New Britain Herald Newspaper, October 26, 1929, Page 13

" EW BRITAIN HERALD [* - NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1929. | VISSIONS ARE NOT ., CHARITY, SAYS HIGH 3 { Winser Sees Work as Pl 5 trophy Doomed to Failure session of the All New Iingland Regional Conference open. ed at the headquarters church, the Ilirst Church of Christ, at 11 o'clock this morning. Delegates from all of e six New England states began arriving on Friday evening, and con- tinued to arrive in even larger num- session were would have a ince of official delegates that conference large REV. SAMUEL A, PISKIE probahly more unofficial visitors ho are welcome at all sessions, than at the first Regional confer- ence which was held in Manchester, | N. H. in October of last year. liness prevented Dr. George W. | C. Hill, pastor of South Congreg onal church from giving the ad velcome as had been plan- his place was taken by | nuel A “iske of Derlin who & welcomed the delegates and other visitors on hehalf of the entertaining | churches of New Dritain and vicini- a ty. Professor Marion J. Bradshaw. - professor of philosophy of religion at Liangor Theological seminary, Ban- zor, Me, and chairman of the New England Regional committee under | o whose auspices this meeting is be-{ E & d at the first session. | : The K te of an advancing y el in a progressing, world was sounded in the opening address d tivered by Dr. § y High at the DR. STANLEY HIGH, LITT. D. 4, New York, a’newspaper corre- spondent and traveler of wide ex- perience, and a keen student of the world-wide missionary enterprize. He presented a the chur sing challenge to hes of America to vitalize and revolutionize their own spiritual life, in order to bring about the r of resources and energy and ithout which the ‘hristian work cannot go forward along fresh lines of ad- vance, Tn the course of his au. ress Dr. High said in part, — “Forcign ions, from having heen an ageney of spiritual regener- tion fast bhecoming mercly a hurch-supported philanthropy. As a Nohilanthropy it is doomed not only failure to but to extinction. The 1 mptying treasurics of many mission onrds is tragzie testimony to the tact that men and wemen who might be enlisted in a world enterprise that vas dynamically religious, will not give their money to one hat coms (o them to constitute chi v an ceelesiastical rival of state ind privately supported charities, In | ] my opinion” the dying missionary 7eal of the church will not be revived witheut a revolution as fundamental that which led the churches, in | he first place, to dare to proclaim their gospel fo the ends of the earth. | Now 1 have no desire to belittle Vhe o hy the ) J tical ministries represented spitals and schools built up missions. T have seen pitals in oper- he “As ition on three continents. T know | - | how in conntless forgotten com - munities these institutions have stood. and continue to stand, as a oncrcte and understandable per- onification of sus Christ, Him ¢If. But for us on the home cnd i 1 think a re-examination of tha pur- | order T understand it we send oul‘ bers toaay. Indications prior to the | beginning of the first the | |. PROMINENT | NEW ENGLAND CONGREGATI - WILLIAM S. BEARD, D, D. Rev. William 8. Beard, D. D. of New York, sccretary of the La man’s Advisory Committee of the Commission on Missions. Dr. Beard will address the conference on Sun- day afternoon at the South church on the subject: “Some Men Who Never Died,” and will be the preacher at the Berlin Congrega- tional church on Sunday morning. REV. ASHLEY Revi Ashley Day Leavitt, pastor the Harvard church, Brookline, , and chairman of the pr committee of the merican 1 of Commissioners for Ior- D. L AVITT of en- REV. SAMI’ L T. CLIFTON, PH. D. Rev. Samuel T. Ciifton, Ph. D., pastor of the Plymouth-Union church of Providence, Ithode Is- land, chairman of the missionary Rhode Island Con- conference. committee of the gregational our doctors and our teachers for two chicf reasons, In the first place, acrosss the mission world there stalked the sinister figure of inde- | seribable human need. There were n0 agencies whose purpose it was to meet that need. We could not con- sistently take our Christlan faith into the p suffering suffering in ful ministries. sence of such want and hout - inteétpreting that ms of healing, help of W “But in the second place, we, in those early days of our missionary activity, had no doubt as to the fundamental purpose of these