The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1877-05-23

charged against the Sustentation Fand il
accordance with the directions of the Genera
Assembly of 1875.
Znvalid FMnd.-The receipts of this fun'
during the year have been S947 Il less thar
last year. The receipts from miscellaneou
sources were 81, ,267 IS more than last year
so that the contributions from the churches
fell off So, ,214 81, which is sad fact. Th'
payments to the Presbyteries have beer
$1,002.50 more than last year, and there
was balance against the fund of ST l,9O6 81
on April l, 1877. The balance will be
somewhat reduced by receipts before July l
(the beginning of another invalid year. bu
it will hardly be cancelled by that time, sc
that the receipts Of this fund must be con
siderably increased during the present year,
if the Church is to be faithful to her obliga-
tions to those who in Gods providence are
the recipients of this benefaction.
Relief Fund-An investment in S.. 000
of approved bonds has been made during the
year, SO that the securities now belonging to
this fund amount to So, 900, . descriptive
list of which is attached to the Treasurer
Report. Aunuities have been paid during
the year amounting to $1,000 to the families
of three deceased ministers.
sUsTENTATIoN.
These statements show that the means at
the disposal of the Committee have been
wholly inadequate to supply aid for the work
in the Presbyteries. At nearly every meet
ing of the Committee urgent applications for
help in the support of feeble churches, and
in the erection of needed houses of worship
at important points had to be passed over ;
and at the meeting in March it was necessary
to diminish the appropriations asked for by
the amount of $1,000. This same process
has been needful in April and May of the
present fiscal year, so that the lack of means
is now causing repression in the Church 8
energy and growth, painful indeed to contem-
plate, and far more painful to realize, as the
Committee from its position has been COM
PEELED to do.
Encouraging Fdcts.-Notwithstanding the
diminished amount placed at the disposal of
the Committee, appropriations have been
made to fifty-two Presbyteries, amounting to
S17, ,406 90 in aid of the labors of 164 min
listers in the service Of perhaps nearly FIVE
hundred churches. Assistance has also been
extendedin the erection of twenty-sWo church
buildings to the amount of SO, 152 SO. In
very many of these cases the churches aided
could have had no stated ministration of the
Word but for the assistance rendered through
the Sustentation fund, and in perhaps larger
number the church edifces
would not have been obtained except for. the
aid afforded. 1t is, therefore, cause of
thankfulneSs that this agency has been main
tained, and while not able to do much which
was demanded, has nevertheless been instru-
mental in doing something for the comfort
and edifcation Of a considerable part of the
Church.
Facts whtch Demand Immediate 0onsidera-
ton and Acknowledging now stated briefly
what has been done and the signs of encour-
agement which appear, the exigencies of the
work demand that the Assembly shall be in
formed of the real state of this work as far as
it can be ascertained The fact stated above,
that of the sixty-one Home Presbyteries,
twenty-nine are so weak as to require large
help in order to carry on their work eff
ciently, and that eleven of the remainder are
not supposed to be able to do more than to
conduct their own work efficiently, is of itself
adapted to show that much exertion is needed
on the part Of the twenty-one strong Presby-
teries to prevent the work of the Church as
a whole from failure. But when the further
fact is stated, that of the twenty-one Pfesby-
teries estimated to be strong, four have last
year received more from the fund than they
have given to it, and that eight others have
given only pittance more than they re-
ceived, it appears that the Importance of this
branch of the work is feebly apprehended in
their churches. Besides this, sixteen Preaby-
teries report that the average of their minis
ters' salaries, outside of cities and large
towns and apart from the Sustentation Fund,
is under $500 but above 5000, and twenty
Presbyteries that the average of salaries is
under 5000, and in one of them as low as
$500. In confirmation of these figures it is
reported by ffty-four Presbyteries that there
are 609 ministers in them engaged wholly in
ministerial labor, 278 of whom receive sala-
ries of over $500 per annum, 145 between
$500 and $500, and the rest under $500, 80
that not more than one-half of our ministers
who are wholly engaged in the service of the
church receive more than $500 salary, and
that much the larger proportion of the rest
receive under 5000.
In this connection it is reported that there
are forty-one ministers engaged in secular
work, and thus hindered from the work of the
ministry, who would cheerfully devote them
selves wholly to the service of the Church if
they could obtain a support SO large as $500
per annum. 1t is also stated that there are
961 pastoral chargeS-not single churches
but groups of churches forming fields of Ia
Dor, which are not able to give so much as
$500 salary. 1t is furthermore said that
there are 152 unoccuped fields needing min.
listers at once, of which only thirty.four are
able by themselves to support the Gospel
showing that besides the 164 charges now
being helped from the Sustentation Fund
there are 118 vacant fields which must be
aided if they have the Gospel of salvation
preached to them.
The Assembly is invited to pause and con
slider the impressive facts which have nov
been detailed.
1. That large proportion of our minis
try, almost if not quite two-thirds of then
wholly engaged in the work of the Church
are living on very inadequate salaries, an(
must, in many cases, have their efficiency
materially interfered with on this account.
2. A large number Of our ministers
amounting perhaps to two hundred, afte
making liberal deductions for the superanu
ated and invalid, theological teachers, score
taries, foreign missionaries and the unaccep
table, do not appear to be engaged in an.
fruitful ministerial work at all, or if at all