THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST IN AMERICA AND FRANCE ClassIQ-^"^ ^QEOUGHT DEPOSm The Churches of Christ in America and France Chaplains Monod and Lauga, with the President and General Secretar}^ of the Federal Council. * i ■ . - The Churches of Christ in America and France New York Chicago Toronto j i Fleming H. Revell Company London and Edinbceoh Copyright, 1918, b> FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY MV-'^'fi^ \\'" New York: 158 Fifth Avenue Chicago: 17 North Wabash Ave, Toronto: 25 Richmond Street, W. London: 21 Paternoster Square Edinburgh: 100 Princes Street MAY 18 1918 ©CI.A497443 C I FOREWORD THIS book comprises the messages given at the Aldine Club, New York, on the evening of Tuesday, January twenty-second, nineteen hundred and eigh- teen, when a representative group of Ameri- can Christians gathered at the invitation of the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America to bid farewell to Captain Georges F. Lauga and Captain A. E. Victor Monod, Chaplains in the French Army, the official representatives sent by the French Protestant Federation of Churches to express the fellowship and appreciation of the French Protestant Christians to their brethren in America. Immediately upon their arrival in November, 1917, they began a tour through the country, speaking before churches, minis- terial associations, civic leagues and universi- ties, from the Atlantic to the Pacific Coast, and from New England to Texas. The wel- come they received was spontaneous and their furlough was too brief to include all the cities 5 6 FOREWORD giving them invitation. In Denver Captain Lauga became critically ill as the direct result of the strain of trench-life but with expert medical care recovered and the tour was fin- ished without further mishap. Both in New York and Philadelphia the Chaplains took part in the celebration of the Four Hun- dredth Anniversary of the Protestant Refor- mation. On the day following the farewell gather- ing at the Aldine Club, Captain Monod and Captain Lauga sailed for France to join their regiments in the trenches. As we go to press, a cable from Paris announces their safe ar- rival. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. Invocation 9 Rev. Albert G. Lawson, Chairman of the Administrative Committee of the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America. II. Introduction of the Delegates 13 Rev. Charles S. Macfarland, General Sec- retary. III. Message from the French Protestant Committee, Presented by Chaplain Georges Lauga 20 a. In the original French; h. In Eng- lish translation. IV. Message on the Four Hundredth Anni- versary OF THE Reformation, Pre- sented BY Chaplain A. E. Victor MoNOD 23 a. In the original French; h. In English Translation. V. Address of Chaplain Monod 26 VI. Address of Chaplain Lauga 28 VII. Response 34 Rev. Frank Mason North, President. 7 8 CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE VIII. Expressions of Goodwill 39 a. Rev. William I. Haven, General War- time Commission. b. President W. H. P. Faunce, Chairman, Commission on International Justice and Goodwill. c. Rev. William P. Merrill, Chairman, World Alliance for Promoting Inter- national Friendship through the Churches. d. Chaplain Nehemiah Boynton, U. S. A., representing the General Committee on Army and Navy Chaplains. IX. Message from the Churches of America TO THE Churches of France, Pre- sented BY THE General Secretary 55 a. In the original English; b. In French translation^ INVOCATION BLESSED be Thy name, O Lord, our dwelling plaice in all generations, from everlasting to everlasting our God and Father. Our refuge and strength, our present help in trouble, unto Thee we chant our faith: *'the Lord God omnipotent reigneth; we will be glad and rejoice in Him." Our line is cast in the midst of the days when the foundations are rent asunder, when the mountains are hurled into the heart of the seas and the earth tossed to and fro as a hammock. Yet will we not fear, for in all our affliction Thou art afflicted and Thy pres- ence is our salvation. Clouds and darkness surround Thy throne, yet Thou seest the end from the beginning and makest the wrath of man to praise Thee. Blessed and holy art Thou, O God. Give us of Thy wisdom and strength that we may walk in the light of our 9 10 ', THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST deepest convictions ; give us of Thy Spirit that we may love our enemies; give us of Thyself that we may magnify the cross of Christ our Lord and Redeemer. We thank Thee for citizens of France who brought our fathers new courage in their struggle for