The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1895-11-12
THE PORTUGUESE MISSION
Very Interesting Paper Read ON
Sunday.
The T,c-uIt OF "A Donation - How the
work Has Progressed - Inc
Central Union Offspring.

Central Union Offspring.
The following paper was read at
the Central Union Church. at Its
morning service, Sunday, November
10th. by VIM. A. Bowen, and Is now
printed at the suggestion Of Pastor
BRINE and other friends OF the Port
uguese mission:
THE BEGINNING.
II was in 1857 when some Of the good
r,eOUIe Of Ceutral Union church began
70 notice the increasing numbers Of
Portuguese children in the streets Of
Honolulu, and they commenced to ask,
fEWhat can we do to benefit them?'
As a result a Sabbath school was
startef. This was the beginning of
organized Protestant work for the
Portuguese, the nucleus from which
spraDg the present mission.
THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF 1890.
Three years after the establishment
OF this Sabbath school, the i'm pOrtance
Of the work was so emphasized in the
mind of one of the mem bers of this
Hawaiian Board for the establishing
OF a Portuguese mission; provided,
however, it should all be used that
yeaT-lSgO. The Hawaiian Board was
not slow in accepting this generous
offer, especially in view OF the fact
that, that same year, there had come
20 them a petition from tine district Of
HiO, signed by thirty Portuguese
residents, asking for what they called
"The American Religion"
EsTA BLIsHNIENT OF THE MISSION. |
DIR. HYDE, who was in the States, |
was asked TO get Portuguese workers. |
He went to Jacksonville, ILL.,, and |
there secured Rev. a. V. SOares and /
wife, aud Rev. Mr.. Baptiste. In De-
cember of 1890 these workers, accom-
panied by the Rev. Mr.. Pires, arrived
al Honolulu, and the First Protestant
Portuguese Mission of the Pacific was
fully established. Mr.. Baptiste was
assigned TO Hilo, and Mr.. and Mrs.
SOares To Honolulu.
THE CHARACTER OF THE WORK.
The work has been Of both secular
and religious character. There has
been a regular week day instruction
to children. a. well as a Sabbath in
structiOn. Preaching services twice
each Sunday, one regular midweek
prayer meeting, house to house vista
zion, personal hand to hand work,
Bible readings and all other work
usual to- missions have been success
fully carried on.
TIE GROWTH.
While understand the results have
been very encouraging at HilO, | am
not prepared To make report, at this
time, concerning that branch of the
mission. In Honolulu there is a
church membership of forty five, with
; Sabbath school whose attendance is
about l25- Also a branch Sabbath
school has been established at Kaka.
akO, where the attendance has been
- high as sixty. The congregations
IT the church services on Miller street
average seventy-tive to eighty-five.
THE OUTLOOK.
"The Portuguese constitute about
One-sixth of the entire population of
these islands and are rapidly increas
ing They are a strong, sturdy race.
They are worthy people. They have
come to stay. Full rights of citizen
ship have been accorded To them, and
they are, therefore, destined TO hold a
very strong influence here. They
should have the best of secular and
religious instruction" New Opppr-
tunities are constantly rising. An
appeal for Portuguese Sabbath
school teacher recently came from
PauOa valley. Miss Fereira has estab-
lished a Sabbath school at the EVA
plantation. Here in Honolulu ''the
are wonderfully in earnest
and enthusiastic" At one of our
special Sabbath school exercises, one,
who was present, went away saying:
Here, in these Portuguese, you have
good material To work upon. You
may hope for substantial and lasting
results. 1t il "A good work" And,
indeed, We all feel encouraged to be-
lieve the work is peculiarly full of
hope and promise.
THE NEED.
The Mission in Honolulu has really
OutgrOwn its accommodations. At
special services there is no room for
many who desire to attend Mr.. aud