring the spirit of Christ as an active force into each community of this entire area? In this hearty cooperative spirit between the churches and other religious and social agencies lies the hope of community betterment. The metropolitan area has slightly more than two thousand Protestant churches. The maximum effort of every local church in the intensifying of its regular work is imperative. The strengthening of all denominational agencies is vital. And in addition, an heroic Interchurch campaign with practical programs of additional Christian activities, cooperations and community service this is the costly advance which the church must confidently venture so that with a new faith, all the facts, a common program and virile, allied, Christian statesmenship, the metropolitan area may actually be completely transformed by the spirit of the Master of Men. COOPERATION HE church is the mother of hospitals, nursing, charities, visiting, child care, social settlements and other philanthropic and humanitarian movements. The boards of directors of the leading social service agencies are almost entirely composed of church members. It is therefore right that the church should not which it has mothered, but that it should do all only acquaint itself with the social agencies in its power to lend counsel, financial support and volunteer workers to these agencies. The church is in much the same relation to the important work of the Young Men's Christian Association and the Young Women's Christian Association. These organizations in their specialized fields should always be able to command the hearty interest and cooperation of the churches. These and similar bodies are all agencies of righteousnses and should evince a keen interest in the success of one another's programs. THE INTERCHURCH SURVEYS HE fundamental purpose of these sur veys is to render every possible assistance to each church in its work of serving the community. 1. Church Survey: The aim is to get each church to know itself accurately, face its actual needs confidently, develop a definite program for the next five years, obtain the necessary staff, equipment and budget in order to operate that program in service for the community. 2. Household Census: The aim is to place before each church a map of its own district, like the one on this page showing twenty blocks in Perth Amboy, N. J. With this map there will go accurate lists of the names of all the people, their addresses, church membership or preference, Sunday-school attendance, birthplace, length of residence in the United States and occupational information. 3. Social Service Survey: The aim is to bring to each church accurate data concerning all social needs and all social service agencies in the district or community. It will show where cooperation is imperative and reveal any danger of reduplication of effort. It will provide for the social service agencies as well as for the churches immediate opportunities for ministering to those who desire visitation. The results of these surveys will prove invaluable to pastors, church staffs and congregations. Pastoral visitation will be simplified, with people named and located. The pastor's efficiency will be greatly multiplied and he will be given the basis for a mobilization of his entire congregation for community service. By this means the long hoped-for strengthening of staff and enlargement of equipment and budget will, with the help of the denominational officers involved, be placed within the reach of each church. Finally, the results of these surveys can be used by program-making conferences organized in all the churches of the community. They will not only be the basis for advance programs by individual churches but will lead to community programs and projects whose success will be insured by cooperation of a group of churches. |