Newspaper Page Text
June 28, 1911 ]
printed In the church papers about the
new plan of Systematic Beneficence
have been written by the Assembly's
Committee, and have therefore dealt
Only with the Assembly's causes.
Chufches may conclude that the "consolidation"
mentioned covefs every
cause, Pfesbyterial and Synodical as
well as those of the Assembly. In this
why Synodical tibme Missions may be
omitted in the Every Membfef CanVasS.
2. Where the Assembly's plan has not
been adopted, the months of January
and July have been designated by the
Synod as the time for contributing to
Synodlcal Home Missions. This was
the beet the Synod could do, because the
ftibiithg heretofore allotted to this cause
had beeii pre-empted by the Assembly
for the Assembly's causes, jahuary Is
an unfavorable month for country
churches because of bad weather and
muddy roads. July is no less unfavorable
for city churches because of absence
Of pastors and members on their
giittimer Vacations.
3. Where the Every Member Canvass
is in operation and Synodical Home
Missions has not been overlooked, funds
may be allowed to accumulate, awaiting
division among the causes, and the
work materially suffer from this delay.
Great dilieence on the nart of naators
And sessions Will be needed that this
cause may not be overlooked where the
Assembly's plan has been adopted, and
that it may not suffer where said plan
is in operation.
A Time of Anxiety.
This cause is not far enough away
from us to have a halo around it, nor
near enough at hand to appeal to us
K because of local Interest. It occupies
that unfortunato middle ground so
I easily overlooked. There is uncertainty
always connected with the adop
Hon of new plans. We have projected
a somewhat larger work this year than
ever before. We are awaiting with the
Keenest anxiety the first quarterly reH
sponse from the church.es operating the
Assembly's new plan, and the July col
lection from those churches which have
not adopted it- These will determine
whether we can sustain the work undertaken
and with gratitude make an
advance, or whether the men on the
field shall be disappointed and with
sorrow we be forced to curtail this
heaven-blessed work.
Kindly endeavor, by whatever plan
you have in operation, to secure the ap
Iportionment made to this cause by your
Presbytery as a minimum, and forward
same promptly to the undersigned.
Praying the Master's richest blessing
on you and your work I am
Your co-worker in His cause,
M. MicG. Shields, Supt.
STATEMENT AND APPEAL.
To the Prcsbyteriau People of South
Caroline.
In the year 1897 the committee in
charge of your Home Mission work sent
their representative to Georgetown to
Investigate the claims of that point as
a suitable place for establishing a Mission.
After working and preaching for
several days, he secured a petition signed
by eight persons asking for a church.
Harmony Presbytery organized, in response
to that Detition. the first Pres
3byterian church In Georgetown, city or
county. In the fall of that year.
In the year 1906 the first church building
was finished at a cost of |3,500.00
In the same year a manse was built adjoining
the church, "a splendid building
with all modern improvements."
This was to be paid for on the installment
plan. The payments were being
promptly met. The outlook for the
church was full of promise. One wrote
"the day is not far distant when this
THE PRESBYTERI
church will be entirely self-supporting."
On the 17th of September, 1906, a
terrific storm visited that section, doing
much damage to property. Our
church building was so badly wrecked
that It was thought unwise to try to
repair it. The church, through its
representatives, came to Synod with a
report of their misfortune.
The Synod, at its meeting that Fall in
Laurens, said to. that little church and
ltd nMmmUtAA J ? * 4 *
vo wuiuimoe, gu uuuu a new ana oeuer
building. This Was done and in the
spring of 1898 it was finished at a cost
of $10,600.00. In order to bring it to
completion, however, several thousand
dollars was borrowed. Help from outside
came in slowly. Dark days came.
For a long time the church was without
a pastor. The few saints persevered.
They saw their hope of having
a manse taken away. Their building
was sold and what they had put
into it was used to reduce the church
debt.
We have there to day a good church
building of brick, an ornament to the
town, and a convenient place to worship.
