THE CHIMA COUNCIL THIRD ANNUAL MEETING Í9Í2 o V a PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH . IN THE U.S.A. ' f i d * VY •.3 ^ = 0 MINUTES OF THE THIRD ANNUAL MEETING O F T H E ------ China Council of the Presbyterian Church in the U. S. A. HE Council met in the Missionary Home, Shanghai, at the stated time, November ist, 1912, the Chairman, Rev. J. W- i/owrie, calling the meeting to order and opening its session with devotional exercises. There­ after each day’s meeting was opened with a devotional half mhour, and each session opened and closed with prayer. The personnel of the Council was as follows :— Rev. J. W. Lowrie, Chairman. Rev. A. M. Cunningham ... representing North China Mission. Charles F. Johnson, M .D ...................representing Shantung Mission. Rev. W. O. Elterich, Ph. D. ...representing Shantung Mission. Rev. O. C. Crawford..............representing Central China Mission. Rev. J. C. Garritt, D.D., Vice-Chairman, do. Kiangan Mission. Rev. W. T. Locke ......................... representing Hunan Mission. Rev. H. V. Noyes, D.D. ... representing South China Mission. Rev. P. W. McClintock ..............representing Hainan Mission. Mr. McClintock was appointed secretary. The personnel of the Council having changed slightly since the last meeting, the following changes in the Permanent Committees were ordered (It was decided that newly elected members of the Council should take the places on committees of the Council of the delegates whom they succeed.):— Dr. Noyes, Chairman Educational Committee. Dr. Elterich, to the Committees on Mission Force, and on Edu­ cational Work. Dr. Garritt, to the Committees on Evangelistic Work and on Finance. The Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Dr. Johnson, and Mr. McClintock, Committee on Mission Press. The following temporary committees were appointed:— The Chairman, Vice-Chairman; and Dr. Elterich, Committee on “ China Propaganda.” Mr. Crawford and the Chairman were appointed a committee to preP-re a budget for the expenses of the Council and Chairman. 2 CHINA COUNCIL. It was decided to add to the Permanent Committees of the Council a Committee on Policy, consisting of Dr. Garritt, Mr. Cunningham, and Mr. McClintock. Report of the Committee on Evangelistic Work. The report of the Evangelistic Committee was received, and its recommendations adopted. The report is appended. We would preface this report by otir expression of pro­ found thanks to Almighty God for the unnumbered mercies of the year. As war has slain, famine devoured, and mutiny devastated, the need of our Lord's saving power has become more and more evident. As hoary Kingdom gives place to youthful Republic in which all men have their share of honor and responsibility, the Word of God and the power of the resurrection life become all the more a manifest necessity. The need of the hour for missionaries is “ greater contact with God and greater contact with the unsaved,” that the “ greater works” of God may be done among this needy peo­ ple, and that the “ rivers of water” may flow to quench the thirst of thirsty souls. By means of the Red Cross and hospital work, far reaching benevolence, and now the Republican Government, prejudice against the Christian religion has largely given way. By ireans of the press, the schools and the rostrum, the multitudes are being instructed in the great themes of commerce, politics, and religion. By the Holy Spirit’s working through the lives of native Christians (a quarter of a million Protestants and a million and a quarter Catholics) through the 4,600 Christian missionaries, through Christian books, and in answer to the prayers of God’s faithful ones in all lands, this great people is being slowly moved God ward. The approval of the Christian religion has been, in some measure at least, secured, and men and women by thousands are honestly seeking the Truth, while not a few are saying: “ What must I do to be saved?” Never, since the days of Constantine, has the Church faced such wide open doors. Facing such unprecedented opportunities, it is to us a cause of great satisfaction and hope to know that not only the THIRD ANNUAL MEETING. 3 different Foreign Mission Boards are making wise and far- reaching plans for coping with the situation, but that the burden is upon the heart of our great Church itself which is planning to largely increase the force of workers, and more adequately provide needed equipment and lend constant sympathy. We regard the China Propaganda as an evidence of deep interest on the part of the Home Church and states­ manship on the part of the Board and we are sure that our colleagues on the field will be glad to aid us as far as possible in bringing the larger plans into operation by united effort, prayer, and by furnishing the fullest facts as to the situation. We are glad to see a considerable increase in the number of self-supporting— and in some instances self-governing— Churches. Also that the middle wall of partition between denominations here in the Orient is so low, that it is no barrier when the time and situation are ripe for individual Christians from different Churches to unite in one body, if by such union larger interests are conserved and greater efficiency secured. We note with thankfulness the evidences of faithfulness on the part of parents in dedicating their children to God, for it is evident that the future ministry of China must largely depend upon the faithfulness and enthusiasm with which parents offer their children to the Lord’s work and in throw­ ing around them those influences wThich are destined fo nurture deep conviction of duty and sincere devotion to the Master. We gladly record the progress made by our Chinese Christians in doing personal work. When we recall the large amount of time given by our Master to this form of work, the large place it has in the Gospels, as well as the records of Church work in modern times, and confirmed by our own observation, no ground for doubt is left of the importance of this work. One Chinese Evangelist iu our Paotingfu church has had it laid on his heart to w’rite a booklet 011 the subject and to organize a Personal Workers’ Baud. We would note with profound gratitude the awakening among the Government students, their willingness to enter Bible classes and in some cases to ask their teachers to teach 4 CHINA COUNCIL. them the Bible. It is most important at such a time that we provide in the Church that which satisfies their needs. We even hear that Dr. Sun and President Yuan have been con­ sidering the advisability of introducing the Bible into the curriculum of Government Schools and of establishing a National Church. In any case, the thoughts of the leaders are upon foundation making and surely the Word of God is the true fouudation. We do not mean to say that everything is favorable. By no means. Proud hearts are not so easily won. Many are sceptical. Others are taken up with Dar­ winism in its atheistic form. Materialistic and atheistic books coming in from the West are poisoning the minds of multitudes. Surely our “ King’s business” in the East “ requireth haste” and most earnest effort on the part of His Church. The following recommendations are made for the approval of the Council: 1. That the insistent call for educationists, so much needed at this time, must not be allowed to overbalance the call for men and women of special training, deep spirituality, and personal magnetism, who will devote their lives to the arduous task of daily preaching, personal work, and the leading and directing of an increased force of Christian Chinese workers. Our best are not too good for this work. We believe also in the truth of what Mr. Speer has recently said— ‘that the quiet work of the world in all ages and in every land has been done by the masses of common men, and the best leaders have not been those who would have responded to a call for men who believed themselves superior. It is the good plain men who do the work in every field.’’ We welcome all such to a share with us in this great work. 2. That to meet the need of the student body to-day the Board should select suitable men, who have aptness in working among men, who have had training in this work, if possible, and hasten them to the field to be located in the student centres. As to the work among Government students, we heartily agree with the thought of the Board as expressed in Dr. Brown’s letter No. xo, addressed to the Council, August 7th, 1911, Art. VI, which says:— “ The work to be done among students should be in closest alliance with the organized Christian Church in China, which includes not one class of the population only, but every class, and not one sex only, but family life.” 3. That to aid the Board in the China Propaganda, we would urge upon our colleagues faithfulness in sending to th - Board’s offices from time to time notes and incidents suited to arouse interest and give a better understanding of the needs and opportunities of the field. THIRD ANNUAL MEETING. 5 4. That we recommend to new Missionaries that before setting down to regular work they study 011 the field, if possible, the work in those places which God has most greatly prospered. 5. That men who have been signally used in Gospel campaigning should be open to invitation to go into other fields than their own to lead in conducting campaigns.