The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-12-04
OVER $50, 900 COLLECTED
OVER ONE HUNDRED MISSION
ARIES EMPLOYED.
ALSO A VOLUNTEER MISSION CORPS
There are Now in North Carolina 1923 White
Baptist Chu ches and 1863, 600 Commua-
cants. During Past Year There
Have Been II, 500 Baptisms.

The Baptist State Convention meets in
is the sixty-eighth annual session Of me
convention. Its session this year prom
Uses to be of unusual interest. 1t meets
ON the spot of its birth. Tine year just
ended has been most prosperous. The
reports in numerical increase by baptism
indicate the most active year of evange-
listic effort in the history of the denomi-
nation. Nearly $4,000 have been re-
ceived by the Treasurer for State, Home
and Foreign Missions For educational
purposes the sum Of $12,222 has been
contributed in cash.
The points of probable greatest inter-
est in the approaching meeting. will be
the annual sermon on Thursday night
by DIR. W. s. Penick. of Elizabeth City,
the historical session probably on Friday
night at which DR.. T. r. Skinner, DR..
J. d. Hufham, T. NJ. Pittman, Esq, DR..
Il. w. Skies will represent the backward
and the forward look of the denomination
in North Carolina. This meeting will be
presided over by DIR. Thomas Hume, of
the University.
the presentation of the report of the
Board of Missions and Sunday Schools
by the corresponding secretary, Rev.
John Il. White This board has execu-
tive direction of the denomination work
in missions. Sunday Schools and colpor-
tage. The report this year will be
most gratifying. The State Mission
work is in the most healthy condition.
One hundred and three missionaries
have been at work in the bounds of the
State. supplying 1913 destitute and neg
lected places with the gospel.
They have in these mission fields or
ganized during the year % churches, %
Sunday Schools and have baptized 1.466
people 1t is remarkable also, though they
labor among the very poorest and least
developed educationally that they have
raised in their mission fields, for all de-
nominational purposes a very large sum.
In addition to the 1903 regular mission
aries an additional State Mission force
has this year been at work, called the
Volunteer Mission Corps. 1t consists OF
Sc of the ablest pastors who have en-
listed for term of four years III
movement for the evangelizatlon or
North Carolina They have gone with
out recompense except as to travelling
expenses into the highways and hedges
of our most destitute sections, and are
pledged TO give ten days time each year
for three years more to go wherever the
board may direct them.
1t is movement fraught with far
reaching good to the whole State and
has contributed no little to the evangelis-
tic esprit de corps of the Baptist during
the year.
The report will also show that the
Sunday School work is gaining good
head-way Rev. II. w. Spilman, Sun
day School Missionary, has done line
work in over half the counties in North
Carolina. The Baptist Book Store is ais
to be reported 1t has had the most pros
porous year in its history. This store 3
the property and enterprise of the Bap-
fists. All it's profits go to support m s.
sionaries. From its business the past
year it has contributed 5000 towards
the payment of missionary salaries.
Perhaps the most interesting event of
the meeting at Greenvile Will be the
consumption of the union between all
Baptist organizations in the State. I'm
til recently the Baptists We're divided
into two conventions One west of the
Blue Ridge and the other east of the
Blue Ridge. They will now be united
into one great convention. BY all, this
union is regarded as an event OF great
est significance.
From the latest statistics we gather
that there are now in North Carolina
10000 white Baptist communicates, j.
62S white Baptist churches, 1880 bap-
tisms during 1S97-9S.
In attendance upon the convention
in Grcenville there will Il number of
distinguished men from other States,
representative Of the general boards OF
the Baptists in the South. A large at
tendance, fully taking Greenville's hospi-
tality, is expected