New Britain herald., 1929-10-26

grating westward from New Eng land; In sending missionaries to h. dia, to Turkey, to the Hawaiian Is- lands, to China, to Japan, to Mexico: in sending missionaries 10 help the freedmen of the south. These actiyi- ties have heen planned and con- ducted on the basis of broad con- ception of the needs of a progressing civilization. Education, medical serv- ice. philanthropy and social service have been fostered as partners in the work of evangelization.
 There are employed today in the Congregational missionary activities more than 5000 American trained pastors, evangelists, teachers, phy- scians. nurses and social workers and more than 6,S33 nationals in foreign countries. The missionary activities are now administered through two groups of boards. the American board of commissioners for foreign missions and the home boards. The directors of these boards. 72 in all and 13 other per- sons, form the commission on mis- sions The commission represents the national council of the Congregation churches in the whole field*of world wide missionary endeavor.
 The commission on missions in it's present capacity was constituted in 1925. Its beginnings may be said to be indicated in the concluding rea- son given by Governor William Bradford when the Pilgrim Fathers decided to leave Holland for Amer ica, In his language, it is stated:
 Lastly (which was not least). .
 great hope and inward zeal they had Of laying some good foundation, or at least to make some way thereunto, for the propa gating and advancing the gospel of the Kingdom of Christ in those remote parts of the world; yea. though they should be even as stones unto others for tho performing of so great a work"
 The first ministers who came to | the colonies signed a written con-
 tract to further the main end of the Plymouth plantation. that is, the Conversion Of the Savage" and in 1646 the Massachusetts general | court( i Q, the legislature). provid- ed for sending two ministers each year: ITO make known the Heaven-
 ly Counsel of God among the In- dians.' In this way the legislature or Massachusetts became the first missionary organization in Protest ant Christendom.
 The organization of the mission. | ary work has seen many changes from the union of church and state | as 1t existed in the Massachusetts general court down to the present
 tune Of the commissions on missions.
 About the, beginning of the nine teenth century missionary societies. organized by earnest individuals be-
 came the accepted means for mis- slonary extension. The Vermont De-
 mestic Missionary society was form-
 cd inil1aS, the Missionary Society or Connecticut in 179S. that of Massa- chusetts. Tn 179a. The interests of these societies were primarily for l helping weak churches in their own states and assisting settlers going
 west to establish churches. The dis
 patch Of missionaries to foreign coun- | tries was the aim of the American
 board of commissioners for foreirn
 mlssions which came into being at
 Pennington, Conn. on September 5.
 lSlO. In 1916 was formed the Amer
 ican society for the education of
 pious youth for the gospel ministry,
 which was continued in the Congre-
 gational education society which now
 is included among the home boards.
 Church extension work in this coun- | Continued on Page 1Sl