The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-04-18
STATE MISSIONS WORK.
INTERESTING FACTS CONCERNING
THIS FIELD OF EFFORT.

THIS FIELD OF EFFORT.
Aid Rendered to Many Struggling Church.
es-Good Work Also Among the For
eign-Born Population-Fund for Minis
tiers.
From the annual report of the Mis-
sionary society of Connecticut and the
fund for ministers, Rev. w. II. Moore,
secretary, it appears that in the year
1895, the receipts were $S4,237, an in
crease of S1,S1S over the previous year.
N OF the 31S churches, in 1895. 21S made
! offerings to this society; PIT to Congre-
h gational Home Missionary society; l3S
\ to both, and 2S to neither. Legacies
came from % churches. Commissions
4 We're issued to SIS persons, including one
woman, of whom II at the time We're
not ordained OF these, six were com
missioned to serve particular churches
Il and also as general missionaries. Inc
Il labor under these commissions amount
ed to service of fifty-two years ana
II four and a half months.
THE AIDED CHURCHES.
Of the fifty-two churches to which
grants were voted in 1895, % had par
sonages, 80 had funds, including par
sonages, to an aggregate of $S4,76o.
n One church was served by an unli-
h censed layman five by licentiates;
three by ordained preachers, not pas
tors; thirty-two by pastors, and eleven
a by installed pastors. In three cases,
one man served two churches. The av-
erage salary proposed to be paid by
these churches by the aid asked was
1866. Forty-seven churches reported
the salary paid promptly; II churches
reported debts, mostly for houses of
worship, to an aggregate of $26,615.
These churches had, January l, 1896, a
membership of 1850 males and 2,001 fe-
males-in all 3,161, including 500 absen-
tees, or an average of 81 members for
each church. In 1895 the additions were
by profession 246, and by letter 92-in
all, 1913, and the removals were A by
death, 100 by letter, and SO by revision
h of rolls and discipline-in ALL 242 The
additions exceeded the removals by %
and the professions exceeded the
deaths by POP; rs adults We're baptized
and 225 infants. Twenty-one churches,
with LOT members, baptized no child.
h The Sunday schools enrolled 1921, the
societies of Endeavor in churches, 1881,
and the congregations embraced 2,647
families. The charitable offerings
were, contributions, $3,995.80, or $1.26
for each church member; and Iegacies
$685.; in all $4,630.SO, or A per cent. of
the amount given to the aided churches
during the year.
FOREIGN POPULATION WORK.
Nine general missionaries were en-
ployed--one among the Danes, one
| among the Germans, one among the
Italians, and six among the Swedes.
/ They served in all eight years, made
Lie visits in families, attended S3S
meetings, with an average present Of
rs, and gathered and addressed congre-
cations in SO places, which had no Con-
gregational church Of their language.
Under this service, 10 from the italian
E mission in Hartford joined the Fourth
church, a Swedish church of II males
and Is females was recognized by
council at Norwich June s, 1895, and l
Swedish church of IA members, Z males
and 7 females, was recognized by coun-
Gil, and pastor installed at Bridgeport
December 10. 1895. The fifteen aided
churches began the year with 748 mem
bers, and, notwithstanding considera-
BILE losses closed it with 791. They all
baptized children in numbers ranging
from to 18, and averaging nine each.
Only one church closed the year with
no addition by profession, the rest add
ed by profession in numbers ranging
from to 40 and averaging 10 each.
One Of these churches, Zion, Hartford.
asks no more help. AS fruits of this
work there are now Is churches, Ger
man, Q Danish and Is Swedish, with a
total membership January 1, 1896, of
| 1 .O62. There was expended in this de-
partment In 1895 S., 496.35, namely, thir-
teen general missionaries, in part for
work done in 1894, $2,163.61 and 10
churches $3,332.74.
THE FINANCES.
While the work prospered the f1nan-
ces did not improve. The year closed
with a deficit of $1,000, which was paid
by the national society in 1895. The
apportioning convention allowed all
asked. 1900, as the limit beyond
which the expenditures should not go
in 1895. Grants and payments during
the year amounted to $16005.S9, or $344.-
II less than the allotments. But to
reach the result 46 of the 80 aided
churches were given $2,S25, or an aver
age of $61, less than they asked; thus
reducing the average salary of their
pastors-unless the churches made up
the shortage-from $685. to S605. So far
as was reported, only one church made
up the deficiency. Connecticut raised
for home missions, in money, in 1885,
$50. Oe4. 81, for which $72, SO of 81 per
cent. was forth national society, and
SO, 961. 80, or only 8 per cent, for use in
this state. The result was that the
wear closed with deficit of $4,000
No other state spends so small a per-
centage of its home missionary offer
ings on it's own field. Connecticut
needs and ought to have a larger per-
centage than the churches give it; and
so long as the present practice contin-
ues the society cannot take due care of
the state, except by borrowing money
during the year, to be paid some time
the next year by drawing back Con-
necticut money from the national soci-
ETY..
FUND FOR MINISTER'S.
The receipts in 1895 were as follows:
Remainder from 1894, s699.97: income of
Stickney fund S5675; income of Larned