The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-01-18
FOREIGN MISSIONS
GIVEN $4,000
S1,500 AT MORNING SERVICE.
FOR SAME CAUSE $500 WAS SUBJ
SCRIBED AT EVENING SERVICE.

nccOFu EstnD11ahe0 Wn1cn Otner
Churches viii Find Hard to Equal.
Pastor of Church Justly Proud of
the Showing Made-StrOng Sermon
Preached in the Morning by DIR.
II. j. WiIIinGhnm of Richmond,
Va.-SermOn ut Night Preached by
DIR. II. III. Pitts, Editor of the Reli-
giOus Herald.
With $1,000 subscribed at the morn
ing service for the cause of foreign
missions, and approximately $500 addi-
tional pledged at the evening service,
the congregation of the First Baptist
Church has established record for
lfberality in this direction. The CIV
ing was spontaneous and little effort
on the part of those taking up the
subscriptions was necessary.
The morning sermon was preached
by Dr. r. j. Willingham of Richmond,
secretary of the Board of Foreign Mis-
siens of the Southern Baptist Church.
DR.. Willingham based his sermon upon
the text, LAS the Father hath sent me,
even so send 1 you" With this as his
~NNDAO
congregation to give every possible aid
to the extension of the work now go
ing on in foreign lands.
Attention was called to the fact that
much had been accomplished thus far,
and yet that there was still so much UNI
done, so much to be done, that at
times the workers were prone to be-
come discouraged. The harvest was
verify ready, but the workers were
few. Even those who were in the
field, and others who were anxious
and willing to go, were held back by
lack of funds and, by literally sup
porting the cause based on the last
command of the Master, each congre-
cation could do much to advance mis-
sionary work in foreign fields.
Immediately after the close of the
services the ushers and members of
the Finance Committee were appoint
ed by the pastor of the church, Rev.
John D. Jordan, to secure subscrip-
lions for foreign missions from the
members of the congregation. The re-
suit was a complete surprise to all.
Nearly every member of the congre-
cation present was pledged to give
something to the cause this year, and
the ushers were kept busy tallying the
amounts, and the names of those SUBJ
scribing them. When all had been
collected and the various amounts
added together, it was found that
little more than 1900 had been sub
scribed.
Additional $500 Mt Night.
The night sermon was preached by
Rev. r. H. Pitt d. D., of Richmond,
editor of the Religious Herald. DR..
Pitts sermon was a short one, but
was highly interesting, Astounding in
polished figures, and terse, impressive
sentences. 1t was unusually compact
and there were no points introduced
which were not germane to the sub
ject in hand. The sermon, like the
one in the morning, dealt with mis-
sionary subjects and at it's close an
opportunity was given those who had
subscribed nothing in the morning to
do so then.
The same method of work as had
been used at the morning service was
carried out There were many prom
inent members of the church present
at the night service who had been
unable to be present at the morning
sermon, and they responded literally
to the call for donations. No exact
figures have yet been announced by
the committee which had in charge
the solicitation of subscriptions, but
rough estimate shows that the
amount pledged at the night service
will closely approximate $500.
This amount, coupled with the ST.,
500 pledged at the morning service
and with several subscriptions which
will undoubtedly be made by MEM
bers of the church who were not at
either service, will swell the total
amount to a figure very close to, if
not exceeding, the $1,000 mark. The
showing is one of which any church
might well be proud and record has
been established which will hardly be
broken for some time to come.
THE spirit of giving has settled up
on our people," said Rev. John D. Jor-
dan, pastor of the church, land we
have made a great start on the new
year. Last year we paid off all debt
on the church and the thankfulness
which prevails in the peoples hearts
was shown by their liberality to-day.
1 am, of course, very proud of the
record we have established"
Speakers Are Prominent.
The two speakers who occupied the
First Baptist Church pulpit are both
men of great prominence in the af
fairs of the church and among the
best known leaders of the Southern
Baptists.
Rev. r. j. Willingfam, D. D., the
speaker at the morning service, is
secretary of the Foreign Mission Board
of the church. He is a Georgian by
birth and was at one time prominent
ly identified with business interests
in Macon. His great-grandfather and
HIS Wlfe's great grandfather, Rev.
Henry Holcomb, D. D., and DR.. George
Moorse, were the first pastor and the
first deacon of the First Baptist
Church. Dr. and Mrs Willingham have
a son engaged in missionary work in
foreign fields.
Rev. R. H. Pitt. D. D., is a native
of Virginia. He is best known. per-
haps, to both the religious and the
secular world as an editor through
his paper, The Religious Herald, the
ablest and most popular paper of the
Southern Baptist Church. His SER
mon was preached with his usual
force, and clearness, and the lessons
taught were carried straight home to
the hearts of all who heard him.
DR.. Willingham is the guest of his
old classmate and friend. Judge Samuel
B. Adams. Both attended the Univer-
sity of Georgia. DR.. Pitt is the guest
of DR.. and Mrs. John d. Jordan, at
the De Soto