The Washington herald., 1912-04-14
Presbyterian, Baptist, and Methodist
Mission Boards Finances

Presbyterians. Baptists, and Methodists
have the largest missionary societies in
America, and the Methodist foreign Is
the largest in the world In point Of re-
ceipts Presbyterian home and foreign.
and Baptist home, have just announced
their financial figures for last year, and
the Methodist foreign has made up and
announced its receipts for presentation
10 the General conference at Minneapolis.
These are four of the seven large So
cieties closing their financial books this
spring, and all four admit they see no
appreciable increase in receipts because
OF supposed larger interest in missions
on the part of laymen.
The Methodist foreign falls OF 49, 900
in receipts to its general fund. although
II gains in its total receipts because OF
special gifts. The BAPTIST home actually
falls into larger debt. The Methodist
board shows, Cor the four years since
the last General Conference, receipts OF
G65S 2S. a great growth in total. and
q growth IN regular gifts in all OF the
four years save last year. The Baptist
home took over a debt OF 81, 900 q year
ago, and this year adds $4,000 to II.
Presbyterian Growth.
The Presbyterian Board Of Foreign
Missions. just closing its books. Is cele-
bratiRg its seventy-fifth anniversary this
year. Its receipts exceed 1,a50,00o. In
1897, its first year, its receipts were $4,-
600. None OF this large amount received
last year came from the Kennedy
legacy. There has been used during the
year S75O, 600 OF that legacy, but II is a
separate account OF the receipts last
year, which are far ahead of any pre-
vious year, $4,000 came from legacies,
a gain of $4,000 over ordinary years, and
100000 from the women, raised chiefly
~.
byterian women took over from their
oficial board, which is conducted by
men, certain financial tasks, and they
not only completed all of them and
raised more money than they promised
to do, but they kept up their own re-
ceipts, amounting TO about 100000 a
year.
The Presbyterian foreign board states,
through its treasurer that its only gains
TO be credited to larger interest by lay
men amount TO $4,000, but II has not
had time since ending its year to ascer-
tain whether the increase Is due to gifts
from lsymen or not The amount cred
TIED to individuals, possibly women. year
before last was SD, Co., and the amount
last year s2T1, 900. Presbyterian churches
as such fell OF last year in the gifts
$4,000. Secretaries and treasurers say
they are unable to trace larger gifts.
The Presbyterian Board OF Home Mis-
sions has broken all records in receipts.
It's income last year was d,S0o,0o0, and
It has increased It's budget for next year
by $4,000 Its increase is not. II says,
from churches or from laymen. but
chiefly from legscies. These amount to
$4,000. an unprecedented amount. !
Women also increased their gifts. while |
maintaining their own receipts, by about |
$4,000. The legacies go into permanent |
funds, to be used when necessary to |
keep the board out Of debt, to be after |
ward replaced.
Baptist Mission Magazine.
The Northern Baptist Convention. |
meeting next month, viii make much |
Of foreign mission work. II viii also |
report great progress in construction OF |
educational and other buildings for |
negro work The Rev. L. e Hicks, OF |
the Baptist College at Rangoon. Burma; |
the Rev. A. +. Groesbeck, of the Baptist |
China work, and the Rev. DR.. James H. |
Franklin, foreign secretary-eIect, will /
speak for the foreign Baptist work |
Building in the South includes a new /
hospital at Raleigh, on grounds OF Shaw |
University. costing $4,000, of which the /
general education board gave 5000 and |
negroes 5000; a new Sale Building, /
named in memory OF the late Superln-
tendent Of Education Sale, at Atlanta
Baptist College that cost $4,000; and
oormltorleS ana residences at virginia
Union Seminary at Richmond. that cost
$5o,oeo More and more the general edu-
cation board Is assisting coIored work.
Is encouraging negroes TO serve on man
aging boards, and together with the
Baptist Society is getting large gifts
from negroes for their own work.
1t is the purpose to establish a new
magazine. the expenses underwritten by
friends Of foreign missions, taat viii
discuss the higher phases Of mission
work, particularly from the point Of
view Of the expert. II 4 calculated that
10000 viii be required TO gut the ven-
ture upon a permanent footing, with
Eve years time for the task The Rev.
DR., r. p. HagEard. home secretary Of
the American BAPTIST Foreign Mission
Society. Boston. was offered the editor
ship OF the new periodical. but he has
Just declined It. He does 50, he an
nounces, not because the publication IL
not important, and the service Il can
render missions great, but because OF
what he feels 70 be the larger duty ow-
ing BY him TO the Baptist foreign work
a new movement among coiored
woman Of the South Is the founding Of