PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN THE UNITED STATES. 



777 



action on proposed amendments to the Con- 

 stitution and Canons, reports of standing and 

 special committees, the state of the Church, 

 education and progress, etc., some of the 

 chief features of interest to church people at 

 large this year were the report of the com- 

 mittee on the enrichment of the Liturgy ; 

 the action on this report and its recommenda- 

 tions; the changes and additions actually ac- 

 complished ; the prominence given to the dis- 

 cussion of the question of a reunion of Prot- 

 estant Christendom in America; the several 

 steps suggested and taken in this direction; 

 recommendations and action in regard to the 

 judicial system of the Church ; proposals as to 

 a suitable name or designation for the Ameri- 

 can Episcopal Church, etc. The proceedings 

 of the two houses, in respect to the important 

 matters connected with the Book of Common 

 Prayer, are presented consecutively in u Sup- 

 plementary Journals," covering 234 pages, and 

 hound up with the "Journal of the General 

 Convention" of 1886. 



Domestic and Foreign Missions. The Board of 

 Missions consists of the bishops of the Church, 

 of the members of the House of Deputies, of 

 the delegates from the missionary jurisdic- 

 tions, and of the Board of Managers. For 

 facilitating business and securing full attend- 

 ance, it holds its sessions at the same time and 

 place as the General Convention. A Mis- 

 sionary Council is appointed at every trien- 

 nial meeting of the General Convention, com- 

 prising ail the bishops, an equal number of 

 presbyters, and an equal number of laymen. 

 It meets annually (except in the years when 

 the Board of Missions meets), and is charged 

 with taking all necessary action in regard to 

 missionary work of the Church. The Board 

 of Managers is selected from the Missionary 

 Council, comprising the presiding bishop as 

 president, and fifteen other bishops, fifteen 

 presbyters, and fifteen laymen. It is charged 

 with the management of the general missions 

 of the Church, and, when the Board of Mis- 

 sions is not in session, exercises all the cor- 

 porate powers of the Domestic and Foreign 

 Missionary Society. All other bishops of 

 the Church, together with the secretary and 

 treasurer of the Society and of the Board of 

 Managers, are ex-officio members of the Board 

 of Missions, but have not the right to vote. 

 The board divides its work between a domes- 

 tic committee and a foreign committee, with 

 headquarters in New York. 



Dome-tic Missions. Sept. 1, 1885, to Sept. 1, 

 1886, missionaries (13 missionary jurisdictions 

 and 30 dioceses): bishops, 14; other clergy 

 (white, colored, Indian), 421 ; teachers, other 

 helpers, etc., 66; total, 501. The financial 

 condition was as follows: 



Offerings, legacies, etc $189,264 58 



Specials 29.508 98 



Legacies for investment 102,691 88 



Total $321,465 34 



Expenditures (13 missionary jurisdictions and 



80 diocese.-,) $116,040 17 



Missions among Indians, etc 58,714 71 



' ffice and other expenses 1 6,798 11 



Balance in hand 24,885 08 



Total $216,433 07 



Foreign Missions Sept. 1, 1885, to Sept. 1, 

 1886, missionary bishops, 4; other clergy 

 (white and native), 58; teachers, helpers, etc., 

 260; total, 318. The financial condition was 

 as follows: 



Offerings, legacies, etc $150 912 12 



Specials 114.755 58 



Legacies for investment 102,000 00 



Total $367,667^0 



The Woman's Auxiliary to the Board of Mis- 

 sions renders important and efficient aid in all 

 the departments by means of parochial, city, 

 county, and diocesan associations of ladies, 

 formed for the purpose of raising money, pre- 

 paring and forwarding boxes to missionaries 

 and mission stations, and in various other ways 

 giving help to the missions of the Church. 



Money raised for domestic, foreign, freedmen, 



and other missions $82 913 70 



Boxes for the same (2,629 in number), value 150,813 06 



Total $233,726 76 



The American Chnrch Missionary Society (also 

 auxiliary to the Board of Missions) has em- 

 ployed during the year, in 16 dioceses and mis- 

 sionary jurisdictions, 32 missionaries. The 

 financial condition was as follows: 



Receipts from parishes, etc $10,120 39 



Receipts for foreign missions 443 64 



Balance in treasury Sept. 1, 1866 8,397 40 



, Total $18,96648 



A number of boxes of clothing were sent to the 



missionaries, in value 3,000 00 



The Society has also in property, securities, etc. 103,425 00 



The Mexican League, in aid of church work in 

 Mexico, reports that during the past three 

 years (September, 1883, to September, 1886) 

 it has contributed in both general and special, 

 through the Foreign Committee, $27,713.64. 

 It has also published reports, leaflets, circular 

 letters, etc. Some of the difficulties connected 

 with the affairs of the Church in Mexico have 

 been removed, and greater confidence is felt in 

 the matter and in the progress of the work. 



The American Chnrch Building I mid Commission, 

 established in 1880, continues to do a good 

 work. It has still in view to create a fund of 

 not less than $1,000,000, in order to aid in 

 building new churches, and it hopes at no dis- 

 tant day to secure that amount. Contributions, 

 however, come in slowly, and the Commission 

 does the best that it can with the means at 

 command. During three years (1883-'86) a 

 hundred churches in various parts of the coun- 

 try have applied for help. This has been ex- 

 tended, both in gifts and loans, in sums usual- 

 ly not exceeding $500. The amount of the 

 permanent fund, Sept. 1, 1886, was $68,493.91. 



The Society for promoting Christianity among the 

 Jews (also auxiliary to the Board of Missions) 

 reports steady and on the whole encouraging 

 progress. The Society has missionaries at work 



