Foreign Mission Board Rooms
April 10, 1945
The Foreign Mission Board met in semi-annual session on Tuesday night, April 10,
1945, at 8:00 P.M. with Mr, Jenkins presiding.
Dr. R. C, Gresham of Georgia led the devotions.
Mr. Jenlcins welcomed the visitors to the meeting.
The following members were present: STATE:- M.P. German, D.C.; K.K. Falkenstein,
Md. ; H.M. Fugate, Va.; W.A. Gray, Ill.; Mrs. George A. McWilliams , Mo. ; Otto Whiting-
ton, Ark.; C. Roy Angell, Fla.; T.C. Ecton, Ky.; Ralph A. Herring, N.C.; John M.
Wright, La.; R.C. Gresham, Ga.; W.R. Pettigrev;, S.C.; J.D. Franks, Miss.; John L.
Slaughter, Ala.; J.W. Storer, Okla.; Earl Keating, N. Mex.
LOCAL -C.C. Coleman, S.B. Cousins, J. Levering Evans, Mrs. John J. Wicker, Jr.,
John C. Williams, T. Rupert Coleman, R.E. Gaines, B.M. Gwathmey, L. Howard Jenkins,
Hill Montague, Mrs. T. Justin Moore, R. Aubrey Williams, Theodore F. Adams, Mrs.
Simeon Atkinson, Mrs. Earle Wood, J.G. Loving, C.S. Prickett, R. Hugh Rudd.
STAFF - M.T. Rankin, George W. Sadler, Everett Gill, Jr., J.W. Marshall, E.P.
Buxton, E.C. Routh, Miss Marjorie Moore, Iniss Mary Hunter, Miss Nan F. Weeks, Miss
Gene Newton, W. B. Johnson, Charles E. Maddry.
On motion of Dr. Fugate it was voted to dispense with the reading of the minutes
of the March meeting.
On motion of Dr. Fugate Dr. W.R. Pettigrew was unanimously elected First Vice-
President to succeed Dr. Ryland Knight.
The following report was read by Dr. Routh:
REPORT OK THE COMMISSION - E. C. Routh
The circulation of THE COMMISSION (as of April 1, 1945) is 72,000 which repre¬
sents a fifty per cent increase in less than two years. There has been a steady
growth in the circulation due to increased interest of Southern Baptists in their
world mission magazine, and to the adoption by many churches of the c hurch budget
plan. Nearly two hundred churches have placed THE COMMISSION in the budget, at least
for those members who have places of leadership in the life of the c hurch.
Texas leads with 11,484 subscriptions; North Carolina is second with 6,297;
Oklahoma, third, 5,659; Missouri, fourth, 4,961; Virginia, fifth, 4,061; Mississippi,
sixth, 4,017. However, in the ratio of COMMISSION subscriptions to the number of
Baptists, Arizona leads with 663 subscriptions (First Southern Baptist Church of
Phoenix has 526) for 4,541 Baptists, a ratio of one COMMISSION subscription to
every seven Baptists in that state. Other states have the following ratios in des¬
cending order: New Mexico, one to every 16 Baptists; Illinois, one to every 41;
Maryland, one to every 44; Oklahoma, one to every 45; Missouri, one to every 59;-
Texas, one to every 72; Virginia, one to every 72; Florida, one to every 75;
Mississippi, one to every 77; South Carolina, one to every 84; North Carolina, one
to every 89; Louisiana, one to every 105; District of Columbia, one to every 107;
Arkansas, one to every 127; Alabama, one to every 128; Tennessee, one to every 164;
Kentucky, one to every 166; Georgia, one to every 200.
Our most serious problem is the shortage of paper stock. We are permitted by
the Government to use only ninety per cent of the tonnage consumed in 1942. We
have been able to take care of our circulation thus far by reducing the number of
pages and using a lighter weight paper. We have reasonable expectation to reach,
next year, the goal of 100,000 circulation set two years ago by Dr. Maddry, provided
we can secure sufficient paper stock.
For the first time in the history of THE COMMISSION, we are able to report that
for the first quarter this year our receipts have exceeded our expenditures. The
total receipts were $12,561.49 (subscriptions, $12,075.08 and advertising $486.41);
total expenditures were §11,750.93, leaving a cash balance of $810.56 in operations
for the quarter. The subscription receipts exceeded by $2,623.84 the subscription
receipts for corresponding period last year.
It is our desire, through THE COMMISSION, to acquaint Southern Baptists with
every phase of missionary activity in every area in which we have foreign mission¬
aries, as well as to point out the possibilities of unoccupied fields. We shall
