Around the World Circle

Association news from around the world church.

Anonymous

The Far East

Prof. Frederick Griggs writes: " Our workers in the Far Eastern Division, both foreign and native, without ex­ception, appreciate the work of the Ministerial Association and are highly enthusiastic regarding it. There is no General Conference department which, to my notion, may yield greater re­turns to the cause of God than does the Ministerial Association. When our evangelists are thoroughly imbued with the Holy Spirit, and are keen in ac­quiring added efficiency in their work, there will of necessity follow increas­ingly greater results. Practically all our workers who can read English are taking The Ministry, and for those who cannot read English, we are pre­paring Monthly Readings, made up quite largely of translations from The Ministry, adapted to various fields. All our training schools here in the Orient are receiving help from the suggestions and the Reading Courses of the Association."

Southern Asia

" I see wonderful possibilities in the Ministerial Association work, and my heart beats in full sympathy with its objectives," writes Elder J. S. James. " There is a wide field for promotion of this work here, which meets with a ready response, but, because of lack of office help, I am greatly handicapped in doing the work. I am glad to say that promised help is now in sight, and I plan to give more attention to the Association interests than has been possible during recent months. This year ought to give us a much larger membership in the Reading Course study than we have thus far had. Be assured that I am doing all that is possible in behalf of Ministerial Asso­ciation interests."

Australasia

Elder C. H. Watson, president of the Australasian Union Conference, whose personal contact with the earliest de­velopment of the Ministerial Associa­tion at the time he was acting vice-president of the General Conference for North America, enables him to speak with more than ordinary significance, writes as follows: " The present influ­ence of the Ministerial Association is a worth-while factor in our movement and cause. I feel that it has made very helpful advancement during the years of its existence. Every month a the future will, I believe, tell in very helpfully strengthening its influence and service in the whole world field. Our ministry in these outpost regions is being very practically affected by its influence; and I, as one of those who, in the beginning, when the matter of an Association was mooted, saw very little light in the idea, but who, after its creation, came to believe very con­fidently in its need and effectiveness among us, am much gratified with what I now experience and see of its success. There is great need of a stronger ministry throughout our whole field, and I see little hope of this unless something grips the hearts of our younger ministers and workers, and swings them away from the rest­lessness and lack of steadiness that manifest themselves in the hearts and lives of so many of our younger gen­eration of workers. I appreciate the candor and strength of purpose with which the Ministerial Association is facing the real problems of our min­istry."

Writing from New Zealand, Elder A. G. Daniells, who is spending a year in conducting ministerial institutes throughout the Australasian Division, writes of the definite and comprehen­sive contact of the New Zealand work­ers with Ministerial Association en­deavor. He states: " At our New Zealand institute the workers were gathered in full force, and were anx­ious to get help. They responded very encouragingly. Every worker became a permanent subscriber to THE MIN­ISTRY, and hereafter the conference officers will -see that the names are always kept on the subscription list. When we took up the Ministerial Read­ing Course for 1929, every worker pres­ent enrolled; and they took action to make their enrollment permanent, as long as the Reading Course continues. The workers request that the set of books selected each year be mailed to them as soon as ready, and the con­ference assumes responsibility for pay­ment for a set of books to each worker."

Northern European Division

A personal assuring word comes in from Elder L. H. Christian, president of the division, as follows: " Europe believes in the Ministerial Association, and has from the very start. Our peo­ple love The Ministry, and all speak well of it." Elder J. H. Schilling, Ministerial Association secretary for this division, sends the following rec­ommendations, as passed at the fall council of the division. These recom­mendations need no comment to in­dicate clearly that stanch support is being given to the endeavors of the Association and to making these en­deavors effective for all workers:

" Inasmuch as the Ministerial Asso­ciation was organized by the General Conference for the purpose of develop­ing a more spiritual and efficient min­istry, and inasmuch as the ministry is being lifted onto a higher plane of spirituality and efficiency where the Association has been in effective opera­tion,

"We recommend, 1. That the policy of the Association formulated by the General Conference and recent Autumn Councils, be also the policy of the Asso­ciation in the Northern European Division and her mission territory, but that the policies be adapted to the needs and conditions in the various countries in our field.

