BAPTIST UNION.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 643, 21 October 1909, Page 8

BAPTIST UNION.

ANNUAL NEW ZEALAND CONFERENCE. " FOREIGN MISSIONS. ■. The annual ; conference. of*the. New Zealand Baptist Union was resumed yesterday, the president .(Rev. A. .F. .Carey) in the chair, •' The forenoon session was taken up with; conj sideration' of roports, on' foreign missions. Tht annual report of the Missionary Society (read by the Rev. E. A. stated" ftat "a splendid, advance had been made in India, .es pecially in the Tippcrah district (Eastern Bongal) apaong the ■ putcast natives. Onemissior had bean materially enlarged, thanks to th( generosity of theArthington Fund, and schooli and residences erected; Out-stations' also had been established.' Progress was also, reported 11 the .Women's Missionary Department. Much relief had been given to natives by the help afforded by the mission .disporisaries and hospitals. Local disturbances had, of course affected the work in a more or less degree> here and there, particularly in the Sunday schools. The report acknowledged the valuable wora accomplished by the missionary, staff, 1 and* coneluded with an appeal for additional workers. The Rev, A. S. Wilson (Wanjjanui) adoption of the-report, and paid a high tribute 'to the missionary spirit manifested by the women of the New Zealand Baptist Church. . Mr. W. IL George said that what, had appealed' to hi*" most was the self-sacrifice shown by their missionaries in India, and the utter inadequacy of the missionary 6taff as compared with its responsibilities. They should have, at least one missionary,-with eight or ten assistants, to every 50,000 natives. - The report-was adopted. . ' The statement'of .finances disclosed receipt (to balance) amounting to -£132 13s. 4d., which less £113 55. sd. transferred to the Chandpur (India) dispensary, left. £19 7s. lid. Contributions were received as follow: Auckland district £507 6s. 6d., Wellington £010 18s. 2d., Canterbury £28175. 2d., Otago.and Southland £460 -Os. : 7d., . B.W.M.U. (not included in churches) £73 19s. 2d.,' general sources £58 os. 2d. Another Wellington grant .£125, National Bible Society of Scotland £12 10s., and general sources .£37—a total of £2194 9s. Bd. Expenses incurred in India, salaries, etc.,. came to >£1382 10s., and in New Zealand ..£329 lis. 2d. A balance ■of Bs. 6d.. was shown. Receipts by the Chandpur dispensary totalled £386 4s. ,4d., and by the church building there.. £100. ■ On the motion of the Rev. Knowles Kempton, seconded by Mr. Pettet,. the statement of. finances was adopted. • . . In the .report of the; Missionary Organiser, thanks were ' expressed to the' donors of .38 Christmas boxes for* India, and to■ the-Union Steam" Ship.. Company' for carrying the goods free. ■ . , .... '• Officers for the ensuing year were, elected as follow: —Missionary secretary, Eev. E. A. 'Kirwood; treasurer, Mr. A. Hoby; organising secretary, Rev. W. H. Hinton; preacher, Rev. R Hales; deputy-preacher, Rev. ,W. H. Hinton. Resolutions of thanks were accorded to the Rev. J: Takle and Mrs. Takle for their magnificent services in India; of regret and thanks to Dr.' Charles North, whose' retirement after years of" faithful anil zealous service,, assisted by Mrs. North, was esteemed ,_a, loss ,;to Church's. Mission; - of. appreciation ana Godspeed to. Sfiss Gainsborough, who. is returning to India to-morrow; and of appreciation to Mrs. de Carteret and other, workers'at present ,in India. - A "special missionary gathering was held in tho-evening in the .Vivian Street Church, and was' largely attended. . Mr. Gilbert; Carson, oi YVanganui, was chairman. In the. course oi a brief- opening address, the-.'chairman, said that -as yet, supporters of the missions in Now Zealand . did .-not know -the'-meanihg. of the word "sacrifice." ' The Rev. J. Takle, of India, spoke oi 'Islam's challenge - to' the Christian Church.'' The, Moslem church, ho said, was.considerablj to -the fore in ,'the. nowspajwrs, and-he considered that God . was putting • the needs oi the' Mohammedan world • vividly before people.'' Mohammedanism ..was v t* be'the" special' subject of mission study classes, both in America and England, next year. Th< great fight of tho -.East was to' be between Islam and Christianity, and New Zealand Bap; tists should take a part in it. (Hear, hear.] At Cairo,' ten thousand students .were studying to -be. missionaries'of the Crescent in dif ; ferent lands; He believed that,-Christian people;could not give "too many men or too'much money: to • save ; Christendom in the' East;' (Applause.) ■' . I ; ' '•' ' -Miss- Gainsford, who is-on . furlough from [ndia, said there had been, revivals -in China, Korea,; the west of.lndia, ; Assam, and othei places,-and it was her earnest hope thai Eastern Bengal would share in the, olessing. 3he made an: appeal; for the children of'lndia, whose sufferings were widely known. Mr. W. H. George spoke of his recent tnr through India, - and. exhibited :J a number oi lantern slides. The choir sang, several., anthems.-, v. The Wellington -Baptist Church, Vivian street, - subscribed' this year £740 for: missionlry work in India, this included a special lonation. of £500 from Jlr. W. H. George/ and :he normal gifts of the congregation-for foreign irork totalled. £240.The conference closes to-day with •a- businesi session, held morning and afternoon. In th( evening the union sermon will be preached bj the Rev. R- H. , Knowles Kempton. of Auck land, and a Communion service.will follow.