Along Kingdom Highways

ALONG KINGDOM HIGHWAYS ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-NINTH ANNUAL REPORT o f the AMERICAN BAPTIST FOREIGN MISSION SOCIETY combined with the SEVENTY-SECOND ANNUAL REPORT o f the WOMAN’S AMERICAN BAPTIST FOREIGN MISSION SOCIETY 1943 Presented by the Boards of Managers AMERICAN BAPTIST FOREIGN MISSION SOCIETY WOMAN’S AMERICAN BAPTIST FOREIGN MISSION SOCIETY 152 Madison Avenue New York 16, N . Y . Dmpotta nt! T he story of the foreign mission work of Northern Bap tists for the fiscal year, May 1, 1942-April 30, 1943, is found on the pages of this book. No attempt has been made to bring up to date that which is obviously an official record for the year indicated. Field situations and the location of some of our missionaries may have changed since April 30. In preparing missionary talks, please request latest printed or mimeographed supplemental data. * * * All Kindreds and Tongues (25 cents)—298-page hand book of foreign mission data (1940). This Would We Say (25 cents)—Thirty-eight mission aries respond to a query, “ If you had but one thing to say on the world mission of Christianity . ?” N ew Highways for the Gospel (free). Where Are Our Missionaries? (free) . and other statements. The Judson Press, Phila. Printed in U.S.A. CONTENTS PAGE P R E F A C E .......................................................................................................... 7 PART I— ALONG KINGDOM HIGHWAYS T h e G r o w t h of a C o n v ic t io n ................................................. 10 F ie ld R e p o r t s : B e l g ia n C on go ........................................................................ 16 B u r m a ......................................................................... 18 A s s a m .......................................................................... 20 B e n g a l -O r issa ................................................ 23 S o u t h I n d ia ................................................................................ 25 E a s t C h i n a ............................................................. 30 S o u t h C h i n a .................................................................. 34 W est C h i n a .............................................. 37 P h il ip p in e s ................................................................................... 42 J ap an ____ '........................................................................ 44 E ur ope ....................................................................... 46 C o- o p e r a tiv e P l a n n i n g for t h e F u t u r e .......................... 47 W orkers A lo n g K in g d o m H i g h w a y s ................................. 49 T h e E n d of t h e E a r t h l y T r a i l ................................. 55 T e l l in g t h e S to r y ................................................................ 65 G if t s for K in g d o m H i g h w a y s ................................... 70 PART II— TREASURERS’ REPORTS A m e r ic a n B a p t is t F o r eig n M is s io n S o c i e t y 95 W o m a n ’s A m e r ic a n B a p t is t F or eig n M issio n S o c ie t y .............................................................................................. 165 PART III— FIELDS AND STATIONS ................... 199 PART IV— DIRECTORIES A m e r ic a n B a p t is t F o r eig n M iss io n S o c i e t y ................ 215 W o m a n ’s A m e r ic a n B a p t is t F or eig n M iss io n S o c ie t y ...................................................................... 219 F ie ld S t a t i s t i c s ................................................................................... 239 B y - l a w s , C h a r t e r , e t c ............................................ 259 I N D E X . ........................................................................................................ 269 PREFACE For two years, the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society and the Woman’s American Baptist Foreign Mission Society have sought to make their annual reports more attractive in format and more readable in content than they have been hereto fore. Pictures have been freely used. Field statistics and financial reports— except in the full-record editions— have been kept to a minimum or summarized for ready understanding. Last year, 1942, a further departure from a long-established precedent was made by presenting the work of the two Foreign Societies as a combined report under one title— A LO N G K IN G DOM H IG H W A Y S. This step was not as revolutionary as some might think, for the report then presented was but an outward symbol of a unity in the field work and home administration of the two Societies which has grown with each passing year. Comments from many quarters indicated that these changes were well received. The edition was soon exhausted even though the nominal charge of fifteen