Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1906-05-12
SOUTHERN BAPTIST
CONVENTION
T.. w. stephens. President. Gives
Startling Figures AT Chattanooga.


nnal address. declared that the past
year had been the greatest in tbs
history OF Baptists, and that pros.
poets OF the denomination were never
so bright. He suggested the name of
Lookout Mountain as The key note of
the Convention. He referred i'm warm
terms TO the principle OF soul liberty
for which Baptists stand. and claim
ed that denomination 10 have been
the pioneers of that principle i'm
America. He said the number OF
Baptists in the world is 6 900. 900, OF
whom 100000 are i'm America. L.
100000 OF them In thee South. The
number OF white Baptists represent
ed by the Convention was nearly p
100000. The white Baptists of the
South own $25.OOO.OOO of church
property, and have $lO.O0O.OOO in
vested in education There are 20
0oe churches.
Special attention was called To the
Baptist gatherings of his year, the
Baptist General Convention of North
America. organized i'm St Louis in
May. 1905. and the Worlds Con
Sress held in London. in August last.
and also to the unusually large con
Ventions in the various states dur
ing the year. This all indicates. he
said. growth in numbers and organ
ization and fraternalism
The convention comprised Bap-
lists from fourteen southern states
covering an area of million square
miles. with a population of over
3O,OOO,00O When the convention
was organized in 1915 the population
was 100000 and the denomina-
ton 100000 The population is four
times what is was then and the mem
bership OF the denomination eight
times or double the ratio of the pop
ulation.
The contributions 10 Foreign Mis-
sions during the 81 years by the
churches represented i'm the conven-
/ ton have been over $I.25O.0OO. and
/ to Home Missions over S3.25O.00O.
The contributions TO Missions and
/ the value of church property are
/ four times what they were forty
years ago and twice what they were
twenty years ago. As much has been
contributed to Missions within the
past fifteen years as for the whole
forty-five years preceding, and the
receipts for the past wear are s3I5..
600. were more than they were from
1850 to 1860. There are now 1877
missionaries In the employ of tn,
Foreign Board, over 700 in the EN-.
ploy OF the Home Board and about
1000 engaged in the state, district
and city mission work The Foreign
Mission work is i'm Japan. China
Mexico, Brazil Argentina. Italy anC
Africa. The dOmestics mission WORK
is all over the south and southwest
He recommended special attention tC
China and Japan. and that half =
million dollars be raised for foreign
missions next year. Mission work in
the large manufacturing centers. in
the mountain districts and amone
the in,migra,ts VIC s,ronI,. ,.,1,
and also vigorons vol ~ ~.
,mopg tb5 nnoro.. -, na
mont Of moi, n,tni.,,.,, 49,, '''''' y, g
evangelical work among them.
Attention wos LII 49,.
growth Of tbe South a,a 80 49,
rent necessit,. or .,na,,. :,
al movanant &, mar so.tia, r,.,.
end if was srooaatad tbat
geIicaI rpnd ba ,royidad sou a.,
mort Of AN arr,, 80 o,.a,ao,,..a
ont amono tho ,oouio r,
recommended u,, ..,o '','
listment rnnd no a.ta,1iatas -, ~
mission,rios n,a,. ~, 80, .,,',. -" nv. 5DS
the cbrrcb,. and - -. gu
be bronob, inta aa o.. ',,,, , '''' ,i' y
missionary vo,I
r,,
100 ,.a.,.,. u" '"e 'o"'il' ne Sald
80 - 80 u :, ,'O''' uiiuer 'he contro
rn,,,oaa,,,., ''p,','7 VI '''e'' % are
oaaao,',s $3.50 '"" . ,'s'e ana 81