The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1933-06-24
S. s. MISSION
WORK IN AREA
IS PROSPERINC
Five Churches Built In
Recent Years; AZ Pro-
fessions Last Month
B.: c. N. CADY
Missionary. A. S. S. w.

Since the birth of our country
there have been many faScinat-
ing tales relative to its history,
among which is the story of Sun
day School Missions. During the
early days of the Nineteenth Cen
fury, institutions were born that
were destined to WELD a remark
able influence upon the spiritual
and social life of this country
up to this very hour.
Among the organizations that
came into being at that time was
the American Sunday School I'm
ion, where charter members de-
clared their purpose to be, "to
establish and maintain Sunday
Schools and to publish and cir
culate, moral and religious liter
ature." These far sighted men,
called from a number of Evan
gelical denominations, sensed the
need and possibilities of an or
ganized effort to provide Bible
teaching and Christian training
for the people, especially boys
and girls of the small rural COM
munities, who were not being
reached by the UNCONVENTIONAL
organizations. The first Sunday |
School west of the Mississippi
river was established by an Amer
can Sunday School Union. Mis-
sionary. These men, following
the covered wagon trails. on
horseback, assisted in maintain
ing the religious life of young
and old, among those hardy pic,
neerS who set their faces toward
the setting sun, seeking their
livelihood out of the wilderness
Of forests, prairies and plains.
Today thousands of churches, of !
various denominations stand as
monuments to their consecrated
efforts.
The work is nation wide now,
yet it still goes on. Over six
thousand Sunday schools 60 for
ward in the mountains and rural
sections of our land, under the !
direction of the American Sunday
School Union Missionaries. In
stead of decreasing, this work has
been magnified by the present
ack-to-the-country" movement,
multiplying the responsibility of
the society many, many times.
Boys and girls in the country
need the Bible, therefore the |
American Sunday School Union
distribute more Bibles
and Testaments in the out of the
way localities than any other sim
gle agency, and because of itSl
non-secterian approach to this
task, the society counts itsl
friends among all Evangelical de-
nominations.
For nearly six years, the Soc
iety has had a representative at
Hendersonville, beginning with
Rev. G. S. Jones, a Baptist min
lister who many still remember
with reverence and respect. Rev.
Jones did pioneer work for forty
years, organizing Sunday Schools
both union and unconditional
also distributing hundreds of
Bibles, Testaments and tracts.
Following Rev. Jones, Rev. A. l..
Justice, was, for eight years, the
field missionary. 1t is quite in
teresting to listen to Rev. JUS
tice relate his experiences as he
tramped over the mountains,
seeking the otherwise unreached,
bringing to them the Gospel of
Salvation through the Grace of
God. As a result of the work
of these two men for God, many
churches in the mountains now
stand as a memorial of their de-
votion to the cause which they
represented.
For five years, following the
resignation of Rev. Justice, the
Hendersonville field was without
q missionary. In August 1924,
however, the society commission
ed C. N. Cady and located him
here to pick up the threads and
contacts that had been dropped.
The first impressions gained
by the new representative were
that there was no need for a mis-
sionary in this section, but soon
many out of the way places were
found where ministers of the
gospel seldom, if ever, visited
and the inhabitants were without
spiritual training of any kind.
Since that time many Sunday
schools have been organized,
some of which have beer aban-
doned for various reasons, while
five churches have been estab-
lished. At the present writing
twenty-five schools, with a total
enrolment of over eleven hundr-
ed officers. teachers and pupils
are being aided and assisted by
the Missionary, many of these,
were it not for this agency,
would be entirely without gospel
teaching or training.
Reports from the schools show
that this effort is not in vain.
Monthly, reports of the work
come to the missionary, who is
thus kept in close touch with
these Christian organizations.
Last months report brought news
that cheered-news that compen-
safes for every sacrifice that a
Christian worker may be called
upon to bear-forty-two people
profossed Christ as Lord and
Saviour, @