Newspapers / North Carolina Baptist Missionary … / July 1, 1887, edition 1 / Page 1
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NORTH CAROLINA Baptist Missionary Worker. Jesus said: “ Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” IMio'bto z ‘‘Tlz© ■WoarlcA foi? CTesaiS CtLar-ish.” Vol. II. RALEIGH, H. 0., JULY, 1887. Ho. 2. STATE MISSIOIXS. Our leaders have heard the expreesion, “State Missions lie at the foundation of all our beneficent enterprises,” so often tliat I fear they may not fully appreciate its truth and force. But the facts in the case more than substantiate the assertion. The first State Jlission work done in N. C. w;is of a voluntary character in one sense, but compul sory in another. In 1C53, William Berkeley, governor of Virginia, drove all the Baptists and Quakers out of his colony, and they found refuge in the Albemarle region of our State. Paul Palmer, some years later organized old Shiloh Church, which still exists in Camden County. He also ordained Joseph Parkeic who. two years later, 17J9, organized Jleher- rin Cliurcli, which is still to be found near Murfreesboro. Twenty-one years later, San dy Run. in Bertie County, wa-s born from Me- herrin, and thus the work spread all over ea.stern Carolina. In 1742 Elder William Stijourner brought a •• «• . 4-> ..1 I /-i . . . T' ^ r- CnHV,'*! T , • Ct-.J tied in Halifax County. Ten years kiter this handful had grown into si.xteen clnu'ches. The most prosj)crous colony by far, was that which Shulial Stearns brought from the same comity, and settled on Sandy Creek in what is now' Randolph County. This church at first cornj)0.sed of 10 members, within sev enteen yeiu'.s had organized 42 clnu'ches. or- dainetl ltd minLsters and gathered a member- shii) of 000 souls. This work went on growing and multiply ing in this mo.st wonderful way until the days of Josiah Crudup, Roliert T. Daniel. Samuel Wait, Thomas Mederith and other such men, who, seeing the necessity of organized effort, began to plan for the siime. The Baptist State Convention which came into existence in lyOO was the result. At thi.s time, there were, including Anti-JIissionary and Free- Will Baptists, only 14 Associations, 272 churches and 10,300 memliers. As soon as organization was etroctel, ef forts were put forth to give the gospel U) tlie ' whole State. In 1331 four missionaries were sent out with North Carolina as their field of labor. From the seacoast to the Blue Ridge, and from the Blue Ridge on to tlie Tennessee lino anti even beyond, the. glad news of salvtv- tion Wits carried. And every county and neighborhooil in our commonwealth wa.s, sooner or hiter, visited by these men and their successors, from thiit d.ay to this. Space forbids that I should give in detail the sacrifices, sufferings and hard.ships endu red, and the successes anti glorious achiei e- nients accomplished by these messengers of Zion. In a few words let me give you the grt)wth : In 1770 there were but two churches in the State. In 1784 there were 42 clmrches, 47 ministers, 3,770 members. In 1812 there were 204 churches, 117 ministers and 12..7G7 member.s. In 1832 there were 332 cb.urches. 211 ministers iintl 18,918 members. In 18.71 there were 599 churches. 374 ministers and 41,074 membci's. In 1800 there were 692 churches, 374 ministers and .79.778 members. In 1870 there were 1442 cJiurches, 703 minis ters and 137,000 members. In 1880 there were 77 Associations. 1.90.7 churches and 172.9.71 members. Anti in 1883 there vvere 84 Associa tions, 2,280 clmrches and 238,009 members. TO PASTOIW AM) SUNDAY SCHOOL SUPEKINTENDEN'TS. I send a number of copies of the B.vptist Missionary Worker to the pastors and Sun day School Superintendents this week. Dear brethren, please distribute them as judiciously as you can among your churches and Sunday Schools. Read parts of the paper to them and ask them to give something to help us in our State Jlission Work. Our board is in great need. — OUR NEEDS. The State Mission Work needs three thous and dollars, to pay the Missionaries wliat h;us been due them for months. Will not all our churches and Sundav .S.'hool.s heln us Many ot the missiot;aries are suffering for the iilain necessaries of life. Remember we want help for State Mi.ssions. TIIE SUCCESS OF THIS YEAR. For some reason, oidy about fifty of our eigh- ty-one missionaries have sent us in JUiyrei)orts this year. This prevents us from giving full statements of what God has done for us, which is to be