The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-10-14
THREE DISTINCT BODIES
FIRST OF CHRISTIAN CHURCH con-
MENTIONS BEGINS TONIGHT.
A Consolidation of Interests Proposed
An Attendance of $500 WIS.,
itors Is Anticipated.

/
the corner of Delaware and Walnut. Very
few delegates have yet arrived in the city,
| but to-day a large number is expected. BY
the end of the week ii is predicted that
there will be fully $500 Disciples of Christ
in attendance at the gathering, and eiab-
crate preparations have been made for
their entertainment. The sessions of the
various conventions continue until Thurs
day of next week During this week they
will be held at the Central Church, but be-
ginning on Sunday Tomlinson Hall will be
utilized.
The present gathering is composed Of
three distinct conventions, each of which is
Independent Of the others. These three
bodies are the Christian Woman's Board of
Missions, which will hold it's sessions on
Friday and Saturday; the Foreign Chris
tian Missionary Society, which will meet
on Monday and Tuesday, and the American
Christian Missionary Society, which Will
meet on Wednesday and Thursday of next
week. The American Missionary Society
embraces also a number of subordinate or
CARNATIONS, such as the Board OF Church
Extension, the Board of Negro Education
and CHARACTERIZATION and the Board of Min
isteriaI Relief. These various bodies nave
no ecclesiastical authority and, as their
names signify, their work is restricted
principally to the missionary affairs of the
church. The Christian Church has no gen.
eral organization, no scheme of church gov
eminent extending beyond the local con-
gregation. The only confessional that the
church acknowledges is the New Tesla
ment and its motto, is Christ Is Our
Creed" Thus the various Christian
churches are united only by the common
bond of faith, and the present gathering,
while it is the only national gathering the
church holds, has no authority to carry out.
any of it's ideas except in SO far as they
relate to the missionary interests which
are conducted by various national boards
for all the churches. The number of Chris
tan churches in this country is $685. with
a membership of 1,019,967 and church prop
erty of the value OF $16 ,497. There are
GA churches in this State and thirteen in
the city. The total contributions for mis-
sionary purposes is about 100000 annually.
CONSOLIDATION OF BOARDS.
A leading subject for discussion among
the delegates TO the various conventions
will be that of some form or consolidation
The missionary interests are divided among
so many different boards that decision
has arisen to bring the various boards UNI
der one control and thus centralize the
missionary work of the church. This has
been attempted in the past, but the legal
obstacles in the path have apparently been
sufficient to prevent any serious effort to
carry out the idea. Now the movement
has taken different shape and contem-
plates a union OF the different boards in
the matter of contributors. AS it is now,
| each board has its agents out over the
country carrying on an independent effort
among the churches Tor the raising OF
funds and the result is that each church is
called upon to make twelve or thirteen
| missionary contributions a year and the
ministers feel that this is an encroachment
upon the regular church work. Their de-
| sire is to see the number of contributions
for missionary purposes reduced to, say,
| four year, thus providing for one
missionary Sunday each Quarter, the coll
lectionS from which could be divided pro
rata among all the boards. A joint COM
mittee was appointed last year to devise
a plan embracing the main features of this
| idea, and this committee will report at the
plan maintain that it will result III in
creased subscriptions for mission purposes,
and that the unequal support given the
various missionary interests, as result of
the indiscrminate manner in which the
money is raised, would be reformed. The
practical difficulty to be encountered in
carrying out the idea would be found when
it came TO fixing the percentage of the
common fund, which each board should re-
ceive. 1t is contemplated that the officials
of each board should use their efforts to
securing money the same as now, only in
stead of working for themselves alone they
would be united in a common purpose the
raising of money for all the missionary en-
terpriSes of the church.
THE c. w. b. M
The Christian Woman's Board of Mis-
sions, which will begin its session this even
ing with the social and is to continue to-
morrow and Saturday at the Central Chris
ton Church, is an Indiana corporation or
ganized in 1874 and maintains its head
quarters in this city. It's objects are the
dissemination of missionary intelligence, the
securing of systematic contributions for
missions and the supporting Of ministers
and teachers in the mission field. The MEM
bership consists of those who contribute not
less than S. a year to the funds of the as
ISOLATION. Life members are those who pay
$50 in not more than two payments within
two years. The members, for the most
part, are associated in auXliares in the
churches, and these auxiliaries hold regular
monthly meetings. There is a membership
of 80, 744 in the county, beside which there
are 703 junior Christian Endeavor societies
| that contribute to the association. The
board received from 1875 to 1896 total of
! $541, SO, while during the past year the
| amount received was about $4,000. The
! permanent endowment fund amounts to S26
2S7.09. The organization carries on its work
| principally in the Western States, but 1t
| maintains mission points in India, Jamaica
| and Mexico. During the interval between
| the annual meetings of the board it's bust
ness is conducted by an executive commit
| tee, which consists of the national officers,
! five unofficial members residing IN indian
| apolis, and the nonresident members, con-
! sisting of q president and secretary for each
| State The present national officers are:
! President Mrs O. A. Burgess, Indianapolis
| vice president, Mrs. N. E. Atkinson, Wa
| bash; corresponding secretary Lois "A.
White Indianapolis; recording secretary,
| Mrs. S. F. Gray, indianapolis; treasurer,
| Miss Mary J. Judson, Indianapolis superin-
| tendent of young peoples department Miss
| Matte Pounds, Indianapolis The resident
Mrs. ]. II. Ford Mrs. r. X. Syfers, Mrs.
| J. R. Ryan, Mrs. ]. b. Sidener and Mrs w.
| o. DarnaH the latter living in Lebanon.
| The various state presidents are as follows:
| Alabama Mrs. Alice M. Harsh; Arkansas.
! Mrs. Matte Gamble; California, north,
| Mrs. M. ]. Hartley; California, south, Mrs.
! Anna Fulton: Connecticut Miss Lucy M.
| Osborne Colorado Mrs. l. h. Barnum;
! District of Columbia. Mrs Emma Latti-
more; Florida, Miss Rebel Mithers; Geor-
| r DicIxinson. Indiana Mrs. Virginia A. Pol
| lard. Iowa Mrs Ella NJ Huffman; Kansas,
| Mrs. Mary Graham; Kentucky, Mrs w. S.
| Keene; Maryland. Miss Eta Anislee; Mas
! Mrs. Fannie r. Thomson: Minnesota Miss
/ "A. M. Choate: Missouri, Mrs. A. 3. Jones
/ Montana. Mrs. O. F. McHargue; Nebraska
/ Mrs Alice s. Henry; New York. Mrs L. A.
| Conklin: North Carolina, Mrs Clara Grain
! ger; Ohio. Mrs. NJ. F. Miles; Oklahoma
! Mrs. Carrie Ross oregon, Mrs. H. A. Den
! ton. Pennsylvania, Mrs. p Fl. Phillips
! South Carolina Mrs. L. A. Bush; Texas
! Miss Grace Carleton; Vermont, Mrs
! Charles r. Sherman; Virginia, Miss Ellen
| West Virginia, Mrs. r. II. Wynne; Mis-
souri,, Mrs. Nettie j. Monroe.
THE PROGRAMME.
The aru,1al convention of the c. w B.