The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1879-11-12

the best Of our churches in benevolent
operations. Other portions of this Pres
bytery have shown similar fruit, and
nearly the whole of it is a generous soil
ready to yield the Presbyterian Church
abundant harvest if she could but cult
vate it. The discovery of hidden resources
is inviting an enterprising population
whose influx makes it very important
and urgent that at least two more evan
gelists should be put to work there. The
Presbytery has been discouraged from
even seeking suitable men, because it has
no means for their support. We are
forced to raise aloud the enquiry are
there no Christian men of wealth in the
Synod of Virginia who will undertake
the support of one or more evangellsts In
this Presbytery?
Lerinqton.-The Rev. Robert Scott
has been laboring as evangelist half his
time in Barbour county, and the other
half in northern Randolph and Tucker
counties. In evidence of his success it
may be said that, Leading Creek church
in Randolph has raised funds to repair
its building and has increased its sub
scription to Mr.. SCOTS salary from one
hundred dollars to one hundred and fifty
dollars per annum, and that Holly
Meadows church in Tucker county has
built and paid for comfortable house Of
worship costing from 81 800 to $4,000.
Presbytery is aiming to follow up Mr..
SCOTS work by settling minister at
Phillip, the county seat Of Barbour, who
shall take one of Mr.. Scots churches
Last autumn Presbytery introduced
licentiate W. S. P. Bryan into the south
ern part of Randolph and Tygart's Val
ley to take up the work left by the former
evangelist, Rev. P. Fletcher Soon after
wards there was an ingathering Of thirty
five persons into the Beverly church and
some at Huttonsville, both in Randolph
county. These churches called Mr. Bryan,
who accepted the call, and Presbytery
took steps to ordain and install him as
pastor on what was evangelistic ground,
and hopes to send him an assistant for
the summer. A number Of Presbyte
rians in Clarksburg, W. Va, requested
this Presbytery to organize them into a
church, which was done, and the Rev.
Patterson Fletcher, late evangelist, be-
came it's pastor This Presbytery has a
field as large and attractive as that Of
Greenbrier, but is much more able to
make provision for it.
Ma1yland has no evangelist and seems
to have taken no special order for evan
gelistic work, but it is believed that pas
tors do what work they can in the fields
around them.
Montgomery has occupied more and
more fully her territory till now only
Mercer county, w Va, is unoccupied,
and it is hoped that some seminary stu
dent may be gotten to labor there during
the summer; has been making progress
for several years; churches and mission
fields supplied by pastors; has no evan
geist.
Roanoke still has an unusual number
of feeble churches too weak to support a
pastor, yet too far separated to be put un-
der the care of an evangelist Presbytery
uses every effort to give them monthly
preaching by pastors. Prospects for ear
ly future not encouraging; people are i'm
poverished, many churches are crippled
and some that are vacant are still in debt
to former pastors and therefore cannot at
once move to get Others No evangelist
for same reasons as heretofore given.
West Hanover has only one church
that is not more or less stately supplied
with the ministry, and efforts are making
to supply it. No churches have been or
ganized, but the labors of evangelists ana
supplies have gradually strengthened ex-
isting churches. This Presbytery con-
tinues to employ Rev Thomas D. Bell,
D. d.. as evangelist in southern Abe
marie and Nelson counties, and has intro
duced icentiate 7. P Eppes to do virtu-
ally the work Of an evangelistin Madison
and Greene, andin Rappahannock county
of Chesapeake Presbytery by arrangement
with the latter Presbytery. Dr. Bell has
been extending and consolidating his in
auence, and Mr.. Eppes will soon be or
dalned as an evangelist.
Winchester employs two evangehsts,
Rev. j. W. Walkup in eastern Hamp-
shire and Rev. J. L. Sherrard in Grant
county Their work, always arduous,
has been done under some discourage
ments even greater than usual but it
has been well done If they have gar
nered no great harvest they have been
scattering the seed Of truth. Every
church is now supplied with the stated
ministry, but the Presbytery is divided
into four districts each Of which is com
mitted to the pastors residing in them re-
spectively to preach at hopeful points.
For years Presbytery has been diligently
cultivating an evangelistic spirit among
its pastors till nearly every one is actual