The star-progress. (Opelousas, La.) 1917-1921, 1921-05-11
FACTS AND FIGURES
OF BAPTIST CHURCH

Inc southern BaptlSJ convention,
organized in 1845, will meet May Il
and 18 in Chattanooga, Tenn. About
5000 messengers viii assemble from
eighteen southern states and repre-
sent 25,5O0 churches with a combined
membership of over 100000 white
Baptists. There is an investment of
75,OO0,0O0 in church property aside
from their schools, orphanages and
hospitals. During the past year, APP
proximately $25,OOO,O 900 was raised for
all purposes. The convention met last
year in Washington, D. c. There were
1882 registered messengers. It is not
expected that the attendance will be
so large this year. There were 123,-
O69 baptisms reported for the year.
There was also reported 1855 Sun
day schools with an enrolment of l.
1896, 1886.
The detail work of this large body
of religionists is transacted for the
most part by five boards, namely;
Foreign Mission Board, Richmond, Va.
Home Mission Board, Atlanta, Ga,
Sunday School board, Nashville, Tenn.
Board Of Ministerial Relief and An
nuities, Dallas, Texas, and Education
Board, Birmingham, Ala. In addition
to these, there are two other lines of
general activity-the laymen's mis-
sfonary movement and the woman's
missionary union.
The foreign mission board is doing
an aggressive work in China, Africa.
Japan, Italy, Mexico, Brazil, Argen-
tina, Chill and Czecho-Slovakia. They
have a membership $4,000 in these
nations. Some of the fields have a
large native force of workers. OF
the 542 churches reported last year,
155 were self-supporting There are
554 schools and 80 hospitals and dis
pensaries maintained on these fields.
The home mission board assists in
the missionary operations Of all the
state boards and maintains a force OF
about 500 independent workers. The
/ Baptist work in Cuba and Panama IS
supported and directed by this board
Ias is also a large tubercular sanitor
/ ium at Ell Paso and SO mountain
schools. They have in charge mil
lion dollar church building loan fund
and also make gifts to churches fol-
building purposes amounting to hun
dreds of thousands Of dollars each
year.
The Sunday school board is charg
ed with the publication of books and
periodicals for Sunday school ant
general use. The total earnings o.
this board for the year ending Apri
80, 1920, reached the magnificent sum
Of $862,732.4O A splendid building
Of its own houses its offices.
The board of ministerial relief anC
annuities looks after the comfort o.
aged ministers, their widows and or
pbans. There are over 700 benefi
Charles on the roll There are two
funds handled by this board; one fol
immediate relief and the other is ar
endowment from which the monthly
allowance is to be permanently in
creased. Mr.. John D. Rockefeller ha:
recently given 100000 to the latter
fund.
While southern Baptists have lis
4 schools in the south, only the follow
ing are considered southwide in theil
ministry: Southern Baptist Theolo
gical Seminary and the woman's mis-
sionary union training school, Louis
Vile, KY; southwestern Baptist The
illogical seminary and the southwes
tern Baptist training school, For
Worth. Texas; the Baptist Bible in
stitute, New Orleans. The money fol
these schools out Of the seventyfivt
million campaign is handled by the
educational board. Other schools are
assisted and considerable other worl
! is done by this board. The enroll
ment this year in the 119 schools has
reached 31,196. The material equip
ment of these schools eamunts to $40,
". c. TuIlis Of dallas, Texas, ira !