The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1890-10-30
SYNOD OF Virginia.

L
terrain Synod of Virginia. which was
opened in the First Presbyterian church
of Staunton on Tuesday evening of last
week, was completed at a late hour Fri
day night. This synod is the principal
one belonging to the general assembly
of the Southern Presbyterian church.
1t is composed of 10 presbyteries. 243
ministers, $40 church organizations, and
over SO. GOO communicates. The Synod's
territory consists of Virginia, the Dis
trict of Columbia, and most OF Maryland
and West Virginia. The names OF the
presbyteres, which indicate their loca-
ton, are Abingdon. Chesapeake, East
Hanover, Greenbrier, Lexington, Mary
land, Montgomery, Roanoke, West Han
over and Winchester. The principal
presbytery is that of Lexington, which
includes Augusta county. AT THIS last
meeting of the synod 11S ministers and
Il railing elders were present. Last
years meeting of the Synod was held in
Winchester; the next meeting will be
held in Roanoke. The last previous
meeting held in Staunton by the Synod
of Virginia took place in October, 1879.
Synod was opened and organized on
Tuesday evening with sermon by the
moderator of the preceding session, DIR.
VIM. Dinwiddie, and by the election OF
Dr. NJ L. Lacy, of Lewisburg, to the
Office of moderator. DIR. w. s. Lacy, OF
Norfolk, and Hon. James Lyons, OF Rich-
mond, were chosen clerks. Excepting
when meeting was omitted for some
special purpose, the synod was in session
from $50 to 1880, from to 5, and from
730 in the evening until about $50 or
| 10. The final session was held Friday
ness in hand before the departure of
many of the delegates next morning, the
early part of Friday evening having
| been previously set apart for attending
a soiree at the Augusta Female Semi
nary. Thursday night was occupied
with sermon by DR.. M. d. Hoge, OF
Richmond.
The report of the committee on syste-
matte benevolence, for the year just
ended, contained the following statis-
tics: Grand total OF all money raised
by all churches in the synod, 1921 PSI,
a sum greater by $13,507 than the total
of the preceding year; total of pastors
salaries actually paid, $12s,aG1; total
received for the nine assembly causes,
! $50, 591, an increase of $47S over the pre-
ceding year. These nine causes are sus-
tentation, evangelistic fund, invalid
fund, foreign missions, education, publ
cation, colored evangelistic fund, church
erection and Bible cause.
From the report of the committee on
| Sunday schools the following statistics
| have been taken: Number of Sunday
schools, 344, of which 81 are in Lexington
presbytery; teachers enrolled 1875.
scholars 26. 553 average attendance OF
teachers 2,602, of scholars II, 105: sehol-
ars received into church membership,
741; collected by all Sunday schools for
their own expenses, $S,6s1.53 collected
for all other expenses, $4,s99.o0. 1t was
stated in the report that in every pres
the negroes.
The following resolution. offered by
DR.. Hoge, was adopted unanimously by
a standing vote:
| To THE COLUMBIAN COMMISSIoN:-The Pres
byterian Synod OF Virginia. believing the Chris
tian Sabbath to be divine institution, the rev
erent observance of which is all obligation OF
binding force on all mankind to whom Chrls-
tian truth has come and being thoroughly con
Vnpn1
| individual and of society are bound up III che
careful ~ nst,an S
honorable body not to allow the Columbian ex-
position to be kept open to the public, in any OF
its departments, on the Sabbath day OF any
part thereof.
The matter of this resolution was
originally drafted for a Richmond meet
ing presided over by Mayor EIlyson. held
| in DR.. HOge's church October 10.
Wednesday evening was devoted to
the report of the committee on home
missions. An address, was delivered by
Rev. DIR. J. n. Craig, of Mississippi,
| home mission secretary of the general
assembly. For the purpose of inaugu-
| rating an effective home mission move
ment, an evangelistic committee was
appointed by the Synod on Friday. 1t
| is composed of DIR. Richard McIlwaine,
DR.. J. w. Rosebro of Petersburg, DR.. r.
H. Fleming of Lynchburg, Capt. J. W.
Norman of Roanoke. and Maj T. J.
Kirkpatrick Of Lynchburg They will
apportion $4,000 that is to be devoted
to home mission work, $4,000 of which
has already been raised, and will appoint
three Or four synodical evangelists, who
will labor, under the direction of the
presbyteries, in the most needy districts
within the bounds of the synod The
appointment of this committee is the
beginning of synodical evangelistic
work in Virginia. Some evangelists
have heretofore been employed by pres
byteries. The Importance of keeping up
in church extension with the growth of
population and business was earnestly
dwelt upon by DIR. Hoge and others.
Eloquent addresses upon the import
ance of education by the church and the
needs of the church's schools were de-
livered on Thursday by Drs. J. F. Lati-
mer and W. w. Moore, professors in
Union Theological Seminarx, PRINCE
Edward county, Va. Pastors were urged
to attend diligently to raising the $50
600 needed for endowing the fifth pro-
fessorship of the seminary. Of this sum
about $4,000 has already been raised
Some time was also devoted by the
synod to considering the interests of
Hampden Sidney college. In the semi
nary 70 students were enrolled in the
last school year.
DR.. VIM. Dinwiddie reported that the
history of the synod had been published
in a volume of about $50 pages. Copies
are. sold at 81 cents each.
Addresses upon the foreign mission
work of the church were delivered by
Rev. Edward Lane, who has spent the
last twenty one years as a missionary in
Brazil and by Rev. d. P. Junkin, mis-
sionary in Japan. The Synod Of Brazil
now comprises 80 ministers, &c churches
and 1900 communicates.
Friday afternoon was devoted to the
reading of memorials of ministers be-
longing to the synod who had died in
the year Just ended. They we're Rssss.
j. NJ. Hulaphrles, +. &, 1iiDwiiI, Fhoiifas
Brown, Abb: Pollock, T. b. Pryor, j. II
Smith, w. II. Ochiltree and T. D. Bell.