Morning journal and courier., 1888-12-28
CITY EMISSIONS.

u
City Missions:
During the past year of missionary effort
in New Haven some important changes have
occurred which may, perhaps, best be given
in outline at the beginning of this report.
Through the last winter and early spring
meetings were held at our central mission
rooms on Meadow street. in continuation of
meetings held there every evening for year
previously. Included in these every night
meetings was the regular service on Sabbath
evening. The Sabbath afternoon preaching
service was also continued at first, but a
proposition having been received from mem
bers of the Church of the Redeerler to estab-
lish a mission Sunday school at our rooms,
provided it could be done withoutinterferi
with what other work we already had in
hand, it seemed best to make room for this
movement into mission work on the part of
| q church by giving it the place of our Sab
bath afternoon service, which had less of q
missionary character than the meeting on
Sabbath evening. This was done on the last
Sabbath in October, and thereby we were
| also able to hold an afternoon service at our
| branch mission hall on COTE street, as more
| desirable for that locality than the meeting
that had been held there on Sabbath even
| ing, as we'll as to concentrate more of our
working force at that point at that time.
Since my last report there has been a
marked enlargement of what may, perhaps,
be properly called the students department
winter months included in my last years re-
port, the students of the Divinity school gave
most efficient help in what was then the ex
pertinent of holding meetings every
evening of the week. But during the past
year, and especially at the Sabbath evening
service, there has been a large addition to
the force of student workers, and several de-
partments of the university were represented.
The audience also increased, and out of q
hundred or more in attendance there would
sometimes be as many IS thirty or forty per-
sons in the inquiry room at one time engaged
in earnest conversation or prayer, while as
many more were present in the after-meeting
held in an adjoining room.
The mission rooms on Meadow street be-
ing hardly large enough for the increasing
attendance, the students of the aeademical
department requested that another mission
hall be opened in some other part of the city
for them, while the meetings at the central
rooms should be continued by the theologi-
cal students and others as before. This was
done, and from April 10, 1888, until the pres
ent time large committee from the college
have successfully carried on meetings at Wash
ing Hall, No. 556 Grand avenue, near the
railroad crossing, every Sunday evening ex-
cept during the college vacation.
From the beginning, therefore, of the past
missionary year (Oet. 1, 1887 until the date
last mentioned, we had, as during the year
previous, regular meetings at two mission
nails. AII6rWarO, anu uHbl tAo PIcoSu1
time, we have held regular meetings at three
halls, ten each week at the central hall, two
at the COTE street hall and one at the Grand
avenue hall. An additional change, and per-
hsps the most important of all, was made
during the last half of the missionary year.
This was the transfer of our mission head
quarters from the Meadow street rooms to
English hall, on the corner of Court and
State streets, which has been since May ID,
1885, occupied Jointly by the City Missions
end the Gospel Union under an arrangement
which has proved mutually satisfactory, with
lessening of nearly one-half OF the total ex-
pense of the two organizations and an increase
of efficiency in the departments of work as
signed to each. By the terms of the agreement
made between the two societies the Gospel
Union YVES to continue its Sunday school juve-
nile savings bank, and such other work for
children as it might desire to organize. The
City Missions was under no obligation to make
any change in its work, but merely TO trans
fer to this as it's central station the work al.
ready in hand, including the Sabbath even
ing service and meeting every evening of the
week with the mothers meeting on Wednes-
days and the girls sewing school and the
children's meeting on Saturday afternoons.
The City Missions were, however, to pay a
larger proportional share (sbout two-thirds)
of the expenses of rent, janitor's wages, fuel,
lights, etc., an account of their daily use of
the hall.
In this way not only has there been secured |
effective co operation between two organiZa
tons previously doing nearly the same work |
at double the necessary expense, but at the
same also a way was found for a strong
church to occupy that part of the city we
were to leave. Two of the disadvantages of |
our work on Meadow street were insufficient
room and mixed audiences, the ruder part of
which sometimes made it rather unpleasant
for the rest. Before the plan of transfer to
English Hail was proposed it had been in
mind to secure a larger hall in Oak street and |
a refusal of the same had already been OBJ /
tanned, with view of doing more for those |
who showed by their rude ways their greater /
reed OF restoring care, even at the risk of los
ing the attendance of others. But there was
the other need also to be met, viz: That of 1
providing missionary pastoral care for fami- 1
lies not connected with any church and not 1
even attending any church and yet in many /
CAGES aelf-supporting, self-reapecting and ev- |
identity willing to be included among onr /
number if meetings could be held in quiet |
ness and without irreverence TO disturb. The
faithful work already done by members of /
the Church of the Redeemer in the mission |
Sunday school at our central rooms had /
brought them in contact with the crude ma
terial referred to- and after informal consult |
alton between representatives of the mission |
work of tie church and of the work of the |
city missions it was understood that If that
church would undertake to provide for the
one element or our mixed community at tu6 |
Oak street hall the city missions would try to
solve the other part of the problem.
How we'll the church has done and is doing
her part in the work it is not our province
to describe. But with the establishment of
the mission at the Oak street hall and the 4
transfer of our central work to English hall 1
in May, a new impulse was given to the
various forms of mission work that had out 4
grown their limited quarters on Meadow
street Under this double development three
or four times MANY families and persons
have since then been reached than could have
been otherwise. All who need this care are
better provided for, the number of Christian
workers is largely increased, and best of all,
there is closer personal contact than ever
before between these who are in mission |
service and those to whom such service is
offered.
Having in this way indicated the general |
condition of the work and the causes that
have led to it, report will now be made of
personal work by agents of the board and by
Others AS paid workers there have been
employed during the year superintendent
of missions, who has also served as mission |
airy pastor, lady missionary for a part of /
the year and three other assistants, but only /
for limited time and for special service. |
There have also been, as in other years, a /
large number of volunteer helpers in the |
different departments of the work. I shall /
then follow my usual custom of dividing the |
Work and Other Work Under Care, under 4
which latter head will be included Paid |
Work and Work by Volunteers.
I. PERSONAL WORK.
The general case list for the year contains |
the names of / ,06S families Cor persons liv- |
ing alonel and includes about 8, 800 persons;
SIG of these families have been under the |
care OF those who have assisted in the work; |
the others, $50 families (about 1000 persons)
have been under my own missionary care. |
On my parish list for the year are 306 of |
these families lover 1000 persons) without |
other pastoral care and willing to be under |
my own. Out of this number have report |
ed during the year to 10 other ministers of |
the city (of different denominations) % /
families, with So persons included, as wish-
ing to attend their churches and to have |
their pastoral care. In this number were Is /
persons who were brought to the notice of /
10 churches for membership; on profession |
and Z by letter. Also adults aud 3 chill |
dren for baptism, and between so and 60 |
children for Sunday school. All families |
not placed in church care have endeavored |
to bring under the influence of the religious
services held at our mission halls, as well as |
IN visit them at their homes.