liberty, and for these men of God who are with us today and for the mes- sages they have brought us. We crave abun- dant blessing upon their labors, wrought amid much trial. We thank Thee for restoring them to health and now as they face home- ward we commend them to Thy keeping. Let their lives be precious in Thy sight and estab- lish them anew in their work in France. We thank Thee that we may bear one another's burdens and we beseech Thee for Armenia and Serbia, for Belgium and France and for all the lands despoiled and for that great na- tion, Russia. O God, our Father, bring again meat out of the eater and out of the strong sweetness. Bless all who are yielding their lives for the defense of liberty and righteousness. Give them vision of the unseen, with valor for the flags that float above their heads; give them passion for the right with power to overcome IN AMERICA AND FRANCE 11 evil. Make them standard bearers for God and humanity and above their banners, as in their hearts, may they lift up the cross of Christ. Thou, who hast made of one all na- tions, hasten the day when the rulers of men shall be priests unto God, when brotherhood shall be established in the earth and peace grounded in righteousness and truth shall abide among all men. May the passions of war be swallowed up in the love of Christ and have mercy upon our enemies. Open their eyes that they may see how great sinners they have become against their own souls. Thou, whose punish- ment is so often pardon, whose revenge is so often redemption, whose rebuke is worth more than the praises of friends, Thou, who art rich in mercy, grant us forgiveness for our sins, cleanse our hearts from evil and en- rich us with grace and wisdom to destroy the things that rack us, that the things which can- not be shaken may appear and abide. We bless Thee for the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America, and for the Unions formed in and for France and Belgium to rebuild churches and homes and schools in these sadly broken countries. 12 THE CHURCHES" OF CHRIST Clothe with grace the men and women thus enrolled In a common service for Christ and the people. Here and in the lands across the sea abundantly favor the plans made for the forwarding of this great work. Thou God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus the great shep- herd of the sheep, with the blood of an eter- nal covenant, make us perfect in every good work to do His will, working in us that which is well pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ, unto the glory of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Our Father which art in heaven hallowed be Thy name ; Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil, for Thine is the king- dom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. INTRODUCTION OF THE DELEGATES Rev. Charles S. Macfarland General Secretary of the Federal Council TWO years ago, with the counsel and ad- vice of the officers of the Federal Council, I carried to our brethren of the Protestant churches in France a message of sympathy and goodwill and spent some time with them in prayer and conference. I had the opportunity of witnessing their brave efforts, their unquenchable spirit and of learn- ing something of their moral and spiritual In- fluence In the nation. In interviews with men high In the counsels of state, I was given earnest testimony re- garding their service In the nation. Indeed, it was clearly evident that through the devo- tion of the chaplains In the army and the spirit and work of the churches, the attitude of the French government and the French people towards religion had become more 13 14 THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST deeply sympathetic. This testimony came from such men as the Premier, M. Briand, and the Minister of Finance, M. Ribot. In- deed, I found at the premier's right-hand, as his chief counsellor, Andre Weiss, President of the French Protestant Committee. As the result of that conference, upon my return I recommended that our churches help these brethren to continue their work by gifts of money, as well as by prayer and expres- sions of sympathy and during the past two years the churches have made, not an ade- quate but, perhaps, a fair response. In any event, it has been sufficient to win the deep gratitude of our French brethren. Constant fraternal correspondence has been continued since that time, which has been recorded in our annual and quadrennial reports. In November, 1917, they sent to us these two beloved brethren. It has been our privi- lege to bring them into conference with the official leaders of the churches