Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-05-09
BAPT|sTs OF SOUTH
WILL MEET At HOUSTON
Great Convention Opens on Wednes.
day Afternoon In
Texas.
CONSIDER IMPORTANT REPORTS
Plan Being Discussed to Consolidate
All Boards Into One Moro Efficient
Unit-Judson Centennial Fund to
Be Subject Of Report,


Be Subject Of Report.
Tho Southern Baptist Convention
meets at Houston. Tex. Wednesday.
May ~. at 8 o'clock. This will be the
NTH time that tho convention has met
| In Texas; in 1874 II met in Jefferson
In 1883 In Waco. In 1890 in For. Worth,
and In 1894 In Dallas. The president Of
last year, Rev. Lansing Burrows. D. H.,
VIII call the body to order and will
doubtless be reelected president, for
II has been for some year the "unwrit
ten law" that a president shall con-
tinue In Office for three annual meet
| inEs. and last year was DR.. Burrowss
| frst year. DIR. Burrows ia the son OF
Kew. j. l.. Burrows. d. D.. who was
FOR twenty years the pastor of the
First Baptist Church. of Richmond.
For thirty-threc years DR.. Burrows
served the convention as one Of it's sec
retaries The secretaries for last
year were Rev. o. F. Gregory. D. D.,
| formerly pastor OF the Staunton Bap-
tist Church. and Rev. Hight C. Moore.
or Raleigh. n. c. They Will doubtless
be reelected this year The conven-
| ton sermon is to be preached this year
| by Rev. ]. w. Porter. D. D., OF Ken
| lucky. who was, formerly pastor of the
First Baptist Church, OF Newport News.
ATTENDANCE MAY BE
! LIMITED THIS WEAR
Since the convention meets at ono
extreme OF It's territory. the attendance
| VIII probably not be as large this year
as II was last year at Nashville, when
the roll of the secretaries showed that
| there were actually present 1890 dele
| gates. However, IL is to be remem-
| bered that Texas was entitled last year
to 6l1 delegates ana that only 1871
| were present; this year Texas will have
l a hn Ia1a rLa
| titled to have. On the other hand the
| delegations from Virginia. North Caro-
| lima. Kentucky. Georgia and South
Carolina Will doubtless be much
| reduced
While this is the nfty-ninth session
OF the convention. 1t is the SEVENTEEN
year OF It's history. For some years The
| sessions were biennial. The conven-
ton was organized in Augusta, Ga.
| in 1S45. That first year the president
was William B. Johnston. OF South
Carolina. and the secretaries. Jesse
Crane. of Virginia.
NOT A COURT OR
CHURCH LEGISLATURE
The Southern Baptist Convention is
not an ecclesiastical court nof a legis-
! lattve body. Its purpose Is missionary,
! evanEelictic and educational. 1t does
Its work, between the sessions OF the
body. by means OF three boards or
committees. namely the foreign mis-
| sion board. located ar Richmond: tn.
home mission board. located Al Atlanta,
and the Sunday school board. located
ut Nashville. And the Southern Bap-
list Theological Seminary, at Louis
Vile. KY, reports TO the convention.
and elects It's trustees from nomna-
tons made by the convention.
To the work % the foreign and home
boards the churches OF the convention
make regular contributions: the Nash
Vile board is publishing house. and
pays, nay, more than pays. It's won way.
being able to make gifts In money and
literature to the other two boards.
Southern Baptists, through their
foreign mission board. are doing work
In Africa, China, Japan. Italy, Brazil,
Mexico and Argentina. In these coun-
tries they have sl3 workers. and last
year Southern Baptists gave over s6oe,
600 20 this department of their work
GREAT WORK DONE
BY HOME MISSION HOARD
Through the home mission board
! work is being done in Cuba, the Canal
Zone. many of the great cities OF the
| South. In what is known as the "moun
tain district" among the colored peo-
ple among the foreign population
| among the Indians, and in the frontier
| section. This board has a building
and loan fund and a department of
evangelism. This board had last year
| l.ii9 workers. and gifts from the
churches for this work amounted last
year TO $4,000.
! The Sunday school board has In prop
erty and other assets over s559,o00.
Last year this board has numerous
workers in the field lecturing, and in
other ways seeking TO improve the Sun
day schools. The Southern Baptist
| Theological Seminary has assets. in en-
4 n (lyx-T n n nd hull n
erty. amounting to over sl.5oo.000.
! The business OF the convention this
year will be the consideration of the
regular work OF its various boards and
OF special matters that may be in the
hands of special committees appointed
last year or at some other session.
JUDsoN CENTENNIAL
! COMMITTEE To REPORT
The committee appointed for the Jud-
son Centennial Fund will make report
this year. perhaps its final report. and
| may possibly announce that the whole
/ fund of sl.250,000 has been subscribe ed
This committee was appointed at the
meeting of the convention in Jack SON.
willie, in 1911. a report that caused
| considerable discussion last year, and
that was not finally disposed of, will
! come up again at Houston. This was
| the report of what Is known as the
efficiency committee.
|
I recommended the continuance OF the
present boards at their present loca-
| lions. some In the convention advocated
the consolidation of these three boards
| into one great board. One OF the chief
| champions of this plan was Rev. +. c.
McConnen. -. n. formerly pastor Of
the First Baptist Church. LynchburG
| Parts OF the report of the commit
! tee were recommitted, and DIR. McCon-
nell was added TO the committee. The
adoption OF such Il plan d that sug-
I gested by DR.. Mcconnell would mean
/ radical change in the machinery or
tho Southern Baptist Convention.
! MAY CREATE NEW
EDUCATION BOARD
\ committee appointed two years ago
| on the advisability OF the creation
! of an education board as q part OF the
work Of the convention, reported last
year, but asked TO be given another
year for the fuller consideration of this
large question. 1t will repor, this
! year.
| AT the same time as the meeting
of the Southern Baptist Convention