Board. Rooms, April 7th, 1937
The semi-annual meeting of the Foreign Mission Board was held on
Wednesday, April 7th, with President L. Howard Jenkins presiding.
The meeting was opened with a brief devotional period by Brother
Frank Leavell. After a prayer by Brother E. H. Pruden, Brother Leavell
also gave in addition some of his impressions gathered in his visit to
China and Japan.
The following State Members were present: Lemuel Hall, Illinois;
John E. Briggs, D. C., Otto Whitingjon, Arkansas; Francis A. Davis, Mary¬
land; H. M. Fugate, Virginia; W. R. Pettigrew, South Carolina; Thomas
Hansen, Florida; Ryland Knight, Georgia; J. H. Anderson, Tennessee;
E. B. Willingham, Missouri: Local Members: Brethren Loving, Adams ,
Matthews, Harris, Coleman, Slaughter, Gwathmey, Montague, Williams, and
Mrs. Moore; also Executive Secretary, Charles E. Maddry; Assistant Ex¬
ecutive Secretary, Jessie R. Ford; Field Secretary, R. S. Jones; Edu¬
cational Secretary,
С.
B. Bowen; Assistant Educational Secretary, Mary
M. Hunter; Publicity Secretary, Inabelle G. Coleman, and Treasurer, E.
P. Buxton.
The following visitors were present: Dr. John R. Sampey, Mr.
Frank Leavell, Dr. and Mrs. W. B. Glass, Mrs. Maddry, Rev. T. B. Stover,
Dr. E. H. Pruden, Mrs. C. G. McDaniel, Mrs. John E. Briggs, Mrs. A. W.
Cummings, Mrs. Lemuel Hall, Mrs.
С.
B. Bowen and Rev. L. H. Walton.
Dr. Maddry made his semi-annual report as follows:
SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT
OF EXECUTIVE
TARY
The semi-annual meeting of the Foreign Mission Board will have to
SECRE-face many difficult and critical problems, and the decisions you regis¬
ter here will be vital and far-reaching in the ongoing of God's Kingdom
in some sixteen foreign countries where wo now have work. It will take
two full days of earnest and untiring work if we give due consideration
to each of these matters that shall come before you. We hope, therefore,
that you will possess your souls in patience and give unhurried and
pa-tient attention to every one of these important matters presented to
you. We have to live with them continuously and now we are hoping to
have you share with us for this time the responsibility for these impor¬
tant Kingdom matters.
First of all for your encouragement, we give you a few brief facts
with respect to the financial status of the Foreign Mission Board.
For the year 1936, the Board received from the several states of
the Convention the sum of $969,794.74. In addition to this amount, we
received from income on endowment funds, bequests and miscellaneous
sources, the sum of $46,003.60. From the sale of property and special
gifts for debts, we received the sum of $34,776.23, making a grand total
of $1,040,574.57. Thus for the first time in several years our total
income passed the million mark.
The total budget exclusive of debt funds, for 1937, was fixed at
the October meeting at $789,165.73.
For the first quarter, January, February and March, 1937, the
total budget receipts were $282,850.93, (including $112,385.92 from the
Lottie Moon Offering designated for budget items), Lottie Moon (exclusive
of amount claimed for budget), $177,000.36, and Debt Receipts, $18,503.99.
THE DEBT
On January 1, 1933, the debt of the Board in the four banks of
Richmond was $1,110,000.00. The debt today is $367,500.00. It will be
seen that we have paid on the principal of the debt the sum of $742,500.00.
The banks have reduced the interest rate from 6 % to 5%, then to 4^, and
now we are paying 4%.
We are going to recommend at the October meeting that the remain¬
der of the debt be put in the budget and be paid through a period of
from three to five years.
MISSIONARY PERSONNEL
In 1927 the Board had a total of 544 missionaries on the rolls.
In 1934 there were 377 in the active service of the Board. Since