insti tutions. They were to minister to human need. Yes. But they were te make that physical and menta ministry an avenue might enter over which they upon a spiritual minis try that was even more funda mental, The primary business for which missionaries went out to the ficld and for which we gave of our resources to support them was cvangelical. Soon or late, as we knew, these verious peoples, how ever backward, might be able to run their own schools and man thei own One thing, and on¢ thing only we had, uniquely, to give them. That one thing was the trans. forming gospel of Jesus Christ. “Unfortunately tor our missionary program and also, T believe for our own souls this fundamental purpose has been slipping more and more in the background. What are the concerns of the mission hoard and the mission ageney? To what do we tle up our present-day appeals for money? Isn't our language, today the language of eccclesiastical insti tutionalism? And are not our major misstonary energies devoted, thes the perpetuation of these changing process, which, 1 only fundamental thing Christiaots of th, st have non-Christian world, that regenerating Jospitals. . to ual, life repeat, is the that the to give to the W just where do precess come in? Well, in my estima- tion it comes in for a decidedly minor emphacis, And a declining (Centinucd on Page 18) ‘modqur ot the Nadonal Council of Congre REV. MALCOLM DANA, D. D, | Rev. Malcolm Dana, D. D.. direc- | tor of the town and country work department of the New York Con- gregational extension hourds. is REV. . I POTTER, D. D. fall Dr. Dana has become @ mem- Iev. Rockwell Harmon Potter ber of the staff of the England (1) "gean of Hartford Theological inter-seminary commission for train- | glnitary and president of Ing ministers ang other religlous | 4merican Board of Commission workers for rural parishes. The | for joreign Missions, Dr. DPotter work of this commission is financed | \will preside at (he' regional confer for a fi bysJohn DAt st fidnauatie for he. held tatith Rockefeller, Jr., is working | Mazonic Temple on Saturday eves in cooperation with Yal InUY: | ning, and will present the conin school, the School of TheologY |gions on hehalf of the Ar of Boston Universlty, Hartford | honra in Iirst chireh on Sunday Theological Seminary, and Newton ovenin Theological Seminary. | BEV. WILLLAM P PRAZIER Rev., William 1%, Frazier, of Burlington, Verment. is exccutive secre- tary of the Vermont Congregational conference, and formerly ehairnian of the promotivn covncil of the National Congregational Commission on Missions. Rev. Me Frazier will spe Sunday evening at the com- missioning serviee, o behalf ot the ¢ wional churches of Vermont and of Windsor, Coraceticut, which join in adopting the newly appointed missionaries, Mr. anl Mrs, Carlcton, as their representatives in the Near Sast REY WIT L33} HORACE D, Rev. William Horacee Day, D. D., pastor of United church, Bridgeport pregident sof the, Natipnal Congregational Home Boards, and o former gaticnal churches, REV. GLORGI: ions, the old reig ¥ Rev. G 1 socicty of A New Yor exe medical, sos T American M oper Feg . Barton liver the charge WOrk i to Alford ¢ Mary Cash st mor conunission » 0y NAL CONFERENCE the white distric ary of the for Con- Miss Mary Pressen, of Now York, for seeret Board of Missions of Bostcn, recently itive rot G EA A 0-secrit tion board of thy Cot nee on TS RRILL, D | = — v. Charl ( i 1) PR & S b RO ] ¢ York, i promotior il Commission on Missions of th of Congre rehes. Dr. Merrill will speak r:wm‘m afternoon on the subject: “The Drice of iry co-seoretary of the Woman's of the National of the promo- il he presented = { f the National Council V. LUTHER A. WEIGLE, D. D. Vol 1. A Weigle, D. D., Divinity school, New it Yale and prominent education. Dr Saturday leader in Weig afternoon in on the subject “Chris- Education.” He also 4 conference on this | | | | | | MISS MARY D. ULINE | Miss Mary D. Uline of Boston is project secretary of the Home De- partment the American Board 8he formerly was @ missionary in | Turkey will be in charge of | exhibits at the conference. She will | nior Young Prople’s a 4 in the Intermediate a First church on Sun- at 10 o'clock. REV. ARLINS S, MILLS, D, D, Mills, D. D. nter church. act- Hart- Commis- ional churches. Larles i ord ston pastor of ¥ ind chairmen of the Missions Congregzational CHURCH HISTORY IS RECALLED HERE Missionary Work Among In- “ians Echoed in Conlerence o of the N