cents per copy was made for what had hitherto been available free upon request. The reports of the two Societies are combined in the same way this year also, and bear the same title used last year. PART I ALONG KINGDOM HIGHWAYS THE GROWTH OF A CONVICTION (Missionary Beginnings) FIELD REPORTS CO-OPERATIVE PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE WORKERS ALONG KINGDOM HIGHWAYS TELLING THE STORY GIFTS FOR WORK ON KINGDOM HIGHWAYS THE GROWTH OF A CONVICTION In the early part of the nineteenth century, the 385,000 Baptists in America,* North and South, had little organization, were widely scattered and without facilities for easy communication among themselves. The formation of the English Baptist Missionary Society in 1792 and the efforts of the pioneer missionaries in India had, however, aroused a deep interest in this country, so that considerable money was sent to their aid. The interest thus awakened and fostered was accentuated also by the read ing of letters from Dr. William Carey, which appeared from time to time in the Massachusetts Baptist Missionary Magazine. When, early in 1812, a company of five young men of another denomination was set apart for service in foreign lands, a deep impression was made upon Baptists. One of these young men, Adoniram Judson, after reading his New Testa ment with great thoroughness during his voyage to India, accepted the Baptist view of baptism and wrote a letter which was received in Boston, January 19, 1813, in which he said: “ Should there be formed a Baptist Society for the support of missions in these parts, I should be ready to consider myself their missionary.” This challenge profoundly stirred American Baptists, and they began at once to make plans to undertake the work. Luther Rice, another of the young men, having experienced a like change in belief, returned to America to plead the cause of missions among the Baptists. The direct result of his efforts was the organization at Philadelphia, May 21, 1814, of “The General Convention of the Baptist Denomination in the United States for Foreign Missions, and other impor tant objects relating to the Redeemer’s Kingdom,” popularly known as the Triennial Convention. It is significant that the call to engage in foreign mission work was the first thing that led to organization and unity among Baptists in this coun try. In 1845 the Southern Baptists withdrew because of a difference of opinion growing out of the slavery question, and in 1846 the name of the Society was changed to The American Baptist Missionary Union. The name was again altered in 1910, becoming American Baptist Foreign Mis sion Society. The headquarters were established at Boston, Mass., in 1826, and in 1920 were removed to New York City. At the annual meeting in 1908, the Society became a co-operating society of the Northern Baptist Convention. For seventy-five years the Free-Will Baptists of the United States administered the work on the Bengal-Orissa field in India. In 1910 this notably co-operative and consecrated group turned this rich heritage over to the Foreign Mission Societies of Northern Baptists. These colleagues were the first to grant women leadership in their churches and foreign mission appointments. * 1936 census figures: 8,242,000 Baptists in the United States. 10 ALONG KINGDOM HIGHWAYS 11 Because of difficulties of travel, one of the first women’s societies served the populous eastern section of the country and the other centered in Chicago. The Woman’s Baptist Foreign Missionary Society and the Woman’s Baptist Foreign Mission Society of the West were organized in 1871 for “the elevation and Christianization of women and children in foreign lands.” These two societies were consolidated in 1914 to form the Woman’s American Baptist Foreign Mission Society. At the annual meet ing in 1914, this Society also became a co-operating society of the Northern Baptist Convention. The Salween Gorge, Burma How beautiful upon the mountains arc the feet of him that bringcth good • tidings, that publisheth peace.—Isa. 52: 7. ALONG KINGDOM HIGHWAYS N E of the things ancient Romans were proudest of with O respect to the empire was the freedom of travel that pre vailed. They could go anywhere they pleased. Piracy and brigandage had been put down. Good roads had been established. Sea lanes had been charted. Boundary lines had ceased to be barriers to free intercourse, and both Greek and Roman were well known all the way from Persia to Spain and from Italy to Egypt. Travel was neither comfortable nor fast, but it was possible. Romans as tourists went to all the famous places, and Romans as merchants went everywhere. Even so, however, the Roman world did not extend very far beyond the Mediterranean basin. England was on the extreme western periphery and India was clearly beyond the eastern limits of the empire.

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