The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-05-22
BUSY FOR CENTURY.
Vermont Domestic Missionary Society
Report Submitted.

Lyndonville, May 22.-The historical
address by Rev. Charles Ii. Merrill, ID. ID.
of st. Johnsbury, for 81 years secretary
of the Vermont Domestic Missionary so
ciety, was given at the Congregations
conference here to-day. DIR. Merrill said
in part:
Mission work was first done in the
state by pastors sent from Connecticut
by local associations and later by the
Connecticut Missionary society to visit
and minister to their parishioners who
had emigrated with Others to the Champ
lain valley and regions above. In 1904
this work of itinerant visitation by pas
tors in their vacations was taken up by
the western association of ministers in
Vermont and in 1907 society was
formed for this purpose. This gave way
in 1918 to new society which in 1926
took the present name and one year lat
er became auxiliary to the national So
ciety.
During the more than 100 years these
societies have aided in organizing and
supporting upwards of l95 churches,
some of (Which have become extinct. OF
the 2l5 now in existence, it is estimated
that not more than 81 have never been
aided, though some of these were doubt
less visited by itinerants during their
early days. Two methods of work have
been in operation, the itinerant, which
is pioneering and aggressive like the cir
cult visitation, and the sustentation,
which aids in securing a permanent pas
torate. Under the former method pas
tors in the early days spent their vaca
tions in this way, since then students
from the seminaries have been employed,
and later, young women from the train
ing schools. The sustentation has taken
precedence in Importance since the
churches have once been established,
During this same period 81 900 1897 have
been contributed for home missions,
portion of which has been sent to the
national society for work in the West
In addition to this, the society has been
the recipient of trust funds to be held
for the benefit of local churches In all
the society holds funds in excess of 800, |
900, the most of which has come in dur
ing the last three decades.
The society has adapted its work to |
varying conditions during the century
changing from itinerant to sustentation,
later taking up again the itinerant for
aggressive work during the period of
decadence the middle of the last century, |
and since balancing the two as needs re- t,
quired. 1t has been active as a publish
ing society, distributing tracts and
catechisms and substituting a monthly |
publication 1t was first to adopt the
plan of conditioning grants of aid to
pastors upon a standard of giving by
The members of the church. 1t has held
partnership with various Sunday school
societies, the Sunday school union and
the Congregational Sunday School So
ciety, in the employment of missionaries
1t has had in the field "children's min
ister," financial evangelist" 1t has
state evangelists and was
the first to employ young women for
visitation and evangelist work, sending
them out two by two. Through all it
has been the financial support in the
last resort of all the varied schemes that
have been devised for the promotion of
the interests of the whole body of
churches throughout the century 1t has
been the one agency through which the
too often Independent in their
spirit and action, have been enabled to
do team work and express in practical
way spirit of fellowship and brother
hood.