The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-06-02
MISSIONS IN INDIANA
REV. f. ID. CURTIs's REPORT TO THE
CONGREGATIONAL SOCIETY.
Work of the Twenty-Nine Home Mis-
siOnaries Employed Last Year
Other Religious Bodies.

SARATOGA, n. Y, June 1.-The seven
ty-first annual meeting Of the COngrega-
tional Home Missionary Society began here
this afternoon and will continue until
Thursday evening. The society's missionar-
les have organized in all 6,446 churches,
about 1000 of them being Presbyterian,
planted in the early years when that de-
nomination did it's home missionary work
through this society. During the seventy
one years of it's existence it has received
ST., 1873, 81 in cash. The work for the past
year was as follows: Home missionaries
employed 2,026; States and Territories oc-
cupied, A; Sunday schools under missionary
care, 2,63S; scholars in these Sunday
schools, 172, 7S4; total amount received in the
seventy-first year. S5SS.31
The report of Rev. Edward D. Curtis, of
Indianapolis, superintendent of the home
missionary work in Indiana, was read 1t
follows: '"Twenty-nine missionaries have
been employed a whole or part of the year
supplying thirty-two churches and two out
stations and performing nineteen years and
ten months of labor. Thirty-four Sunday
schools report an aggregate membership OF
2, 77Z. There have been 1853 additions to the
churches by confession and 1875 by letter.
Seven churches have been organized, tlVe
of them by council. Seven Sunday schools
ship erected; two extensively repaired and
two missionaries have been ordained.
Several of the newer fields are at present
doing the best they can without home mis-
sionary aid, although none OF them can be
called Self-supporting
In the main, the year has been. one OF
good results. The spirit of fidelity conse-
Grafton and self-reliance has come upon
many fields. There is improved general or
ganiZatiOn more Self-impoSed missionary
work in destitute places, and a decided ad-
vance in fellowship power Of stimulating
contributions to benevolence. The Held out
side the parish is receiving attention, and
churches are becoming more unselffsh in
asking less Of the societyS aid, in order
that the newer and feebler work may not
suffer loss. The organization of the twelve
eastern churches of the old Central Asso-
citation into the vigorous Kokomo AssOcia-
ton developed new workers, and associated
the churches (most of them less than eight
years old in more compact and helpful
THE spirit of freedom and righteousness
manifested itself in a strange way in In
dianapOlis, and in an adjacent Bible school,
resulting in drawing public attention to the
principles of our New Testament churches.
Valuable workers united with US, new
fields were opened and four additional cen
ters of work were formed. Individuals and
communities adopted our polity and sought
our fellowship. Local responsibility was in
creased, as it was possible for the society
to aid but one field in addition to the bur-
dens already assumed.
THE bottoms of the Ohio, Wabash and
White rivers are sometimes in their wind
ing course many miles wide. They are
heavily timbered and only recently in
southern Indiana have they been invaded
by woodcutters sawmills and the simple
hearted and honest people whose livelihood
is secured by mill work or by
opening new farms. Young mar
rfed people are founding homes.
onditions are rude and primitive and
there are many children. So we have tracts
of new frontier southwark. Some of the
new mill towns are very rough, with no
churches, and much Sabbath dissertation.
Social renovation attends the work
of our churches. Revivals' are called re-
formations because they tend to restitution
and publication. Missionaries have helped
each other in evangelistic work At Terre
Haute the second church planted in hope
full district has been greatly increased in
influence and numbers by a sweeping re-
vival conducted by Pastor Harding. Bright
wood has had fifty conversions, and the
Indianapolis pastors have labored success
fully as an evangelism union. "
General o. o. Howard as president, to-
night formally opened the annual meet
irg in the Washington-s Methodist
Church. The annual sermon was delivered
by Rev. Frank s. Bayley, of Denver.