Volume II Part 63 (1/2)
The General Business Manager, Dr. H. M. Turner, reported the receipts in the Book Concern to be $50,133.76. This was the largest amount of business ever reported by the Concern.
The receipts of the two departments were $150,133.18. The total amount raised in 1826 was $1,151.75. The gain since that time has been $148,981.43.
RECEIPTS.
Amount of contingent money $27,897 36 ” ” dollar money33,400 00 ” ” missionary money 25,248 08 ” ” ladies' mite missionary money 2,296 06 ” for Sunday-school purposes 115,694 40 ” ” pastors' support 1,282,465 16 ” ” pastors' travelling expenses 36,608 16 ” ” presiding elders' travelling exps. 7,338 20 ” ” presiding elders' support 106,817 20 ------------- $1,637,764 62
RECEIPTS.--(_Continued._)
Amount brought up $1,637,764 62 Amount for educational purposes 6,125 46 ” ” building and repairing churches 596,824 48 ” ” charitable and benevolent purposes 20,937 02 ------------- Total annual collection $2,261,651 58 ------------- The amount for four years 9,046,606 24 The General Business Manager's report 51,000 00 ------------- Grand total for four years $9,097,606 24
STATISTICS OF MEMBERS.
_Travelling Preachers._
Number of bishops 9 ” ” general officers 4 ” ” travelling licentiates 434 ” ” travelling elders 445 ” ” travelling deacons 940 ----- Total number of travelling preachers 1,832
_Local Preachers._
Number of superannuated preachers 21 ” ” local preachers and exhorters 7,719 ” ” elders 42 ” ” deacons 146 ----- Total number of local preachers 7,928
_Members and Probationers._
Number of members 306,044 ” ” probationers 85,000 ------- Total number of members and probationers, 391,044
SUMMARY OF MEMBERS.
Total number of travelling preachers 1,832 ” ” ” local preachers 7,928 ” ” ” members and probationers 391,044 ------- Grand total members.h.i.+p 400,804
SUNDAY-SCHOOLS.
Number of Sunday-schools 2,345 ” ” teachers and officers 15,454 ” ” pupils 154,549 ” ” volumes in library 193,358
CHURCH PROPERTY.
Number of school-houses 88 ” ” churches 2,051 ” ” parsonages 395
VALUE OF CHURCH PROPERTY.
Value of school-houses $26,400 00 ” ” churches 2,884,251 00 ” ” parsonages 162,603 20 ------------- Total value of church property $3,073,254 20
PAPER.
Number of subscriptions to ”Christian Recorder” 5,380
In 1818 a publis.h.i.+ng department was added to the work of the Church.
But its efficiency was impaired on account of the great ma.s.s of its members being in slave States or the District of Columbia, where the laws prohibited them from attending school, and deprived them of reading books or papers. In 1817 the Rev. Richard Allen published a book of discipline; and shortly after this a Church hymn-book was published also. Beyond this there was but little done in this department until 1841, when the New York Conference pa.s.sed a resolution providing for the publication of a monthly magazine. But the lack of funds compelled the projectors to issue it as a quarterly.
For nearly eight years this magazine exerted an excellent influence upon the ministers and members of the Church. Its coming was looked forward to with a strange interest. It contained the news in each of the conferences; its editorials breathed a spirit of love and fellows.h.i.+p; and thus the members were brought to a knowledge of the character of the work being accomplished.