Canadian Baptist Mission in Bolivia, year ended December 31st, 1937.

THE CALENDAR YEAR.-This tenth volume of "Amongthe Bolivians," for the first time chronicles the events of a calendar year, namely, 1937.In order to bring this to pass, last year's history was for nine months only, all the first eight issues being for the year, April 1st to March 31st.And the change to the calendar year arises from the fact that the first of the Conventions to which report must be made, that of Ontario and Quebec, now comes in June and not, as hitherto, in October.HOME MISSIONS.-TheBolivia Baptist Union has, during the year, entered a second field, namely, Viacha, the first one being Llallagua.The financial support for this extending venture as well as the interest in it appear to be well maintained.Rev. Johnson Turnbull and Miss Francklin's reports tell the story briefly while there is a reference to Viacha in Miss Clarke's statement.SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE.-Onceagain the question of Government support for the four-centuries-old Catholic Church has been raised prominently by the Public and High School teachers in annual convention.It was a daring sug- gestion which they made and has brought a more or less anxious hierarchy to the defence with the age-old cry, "Our religion is in danger."Read Mr. Hillyer's paragraphs thereanent.A FIVE YEAR PLAN.-That real progress is being made in the realization of a more just and Christian state of things at Peniel Hall Farm is evident from Mr. Merrick's account of the new movement there-a movement long being prepared by Miss Wilson, Mr. Plummer, Mr. Wintemute and others who served the Indians in their less responsive days.The whole countryside is being influenced.Our missionary, though well aware that there may be reaction and disappointments in store, carries on in faithand hope.REEKIE COLLEGE.-Twohundred and twenty-nine in attendance, with 100 turned away for lack of room and staff, indi- cates the enlarging esteem in which Oruro City and vicinity hold this school.Probably in or through no regular mission station or church work is a more intensive, far-reaching and fruitful evangelistic service being rendered than through this institution.The victory of the Reekie College girls against Oruro teams in the basketball championship must tend to bring the school into favorable recognition in city circles.AMONG THE CHILDREN.-Thereports of the women missionaries, married and single, glow with a sense of the worth- whileness of the work in the Sunday Schools.That Rally Day in La Paz with 548 present, the 200 steady average attendance at Peniel Hall Farm, with the beautiful church there crowded so that girls and women sit on the floor in the aisles and in stray vacant spaces, the Class of street arabs in La Paz, the references to the Oruro, Cochabamba, Sacaba and other schools-all this makes enheartening reading.All the missionaries' wives and all the single lady missionaries are caught up in enthusiasm for this work among the children.A helpful exercise may well be found in seeking out the Sunday School material from the reports and adding up the numbers of pupils of which there must be about 1,000.BAPTISMS.-LaPaz reports 9 baptisms, the Farm 6, Oruro 8, Llallagua 6, and Cochabamba and vicinity 10, or 39 in all.CHURCH MEMBERSHIP.-LaPaz reports 65, Peniel Hall Farm 95, Oruro 69, Llallagua 40, Cochabamba 50, with probably 50 at Quillacollo and 20 at Tuscapujyu, no data having been received concerning these last two churches, so that the present estimate is based on last year's.The total is 389-a small gain of 9 across the year of much toil.FROM THE COMMON PEOPLE.-MissGilmour after studying the congregation in Oruro finds carpenters, tailors and others making up the membership.None of these has any special wisdom or special influence in city or national affairs.This characterization is generally true of the nearly 400 members as a whole.The converts come from the Indians and the mixed classes with as yet only a very few from the highest class.Miss Gilmour was reminded of Paul's character sketch of the church at Corinth: "Not many mighty, not many noble."Yet in this group of common people there is a new hope, a new outlook, a new interest in others, a new Something that comes only when God. through the Holy Spirit, dwells in the human heart.

Récupéré en direct depuis OpenAlex et désinversé. Les résumés ne sont pas conservés dans cette base de données : les index inversés représentent 8,6 Go des 9,3 Go de texte de la base, et le serveur dispose de 13 Go libres.