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i6 T1
Missionary
PRESBYTER IAL HOME MISSION
CONFERENCE.
By Rev. Bunyan McLeod.
The high water mark in home mis
&iuus is yvi 10 come. u is near at nana
because the church is beginning to see
its great importance. Up to a few years
ago the church was only playing with
home missions. And it has been the observation
of the writer that the more
vigorously home mission work is prose
euted, the fewer the mission fields become.
Home mission work |S a work of faith,
and hence many weak Christians have
misgivings as to its success. Take the
following illustration. Here is a town
that gives excellent promise of growth
and reaches its zcniih in a few years. A
panic comes on and file town begins to
die. Many of its best and thriftiest settlers
move away, and the little church
planted in faith is compelled to close its
doors. And some of you in passing
criticism will say '"what a waste of the
Lord's money!" It is not a waste of
money at all. Think of the influence
that little church exerted?think of the
souls it brought to Jesus Christ. There
is no such thing as waste in work done
for God.
And SO we hail with delicht the ?rrn:it
educational campaign inaugurated by our
worthy Home Mission Secretary, Dr. S. L.
Morris. The Home Mission Committee of
the Southern Presbyterian church has
secured ex-Governor Glenn, of North Carolina,
for this campaign, and we feel
sure it will mean much to the cause of
Home Missions in the Presbyterian
church. The campaign will close at Anderson,
S. C., with a three days' conference,
beginning Sunday, May 16. On Sunday
Governor Glenn will speak in the
morning at Central and evening at
the First Presbyterian Church. Mon
day and Tuesday will be given over
to a Presbyterial conference on Home
Missions, conducted by Governor
Glenn, and we hope. Dr. S. L. Morris.
We earnestly hope that every
church in the South Carolina presbytery
will send delegates to this conference.
And let us not forget this conference in
our morning and evening devotions, and
let our united prayers be that it will be
the beginning of great things for South
Carolina presbytery and tbe Presbyterian
church, U. S.
Anderson, S. C.
HOME MISSIONS IN THE PRESBYTERY
OF MISSISSIPPI.
We have a number of weak, but promising
and important churches in our
southern section. Every one of them is
now ministered to regularly by strong
and acceptable preachers. Without a supplement
from our treasury these gend
men could not be supported in their earnest
work. One of these churches is a
new organization on a new railroad In
a town which is the county site of an
opulent county, with forests of pine and
other valuable timber, fertile valleys and
healthful hills.
KE PRESBYTERIAN OF THE SOU
In addition to these organized churches
we have a mission field. The Presbytery
of Mississippi is responsible for it. On
our eastern border is a new railroad already
doing a large business. From the
Pearl to the Mississippi another railroad
crosses the entire width of our territory.
From a point in northeast of our territory
to the southwest, another road has
been surveyed and capitalists are spending
their money in preparations for building.
These roads run throueh vnllevs
and hills of boundless resources.
New towns and villages are being built
and are attracting small clusters of industrious
and thrifty people. Railroad
junctions and shops, temporary saw mills
and permanent lumber plants will be centers
of good population. Presbyterian
families have already moved into some
of these promising communities. We
must send our evangelist to hold meetings
in these places and organize
churches where it Is necessary.
For the past two years wo have had
no regular evangelist. We have one now.
February is the month for our Home
Mission collection. It every church will
send promptly the amount apportioned
(see printed minutes, October, 1908), we
win ue iiui|jiy auie 10 carry on our gooa
work. Let us make a generous offering
in February. Remit promptly.
S. C. Caldwell.
Hazlehurst, Miss.
CHRISTMAS IN THE TEXAS PRESBYTERIAN
ORPHANS' HOME.
Another Christmas has come and gone
and Santa Claus has made his rounds,
scattering sunshine and .happiness into
the hearts of millions of children. Rut
perhaps there is no place where his arrival
was appreciated more than in the
Presbyterian Home jnirt Srhrwii tnr nr.
lihans, at Piles, Texas.
This home is under the control of (he
synods of Arkansas. Oklahoma, and Texas
of the Presbyterian church, U. S., and
is located on a high hill overlooking the
little village of Files, and surrounded on
all sides by beautiful farms of rich, black
land.
It was the writer's good fortune to
spend Christmas with the children in this
home, and it was a happy day indeed.
1 arrived at the Home on the afternoon
of the twenty-third, and found the supur*
intendent and matron busily engaged in
preparation for Santa Claus. For three
uujb ine mrge iarra wagon nad Deen busy
hauling out boxes of express, and packages
that had been sent for the children,
which contained many nice gifts for the
little orphans.
The happiest scene I have ever witnessed
was Christmas morning when the
little children arose bright and early, and
rushed into the parlor to see what Santa
Claus had brought. Throughout the entire
building rang the chorus of happy"'
voices minaled with the sound of horns
and harps, and the rattle of toys. Every
child seemed to enjoy the day to its
fullest capacity, and they were not alone.
As 1 watched the little bright, faces my
heart went up to God In thanksgiving for
what he had done for his helpless ones.
The next place we * visited was the
TH. Fcbruaiy 3, 1909.
chapel, where a nice Christmas tree had
heen arranged and loaded down with
gifts for the children. Here Santa Claus
made his appearance and captured the little
crowd which swarmed around him,
each shouting at the top of his voice,
claiming recognition.
An interesting character in this home
is a little three-year-old girl, who has
been in the Homo one year. She 's one
of a family of Ave children whose mother
died and left them without anyone to help
care for them except a father. This father
is a ministerial student in Trinity University
and for that reason the Home came
to his relief in caring for his five helpless
children, and made it possible for
him to continue his college course. It
was the mother's earnest request and
prayer that her children be kept together
and that the husband be permitted to finish
his education and trot ir.tr, tho
work of the ministry. God has abundantly
answered that prayer in opening the
doors of this beautiful Home and school
to these little children, and thus opaning
the way for the father in college.?Cumberland
Presbyterian.
DALLAS HOME MISSIONS.
To the Pastors and Churches of Dallas
Presbytery. My Dear Brethren: Your
Home Mission Committee had to scale
down the appropriations to our Home
missionaries for the third quarter, and
even then there was a very considerable
deficit and we had to borrow from the
bank. The bank will not continue to carry
you unless you maintain your credit.
Moreover, it means much embarrassment
to our meagerly paid fourteen missionaries
to have their salaries cut down.
February is the month for Local Home
missions. Your committee cannot make
bricks without straw, we can not pay
these men you have employed unless you
send us the money. The work calls loudly
for further advance. God has given
his people the means. Will you not come
up to the help of the Lord's work? We
need the assistance of every lover of
Zion. Please take the offering in February
and send to Prof. D. F. Eagleton,
Sherman, Texas, who is Presbytery's
t reasurer.
Faithfully your servants.
The Home Mission Committee.
Jno. V. McCalt, Chm.
RFAn THIS I CTTCn
It Will Do You Good.
Athens, Ga., Jan. 15, 1909.
Editor of The Presbyterian of the South.
Your favor of before me. Have
only one hand?the left, and indeed, no
other; lost my right arm twenty years
ago. Have good vision from one eye
only. Am now 85 years old; can read
without glasses, and attend church once
on Sabbath. Health and digestion good.
Preached every Sabbath, unless in bed?
no vacation. Have supplied usually two
phliPPhPQ' hatro
f ?* ? V 1 v vv j t \-u UUUU1 CUO ill LU
connection with, the church. Preached
in Athens and Augusta Presbyteries. Am
waiting the Master's call, "Come home."
Half of my family In Heaven; expect to
be with them soon.
Your brother in Christ,
Henry Newton.