located here in New York, to hold daily conferences with them in our own offices, to introduce them through the various church federations and ministerial associations to the churches and Christian people in Poughkeepsie, James- IN AMERICA AND FRANCE 15 town, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Cincin- nati, Chicago; Minneapolis, Kansas City, Omaha, Memphis, Dallas, Fort Worth, Den- ver, Salt Lake City, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Philadel- phia, Boston and Washington, and to present them to the officials of our government at the national capital. One of them, worn by his faithful service In the trenches, fell by the wayside at Den- ver, where the church federation, in coopera- tion with the Christian people of Denver, had the privilege of ministering to his needs. Captain Monod was with us at the annual meeting of the Executive Committee in Cin- cinnati, stirring us by his words and helping us by his personal presence. As the result of the conferences and corre- spondence of these two years and especially of our consultation with these delegates to- gether with Dr. Henri Anet, Delegate of the Franco-Belgian Evangelization Committee, there has been constituted a Joint Committee uniting all the Protestant bodies In France and the religious bodies carrying on work In France and Belgium, called the United Com- mittee on Christian Service for Relief in 16 THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST France and Belgium. Its purposes are three- fold: 1. To conserve and develop the Evangeli- cal Churches and Missions in France and Bel- gium; 2. To further the interchange of thought and life between the religious forces of these three nations ; 3. To render moral and financial support to the Evangelical Institutions and to the people of France and Belgium. The United Committee represents the fol- lowing organizations : Federation Protestante de France Comite Protestant Frangais Comite Protestant d'Entr'Aide Union Nationale des Eglises Reformees Evangeliques Union Nationale des Eglises Reformees Eglise Evangeliques Lutherienne de France Union des Eglises Evangeliques Libres Eglise Evangelique Methodiste Union des Eglises Baptistes Mission Frangaise Eglise Methodiste Epis- copate Societe Centrale Evangelique IN AMERICA AND FRANCE 17 Eglise Chretienne Missionnaire Beige Mission Populaire Evangelique (McAll) Cooperating Bodies in the United States American McAll Association American Huguenot Committee American Baptist Foreign Mission Society Methodist Episcopal Board of Foreign Mis- sions. Captain Lauga and Captain Monod are here, on the eve of their departure to our brethren in France, to their regiments in the trenches, and not only that but to our own boys "over there." They came to us with these records of high attainment and faithful service: Alfred Ernest Victor Monod, of fourfold pastoral de- scent in the Reformed Church. The first of his pastor ascendants Gaspard Joel Monod, ordained in Geneva 1742, was a minister in Guadeloupe (Antilles), 1759- 1763. Grandnephew of the well-known French preacher, Adolphe Monod. Born in Algiers (French North Africa), March 27, 1882. B. Lit. 1899, Lie. phil. 1901, B. Div. 1905, Lie. Div. 1910. Has studied in the Universities of Toulouse and Mon- tauban, Marburg in Hessen (Germany), Aberdeen (Scot- land), where he was Assistant French Lecturer. Has been assistant Pastor in the Reformed Churches of Pau, Rouen, 18 THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST Paris. Ordained in Paris, Sept. 23, 1906. Pastor of the Reformed Evangelical Church of Pontarlier, near the Swiss frontier, 1 906-191 1, and of the Church of the same connection of Enghien-les-Bains, near Paris, since 1911. Appointed lecturer of Systematic Theology in the Sem- ^aary of the Paris Board of Foreign Missions (1913). During the War: On the 5th of August, 1914, called as hospital attendant in a Surgery ward in Paris. Chap- lain in the Navy on the hospital Ship "Tchad," August, 1915. The Dardanelles, Salonica, Albania (during Ser- bian retreat), Mytilene, Lemnos, Corfu, Tunis and Al- geria. Chaplain in the Army since June, 1917, with a Division of troops from North Africa. Author: "The Persecutors and the Martyrs," an essay of religious psychology, 1905; "The Problem of God," an historical essay, 1910; "De titulo Epistolae vulgo ad Hebraeos inscriptae," 1910; Contributor to Mags. "Revue de Theologie," "Foi et Vie," "Christianisme au XXe Siecle," etc. He married Mile. Germaine Bouvier in 1906. Four children complete his home. Georges Lauga^ born in Montcaret (Dordogne), Decem- ber 18, 1879; grandson of Eugene Casalis, missionary