PRESBYTERIAN FOREIGN MISSIONS

Otago Witness, Issue 3443, 9 March 1920, Page 21

PRESBYTERIAN FOREIGN MISSIONS

♦■! MUST INCREASE REVENUE OR CLOSE DOWN. The average subscription of 4s per church member to the cause of foreign missions must immediately be increased to lis 6d, or ' else the Presbyterian Foreign Missions' Committee will have to close its chapels, schools, and hospitals, and disband its mission staffs in China and India, abandoning fields where progress is beginning to be made after years of labour by never despairing missionaries. This presents in a nutshell the position that was forcibly brought home to members of the Dunedin Presbytery at the meeting on the 2nd inst. The matter was introduced by the Secretary of the Foreign Missions Committee (Rev. Alex. Don), who handed round a circular prepared by the committee setting forth .the seriousness of the position. The circular stated that there was a crisis in finance, in development, in staffing. ' On the financial side an increase of £BOOO upon last year's income would be required by June 30, simply to maintain present work. To carry on the usual work £16,400 was required ; to send out reinforcements five volunteers (who will complete their course this year), £4300; to provide for "new buildings, £4500; total, £25,200. So far as development was concerned the report stated that in both China and India mass.movements among the lower caste people had created a situation with which their pitifully small staffs could not cope. Until last October, when two nurses- were sent out, the mission staffs had not been increased by one missionary during. the last five years, and the consequent • physical and mental strain on them had almost" reached the breaking point. To meet the urgent needs of maintenance and development required that ,<jheir present average contribution of 4s per church member should be raised to lis 6d. Mr Don said the crisis that had arisen had already been placed before them in the statement issued - by the Foreign Missions Committee some weeks ago, but so serious was it that it was felt that individual consideration might not have the effect which collective consideration would. He pointed out that, so far as China was concerned, -the value of money depended upon the intrinsic value of silver as a metal. Whereas the missionary's salary of £2OO was now worth only 800 dollars, but the committee had agreed to make up the deficiency to 10 dollars for- every pound. That subsidy,_ however, would not' meet the increased cost of living in that country. Regarding the reference to "reinforcements" in the report, Mr Don said "replenish" would be the better word, because these reinforcements would not add to the strength of the missionary staffs. Six out of the 13 in China would shortly be coming home on deferred furlough, and three out of seven in the Punjab. He went on to impress on the Presbytery that the position had become much more serious since the statement was issued. Silver had gone up, and the rupee had ehanged in value. He concluded by seriously warning the Presbytery that they, were faced with a problem of closing down and bringing home their staffs, or making up the deficiency straight away. Professor Hewitson (convener of' the committee) read a cable just received from a lady missionary in India, intimating that the exchange rate was now 3s per ™pee—seven rupees for a guinea instead of 15 lor a pound. She cabled-" Further retrenchment impossible without closing down. Is faith in the Church justified?" He also read a letter from one of the missionaries in India, telling of their attempts to keep the work going in the face of disappointing support of the Church m New Zealand, and recounting how one lady had broken down when the question of abandon ing her station was mooted. He described the situation as being the most critical m the history of the Chuich. He had aiways held that the main business of the Church was to preach the evangel. He wanted it to be clearly understood that the work would stop of itself unless the increased revenue required was forthcoming. The Rev. J. Kilpatrick' observed that New Zealand was bulging with wealth but only little driblets found their way to;*«™g missions or to the work of the Church generally. He moved: "That the Presbyter v of Dunedin hears with concern the statement re the unfavouraWe e »^ n S° £ China and India, and resolves that it would not be honouring to God or a credit to the church to curtail the work we have entered upon; that members and adherents wSn the bounds be urged to increase their giving by such amounts as will relieve the present distress, .and provide for future needs; and that ministers be askc' to confer with their office-bearers and church workers and to report in writing to the clerk of the Presbytery. "Rev A Gray, in seconding the motion, said he thought their faith in the church should not cease. It only required to bo

fully ventilated to assure a fitting- response. Rev. D. Dutton suggested that Mi Don 'should carry his personal appeal to ever/ presbytery,' and Professor Hewitson replied that the committee had made arrangements to send him to Auckland.' ..- - - - The motion was carried. • ".-'. .