The San Francisco call., 1908-05-14
BAPTISTS DEP[ORE
RELIGIOUS POVERTY
Superintendent OF Home Mis-
sions Surprises Members of
Pacific Coast Conference

OAKLAND, May 13-Rev. c. A.
Woody of Portland, Ore. Baptist su-
perintendent of home missions west Of
the Rocky mountains, IN an address de-
1ivered before the Pacific coast Baptist
conference in session at the First Bap-
tist church, today told the churchmen
some facts regarding the religious situ-
alton in the territory over which his
work extends that surprised many of
his auditors. He said that in Montana
there were $50 school districts without
religious bodies or institutions OF any
kind, In Oregon 500 districts, in Arizona
425 districts. In northern California
1,073 districts. in western Washington
937 districts and in eastern Washing
ton $50 districts.
In the entire territory mentioned So
per cent of the school children are not
enrolled in Sunday schools. according
to Dr. Woody. His jurisdiction en-
braces an area of $4,000 square miles
and has a population of 100000. The
Baptist denomination has 600 churches
in this territory, with a membership OF
$4,000, ranking third among the live
leading churches IN point Of member
ship, pastors and church buildings. DR..
Woody said that religious restitution
on the Pacific slope was on the
increase and that this increase was due
to the influx of new population.
Rev Arthur L. Wadsworth AM, OF
South Pasadena, field editor of the Pa
cifc Baptist, which was today adopted
by the conference as the official organ
of the Baptists on the Pacific slope, In
a pithy talk said that the opportunity
and obligations of the Baptist church
on the Pacific slope lay along six lines
of endeavor: The multiplying Of Bap-
iQf mr. nj ND churches.
sistent evangelists, indoctrination. the
founding and fostering of institutions
of learning, & more generous support or
missionary enterprises and a hearty.
generous and loyal support of the only
Baptist paper on the Pacific slope.
Rev. ]. Whitcomb Brougher, DID,
president of the conference. In a brief
address emphasized the statement that
the Baptists have men enough. power
enough and money enough to enlarge
and improve the work of the church on
the Pacific slope.
James Edmunds, Sunday school mis-
sionary superintendent for the Pacific
northwest, startled the conference by
stating that in 500 Sunday schools there
were only 300 baptisms last year.
The conference decided to memorial
lie the American Baptist publication
society to appoint Edmunds teaching
AOA lAO oSAiA~
slope.
o. NJ Johnson spoke on The Place
OF Our Baptist Seminary in Our Baptist
Work on the Pacific Slope" and Rev
H. w. Davis of Palo Alto read paper
on religious work written by Rev. j.
Herndon Garnett of Santa Ana.
Rev James A. Clarke, editor Of the
Pacific Baptist. asserted in the course
of an address that Baptist church work
must be Baptistic to appeal to a Bap-
tist constituency.
At the conclusion of the afternoon
session Rev. C. NJ. Hill of the board OF
directors of the Pacific coast theolog-
ical union invited the conference dele
gates to dinner at his home in Berkeley
At the morning session the following
general missionaries discussed the gen.
eral theme, "The Present Baptist Situa-
tion on the Pacific Coast" furnishing
valuable statistics and information rela-
tive to the work OF the church and its
future prospects: W. H. Bowler, Idaho;
l.. W. Terry, western Washington; T. l..
McCourtney, Arizona H. r. Graves,
southern California; G. w. Brinstad,
northern California; John Bentizen,
Oregon; F. A Agar, Montana; A. Nj.
Allyn, eastern washington; A. g.
Sawin, Nevada Miss Carrie o. Mills
paugh, oregon.
This evening Rev. B. L. Whitman OF
the First Baptist church of Seattle
spoke on "The Cry of the Orient and
Americas Response" and Rev. c. l..
Maxfield told of what had been accom-