Mexico weekly ledger., 1895-09-26
The Missionary Audrain Baptist AS
ISOLATION.
BY n. X.

sionary Baptist Association. III Ii q
that when Thomas jefferson and Alex
ander. Hamilton sought an ideal TO
the government of the United State
they found it in a Baptist church IL
Virginia. A Baptist church is a dem
ocracy. One church is not controlled
by any other church or body o
churches. In its government it recog'
nizes no human authority on earth
The association is not legislative. |
is a meeting of representatives OF thu
churches-representatives appointed
by the churches to advise with ont
another, to deliberate and counsel to-
gether mutually for the prosperity o
the churches and for the spread of tht
! gospel.
Every church sends a letter to the
association by its messengers. These
letters report increase or decrease Of
members, amount of expenses for the
year, amount of contributions to mis-.
siCns, value of church property, the
name of pastor, the number of Sun
day School scholars, the names o
messengers, the names of church on
GERS.
The association attends to business
i'll a deliberative fashion. OF COURSE
the sessions are opened with BiDie
reading, prayer and a song of Zioa' a
moderator presides. A clerk keeps d
record, which is printed in a booklet
and distributed among the chafehes'
A treasurer is in demand because a
missionary is employed 1o ING
weaker churches are helpedlh pay
ing their pastor. CommHsees are
appointed to prepare brief sports on
district, home and foreign missions,
on ministerial and Christian educa-
ton, on systematic b~enshcence, on
religious literature, etc. When the
committees report then is the tine
for such speeches as areheard only IN
the Baptist Association. hearts are
stirred and golden resolutions are
formed. The churches get the fruits
when tho messengers return.
The community entertaining the
association has q notable task. That
ta.k is always performed satisfae-
torily. The messengers and visitors,
the preachers and their wives, meet
proverbial hospitality. Every home
spreads a feast. The midday meal is
generally spread at the church. Here
amid the hmdshaking of old friends
and the rattle of cutlery, the neighing
OF horses andthe merry fellowship of
the young people, the hospitable
matrons and the pretty maids serve
the bountiful dinner.
The Audrain Association met this
week at Benton City.
Soon after 10 O'Clock Wednesday
morning The meeting house was
crowded and many people were I'M
able to get seats in the sanctuary.
Rev. W. Craig, of Paris, preached
the introductory sermon. He is pas
tor of Long Branch church in Audrain
county. He is robust and athletic in
physiqw. He carries a Websterian
head. He is a strong preacher and a
lovely man.
Twenty-three churches are repre-
scented in the association. They are
Beava Dam, Benton City, Bethlehem,
Corinh, Farber, Gilead, Hopewell,
Laddonia, Littleby, Long Branch,
harrisburg, Mexico, Mt. Airy, Mt.
ZION New Hope, Perry, PIeasant
Plain, Rush Hill, Sailing, Union, Van
dalia, Vest Cuivre, Zion.
In these churches are many of the
best citizens of Missouri. Among the
people attending the association are
William Harper, j. s. Conner, Rev. ].
s. Jesse, Pres. A. K. Yancey, Rev. W.
j. Jesse, John A. Guthrie, G. A.
Witherspoon, G.. H. Utterback, Geo.
Lake, Rev. N. S. Johnston, j. G.
Houghland, Rev. w. L. Dorgan, Rev.
W. A. Bib, j. E. Jesse, Rev. E. S.
E. Rodhouse, Jos. T. Brown,
r. a. Jesse, u. 7. Bondurant, S. M.
Silver, Thomas Crawford, Benjamin
Brown, W. H.. Kesler, d. T. Day,
Alex. Duckworth, H. A. Price, ]. N.
R. s. Vaughn, Rev. E. H..
Sawyer, d. D., Rev. James Reid, Rev.
DR.. S. II. Ford, Rev. DIR. w. J. Pat
rick and many others.
1t was a great dinner in the church
yard. The table was a parallelogram
with a large court in the center. In
the center were the fair women who
the feast. Hundreds and hun
dreds of people surrounded the table,
and they shook hands in happy greet
ing until their hands were too full of
food to clasp an extended palm.
After dinner the association again
elected Judge John A.. Guthrie to pre-
side over the body, and again elected
Joe E. Jesse to record the proceed
The report of the Executive Mission
Board evoked speeches by w. A.
Bibb, j. s. Conner, III. b. Rice, J. s.
Jesse, j. A. Guthrie, N. =. Pittman
and J. G. Crawford. Tie prevailing
sentiment is to not oilIy help the weak
churches support strong pastors but
also to put az efficient missionary in
the field.
Rev. w. j. Patrick, of Bowling
Green, is representing the Baptist
Sanitarium; Rev. w. I'll. Barnes, of st.
Louis, is representing the Baptist
Hospital; Rev. E. ii. Sawyer is rep
-rasenting the Board of Education;
Rev. James Reid, of 2t-Charles, 10
representing the Board of State Mis-
sions.
Here is Deacon w. T. Fuqua, of
Hntchison. He has helped to organ
ize three churches and has been q
deacon in every one of them. He
helped to organize the church at Van
! dalia, the church at Corinth and the
church at Spencersourg.
In the days of Oliver Cromwell and
of John Bunyan, the leading Baptist
preachers in London, England, the
Sturgeon of his time was Rev.
Henry Jesse. The Jesses of Audrain
county r kinsmen to the great Lon
don preacher.