Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1921-08-17
To The Churches of The Edge;
field Baptist Association.

10 The Churches of The Edge
field Baptist Association.
Dear Brethren:
With the end of, our associational
year practically upon US, let me
make final appeal to your faith
and loyalty on behalf of the most he:
roic- endeavor that our Southern Bap;
fists ever entered upon, the seventy
five million campaign. In recent
numbers of the Baptist Courier you
have doubtless read the letter from
DIR. Burts, as to the very serious e
mergency confronting US. Our de-
nominational institutions, the State,
Home and Foreign Mission Boards,
the Orphanage, the Aged Ministers
Relief, and other benevolences are
entirely dependent on pro-rata dis
tribution from the Secretary-Treas=
urer of this fund, and this board is
now badly hampered by. the slowness
of some Of our people to pay their
pledges. Of course no one doubts
that our churches will in the end re-
deem every pledge they have made.
But it is of the utmost Importance
that the pledges should be met as
they fall due, if our boards are to be
spared sositive humiliation. We
ought as far as is possible keep up
with our pledges, because it is the
Lords plan .to pay as we go", and
paying doubly next year will not off
set our failure to pay this year. Two
or three weeks ago DR.. Jamison
wrote to the Baptist Courier that his
cash funds had been so exhausted
that he could not even pay small
charges such as telephone bills and
express rates. Our denominational
work is constant, daily. 1t cannot be
carried on by spasmodic jerks; we
cannot possibly sustain our denom-
national enterprises by offering in
alternate years. We might as well
recall our missionaries, Jas tor fail
them for single year. They need
promptly, month by month, their
sacrificially small salaries, in fact
our, work cannot suffer retrenchs
-ment. We must back up and
.sstfength an our invest or1
lose them. A gain made but not held
becomes loss. For our encourage
ment let us remember, that though
we have suffered from short crops
and low prices, our burdens are not
relatively greater than those of our
brethren of other states. Compared
with multiplied milliors of people in
Continental, Europe, and in Asia, we
Baptists of South Carolina are still
relatively comfortably situated. We
are not starving, we are not suffer-
ing for clothes, and l confess with
feeling of awe that l do not be-
lieve we can yet plead "hard times"
as an excuse to the Lord for failing
to redeem pledges triumphantly
made two years ago. Finally if a
candid appreciation of our blessings
does not impel US to give gratefully
to the Lord, prayerful study of
His promises should inspire US to
give sacrificially out of our limited
means. Read and read again the third
chapter of Malachi, and see if a God
who challenges us to test him, does
not offer the age-old remedy for
hard times, both financially and
spiritually. If conditions are hard
with US, may they not be signs of
blessings withheld until we do our
part. If we believe him can W. for a
moment doubt that when with chari-
table hearts we give to Him our store
He will return to US out of His
bounty and abundance, that will
crush us into humble amazemeht at
its undeserved richness. I am afraid
that the need is more acute than we
realize. Our resources in spite of
temporary depression, if Loyalty and
trustfully considered are still ad-
equate to the needs. Let the re-
collections of the blessings we have
enjoyed in the past; the great oppor-
tunities of the present, and the ire
mendous possibilities of the future
inspire us to greater zeal and ser
vice to the Lord, who has given us
all these blessings. His promises are
sure and steadfast, let loyalty and
trust control us in this emergency
and all will be well.
o. Sheppard.
Moderator.