Luke 19: 11-27. John 12: 1–11. Matt. 21: 1–11. Luke 19: 41-44. Matt. 21: 12-16. Matt. 21: 17-22. Matt. 21: 23-32. Matt. 21: 33-41. Matt. 21: 42-46. Matt. 22: 15-22. Matt. 22: 34-46. XL. The Ten Pounds-Improving Opportunities, Matt. 23: 25-28. Samples will be furnished gratuitously to pastors and the officers of schools. DONATIONS RECEIVED FOR THE MISSIONARY FUND OF THE PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF PUBLICATION, SINCE LAST ACKNOWLEDGMENT. BOARD OF CHURCH ERECTION. Corresponding Secretary, REV. H. R. WILSON, D.D., 30 Vesey Street, New York. Treasurer, NATHAN LANE, Esq., 69 Wall Street, New York. DONATIONS TO THE BOARD OF CHURCH ERECTION, OCTOBER 1870. 286 Relief Fund for Disabled Ministers. [December RELIEF FUND FOR DISABLED MINISTERS, &c. REV. GEORGE HALE, D.D., Secretary. REV. CHARLES BROWN, Treasurer. "DECEMBER" stands upon the cover of her Minutes as the month recommended by our General Assembly for the Annual Collection of the churches for her Committee of Missions for Freedmen. Many, according to previous custom, will take this collection upon "the first Sabbath," some later, and it is most earnestly requested that none will fail to comply with the recommendation at some time during the month, or as soon thereafter as practicable, as the Committee's wants in this regard are exceedingly pressing and perplexing. THE WORK of the Committee-with very few exceptions-is now that of Church and School combined; and it has now under its care about 30 ministers, 90 churches, 7,000 communicants, and 90 Sabbath-schools, with-during the year— some 8,000 Sabbath-school scholars; also about 50 teachers of day-schools, in which, during the term, some 7,000 or 8,000 pupils receive instruction, both religious and secular-training of the heart as well as the head; and we feel that it may be safe to say, that through the Bible and the spelling-book, the church and the school, thus given to the Freedmen, from 18,000 to 20,000 souls, during the year, are receiving more or less of both moral and intellectual instruction. THE SUCCESS of this work is certainly remarkable. The children of the schools learn with a rapidity not surpassed by white children, and the additions to the churches, on examination, make an average of nine and a fraction to each during the last year, while those added to the whole Presbyterian Church in like manner, make an average of but seven and a fraction for last year, and of but five and a fraction for the year preceding. We cannot but feel that this work is owned and blessed of God in an especial manner. But ITS WANTS, as stated, are very pressing. In shaping its work for the year, the Committee felt obliged to leave some forty of its churches without a parochial school, though in some of these but half the ordinary salary paid by the Committee would have secured teachers, while quite a number of its ministers are overworked, and their fields are suffering for want of additional help, and yet several churches are vacant, exposed to dissolution and absorption, and fields of special promise are left wholly unoccupied. One reason why the Committee thus stopped short in laying out its work, and still fails to advance, was the ceasing of Government aid to schools-a loss to our work of some $7,000. Another reason was, that the indebtedness of one of the organizations, to which it is successor, far exceeded the balance on hand of the other, which indebtedness it felt obliged to meet, if practicable, within the current year, and shaped its work to this end. But, thus far, the funds at the disposal of the Committee have allowed it to reduce this indebtedness but a little, while its last payments to its missionaries were made by borrowing, with the request that 288 General Assembly's Committee on Freedmen. [December those being thus paid would wait, if practicable, until two payments should become due before receiving more money. Here, then, the Committee stands, with an indebtedness of over $15,000, and yet borrowing to meet current expenses, upon a work largely curtailed, as compared with the former work of the two organizations to which it is successor. Will the churches generally come to our help? or but less than one third of them, as in the year past? In this year of jubilee will any fail to remember the poor? If each pastor will but present OUR WORK AND ITS WANTS to his people, giving them an opportunity to contribute, we are confident that the pressing necessities of our Committee will be fully met. "Blessed is he that considereth the poor." DONATIONS AT PITTSBURGH FOR COMMITTEE ON FREEDMEN IN OCTOBER, 1870. Money received and expended in the Field. Phy of Atlantic-Edisto ch 7; St Andrews ch 2: Pby of Yadkin-Salisbury ch 2 40; Gold Hill eh Central ch, Presby of Baltimore 50 CO 5.00 Jas M Porter, Enon Valley, Pa, (Memorial) 5 00 $633 33 4 67 40 00 Morning Sun eh, Presby of Iowa 14 40 JAMES ALLISON, Treasurer, First ch West Liberty, Presby of Bellefontaine 3 32 |