regrelttal. However, they will all be in iK-fore the end of tlie year, and it present indications are to be relied*upon, the results will b.e most gratifying. The figures which we have, are as follows : Days of lalor 3.893, .sermons 1824, churches and preaching stations ot'cupied 125, prayer .meetings held 708, religious visits made 2,883, additions to the churches 432, protracted meetings held 28. jirofesseil conversion 210, churches building 30 or more, churches lin- isheil 5, churches organizeil 4. sunday schools organized 32. This is a most jileasing exhiliit of the work done. And if the results of the labors of only about half the missionaries have been so great, what must be those of the TO OUR SUNDAY SCHOOLS. This week m;mj' of the Baptist Sunday .Schools in the State will reiu'ive copies of the Baptist Missionary Worker. This little paper is sent to you, dear friends, to tell you about our great mission work. I hope God will put it into your beart.s to give something to help send the gospel to those poor people who do not know Jesus Christ. There are thousands of them in our .State, and I beg you to take uj) a collection just as soon as possible and senl to me. or to brother F. II. Briggs. Treasurer of the Baptist State Con vention, for State Missions. The Board has 81 missionaries preaching in different parts of the State and we greatl.y necsl money to pay them. Be sure to send a contr ibution for State Missions. whole number I And this, too, has been the most trying jjart of the year. During the winter months the weather prevented the anissionaries from meeting manv of their ap- ]3ointments. And when they "reached the fields, frequently they met bu"t few, because of the inclemency of the weather. And then the epidemics which have pre- vailetl in many portions of the State this spring, have militated against the success of the work. And yet from every direction the most cheering news comes to us, and the prospects are brightening almost every day. A SUGGESTION, Dear Bro. Ray : How we poor overladen Secretaries of Mis sion Boards can sympathize with each other. I have just road your article in RtcorJer. Last winter when laid upon my back, I looked first upon a Treasurv' overdrawn thousands of dollars, and then into the faces of 2.70 men working foT (he lz>nl under imr Beard. t'I,> representeu l.buo women and chiklren de pendant ui>on them, my heart would bleed. I could do nothing but cry unto the Lord in my agony of soul. In His kindly )>rovidence he heli)e.i me so that the end of the financial year was one in which wo all rejoic(>d. But these things ought not so to be. We ought not to put under the wino-proas in this way. Well what is the matter' How can we remedy this sore evil'r I have ismdered this quesWon and have come to the tettlcd, un alterable conviction that we must have sys tem m our collections for missions. If .70,000 Baptists of N. C. would give for all Mis sion Work, including Ministerial Education, Colportage, &c. but two and one-half cents per week, ]>aying it monthly or even (|uar- terly, how e.asy it would bo" to run our Mis sion Work. .70,000 x 2J-~?1,2.70 per week, or ^5,000 j)er month of four weeks, or $05,000 for fifty-two weeks. That would give you $25,000 for State Mis sions, $15,000 for Foreign Missions, $10,000 for Ilome Missions and $15,000 for other pur- pose.s. Now don’t say “this ks vi.sionarv.” Don’t say like Bro. Chas. Taylor did, “Ye.s when you get that the milleniiium will have come.” De.ar Brother, this is practical. It c.an be done in old North Carolina. Not in a day, not in a v'ear, but by the Lord’s blessing in a few years it can be accom|)lished. What is needed is, 1st; to get all the repre sentatives of our Board to co-operate in it, aid('d by your i)aper, your women’s .societies and all the pastors you c,an intluence. In such a work you, John E. Raj', must lead. The others can do nothing without you: you must engineer the movement in N. C,; on j'ou. in j'our ])resent position. re.sts the res ponsibility of this whole matter. Now think of it. praj" over it. I believe this is the op>en door to success. AVith the acceptance of sucli a plan by half of our people our troubles will end. I shall bo glad to hear from you on this or any other matter that may interest j'ou. YourBro., I. T. Ticiienor.
North Carolina Baptist Missionary Worker (Raleigh, N.C.)
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July 1, 1887, edition 1
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