in Basutoland (South Africa), son of the late Henri Lauga, pastor in Rheims, delegate of the Protestant Churches to the Churches of Madagascar (1896). College studies in Rheims. B. Lit. Paris University, 1896. Student in Mon- tauban, Faculty of Theology, 1897-1902. B. Div. Toulouse University, 1902. Student of Laws (eight terms) Bordeaux University. Pastor of the French Church, Edinburgh (Scotland), 1902-1903. Ordained in the Reformed Church of France, June 8, 1903. Pastor of the Reformed Church of Port Ste. Foy (Dordogne) 1903-1909. Pastor of the Reformed Church of Rouen since 1909 and President of the Presby- IN AMERICA AND FRANCE 19 tery of that City. Member of Rouen Auxiliary Committee of the Paris Board of Foreign Missions. During the War: Field Ambulance attendant in the 8th D. I. Military Chaplain in the 130th D. I. Lorraine, Verdun, (twice), slightly wounded and cited at the Order of the Brigade, awarded the Croix de Guerre; Argonne, Hauts-de-Meuse, Woevre, Chemin-des-Dames. Author: "Psychologoy of Religious Revivals"; "The Workman of Christ and his Visions"; "The Enemies of Youth"; "Dost thou know the peace the Gospel gives?"; "Toward the Light," (sermons) ; "How to come out of the Necropoles, or how to Evangelize"; "In Time of War," (ten sermons delivered in St. Eloi Church, Rouen, 1914-1915). Contributor to Mags. "Revue du Christian- isme Social," "Foi et Vie," "Journal des Missions," etc. He married Mile. Paule Thenaud, of Port Ste. Foy. He has three children. Citations: General Toulorge, Commanding the i30t! D. I., has cited at the Order of the Brigade: Laug^ Georges, Chaplain of the Division. Being present in 1916 at three different times in a conspicuously active sector of Verdun, has gone every day to the first line, that he might bring the men moral comfort, and has not wavered in exposing his life, giving thus in the midst of danger a fine example of coolness and courage. It is a joy to present them this evening. THE MESSAGES FROM FRANCE CoMiTE Protestant Francais I02 Boulevard Arago Paris (XlVe) Paris, Le ler Octobre 1917. Message Aux Chretiens D'Amerique Le Federation des Eglises Protestantes de France, le Comite Protestant Frangais, qui representent toutes nos eglises et toutes nos oeuvres religieuses, recommandent au cordial accueil et a I'appui des Chretiens d'Amerique nos deux delegues, M. le pasteur Georges Lauga, aumonier militaire, et M. le pasteur Victor Monod, aumonier de la marine. Leur mission, qui est purement fraternelle, a pourtant des buts precis. Nous desirons communier avec vous dans la foi et dans les grands souvenirs historiques ou se retrempent nos ener- gies lorsqu'il faut combattre pour conserver I'heritage de nos peres. Nous voudrions etablir entre vos eglises et les notres des liens intimes, une alliance indissoluble, se manifestant par des visites regulieres, par des envois d'etudiants, par des echanges de publications; tout cela devant nous permettre de suivre le mouvement religieux, theologique et social de nos milieux respectifs, et de donner des bases a une or- ganisation d'entr'aide, en vue de cooperer a la solution des problemes de demain. Nous voulons aussi exprimer notre reconnaissance pour vos secours de guerre, notre joie a vous sentir avec nous 20 THE^CHURCHES OF CHRIST 21 pleinement et jusqu'au bout dans la lutte pour le droit, et notre fierte lorsque nous voyons prendre rang, parmi les glorieux defenseurs du sol de notre patrie, vos nobles et bien-aimes enfants, le meilleur de vous-memes. Pouvions-nous mieux f aire que de vous envoyer a travers I'ocean deux de nos fils, deux de nos pasteurs? lis ont servi nos eglises fidelement dans le ministere pastoral; ils ont ete les temoins de I'Evangile aupres de nos soldats dans les tranchees et aupres de nos marins en haute mer. Dieu veuille que leur activite au milieu de vous soit utile et bienf aisante ! Fortifions-nous mutuellement dans nos combats, dans nos sacrifices, pour que les opprimes regoivent reparation, pour que la liberte leur soit rendue, pour que la bonne volonte et la justice trioraphent dans un monde pacific; nous voulons que Pamour chretien soit le ciment d'une societe nouvelle des nations, ou les disciples du Christ seront, selon la parole du prophete, les "reparateurs des breches, ceux qui restaurent les chemins, et qui rendent la terre bonne a habiter." (signe) E. Gruner, Le President du Conseil de la Federation Protestante de France, Ingenieur Civil des Mines, Officier de la Legion d'Honneur. (signe) Andre Weiss, Le President du Comite Protestant Franqais, Membre de I'Institut, Officier de la Legion d'Honneur, Professeur de Droit International a VUni