Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1949-10-15

numbers of white and Negro peo-
pie thus see excellent sound films
on soil conservation, better farms
practices, health and religion. We
are hoping to be able to get a
portable generator so that this
valuable service can be extended
to the many communities without
electricity.
The Rural Minister
More recently the school has
set up an intensive program to
attack this problem through the
rural minister.
The key person in almost any
Negro community is the Negro
minister. He has always been a
powerful influence, but not always
for good. With the recent coming
of better trained teachers into the
communities, many of these min
listers have felt their power and
position threatened and real con-
flict has resulted between the
teacher and the preacher.
Our task is to help them see
that essentially they are doing the
same job. Both are interested in
saving people; saving them from
ignorance; saving them from dis
ease; saving them from poverty !;
saving them from all other sin;
and helping them to live abund-
antly.
The first Pastors School was
held on the campus in 1914. 1t
lasted for one week. Thirty-one
ministers from five denomina-
tions attended. Last year the time
was extended to two weeks and
this year to six. Besides these in
terdenominational schools we have
had two institutes for ministers
of our Christian churches.
The program for these schools
includes courses in understanding
and use of the Bible, counseling,
pastoral work, evangelism, educa-
ton, finance, general administra-
ton, preparation and delivery of
sermons, and the like; but the
whole emphasis is on the rural
ministry.
The afternoon and night pro-
grams are given over to field
trips, demonstrations; to motion
pictures on soil conservation and
the improvement of rural living.
They are conducted by county ag-
ricultural agents and representa-
tives of state health and educa-
ton departments.
The whole program was prac-
teal and down-to-earth. For ex-
ample, the men painted a neigh
boring church and planted native
shrubbery which they dug from
the woods. In another church
they made screens and hung cur
tains and made worship centers
to show how with little cost
small one room church could bet
ter provide for its Bible school
classes.
Schools For Rural Women
The past two summers we have
had schools for rural women.
Forty-nine women representing
six denominations spent a week on
the campus. They had many
courses and demonstrations from
the eight faculty members to help
them improve their home and COM
munities.
This last summer our regular
daily vacation Bible school was
held during the week of the wom-
ems school. An accredited lab
oratory training school was con-
Quoted during the week so that
the women might get training to
help them become better church
school leaders. One hundred four
children attended the school.
The Results
The results of these efforts are
quite apparent in the improvement
of the land, the homes, the schools
and the churches. Not a single
rural church in our area is I'M
painted. Preachers, who two years
ago were preaching that play is
sinful, are now helping schools
and churches get Fairgrounds and
equipment and are actually play
ing ball with their children. More
and more the churches are becom-
ing concerned with all that con-
Germs their people and are helping
them to live more abundantly.
And the most striking result of
all is the conversion of some white
people who long have opposed the
education of Negroes.
Truly, there is salvation at
Southern Christian Institute.
-O-
The state of New JorSev rank