February 1925
59
TH E K I N G ’ S
B U S I N E S S
Their faces are anxious and sad looking as they make th eir way up the mountain, and th ere is no change as they retu rn . There is nothing to inspire peace or satisfaction. F o r several nights we have been sleeping in a room near one of th e path s thronged by pilgrims. Again and again they b reak out into w hat they call “ song,” b u t it comes over th e n igh t air like the wail of a broken h eart. It is in the m inor key and has no melody or harm ony—a weird and hopeless cry. But it is the cry of China’s soul for ligh t and peace, and her m illions are still seeking these in temples dark, dingy, and full of discord. Here comes th e wail while I w rite these words,—-it comes over th e valley like the cry of a lost .soul. It was th is cry for ligh t th a t led Dr. F ra n k Keller some years ago to begin a work which has become one of th e most in teresting and effectual pieces of m ission ary work in all China. It represents a most thorough and practical endeavor to evangelize these m illions th a t are still worshipping a t empty shrines. China’s Two G reatest Problem s There are two problems which one is constantly hearing about in China,— th e “ Rural P roblem” and th e “Problem of the Indigenous Church.” The first is th e problem of reaching the “ farm er” class, which meahs eighty per cent of the people of China. Thé o th er is th e problem of the native church tak in g over the leadership of and responsibil ity for the evangelization of th e ir country. Judging from the place given these subjects in th e press and Christian Conferences, they m ust be among th e most pressing prob lems w ith which m issionary work is confronted here. The Nanyoh Conference seems like a most wise and effec tive contribution to these problems. The conference is made up of studen ts from the Hunan Bible In stitu te, Biola Evangelistic Band men, and delegates from th e different Missions in this section of China. There are over three; hundred and fifty attend ing th e conference th is year,— men into whose faces a new ligh t has come, and whose lives are full of joy and song— a most strik ing con trast to th e weary pilgrims who make th e ir way to th e sacred mountain. These Evangelistic Bands are each composed of twelve men who have had a genuine experience of Christianity, who have shown some ability for leadership, and have had some training. Of course, they are all native Chinese who thoroughly know th e people and th e ir customs and, th e re fore, have many points of contact w ith them . They work in centers not yet evangelized. They go to these centers as Christian Chinese going to th e ir own people. They study the field w ith care, and afte r days of earnest prayer for guidance, make systematic visitation of homes and shops. Ju st as soon as possible, a preaching place is opened and preaching services ànd Bible Classes for men, women and children are held'. This work is quietly and thoroughly done, and afte r weeks of labor in a place they have a body of people organized who have chosen one of th e ir own num ber as leader in Bible study and Christian activities, which are now carried on in a room provided by themselves. Here is the seed from which in a rem arkably sho rt time will grow a thoroughly indigenous church. A fter a short tim e they are in a position to call a leader who will be able to give all his tim e to th e work. The Hunan Bible In sti tu te is for the purpose of thoroughly train ing such leaders. F requently the men in the Bands, who are graduates of the In stitu te, choose to take up such a field and develop it into a strong, self-supporting church, while th e ir places in the Bands are supplied by new g raduates from the Bible School. All these Bands are led by well-trained, tru stw o rthy and tactful men who are able to gain th e confidence of th e peo ple and are often invited to speak in the schools daily for
a week or more. The fact th a t the invitation comes from th e , principal of the school gives them a standing in the community and insures a respectful hearing for th eir story. An Experience Meeting All these Bands meet in this Nanyoh Conference for Bible study, prayer and conference. They repo rt w hat they have been doing, and how they have been doing it, and Dean Hsiao, (who is associated w ith Dr. K eller in th e Bible In sti tu te ,) and others, offer kindly criticisms and suggestions for more efficient work. In th is way they get the g reatest pos sible good from th eir experiences, and each man is given a chance to sh are the experiences of all the others. The efficiency of this plan is recognized by a large number of th e most experienced m issionaries. In th e September number of “The Chinese Recorder” (one of th e most influ ential m issionary periodicals in all China), a member of the B aptist Mission strongly advocates th is plan of ru ra l evan gelism as the only practical plan now under consideration for th e speedy evangelization of China. If what he says in this article is tru e, th e Hunan Bible In stitu te, w ith its Evangelistic Bands and Nanyoh Annual Conference, is doing one of th e most fundam ental and effec tive pieces of work in China today. I t has a splendid plant, w ith modern equipment th a t would be a cred it to any Chris tia n In stitu tion in any land. Dr. Keller is recognized as one of th e ablest m issionary leaders in China. He has gathered about him a magnificent group of Chinese leaders, who are thoroughly train ed for th is work and have a genuine pas sion for Christ. I have been attend ing Bible Conferences for more than twenty years, and it is my honest conviction th a t I never attended a more earnest and in teresting conference th an th a t a t Nanyoh th is year. The place once famous for its heathen shrines and gods is fast becoming a ¿enter of Chris tian life and inspiration th a t will bring a new fame and glory to its beautiful hills and far-fam ed mountains. The pilgrim s who th rong th e temples and shrines of this sacred mountain are retu rn in g to burdens of the common day and life w ithout ligh t or comfort. But the men who have come to the altars of the living God in this Christian L eaders’ Conference have met God, and a new ligh t is on th e ir faces and a, new fire glows in th e ir hearts, and they are going out to villages— th e dark villages of th is heathen land .-to kindle new fires of hope where fear and despair are holding souls in a degrading bondage. If the people who are in doubt as to the success and value of foreign m issionary work could come here and see the strik ing contrast between th e groups of Christian men who are m et here for study, conference and prayer, and the poor, weary and disappointed pilgrim s who crowd the heathen temples, they would never again question the gen uineness and power of m issionary work. These two groups represent two worlds-i—two wholly different kinds of life. The one, a world of fear and despair— a world w ithout hope. The other, a world of peace and confidence— a world rad ia n t w ith hope. This is what China needs more than anything else— a new life th a t will free its people from the bondage of fear and sin. While many leaders and conferences are discuss ing the problems of “R u ral W ork” and the “ Indigenous Church” , Dr. Keller and his Bands are actually solving the problems, and the repo rt of th e ir work is one of the most th rilling stories of grace and Divine power in China today. No m illionaire ever invested his money in more vital and fru itfu l work than did the men who made Nanyoh possible. No money is yielding richer dividends th an th e glorious retu rn from this investment.
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