Council of By HERBERT D. RUGG The great historie missionary tra- ditions of the Congregational hurches are cmbodied in the pur- poses of the New England Regional meeting which brings delegates representing 1,611 churches and constituency of nearly a milllon to New Britain for the weck-end begin ning tod The meetin S wler the auspices of the New England vegional com- mittee of National Congregi- tionul commission on missions, simi- Jar regional mectings will be held within two weeks at Montelair, N. J., irehes in Atlantic states from New York to Virginia; at Charles- ton, South Carolina, for southeast- ern states: at Minneapolis, Minn., [ for states of the Mississippi Valley rom Ohio to Montana and south to The coast and western exis Pacific mountain states form a fifth region. The commission on missions Is new symbol and ageney of the unity represented in o the missionary enterprise and sirit which has characterized th Congregational churches from their beginning in England during the reign of Queen loug the in this country Blizabeth, In a definite of missionary motive through the years has expressed itself in sending missionaries to the Indians of New succession activities t the South church | England; in sending missionaries to a Christian America. establish churches for settlers mi- e will | REV, FREDERICK H. PAG D. D. Rev. Frederick H Page, D. D., 1 Boston, is president of the Massa- chusetts Congregational conference and the Massachusetts Home Mis- slonary society REV. WYNN . FAIRFIELD, D. D. : Rev. Wynn C. Fairfield, D. D.,-of | Boston, acting secretary in the for- | cign department of the American | Board of Commissioners for Foreign | Missions. Dr. TFairficld will speak on Monday morning at the South | church on “Our Unfinished Furrow | in the Far East." grating westward from New Eng- land; in sending missionaries to In- | dia, to Turkey, to the Hawailan Is- { lands, to China, to Japan, to Mexic in sending missionaries to help the | freedmen of the south. These acti ties have been planned and con- | ducted on the basis of a 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 evange fon | There are employed today in the Congregational misstonary activities more than American trained pastors, evangelists, teachers, phy- sicians, nurses and social workers and more than 6 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 hoards. 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 fieldof world-wide missionary endeavor. | The commission on missions in its present’ capacity was constituted in 1925, Tts 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 langu it is stated: “Lastly (which was not least), & reat hope and inward zeal they had of laying some good foundation, or | at least to make some way thereunto, for the propagating and advancing the gospel of the Kingdom of | Christ in those remote parts of the | world: yea, though they should be | 3,000 even as stones unto others for the 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 Piymouth plantation, that is, the “Conversion of the Savage,’” and in 1646 the Massachusetts general court( i. e. the legislature), provid- for sending two ministers each vear: “To make known the Heaven Counsel of God among the In- dians” In this way the legislature of Massachusetts became the first missionary organization in Protest- ant Christendom. The organization ary work has Iy of the mission- seen many changes om the union of church and state 15 it existed in the Massachusetts general court down 1o the present time of the commissions on missions, About the. beginning of the nine- teenth centur missionary societies organized by earnest individuals be- came the accepted means for mise sionary extension. The Vermont Do. mestic Missionary society was forme ed in 95, the Missionary Society of Connecticut in S, that of Massa- chusetts 1 1799, The interests of | these - societies were primarily for | helping weak churches in their own states and assisting settlers going west to establish churches. The dis- | bateh of missionaries to forelgn coun- tries wag the aim of the American board of commissioners for foreign missions which came into being at IFarmington, Conn,, on September 5, 1810. Tn 1816 was formed the Amer~ fcan society for the education ef | pious youth for the gospel ministry, which was continued in the Congre- gational education soclety which now | is included among the home boards, Church extension work in this coun- l (Continued on Page 18)