The American Missionary — Volume 35, No. 7, July, 1881Various
Religion
The American Missionary — Volume 35, No. 7, July, 1881
Various
Congregational churches -- Missions -- Periodicals; Home missions -- Periodicals
The property was well enough, and there was work enough to be done
among the dense native population settled upon or near it; but an
ordained minister to be the pastor of the church, a married man,
a man fully qualified for the great and responsible work, one
after God’s own heart, earnest, energetic, efficient, spiritually
minded, with a paramount love for the lost souls of his own people,
was wanting. The good seed had been sown, but there was needed
some one to harrow it in, nurture the growth and reap the harvest.
In this extremity God raised up one who seems to be the right
man for the place. Mr. Kemp is a graduate of Lincoln University,
and ably represents the thorough and practical training of that
institution. With his coming and installation as pastor, the
struggling church took heart, and determined, forgetting those
things which were behind, to press forward toward those better
things which they believed were in store. The examination took
place on Saturday evening, April 9th, and was well attended, and
although Mr. Kemp was feeling somewhat unwell at the time he stood
the long and searching fire of questions, theological, wise and
otherwise, with credit to himself and with great satisfaction to
the council, which, besides the “my-doxy” members, was composed
of representatives of various shades of theological opinion. This
fact indeed formed one of the pleasantest features of the council.
Here in the midst of a heathenism rendered fouler and more corrupt
by contact with an immoral civilization, and in a common work
for a common Master and a common people, party names were wholly
forgotten. One of the best and most earnest prayers that I have
ever heard was offered on this occasion by an excellent brother
of the Church Missionary Society, and he had no book before him
or gown on his back. The ordination exercises on Sabbath morning
were attended by a full house, while a deep sense of the solemnity
of the hour seemed to pervade every heart. The Holy Spirit was
manifestly present to sanctify the new relationship with the
outpouring of His grace. As appropriate to the occasion, the third
chapter of the First Epistle to Timothy was read. The sermon, full
of earnestness and spiritual power, was preached by Brother Evans
of the Shengay Mission. The charge to the people by Brother Jowett
was partially historical, reviewing the course of the church in
times past, and counseling sound wisdom for the future. Brother
Nurse, who knew something of the wants of the field, gave the
charge to the pastor; and Brother Jackson, of whose growing work
at Avery Station a fuller account will be given at another time,
as his co-worker in the mission, very feelingly gave his brother
missionary the right hand of fellowship; while it was my privilege
to offer the ordaining prayer. After the benediction, pronounced
by their new pastor, the people, with tears of gladness in their
eyes, flocked around him and his good wife, whom they had already
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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