The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-06-06

tne spirit IN which you come to us. but
has your church sufficient missionary
spirit to prosecute this work." It is not
our faith but our efficiency that they
mlstrust. If we can but convince these
people that our church is an efficient in
strument for the propagation of our
faith they will join in our labors with
Joy. Show them that we are seeking not
merely to build up sect, but to bless
the world with larger and a more
fruitful Interpretation of the Christian
faith, that we have the spirit of love and
Of service. that we are capable of making
large efforts, that we have the spirit of
sacrifice which will enable us to work
persistently toward given end, and our
missionary problem will not be solved
perhaps, but what is better it will be in
process Of solution.
10 go into any community and expect
to build up Universalist society. self
supporting, with settled pastor, and con-
tributing to our denominational enter.
prises in few months, is only to invite
disappointment. To neglect to occupy
field because we can there find but
few willing to call themselves Universal
lists, is to miss golden opportunity. and
to advertise our lack of faith. There
are in this State at least two parishes,
now active centers Of missionary infiu.
ence, which would be non existent to.
day. If the few had not been possessed
OF faith to believe that among the un-
churched are to be found the quarries
from which we may hew out the mate.
rial for our churches; and with the occa.
sional help of the pastor of a neighbor.
ing church. they were willing to 60 to
work, not despising the day of small
things. If the opportunities before US
were better understood, I certainly
oeiieve that our missionary work in
Illinois would be more generously sun.
supported. The greatness of the field
is such, that one missionary is un.
able, to reach more than fraction of it.
There are in our State today 80 Univer-
salist organizations that have regular
preachisg; these are found in % coun.
ties; only one county Cook has more
than two churches, she has eight; four
other counties have two churches each.
and % have one each; besides these &C.
tive churches there are IS dormant
churches, making 80 counties that have
Universalist organizations, and 63 coun-
ties where we have no representatives..
Or to state the problem little differ.
emily, there are 200 cities and villages Of
over 1000 inhabitants in this State
where our church is unknown.
To occupy this field. we have the ma.
chinery of the State Convention with
its allied bodies of the U. w. A. and the
Y. T. q. U. These are all working har-
moniously toward the same end They
have united in the policy of maintaining
State missionary in the field. This
union was an essential, if such a work
was to be maintained, for the resources
of no one body alone are sufficient, due
regard being paid to the obligations in
other lines of mission work already en-
tered into. What is needed, to do even
the little we are doing THAT is little
compared with the opportunity is that
more generous and hearty support be
given to these bodies, for the efforts of
the missionary will need to be supple
mented in various ways, if the best re-
suits are to be obtained. In several
places. we should now have had self
supporting churches if little temper.
airy aid could have been extended in the
forming of a circuit, where now we have
parishes marked dormant upon our reg
lister.
There are other points where church
building would have been erected, if a
temporary loan not exceeding one
fourth of the cost of the building could
have been obtained. and the churches
thus erected would have been decided to
the Convention, ensuring the safety of
the loan. To do these things it seems to
me that we need to substitute systematic
giving for the present method, or else
to 80 increase our permanent funds that
the revenues from them will support the
missionary, leaving the parish contribu-
tions and other income to be used in
other ways, some of which l have indi-
Gated, to build up the fields opened by
the missionary. Nor should we long be
satisfied with one missionary in the
field; our plans should be laid, look
ing to closer occupation of the terri
tory. There are many counties like
De Witt, and | refer to it because of my
intimate knowledge of the movement
there, that would almost from the
start employ missionary all the time,
and which would also from the start be
almost self supporting. but which will
never start unless the missionary is
sent to them. to gather them together
and to help in the work of organizat
Clinton, the county seat of that county.
is now self supporting parish, contrib.
uting to our missionary enterprises. and
with a pastor who will occupy all his
time with them after June 4th. IT is
already becoming a center of mission
airy effort. and | am greatly mistaken if