The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-03-13
The Need of South Carolina Presby-
Sery.

An Evangelist is the need. Is that need felt?
This question will be answered at the ap.
April. Before an evangelist can be put In
the field q salary is needed VIII that need be
met? This question, we hope, will be answ.
cred affirmatively at the meeting referred I'd
| above.
The evangelistic field In South Carolina
Prcshytery. has not been occupied by a resu.
lar evangelist for several years. The way has
been effectually blocked by the want or the
question has been the principal difficulty and
when that question is fully met, the man
will be found and the work begun.
The territory is large, embracing seven
counties and covering an area or 4G0O square
miles. In this immense field there are only
81 Presbyterian Churches-one church 10
every 90 square miles. In one county there
Is not presbyterian church: in a second
only one; aud In n third, only three-thus
giving us more than thousand square miles,
In three counties alone, unoccupied with pres
byterianism.
New railroads are being built through Sec
tions of this evaneelstic field and new towns
are springing up, and communities hitherto
remote are maue easily accessible: and here
and there can be found nucleus of a church.
Bnt who can look after and develop such
points into a church butan evangelist. whose
duty will II be to go from place to place
preaching the gospel by the authority and
under the control of the court appointing
him?
Now can this need of South Carolina Pres
bytery be met! TO it, l. am not author.
lied TO say how much money wonld have to
he raised, not more perhaps than a. thousand
dollars. TO say that fifteen pastors, with fifty
one churches and over three 5thcusand CON-
municants can't raise that amount Is to utter
what no one will accept as true. It would
cost each member 33l gets annually, and that
Is less per month than the cost Of an old
fashionable postage stamps.
But some, perhaps many, are not able to
give any thing for this work. Probably there
are sons of the Presbyterian Church within
the bounds Of South Carolina Presbytery,
whom God has blessed with much Of the good
things of this life, who would readily and
cheerful pledge themselves 10 pay each one
tenth or one twentyith of the needed sum.
Surely, out Of three thousand members,
there can be found one hundred persons who
will contribute on an average ten dollars
annually TO the support of an evangelist,
Certainly there are many who will gladly aid
what they can in this work, If the opportu-
nifty Is offered them.
The Executive committee projected pan
for raising the money which seems feasible,
and which received the Endorsement Of the
Presbytery at its last meeting.
Each minister Is asked to canvass his con-
gregation and solicit, from such person as he
thinks likely to give, individual subscriptions
to the salary Of the evangelist to be paid an
nually as long as ne is in the field. These are
personal gifts and not TO effect The contribu-
braced in the Assemblys scheme.
We have been asked by the Executive Com
mittee to call the attention of pastors to this
matter and TO urge them to make an effort to
be ready to report at the next meeting OF the
Presbytery. The time Is short. What is done
must be done soon.
w. r. MATTHEW'S
Chairman nf mi