Foreign Missions

Manawatu Times, Volume 59, Issue 269, 16 November 1934, Page 9

Foreign Missions

MORE WORKERS NEEDED Per Press Association. DUNEDIN, Novi 14. At the Presbyterian Assembly yesterday, Rev. P. B. Barton spoke of the need of reinforcements for foreign mission fields. Lack of these weakened the present effort and hindered future progress. The Presbyterian Church had not had to withdraw missionaries, but unless further workers were sent out there was a danger of failure. Gratification was expressed at the quality of the volunteers' offering for service abroad. Rev. _W. Mawson, secretary of the Poreign Mission Committee, said that the pioneer missionary work of the past century was beginning to tell. Churches in India, China, and elsewhere were taking a full place in missionary enterprise. Rev. J. A. Thomson said the Churchmust visualise the requirements of years ahead in order to be able to meet 'the demands of the worker. Resignations inevitably occurred, and missionaries grew old. Such gaps should be planned for to-day to prevent the work suffering in years to come. Rev. G. H. McNeur, of the Canton Mission, said that only five out of twenty missionaries at work fifteen years ago remained on the field. The work iir hospital was hampered by a lack of trained staff. Two doctors and two nurses were not enough to enable the standard to bo kept up. In educational work the church was giving, a money contribution to a teacher training sehoo-l. They should be giving personnel. Similarly, the evangelistic staff had become too weak to do fully the work offering. A great opportunity was facing the church in China to-day, but the staff were too few in number to seize it.

Needs in India. Rev. J. L. Gray, of India, spoke of tho needs of the Punjab mission. A missionary should be on the field by 1936 to prepare to replace Rev. T. E. Riddle. Much itinerating work was done by women missionaries, and they must go in pairs. To this end another woman missionary was absolutely necessary. Tho Sirmur State had not been touched adequately yet, but the people were willing to receive missionaries. The church must remember that two years was required to grasp the language. At present the staff in India was dangerously low in strength, and sickness might cause a serious position. Mr Gray urged a cautious but courageous advance. There was, he said, sell a tiling as faith, and he urged the church to uso it.

Mr E. G. Jansen was accepted for service on tho foreign field. He will be sent out after the close of the financial year, so the burden does not conic upon the present budget allocation. The Foreign Mission Committee was empowered to send out a woman woik or to India as representative of the Young Women’s Bible Class Union. It was agreed to transfer £2OOO from me Canton sites and building fund to tho foreign mission working fund.. Negotiations are to be entered into with the Presbyterian Church of Victoria regarding bearing a portion of the salary of the principal of the Tangoa Teachers' Training Institute, New Hebrides.

Ideals of Church School. Miss C. M. Ashworth, principal of Columba Girls' College, addressed the assembly on the educative ideals of the church school, and said that tho opportunity in such schools was greater than in others. Seeking to the report of the Board of Education, Mr A. C. W. Standage said tho roll numbers of the school® were increasing. In one case the increase was 60 per cent. He paid tribute to the loyalty of tho staffs in the years of depression, when under great difficulties they had cheerfully accepted decreased salaries. Mr Standage paid a compliment to the parents of scholars and to members of the church who had by gifts and in other ways helped to keep the schools at work. An overture from tho presbytery cl: Wellington asked that a director of youth work be appointed as inspector of religious instruction and worship in all colleges'under the church’s patronage, and that he furnish a yearly report on this aspect of school work. Rev. D. M. Hercus emphasised that the director’s work was to be that of a helper, not an inquisitor. Rev. J. H. Mackenzie pointed out that really the assembly had no right to appoint an inspector. The petition of the overture was lost.