BAPTISTS. 



71 



the aid of friends in Great Britain, four ruission- 

 ;irn - iii Africa. 



Tlir American National Baptist Convention 

 labors to secure the general ana educational de- 

 xelopniciit of I he colored race, and has no special 

 Missionary work laid before it. The question of 

 oixani/ing a publishing house was discussed at 

 the annual meeting in September, 1892. The 

 receipts of the body were returned as 

 having been $275, and the expenditures $238. 

 During the same meeting another organization 

 niied, under the name of the National 

 H;ipii>t Kducational Convention. 



The New England Baptist Missionary Conven- 

 tion does a home mission and Church extension 

 work. Reports were made at the annual meet- 

 ing in June, 1892, of the work of 5 missionaries, 

 of missions at 6 places in New Jersey, and of aid 

 given to churches in New Jersey, Massachusetts, 

 and New York. The society has a widow's fund, 

 the receipts of which for 1891-'92 were $391. 

 Steps were taken at the annual meeting for the 

 organization of a foreign mission board, for 

 which an attempt was to be made to raise $1,000. 



44 Antimission " Baptists. At a general 

 meeting of the Regular Baptists of America 

 commonly called Antimission Baptists held 

 with Lick Creek Church, near Connersville, Ind., 

 Nov. 22, 23, and 24, 1892, a resolution was 

 adopted 



That the churches be recommended, at their stated 

 meetings, to make as the subject of special prayer the 

 Outpouring of the Spirit of God upon our ministry 

 and membership, for our general prosperity, and for 

 tin- sending forth of laborers into the Lord's harvest 

 at homo and abroad, as he in his wisdom may 

 direct. 



The education of ministers, missions, and Sun- 

 day schools were commended in an " Address to 

 all True Regular Baptist Churches of America." 

 The report of the Committee on Evangelistic 

 work, which was adopted, recited that it could 

 not be doubted that in no part of the service 

 which the people of the churches owed to the 

 Lord had they been so deficient as in the mis- 

 sionary spirit. " And in due proportion to this 

 neglect," the report continues, 



has been the spiritual dearth which has fallen upon 

 them and well-nigh taken away their existence. If 

 they would return to the favor of their Lord, it must 

 lie in tlu- way of that commandment which has en- 

 joined upon the ministry the preaching of the gospel to 

 every creature in all the world, until the consumma- 

 tion of the age of grace. ... As yet we have no mis- 

 sionary in a foreign field. Why should not our 

 hearts long for the lionor of seeing sent forth, in an- 

 swer to our prayers, chosen men of God? And why 

 should not the honor be ours of aiding them in their 

 self-denying labors -in behalf of fellow-mortals bur- 

 dened with superstition and darkness '< The way of God 

 has been to cause the work of his servants at home 

 and abroad to act and react upon each other. In re- 

 turn for the interest shown to the poor and benighted 

 of other lands, God has abundantly revived the wan- 

 ing energies of his people at home, others arc 

 already in the field : why stand we idle and indi tit-r- 

 ent to the misery of men and the glory of our precious 

 Redeemer t 



Mission boards, however, were not favored, but 

 rather " messengers " appointed by the churches 

 to manage missionary work. Another report 

 recommended 



The establishment of Sunday schools in all the 

 churches fur the Item-fit <>f the incml'cmhip of both 

 sexes and every age. This will not KUjH.-rM.-de the 

 ity of home instruction in the Bible, but rather 

 stimulate and encourage it, besides providing for 

 some who have not the blessing of home instruction. 



Baptists in Great Britain and Ireland. 



The following are the statistics of the British 

 Baptist Churches: 



Baptist Union of Great Britain and Ire- 

 land. The Baptist Union of Great Britain and 

 Ireland met in London, April 24. The Rev. T. 

 M. Morris presided. The report of the council 

 showed that the number of members had in- 

 creased from 334,763 to 337,409; that 15,187 

 members had been baptized during the year; 

 that 58,070 had been expended on new chap- 

 els ; 36,457 on improvements, new schoolrooms, 

 etc. ; and 64,302 toward the removal of debt. 

 The triennial report of the statistics of the world 

 showed, since 1889, an increase of 1,908 churches 

 and 227,086 members. A special report, which 

 grew out of a discussion of the subject at the 

 autumnal assembly of 1892, was adopted on the 

 subject of village churches. It alleged that the 

 difficulties under which these churches were 

 laboring arose from two sources : the depletion 

 of rural populations, and the latent and active 

 opposition of the state church organization, now 

 specially manifest in a sectarian policy with re- 

 gard to elementary education. It suggested as 

 the necessary remedies for them : provision of 

 trained local preachers able to supplement and 

 support the work of the village pastors; frater- 

 nal oversight of the smaller churches by stronger 

 churches in the adjacent larger centers of popu- 

 lation : and for churches not in charge of pas- 

 tors, the appointment as lay pastors, from 

 among the staff of local preachers or otherwise, 

 of men with weight of Christian experience. 



The year's receipts of the Baptist Missionary 

 Society had been 60,879, and the expenditure 

 74,958, while the indebtedness had risen to 

 30,514. The committee proposed to pay off 

 the whole of the debt out of the Centenary fund. 

 An increase of 15,000 in the annual receipts 

 was needed to secure an equilibrium between 

 present income and outgoings, and an effort 

 was recommended by the treasurer to secure a 

 permanent annual income of 100,000. The 

 contributions to the Centenary fund up to 

 March 31, with accrued interest on the sums that 

 had been paid in, amounted to 118,500 ; of this 

 sum 103,280 had actually been paid in cash. 

 The missionary staff had been increased by 10 

 laborers, commissioned to the Congo, India, 

 China, and Ceylon. Reports of steady progress 

 were received from the foreign fields, India, 

 China, Ceylon. Palestine, the Congo, and the 

 European missions. The Congo Mission now 



