The Little River news., 1921-04-20
President Southern Baptist Theologi- cal Seminary, Who is Touring South.

 cal Seminary, Who is Touring South.
 Following the close of the second year of the Baptist 75 Million Cam paign April 30. several thousand mes. sengers from the local churches are expected to assemble at Chattanooga, Tenn, for .he seventy-sixth annual session of the Southern Baptist Con- vention. The Convention met in Chattanooga last in May, 1906, and during the interim there has been a marked growth in every department of the Conventions activities and in the numbers and work of the local churches as well. The total number of Baptists reported to the Convention in 1906 was 1,855,7S4, while last May, fourteen years later, when the body met in Washington, the total member ship of the local churches as reported was 2,961,348, or a gain of 1,105,56 The returns for this year are not yet available but inasmuch as it is known there were practically 175,OO0 addi- tions to the local churches last year by baptism alone, there is every rea- son to believe the showing for 1921 will be even larger. n
 Growth Shown in All Lines.
 At the same time there has been a marked increase in the membership of the churches, there has been a dis. tinct advance in all departments of local and denominational work, it Is set out. The total number of local churches has grown from 2O,129 in 1906 to 25,3O3 in 1920; the total mum. Der of Sunday Schools from 11,332 to 17,686; and the number of Sunday School pupils from S57,244 to 1885, 936, an increase of more than 100 per cent. The value of local church prop erty has mounted from 4,501,122 in 1906 to $74,273,72 in 1920, an increase of more than 1900 per cent, while con- tributions to missions and benevo. fences in 1906 were $1,501,396.67, as compared to $7,331 1,266.55 in 1920, an advance of practically 800 per cent. Fourteen years ago the contributions to all purposes in year were $5,941,- 2S3.44. as against $21,327,4 ,446.67 for 1920.
 Next Meeting Important.
 The approaching session of the Convention is regarded as vitally i'm. portant to the future Of the denomina- tiori's work. It is hoped that by the Convention two-fifths of all subscrip- tions to the 75 Million Campaign will have been paid in cash and that the program for the completion of the remainder of the campaign task can be formulated at this time. Dr. J. B. Gambrell, president of the Convention, and Dr. B. Y Mullins, who recently completed a tour of Europe, where they carried fraternal greetings to the Baptists of that continent, will give their impressions of Baptist opportu. nity in that country, while Dr. George w. Truet and Dr. J.. F. Love, who rep. resented the Foreign Mission Board at the London Conference last sum- mer when the mission fields of Europe were considered, will tell of the new territory of Spain, Jugo-Slavia, Hun gary, Roumania and Southern Russia, which Southern Baptists are asked to occupy. This territory is as large as the Southern States and has a popu- lation of 12S,000,000.
 All the boards of the Convention will report the largest years accom- plishments in their history, the Home Mission Board being scheduled to re- port the completion of its million dol lar loan fund for church building, in addition to the aiding of thousand churches during the year with gifts and loans for the erection of new houses of worship. The Sunday School Board will report more than s1,0O0, 0,006 in sales for the year and with collec- tions as we'll as sales better than at any previous time in it's history.