On that building there is a debt of $4,600.00.
The money is loaned by one of
the banks of the city and we are paying
eight per cent, interest. The entire
membership of the church is forty-five.
Twenty-five are adult male members,
not one of whom is wealthy. The average
Income of the twenty is about $1,000.00.
There are fourteen ladies who
contribute through the Ladles' Aid So
ciety.
That little hand has said to us, if the
Synod will assume one-half the debt,
"we will be able to clear up the balance
in a short time." Your committee has
deliberated over it and has unanimously
said we ought to do it. This Statement
and Appeal was ordered to be prepared
and sent to you by them. $2,300.00 to
save a church to an entire county. That
is the proposition.
The debt is a legal and moral obligation.
for which the Synod is in part
responsible- Mistakes may have been
made. We believe some were made.
But it can be no mistake to pay the
debt. The good name cf the Presbyterian
church in the State is involved.
The debt is a burden upon one of our
Mission churches. A burden that is
?M iou8ly hindering its becoifting a selfsupporting
church. About one-half of
the income for current expenses go to
pay the annual interest.
We have there to day one of the best
pastois and preachers in the Synod. He
has gone there with a full understanding
of the situation. In the spirit of
his Master, and with faith in his
brethren, he has put his head, heart,
and hands to the work. He has said,
"I will stand by the little church until
it is on its feci." We believe the darkest
day is past. A little help just now
will insure the success of our effort to
establish a Presbyterian Church in
Georgetown.
Send all contributions to Rev. G. GMayes,
Treas., 206 Rhett Street, Greenville,
S. C.
Geo. G. Mayes, Superintendent.
THE ASSEMBLY'S MINUTES.
I congratulate the Church and take
satisfaction to myself, that twenty-one
days after the Assembly dissolved the
volume of Minutes, all complete, was
being mailed throughout our bounds,
and a few days later had gone to all our
ministers. It was a huge task to prepare
and print and read the proof and
issue in so short a time a book of 270
pages 100 of which are covered by
statistical tables. Only those who have
been through such a job can appreciate
the watchfulness, care and toll which it
involves. But it has been accomplished
A R or THE SOOTH
within the period which I had set; and I
thank God and rejoice.
For the success of this undertaking
credit is due to others who have faithfully
co-operated with me. The Presbyterlal
Stated Clerks, nearly all of
them, sent in their reports promptly and
usually in good form. iTrue, two of
them?I will not call their names?deSpite
all my urgency did not hand in
their reports until after the Assembly
had met and I was overwhelmed with
1 to urnrU tnrrv r\+Y* <-?*.* * In r-"? - *
.. v/i n , tnw utu\/lo, 111 IUC UL
earnest expostulations, used old, out-ofdate
blanks, necessitating my remodeling
their reports; and one or two others
had interlined and crossed their reports
in such a way as to make it hard for
the printer to handle them. But upon
the whole, the Stated Clerks did their
part well. The printers, too, stood by
me manfully, putting thought and intelligence
and skill into their work,
pushed it from start to finish, and giving
us a neat and tasty job.
Of course Bome errors will appear.
While I read the proof carefully myself,
in the hurry to get the volume oui
quickly, some mistakes doubtless
escaped my notice, and sometimes a
slip would occur, especially in the
many names and post offices. But
earnest efTort was made to have them
correct.
The last Assembly instructed us not
to guarantee the delivery of the Minutes;
that is, if any of our 1800 ministers,
to whom copies are mailed free,
fail to receive the copies sent them,
they cannot procure other free copies
from the Secretary of Publication. In
view of these instructions I have been
very careful to see that all were duly
mailed. The envelopes were addressed
in the Publication office at Richmond,
according to the lists furnished in the
statistical reports; but personally I
went over them very carefully, correcting
errors and omissions; and in
every case where request had been
made, changing the address- But a
number of our ministers have changed
their homes and postofflces since the
Presbyterial reports were sent in, and
if such fail to receive their Minutes, I
advise that they inquire at their former
post-offices. Under the Assembly's
orders we cannot supply other free
copies.
