Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1924-04-10

Indicating the extent to which the
foreign mission work of the Southern
Baptist Convention has been set for.
ward by the larger proceeds that have
come to 1t from the Baptist rs Million
Campaign, DR.. ]. F. Love, secretary Of
the Foreign Mission Board, reports
that since 1919, when the Campaign
was projected, the following increases
In the work of that board have been
made: Number Of foreign mission.
aries on the field has increased from
1928 to $40, number of native work.
ers from 627 to $3.50, number Of
churches from sos to 891, number Of
church members from 1859 to
108,328, number of self-supporting
churches from LAB to Oil, number OF
baptisms per year from $685. to 1851,
number Of Sunday schools from 760
to 1,447, number Of Sunday school
pupils from 36,115 to 67.407, number
Of day schools from 512 to 796, number
Of pupils in day schools from 1879
to 32,7S9, and contributions per year
from $173,372 to $437,568.
Baptisms Gain Rapidly
Nearly as many persons have been
baptized by the missionaries on the
foreign fields since the Campaign be-
gan as had been baptized during all
the seventy-five years of missionary
operations prior to the inception OF
this movement. DR.. Love reports. Th@
does not include Russia, where more
than one million members have come
into the Baptist churches in recent
years. Nearly one-fourth as many
persons were baptized on the foreign
fields last year as there were mem
bers, all told. on the foreign fields
when the Campaign began.
At the time the Campaign began
Southern Baptists we're operating only
in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile.
| Uruguay, China, Japan, Africa and
! Itlay. AS result of the larger pro.
ceeds made available from the Cam.
paign the board has been enabled to
enter the new fields of Spain, JugU
Slavia, Hungary, Roumania, and Rus
STA in Europe, and Palestine and ST.
IBERIA in Asia. This gives to Southern
Baptists a total missionary audience
of 900,000,000. or more than one-hali
the total population Of the globe.
Older Fields Reinforced
But of more significance than the
entry into these new fields is the re'
enforcement that has come to the
work In the older fields, in the esti
nation Of the officials of the Foreign
Mission Board. This reinforcement
consists not only in sending out many
new workers but providing larger
equipment in the way of church
houses, mission residences, schools,
hospitals, orphanges. publishing houses
and the like. Summarizing the growth
that has come in the forces on the
older fields since the Campaign began
the following results are pointed out:
Number Of churches, 1879 increase;
number of church members, 1882 in.
crease; number of church buildings,
1876 increase; number of schools.
b5% increase; number of pupils, 10STo
increase; number of residences for
missionaries, 9495 increase; number
of foreign missionaries. $50 increase;
number of native missionaries, 264%
increase; number Of hospital build
ings, 21% increase; number Of treat
ments given. $40 increase; number Of
hospital beds, 104q5 increase.
Much Remains To Be Done
With all the increases that have
come in the foreign mission work only
portion of the program that was con-
templated for foreign missions as
result Of the Campaign has been &C.
complished as yet. 1t is in the hope
OF completing this program through
more effectively equipping the work
and workers on both the older fields
and the new ones that the represent.
atives Of the Foreign Mission Board
are cooperating with those of the rs
Million Campaign in an effort to com
plete the payments of all subscriptions
TO this movement at this time.