Omaha daily bee., 1897-06-02
WORK IN MISSION FIELDS
saventy-Pirst Annual Meeting of the
Congregational Society.
REsIME OF A YEARS WORK IN NEBRASKA
Rev. Harmon Bross of Lincoln Sub
uiits His Annual Report
Financial Condition of
the Organization.

The seveuty-first annual meeting of the
Congregational Home Missionary society
began its sessions here today. a meeting
of national secretaries and state superin-
tendents was held this afternoon. The re-
port of Rev. Harmon Bross, Lincoln, super
intendent, en- Congressional Home Mis-
eionary Work in Nebraska" was made
public this morning. 1t was as follows:
Ninety-three workers in all have labored
under the auspices of the society within the
state for part or all of the year. These
have supplied 12S churches and forty-three
out-stations, making nearly 200 communi-
ties in all reached by the laborers OF this
society. While two or three fields have
been pastorless throughout the year because
they could not raise a sufficient amount,
even with what aid could be granted to sup
port pastors, nearly all the churches, ex-
cept three four. practically extinct, have
had more less service.
The most strenuous efforts have been
made during the year to keep the work
within the volume of our apportonment.
Our limited apportionment forbade any pro-
vision for general missionary work in the
state and Rev. w. j. Paske, our missionary
for northern Nebraska, closed his services
early in the year and has had no successor.
AS only a small estimate was available for
evangelistic work our state evangelist, Rev.
C. S. Billings. terminated his relations with
the society in June and no efforts have
been made TO fill his place; nor can there
be until there are more means at our Dis
posal.
Constant and earnest efforts have been
made to secure all possible combinations of
churches so to lessen the number of fields
and TO require the smallest possible outlay.
The state board and the superintendent have
been compelled to do more planning along
this line than to encourage aggressive move
ment One of our pastors who has family
of children, with the support of only $685.
breaches three times every Sunday, driving
with his own team twenty-five miles over
difficult road to meet these appointments.
Another, who receives the same moderate
support, has developed a circuit of outsta-
tions, six in all, surrounding the home
church to some of which he breaches Sun
day afternoons and TO others on weekday
evenings. The field of another pastor is
seventy-elght miles in length and as broad
as his time and strength can make it.
CHURCHES GAIN.
Nearly all of our churches have made gats
in membership. and as a rule our Sunday
schools and Endeavor societies are in a hope
full condition. While il is greatly to be re-
gretted that we have not more means to aid
our needy churches and especially to support
an evangelist, the churches are doubtless
learning needed lessons of self-help and of
fuller dependence upon spiiituals iaaue-ce and
support =-sep 80, -.-'r
While the total of our offerings from the
state has not reached the hoped for amount,
it is gratifying to know that nearly every
church in the state has had part in this
expression of interest With the exception
Of few churches that have been pastorless
part of the year and two or three where
change in the schedule of benevolences
throws the contribution of the pres
ent calendar year over the line
of the closing home missionary
year, 1t may be said that every living church
in the state has had part in this work.
Every effort has been made in the closing
weeks of the year to make this result pcs
sible. and it is gratifying to record the hearty
responses of pastors and people to this ap-
peal.
The societys missionaries have organ
lied in all G,446 churches, about 1,600
of them being Presbyterian, planted in the
early years when that denomination did its
home missionary work through this society.
During the seventy-one years Of its exist
ence, it has received SIT 1873 ,571 in cash. The
work for the past year was as follows: Home
missionaries employed, 2,o26; states and ter
ritories occupied. forty-four; Sunday schools
under mis- ionary care, 2.63S; &C cholars in hese
Sunday schools, 1874.
General o. o. Howard, as president, tonight
formally opened the annual meeting in the
Washington Street Methodist church. The
annual sermon was delivered by Rev. Frank
s. Bayley of Denver.