"And they that ba wlae shall ahlna aa the brightness of the firmament;*
and they that turn many to rlghteousneas, aa the atars forever and aver.**
Ш?р
Jfamgtt mission SnunraL
Entered at the PoitOfSce at Richmond. Va.. aa Baeond-Claaa Matter.
Vol. LIX. JUNE, 1909. No. 12.
OUR GROWTH IN TEN YEARS.
The last meeting of the Southern Bap¬
tist Convention In Louisville was In 1899.
At the closo of ten years the Convention
has just returned to that city to hold its
meeting. It Is interesting to note the in¬
crease of our work within these ten years.
It gives us a good viewpoint from which
wo can look back and see how the Lord
has led us. We can well say, "Ebenezer,
hitherto the Lord has led us." There has
been an increase along all lines—In the
total amount given by our people, and in
the average gift per member; in the num¬
ber of missionaries on the field and in
the number of baptisms. It is interesting
to note how the increase in the various
departments has gone on step by step. In
each item this Increase has been more
than three-fold. In the total income it ia
considerably more than four-fold.
This Increase is shown in the following
table:
Missionaries
Bnptisn s
Income
Average per
Munber
1899
82
845
$109,267
07
1900
91
1,341
140,10*2
09
1901
1C2
1,009
156,083
10
1902
115
1,439
173,849
10
1903
127
1,790
218,512
13
1901
13S
2,07G
247,629
14
1905
1S1
2,231
2S3.415
15
190C
189
2,445
315, 24S
17
1907
2(73
2,339
403, Sll
20
190S
222
2,174
402,328
20
1909
231
2,905
460,790
22
** J*
LET TREASURERS REMIT PROMPTLY.
We believe that one reason our re¬
ceipts are so small at the beginning of
the year is that the treasurers of our
churches, associations and States some¬
times think that it is unnecessary to
make remittances promptly and in this
way there are thousands of dollars that
Ho idle for months while we are paying
interest in the banks. If all the treas¬
urers within our bounds would make a
rule to remit promptly at least once a
month, a considerable change would be
made in our receipts. The rule of the
Board is to publish in the Journal the re¬
ceipts up to the fifteenth of each month.
If the treasurers would remit by the first
or the tenth of the month these amounts
could reach the Board whether sent
through State organizations or direct to
Richmond in full time to be credited in
the Journal. We want to ask that pas- .
tors, deacons, and chairmen of finance
committees see to it that the church
treasurers remit each month, if it is only
a small amount The thousands of little
springs supply the streams that make the
river which flows on through the whole
year. If these little springs should be di¬
verted into reservoirs or dammed up by
the thousands so that the life-giving wa¬
ter would not go down for months, great
suffering and want would come through
the land. It may seem a small matter
in one church for one collection to be
held up, but it is not a small matter
when ten thousand of them are kept back.
It will be well for each church and each
association to pass a resolution ordering
that all funds should be sent forward at
least once every month.
