EVANGELISTIC DEPARTMENT.

White Ribbon, Volume 1, Issue 1, 1 May 1895, Page 4

EVANGELISTIC DEPARTMENT.

The W orld’s Women’s Christian Temperance Unioa is one of the greatest and grandest of organisations. Our Lord said a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. We can truly say the leaven of the Woman's Temperance Movement is without a parallel. It has planted the root of temperance reform all over the world. We are a body of Christian women called by llis name and doing His work. The Evangelistic Department is the “ backbone ” of our organisation, and we desire through all our work to have entwined, like a thread of gold, the evangelistic spirit ; and the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ carried with its healing power far and wide. When we think of the meaning of an evangelist—“ The bearer of glad tidings or messenger of good ” —how encouraging it is. But to fulfil this mission we need the anointing of the Spirit and to know that all our well-springs are in God. And if we are to be successful in breaking the Bread of Life to anyone our own souls must be daily fed with Living Bread —individual consecration and individual effort. Each believer is to be a herald, a witness, a winner of souls To each saved one Christ says : “ Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” And, oh ! there is work for all Of the fifteen hundred millions on the globe, not one half have ever heard the Gospel message. The host of the unsaved is more vast to-day than at any previous period in history. The increase of the population of the world is more rapid than all evangelizing efforts of Christians. At our very doors are multitudes of

the unsaved who never enter a place of Christian worship. How shall we reach them? This is the problem which confronts us. In presenting a report for the year your superintendent records with thankfulness an increased interest in this very important department of our W C. T. Union’s work. The reports of work carried on by the local Unions are varied. Some have “regular visitations,” and “ distribution of literature.” In others, tracts and leaflets are taken to outward-bound ships. Some of the members have Bible readings for young women. Others undertake house to house visitation three or four times a year among those who never enter a place of worship, all of whom are invited to a free tea, after which earnest Gospel addresses are given, and hymns are sung. Work of this kind has been carried on at Port Chalmers for several years by the members of the W. C. T. Union. Social teas are given to the crews of ships, at which the Gospel is sung and earnest words spoken, and a bag, with Bible and hymn-book, given to each of the sailors. On Sunday and Friday evenings meetings are held at the Sailor’s Rest, Dunedin. Our zealous missionary is much helped by earnest Christians who are always ready to speak a word for Jesus, and as the result of these meetings many of the sailors and others are truly born again, and can say, “ It is well with my soul, Jesus is mine.” To heal the aching wounds of sin, To find the lost, to lead them in, Say ! who would not a sister be In this, the noble chivalry ? We are thankful to God for the measure of success which has attended our work ; and, still relying on Him for future guidance, we go forward, firm in the conviction that the cause of righteousness and sobriety will triumph. M. Kirkland, Superintendent.