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B u s i n e s s
T h e , K i n g ’ s
July 1930
T he A frica I nland M ission The Africa Inland Mission has had an important part in the task of opening new territory. The founder of this society, Peter Cameron Scott, spent four years on the
tory untrodden by missionary feet. There are a score of tribes who have never had so much as John 3:16 trans lated into their languages and who have never yet heard the voice of one of God’s witnesses. It is estimated that
lower C o n g o with another so ciety before he laid the founda tions of this mis sion in east A f rica in 1895. The early years had a c o n t in u o u s record of trials a n d tragedies which m a d e it seem again and again t h a t the work must die. Sickness a n d death in vad ed the r a n k s of the missionaries ; famine in t h e land and other disasters threat ened. Mr. Scott h i m s e l f was p r i v i 1 e g e d to have only a few short years
the present pop ulation o f Africa is a b o u t 140,- 000,000; of that number perhaps only 14,000,000 have the Gospel. Opportunity for evangelization is g r e a t e r than ever. The need is appalling, but t h e tragedy of unentered terri tory a n d un reached t r i b e s does not seem to greatly burden tjie h e a r t s of Christians. T h e condi tions o f t h e s e unreached mil lions is m o s t pitiful. They are yet alive but al ready enshroud
MACHAKOS CHURCH W ITH A GROUP OF CHRISTIANS GATHERED IN THE FOREGROUND. TH IS COMPANY OF AFMCAN BELIEVERS HAVE “ TURNED TO GOD FROM IDOLS, TO SERVE THE LIVING AND TRUE GOD.”
of service before his fruitful life was cut short. About twenty-five years ago a new beginning was made and from that time the Africa Inland Mission ad vanced rapidly. At the beginning of 1930 there were thirty-three mission stations with several hundred out- stations. These were located in five different fields ; Kenya Colony, Tanganyika, Belgian Congo, West Nile and French Equatorial Africa. More than 200 missionaries and upwards of 600 native evangelist-teachers are em ployed. English, French and twenty-five indigenous lan guages are used in the preaching of the Gospel. T o make it possible for the African to read the Bible in his own lan guage, a great deal of translation work has been done. Evangelistic effort is stressed but some institutional work has also been undertaken, including hospitals, dispensaries and small scale industrial and printing plants. P resent P roblems In Kenya Colony particularly, there is at present a very vexing problem both for the government and for the Africa Inland Mission. There is much unrest and almost a rebellion in the Colony over the question of return to some heathen customs. Christians have been severely per secuted and some, we regret to say, have turned away from the church. Many of the missionaries believe that behind what appear to be the immediate causes for unrest is a revolt against the overlordship of the foreigner. This spirit is aroused and aggravated by Bolshevistic propa ganda which has entered the land from Russia by way of India. Africa has not been greatly troubled by what is called modernism. Young people who imbibe modernistic ideas in America do not receive such a passion for souls as will lead them to risk their lives in the jungles of the ( Continued on page 345)
ed in the garments of the grave. They remind mè of an incident in my own missionary labors in Africa. I was one day drawn toward a grass hut in central Africa by seeing men hurrying away from it and hearing moans coming from within the house. Peering through the door into the windowless hovel, I saw a bundle of cloth like a huge rag doll lying on a palm-branch bed spread out on the mud floor. Stooping down and laying my hands on the bundle, I felt a woman’s body. The corpse was still warm but the heart had ceased to beat. Accqrding to heathen custom the people, believing that the woman could not live, had wound her about from head to foot in white cotton cloth. Did not the villagers by their actions show themselves dead in trespasses and sins and bound round and round in the cerements of vile superstitions and cruelties ? Here is a picture of Africa alive, but dead, trussed up for the tomb and needing someone to come speedily to deliver. Alas for the long tarrying of the Church of Christ, for these dying ones cannot wait! T he O pportunities These unreached tribes and neglected places present opportunities for worth while work to the right sort of young men and women. There is room in Africa for the hardy pioneer type of men who are content to sacrifice and suffer on the frontiers. Others can find ministry as teachers of the flock, training native leaders. The Chris tian administrator is useful; in short, there is room for every -type of Christian worker, the learned and those with lesser education; the preacher and the executive; thè pastor and the evangelist. The hope of Africa lies in the native church which, under the guidance of proper foreign leaders, can be spurred to go forth with the Gospel to places which the white man could never reach.
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