The number of parishioners shrunk to 10,000 (1933), then considered a small number for an urban congregation.

As Mennonites moved from rural areas, they formed new urban congregations, bringing together people from both denominations.

St Mary's combines two roles, as the cathedral for the diocese and as a large urban congregation.

Feeling that Central could not fulfill the dreams he had for an influential urban congregation, Jones offered to resign, an offer that was rejected.

The contemporary Gabriel is the pastor of a large wealthy urban congregation for whom religion is a matter of appearances, not beliefs.

As people take time off for family trips, visits to the golf links or lazy days at home, attendance at some urban congregations falls by half.

President Bush urged suburban churches today to do more to promote racial reconciliation by creating partnerships with poor urban congregations.

Now, urban congregations are feeling the pinch.

"We in urban congregations often give great sermons, but we don't do nearly as much as we could," he said.

By the next fall, some two hundred united orders had been founded at least on paper, among both rural and urban congregations.