WORK OF MISSIONS

Evening Star, Issue 22148, 1 October 1935, Page 12

WORK OF MISSIONS

VISIT OF THE REV. H. L HURST

The Rev. H. Leonard Hurst, of the London Missionary Society, conducted services in the local Congregational churches on Sunday last, giving interesting and comprehensive addresses on each occasion. He indicated that the work of the London Missionary Society was a very big task, for it was spread throughout the world, being represented actively in India, China, Africa, Madagascar, Papua, • and the South Seas. It served a population of 35 millions by the self-sacrificing sendee of 276 missionaries, who were engaged in medical, educational, industrial, and evangelistic activities. There were also 7.000 native colleagues and helpers. It also represented a community of 600,000 Christians, in addition to which number were many adherents and candidates. In its schools it had 110,000 day scholars, and 113,000 scholars received religious instruction and inspiration on Sundays. Its hospital work was very extensive, and medical missions utilised 2.000 beds and dealt with 367,000 outpatients and 29,000 in-patients. With a little imagination, said Mr Hurst, such statistics could yield vivid pictures showing the extent of the society’s widespread and valuable work. This missionary, work was not a little hole-in-the-corner business, but a serious expression of faith in the power of Christ’s gospel to redeem the world. It was an earnest attempt to meet the needs of men in the name of the Friend and Saviour of mankind.

The missionary work of the London Missionary Society was a great and worthwhile thing, continued the speaker, but it was meeting only a small section of human need—a company of 35 millions of people. It ought to have more doctors, nurses, leper asylums, schools, teachers, and preachers. So many asked for healing that could not be dealt with by an already overworked staff. Others asked for instruction which was impossible without more schools and teachers. What was being done was great, but. woefully inadequate. On the same proportion of missionaries in the field New Zealand would have but four missionaries. From that an estimate of the inadequacy could be made. Not least of all was the urgent need of evangelism. They had an.evangel to live—good news to announce, which was for the uplift of human life. They must deliver the news to the weak to make them morally strong, to the ignorant to make them wise, to the sick to make them healthy. The evangel was a word of life. There were millions in dire need; could not something, asked Mr Hurst, be done for them ? ADDRESS TO WOMEN’S AUXILIARY. Mr Hurst addressed the _ Women’s Auxiliary of the London Missionary Society in the Moray Place Congregational Church Hall yesterday afternoon. There was a large attendance, and the audience showed great interest. After giving a brief survey of the society’s financial position the speaker proceeded to emphasise the need of maintaining the present strength of the work. There must be more strength and virility running through all the work so that it might be made most effective. He then took his audience on an imaginary journey following the sun around the world on a Sabbath Day. As its beams fell upon th© different countries men and women and boys and girls, too, awoke to sing praise to Christ as their Lord and Saviour. The interesting fact about missionary work was that it gave reality to the conception of the catholicity of the Christian Church. In it the colour bar and racial distinctions fell away, for they were all one in Christ Jesus. The speaker illustrated that fact from personal experiences in India and elsewhere. He declared that what the world really needed — cooperation between races and nations, a spirit of goodwill which ensured peace and other thingsy-could _ all be found in missionary work. Christians formed one great family and forgot human differences and distinctions when they gave their common allegiance to Jesus Christ. Of course, it ha 1 . to be recognised that there were many disappointments and discouragements in missionary work, but they were only the growing pains of a developing life. The younger churches were now making definite and distinctive contributions to the universal church, and that alone made all the work of’ the past well worth while. Every unit had its ow-n characteristic, but together they made the harmony of unity in expressing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. PUBLIC MEETING. Another public meeting was held in the Jubilee Hall last night, when there was again a good attendance. _ . Mr Hurst pointed out that mission work was able to achieve remarkable results in the lives of men. In problems of economics and social and national life there was no local solution, but the way had to be sought on a world-wide scale. The same applied to religion. Christian religion could not be confined to any section. One aspect of the world situation to-day with which missionaries were particularly concerned was that the world was rapidly changing. Every age was an age of change, but the present era was undergoing more important and far-reaching changes than ever before. A survey of the world would indicate this. Europe was changing politically and spiritually, as also was Russia. The lands of the Near Bast were awake and turning to new ways of life. .India, settled for so long in old ways, was experiencing the blast of new forces. Japan had emerged in the span of a lifetime almost from a state of feudalism to a first-class commercial power. While the world was moving the old orders were giving way to the new ones. The characteristics of the new ones had not yet been determined, however. We were living in the making of a new world, and as we lived we would determine its characteristics. This meant a challenge and responsibility which dare not be shirked.

The speaker then went on to speak ,of India, and stressed the clash between the old and the new, and especially of the more urgent need in these days for Christians able to act as friends of the Indian, as they sought to grapple with the problems of their times. He described the customs and the movements of the Indian peoples, and pointed out some of the ways in which they differed from the Western races. In conclusion, he said that the most, predominant impression of his time in India was not the difference between the two races, but the similarities. They were different in many ways, but fundamentally they were the 'same. They were the same in laughter, anxiety, trouble, and the common need of Jesus Christ.