Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-09-09
Story Is Told of Christian Work
Now Being Done In Northern China

an inn? Why don't you stay in the
church" Church - said the mis-
sionsFy. since when haS there been
church IN eanaESnouth3 $0h, don 4
ycu know? We've had d eisafch here
for month new We rtEtef a place
and made a church ourselves /"
That's cheerful news said the
missionary. "All the same. | thihk
I'll have look at the inn" ~ :@.
With obvious disappointment. tie
church-making farmer led the way 90
the inn. His cheerfulnes began TO
return when they found the first oRe
fun; II quite bubbled over whom the
second one proved to be 1aeA1ifti
ably dirty. There were only two: So
the former led The way In triumph: 20
the church "; = i's:;s;-. s...a..'is,:
IN the main street of the las mar
SSn Il stood, room fifteen feet
, twenty-five. all neatly papered. the
wafIs adorned with maps and pictures.
row. Of the simplest wooden benches
on q dirt floor. and a borrowed table
for pulpit-desk. Behind was a neat
room, ten by ten. with a new k'ang
"a brick bed two feet high filling half
the room and heated by fuel. which
the farmer had made With his own
hands In two minutes steaming tea
was served: in a fifty supper was
ready, the brick bed was heated toast
ing hot, quilt was borrowed from a
nearby cloth-shop, the nefghbors drop
ped In for chat, and the story of
the founding of church In Canal.
mouth was told. q. IL ~ "
How Church Was Born
A single, poverty.stricked farmer,
thrilled by the gospel Of Kingdom
of God, had left willing son to farm
his scanty acre or two OF land in
summer and work the loom in win
ter. He himself set out to preach in
the nearby market-towa, and the
neigEbors listened. After a while
twenty of them sent letter to Tung-
chou to ask that chapel be estab-
lished in their midst. But the Tung-
cheu committee had no money. The
most they could do was to arrange
! that preacher from Fragrant River
/ should visit the town two or three
times a month to help the farmer In
his preaching. Nothing daunted, the
farmer and his friends undertook to
make a church themselves. With the
preachers help, they found means to
rent room on the busiest street Of
the bustling town. With their own
hands they did the work OF putting
the place in order
Each market-day, when the door Is
| opened, the benches. ere thrust to one
Side and the tiny room is jammed
with eager listeners, pushing each
other shoulder to shoulder Visitors
from a half. dozen neighboripg VII
lagos are already eager to establish
meeting-places in their own village
homes The farmer assured the mis-
sionafy that by the end of 1915 regular
services could be held in thirty such
village meeting-plaees within five
miles Of Canalmouth, If only there
were an evangelist with deeper
knowledge OF the Way to help him.
! An ltinerant Shoemaker
Not many weeks ago the mission
airy was preaching on Sunday in the
little church In Fragrant River After
the service he was introduced to a
Christian whom he had not known,
and remarked with considerable en-
thusiasm upon the excellent attend
ance at the morning service. Yes, :
said the Christian. a shoemaker by
trade, "the church has made excellent
progress these years. But you will
DE glad to know that at my own little
village, six miles from here, whittier
no preacher has ever found time to
go, fully as many people as heard you
preach this morning gather each Sun
day, when am at home to lead them,
to worship God. And wherever |
travel, making shoes. am proclaim
ing the Way, and the people listen
gladly.
r (To be continued) 81.