The American Missionary — Volume 41, No. 12, December, 1887Various
Religion
The American Missionary — Volume 41, No. 12, December, 1887
Various
Congregational churches -- Missions -- Periodicals; Home missions -- Periodicals
Great pleasure is taken in the advance that is made each year in
the matter of industrial and agricultural training; and every
effort which tends to transform this people into an intelligent,
upright Christian yeomanry, will be a profound blessing. Our
constant aim should be to establish the true dignity of labor and
the healthful desire to possess property and an intelligence that
secures the best condition as property holders. Your committee are
of the opinion that the opportunity for good through these schools
was never larger than at present, and that the need of enlargement
in many is imperative, and also that the time has come to push the
work of special endowment for the larger institutions, that they
may become independent of any financial pressure and may be put
upon a permanent basis. And therefore of the three alternatives
suggested by the claims of the work at present which they suggest
in their report, can endorse one only, and do therefore most
heartily recommend that instead of sacrificing the character of the
work, instead of reducing the amount of work done, the Association
shall have more money.
* * * * *
REPORT ON CHURCH WORK, SOUTH.
BY REV. CYRUS RICHARDSON, CHAIRMAN.
Your committee into whose hands has been placed the report of the
church work in the South desire to state their impressions by
calling attention to three or four important points.
First, to the marked increase in the membership of the
Sunday-schools—an increase during the year of 2,000 pupils, or 15
per cent., bringing the present membership up to 15,109.
Comparing this with the entire enrollment in 1882, we find that
during the five years there has been a growth of 100 per cent.
This is specially gratifying because it is understood that
Sunday-schools or missions started at new stations look to
the speedy establishment of churches at those stations; while
well-organized schools in churches already established result in
the careful study of God’s word, with a constant application of
inspired doctrine to practical life, looking both to the permanence
of the churches and the personal purity of their members.
Another important item noticed in the report appears in the
statement touching the amount of money which these churches have
given.
Beside the $16,000 contributed for their own religious work, $2,300
have been devoted to pure benevolence. If this should seem a small
sum as a contribution of 127 churches, it must be remembered
that it is the gift of poverty, and not of wealth. The free-will
offerings of almost any one of these congregations, when compared
with the contributions of not a few New England churches, suggest
the words of the Master: “She hath cast in more than they all.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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