LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 630, 6 October 1909, Page 5

LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY.

.-■■ ■' -''' '.""' '•''♦' -;■ .''.'.■.• '.'.',' C THE WELLINGTON AUXILIARY. . ! { ADDRESS BY.'EEV. G. J. WILLIAMS. ) The'annual meeting .'of'. the .Wellington ■. Auxiliary of the London.Missionary Society-was \ held ;iri .the Wellington, Terrace Congregational |V Suhday school last" evening. '.The.Hon.George Fowlds presided, ' and 'there was'-''a -large i' attendance.- . - • :■;., ■■■'.-' : • '',- ! '. ' ;.''■'.. ' -'• The; Report.'." '' • -....','■ ' .V T . h \, aunU! ' l - rc of the auxiliary !.stated that quarterly, meetings had been held in the ; Churches, and had beonwell attended.' The ' ["rl™ ■ shUes sent ? ut ; b r ; the'.Mission'House had been very acceptable. Six; monthly reports had .been"obtained from the.var'ious churches,' and also.-from the /Watchers* Band secretary, and. tbis had been-.tho; means of'the auxiliary coming more iri-vtouch with, the local churches,' ; besides,kindling more interest'in the individual ; shurohe5 hurohe . s - n; Literature received -from- tho' Melf bou.rnooffice-had been duly-distributed to the vanous .churches,-but there had'always: been more literature-received than the churches required. As regards the future, a proper system , w V .under consideration by the auxiliary, which would make -the. distribution" of - th'e-.literature received , more, systematic.. The auxiliary had < under..consideration the formation of a 'library wllSw.^? na i7 bo( * s >°uM be'.obtained" . L'™hS ""' ? nd <"> her , eat V °f" the." churches and .the Sunday school. A: young: man had offered-his services as librarian, and- such-1 .library, would give considerable impetus• fto the mission .-work : A.'room had been offered free of rent for .the.: use of. the anxiliary" and the, whole ..matter was now in the hands of'a . commitWe, for: consideration.- The- amount re-' > ceittd;.for.-the" London .Missionary- Society 'for T^fl 1 ,s '2!l., which watlS by.£1..135. 2d. than, the .amount, for 15.07. V '■■('; '-..-.''"th'jj JChui-ch's Unfinished.Tosfe;*''■'-,■.',-;';' : V A wM- Ml k 3 ''- WM 'BW,by 'the Ro'v.'G. J. Williams, .assistant organising secretary of the-Lflnuon Missionary Society for Australasia : ChurchsUnfinished'.Task." Thb tastreferred ■t°.':-, w : ' h e';cvangelisatiqn of tho'.world.," Mr; •Williams said no would refer-first of all to the asnectsof,the;i)roblem. It meant winning-'to Ciinst-217-'millions /of :-Moham- : medans, piercing with -the ■" light 'of Christ • tho .darkness of 108. mUliou Buddhists,. proclaiming to .203 millipinhiiidus that-,-He ..whoin-.their •sages had bcen i .se'eking,.was ..Christ, .ahd: show--"K-toMOPt million ;Chinese that Christ'.was Chinas only, hope.; To.many.it seemed'that-the task_was ,too gigantic' for Achievement,, but, :a's the Duke 01; Weihngton informed-.a clergyman who,'expressed- that, opinion, they bad 'their" marching orders,, and, it. was not'.for':them-:to ; cpnsidor whether the-thing could bb-dorie," but it. : .pealing.next..,rith-matters'.for.-eh-couragement,::Mr.. Williams said that there was •a-tremendous heroism, latent in the Church: if .t, h . erß :*'??,.a, sufficiently inspiring-task4o'Call ■'•* iw l-^ G,EI C n V? J tasl i s gigantic'men; if, the Cbnreh had not this tremendous charge ho bolioyed that they would sink- into 'religions and ■ be'-remembore'd wso.that .Const, Who sent them .forth ,'to do this ■ work." '.had ■'..- Himself.',:■ done -: the ■ SJW I ;/ 1 'P ri t' : V''P f '.-V^'''"' ; '' ln ''-'* r ßi'ie;'---''that vßristian, missions had-never, been, .so isuccess.' ful 'as ,they, wereVatV.the' 'presenti time, 1 , the ;P?.ak«<. stated -.that': after -the-'first' two-'oen-'t^l€'r>,<xvristl<uli w Pth'in Rome, .carried: on ,with all the fervour of the" primitive' Ohiireh; there were'only 50,000 Christians in' that "city nC? re f s li."- tei '' "missibn"workvin .bhina, there 'Were now. 'one■ million: Protestant 'Chinese,-" The Protestant Churoh'.' in'; CKina" bad.doublcd itself every; seven--years,-'ahd this -had ;been' accomplished'by•a<bod>o'f.-metf who .to-day w?re 0n1y..4000 'strong.- ■' If "Australasia were, treated ,;pn.tho: same 'scale-"there'-would .bo. 0n1y.,,5p. ministers''for l the' ; . whole .grea.t.-territory,-' whereas- 'now., thk'e.:.ivere 5 ."250 .Oougregahonal, ministers alone.-^-In'lndia :.'tK«: lost!census;showcd.:that. while ;th6'pDi)ulati6'n •had increased by 21 por' : oept;, the PrriUsrWit • !>? d ""creased. by'.-28■ jer,.oe'ri"f.':' ilh '.faco of theseififrnies,'he,"strongly-denied':the assc'r-" tions .sometimes made: that- the 'Church's .swnary.. : wprk.-was a 'failure. If:they did this' , work as it should be done, 25 years'would see ■the',-gigantic- task ' Moreover, - hewas gperfectly/ certain that- if this-task, was' not finished, - the Church' i would trip.-.up over -its unfiuishediTvork, :an'd into decadence.' The chnrchesin Asia Minor, and Alexandria ad \, cau S.,^ B y '; n *glectcd missionary. \VolrK.Hrt Mr. . Williams): ,contrasted v'the amounts spent on missionary labours with the drink and tobacco bills 'of the\Empi're,'. and : stated: that the, drink'.bill for one' year would .provide.,.sufficient.-funds- : to. complete the : evangelisation J . of the' :world. .: Theror •jvas'' a '■ blasphemy of the sanctuary' as wellas of the .gnttpr.V and' those/who''sang lilting hymns to Christ on Sundays arid'gave le>s to cause Him to be crowned than they gave every'.week for : ■newspapers ;W.ere'guilty, or such .blasphemy.-'. :;■'.:: ; -;.-._'s)-' Election of Officers. • ; ''Officers were, eleoted as ' follow:-Presid6nt', Mr..';]?..' Jfeadowcroft; .secretary, '■• Mr 'W. ; .Lggersj:treasurer, Mr.'W. -W. Knowles; assistant, secretary,-Mr. W. Mill; Watohers 1 Band, ; : ; secretaTy..Mrs; ,W. Knowles; .librarianiMf.- A.Burge: "i A, numerous' committee'was' also "appointed.' ':-': ■ ■ ••: ,'s -,'""-. ■■-. . .-''•;'..'.- •' '^} s '-eveninE' Mr.'„. Williams ■ ivill .address :ameeting-, in ■ the ' Alicetown' Schoolroom. ■ Tomorrqw,; after luncheon' at'the;. Y.M.C;A.', he will speak to.'business men on the commercial .and Imperial aspects of missions."' ' ".';".'•