" 2. That in harmony with this policy, we heartily advise the circula­tion of the organ of the Association, called The Ministry, and request each field to do its utmost to increase the circulation of this paper among the ministers and other evangelical and institutional workers who can read the English language.

" 3. That we advise all our workers to take part in the Reading Course plan, and the field to render financial assistance to the extent of 50 per cent of the cost.

" 4.   That in countries other than the British Union, a committee be ap­pointed, in either the union or the conference, to select suitable books for a Reading Course in the language of the field."

Central European Division

Elder L. R. Conradi, Association sec­retary, writes of his personal interest in the Reading Course books for 1929, as selected for English-reading work­ers, and of plans for establishing the Reading Course throughout the divi­sion. As many workers in the Central European Division prefer to read books in their own language, German, careful attention is being given to the selection of a German Reading Course. Elder Conradi indicates the thorough­ness with which the Reading Course work is to be promoted, by stating, " We shall pay closer attention that the books selected are really studied and their contents well digested." Elder Conradi also says: " The prac­tical side of the Ministerial Association work is occupying my chief attention at the present time. Whoever has studied the European reports of late, will find that though our ministerial help increased and our funds ,were ex­pended, the number of converts dim­inished rather than increased. We also lost considerable of what we had gained. In order to remedy this situa­tion, we are calling for reports of the places where efforts are being made, showing by whom and with what suc­cess. In that way we can soon pick out the more successful soul winners, become acquainted with their methods, and give counsel to those who have but little success. I believe that prac­tical training in all lines of work should be given the students in our schools, and I shall visit the schools during the winter and see what can be done to develop this training."

Southern European Division

Elder J. C. Raft, who has so effi­ciently represented and promoted the interests of the Ministerial Associa­tion throughout the entire European Division from the beginning of the Association endeavor until the time of the division into four general Euro­pean divisions, now writes as represen­tative of the Southern European Divi­sion. The Reading Course circle which Elder Raft had so successfully estab­lished has been subjected to changes of somewhat drastic proportion, due to the boundaries of the four divisions. Elder Raft refers to the matter as follows:

" I thought you would be interested in the dividing up of our English Read­ing Course circle. It is as follows: Northern Division, 73 readers; Central Division, 13 readers; and Southern Division readers. We do not find it an easy matter to part with so many of our circle, but we will do the best we can in the Southern Division, though the scope is not so large as in the other divisions. I am sure we shall have the full co-operation of Elder Olson and the leaders in the field, and I think we shall succeed in getting quite a few  more names; but we are greatly handi­capped because very few of our workers in this division understand or read English. But we shall try to hunt up every one who does read English, and encourage others to learn the language. We count upon the blessing and help of God. He will never fail us, and we shall do all we can to work for the spiritual uplift of our ministry, and for a greater increase of souls."

Later word refers to a recent action of the Southern European Division, as follows:

" Resolved, That we pay one half the cost of one set of Ministerial Reading Course books for each worker, and that in fields where the exchange is low, we suggest that the fields give consideration to the possibility of help­ing the worker somewhat on that part of the cost not hereby provided."

 

It is further reported that the South­ern European Division committee ar­ranged " to supply the two schools, one in Rumania and one in France, with the Ministerial Reading Course books in the various languages studied in each institution, which includes the English. Committees have also been appointed to arrange for Reading Courses in French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Rumanian, and Serbian." A still further word of encouragement is that the committee voted to supply The Ministry to every English-speak­ing worker, free of charge, for one year.

Miss Madeline Golding, Elder Raft's assistant at the office, writes concern­ing the recent endeavor, as follows: " When we found ourselves with only seven Reading Course members left, there was nothing for us to do but go to work and seek to find more English-speaking workers in our new division, and happily we have found seventy-five. We have regained courage in our endeavor to try to get the greater num­ber of these workers to enroll for the 1929 Reading Course."


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Anonymous

March 1929

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