Let it be borne in mind that the Committee
of Publication, not the Stated
Clerk of the Assembly, handles the
printed Minutes. Any who wish to purchase
copies should therefore apply to
Secretary Magill, not to me. The price
fixed by the Assembly is fifty cents to
persons of our church, and $1 to outside
parties. But the recent Assembly
ordered that "all schools under Presbytenal
control, and any member of
Committees, (Assembly's, Synodical or
Presbyterial), should have the privilege
of purchasing copies of the Minutes at
twenty-five cents a copy."
Thos. H. Law, Stated Clerk.
THE WOMAN'S MISSIONARY UNION
OF LEXINGTON PRESBYTERY.
The Woman's Missionary Union of
Lexington Presbytery met in Waynesboro.
Virginia, on .Tuno ? o?/i a -ion
w , ?w W UilU 1/, 10X1,
with seven officers and fifty-two delegates
present.
Dr. D. K. Walthall, pastor of the
Waynesboro church, and his wife added
much to the pleasure and success of
the meeting.
Foreign Missions were presented by
Dr. and Mrs. P. F. Price, of China, and
Home Missions by Rev. P. B. Hill, of
Roanoke, and Miss Lizzie Mosley, of
House Mountain, in Rockbridge county,
Virginia. Mrs. E. P. Allen brought reports
from the Baltimore "Jubilee"
meeting, and the Ecumenical Confer
(615) 15
cnce In Edinburgh. One of the strong
talks of the meeting was on "The Relation
of Woman's Work to the Church,"
by Mrs. Q. A. Wilson, and Miss Lou
Withrow was delightful in her address
of welcome. Many splendid messages
were brought by our good women of
the Union, which now has fifty-five
societies enrolled, and their reports
were all enoouraelnp It woo qnaimot.
ed that the Union make special gifts
to the Industrial School now being
established by our church at Mercedes,
Texas, and delegates from thirty-six
societies rose to signify their willingness
to help in this work.
Some of the old officers were retained,and
some new ones elected. The staff
of officers at present is: President,
Mrs. G. A. Wilson, .Lexington, Va.;
vice-presidents, Miss M. C. Houston,
Mrs. B. W. Taylor, Miss Emma Davis,
Mrs. E. A, McNulty, Mrs. Holmes Rolston,
Miss Edith Suter; secretary and
treasurer, Mrs. E. G. Wade; secretary
of Young People's Work, Mrs. C. W. B.
Harris; secretary of literature, Miss
Hope Stuart.
An invitation was accepted from the
Harrisonburg church to meet there in
1912.
The spiritual tone of the meeting
inaae ub reel tnat It bad Indeed been
good for us to be there, and nothing
was left undone for the comfort and
pleasure of the delegates by the good
people of Waynesboro.
Ethel G. Wade, Secretary.
Raphine, Va.
GENERAL NEWS.
The Men and Religion Forward Movement
has Issued a booklet entitled "A
Program of Work," which outlines the
essential features of tbe movement
which has for its object the saving of
the men and boys of America. It may
be had from the Association Press, 124
East Twenty-eighth street, New York
City.
At least $100,000 for missions was the
goal set by the women of Western
Pennsylvania as a golden Jubilee fund.
The goal has been passed. The amounts
contributed according to the latest report
are: Methodist Episcopal, $7,567;
Methodist Protestant, $474; United Presbyterian,
$45,150; Reformed Presbyterian,
$115; Lutheran General Synod, $2,rian,
$5,150, Presbyterians, $17,000,
Welsh Presbyterians $115; Lutheran
General Synod, $2,573.50; Lutheran
General Council, $540; United Brethren,
$500; Episcopal, $2,500; Christian, $10,000;
Reformed Church In the United
States, $200; making a grand total of
$100,925.
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