Missionary programs and incidents

Front matter

ART MliiTES

V£i\ HHmmmH

Class "RVg.ogy Copyright N°

Part II

I. Conditions Revealing the Need for the Gospel

Immigration 15

2. Prayer Introduction and Book Announcement of

"Uganda's White Man of Work." How Prayer

Secured Help for Uganda's Needs 23

3. Field Story. Fighting Mary 26

4. Prayer Introduction. Cost of Confession in India 27

Climbing Upward 29

6. Prayer Introduction. The Story of an Unta|inted Leper

Boy 45

7. Field Story. The Bible Replaces the Spear 48

8. Field Story: Impersonation. What Led White Arm to

Christ 49

How the Gospel Entered Japan 51

10. Field Story. How the Digging of a Well Broke the

Backbone of Heathenism 59

11. Introduction to the Use of the Hymn, "Hail to the

Brightness of Zion's Glad Morning." Startling

Happenings of a Decade 63

v vi Contents

PAGE

12. Field Story. Pulling the Loads 70

13. Field Story. Fill Up the Ranks 71

Second Quarter I. Conditions Revealing the Need for the Gospel

Some Needs of American Children 73

15. Recitation— ''Forgotten" 88

16. Book Announcement. "The Dragon and the Cross" . . 89

17. Field Story. Belief in Spirits among the Laos 90

An Empire Builder — Sheldon Jackson 92

19. Field Story. From Beggar to Benefactor 114

20. Field Story. A Famine Lad Worth Saving 116

21. Scripture Introduction — Psalm xxiii. The Bible on

the Battle-field in Manchuria 117

Preservation of the Burmese Bible 118

23. Scripture Introduction — Acts xiii. 1-3. The Ordination

of North America's First Foreign Missionaries 124

24. Introduction to the Use of Hymn, "There is No Name

So Sweet on Earth" or "How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds." Thirty Months' Quest for a Word. . 125

25. Field Story. A Gift That Helped to Make a Missionary 127

26. Field Story. Africa's Unwritten Dialects 130

Third Quarter I. Conditions Revealing the Need for the Gospel

The Work of the Sunday School Missionary 133

Contents vii

PAGE

28. Field Story — Impersonation. Experiences at Ellis

Island and Beyond 141

29. Book Announcement. "Undistinguished Americans" . . 143

30. Prayer Introduction. Seeking God for Thirty Years. . 145

A Christian Hero — Dr. Arthur Jackson 146

32. Scripture Introduction — Psalm li. 1-13. A Korean

Athlete Becomes a Soul Winner 155

33. Introduction to the Use of the Doxology and the Scrip-

ture Lesson. Psalm xxxiv. How the Doxology Saved the Day at Peking 157

34. Field Story. The Story of Sin Pao 158

Kapiolani Defies the Fire Goddess Pele 162

36. Field Story, Impersonation, and Book Announcement

of "Winning the Oregon Country." Seeking the White Man's Book of Heaven 167

37. Prayer Introduction. The "Lone Star" Mission, a

Challenge to Faith and the Reward of Faith 1 70

38. Prayer Introduction. Vassals of Jesus Christ 171

39. Introduction to the Use of the Hymn, "The Son of God

Goes Forth to War." Let No One Think the Price Too High 174

Fourth Quarter I. Conditions Revealing the Need for the Gospel

Continent Map Talk — North America 179

41. Continent Map Talk — South America 186

42. Continent Map Talk — Africa 192

43. Continent Map Talk — Asia 199 viii Contents

PAGE

Pastor Hsi — a Convert from Confucianism 203

45. Legaic — a Convert from Paganism 215

46. Chundra Lela — a Convert from Hinduism 220

47. Joseph Hardy Neesima— a Convert from Buddhism ... 224

48. Kamil — a Convert from Mohammedanism 228

Some Results of a Haystack Prayer Meeting 232

50. Prayer Introduction. How Prayer Secured Workers

and Their Support 240

51. Prayer Introduction. China's Plea for Prayer 243

52. Introduction to the Use of Hymn, "0 Zion, Haste, Thy

Mission High Fulfilling." Why I Go as a Missionary 245

PART III Material for Special Days

New Year — Sunday Nearest. How an Almanac Helped to

Lead a Man to Christ 249

Easter Sunday.

Greenland's First Christians Baptized on Easter. . 251

How the Moravians Observe Easter .., 252

Peace Sunday (Sunday nearest May 18). Aged Warriors

Reconciled 254

Children's Day. Grace Before Meals 255

Patriotic Days — Sunday Nearest Dominion Day (July 1st),

or Independence Day (July 4th)

Independence Day in China 256

Thanksgiving Day — Sunday Nearest. The First Thanksgiving 258

Christmas — Sunday Nearest.

Rescuing a Chinese Baby 260

The Missionary's Christmas in India 261

Contents ix

PAGE

Temperance Sundays:

World's Temperance Sunday (Second Sunday in Novem-

ber). Smallpox and Alcohol 263

A Warning from Geronimo 265

Congress Petitioned for a Prohibition Amendment to the

Constitution 266

What Intoxicants Are Doing for Africa 268

Preface

When Five Missionary Minutes, First Series, was issued in 1912 a Second Series was advertised to follow. The present volume is the book in question, although it is issued under another title. The introduction of Missionary Programs into the book enlarges the original plan for Five Missionary Minutes, which contained five minute incidents for the entire year. The present volume, we believe, better supplies the need of those Sunday-schools w T hich desire, in addition to missionary material which may be presented in five minutes a Sunday, a more extended program for use once a month. This new feature greatly strengthens the present volume and widens its usefulness. The value of the five minute material is fully recognized, and sufficient is given with the monthly programs to complete an entire year's work in the Sunday-school. Provision is also made for "Special Days and Occasions," as in Five Missionary Minutes, First Series.

In order that the title of the present volume may more accurately describe its contents, Missionary Programs and Incidents has been chosen. This new volume is sent forth in the hope that it may not only provide concrete material but may exhibit a desirable method for missionary education in the Sunday-school.

The subject-matter can be used in schools that have either the Uniform or Graded Bible lessons.

George H. Trull.

New York, April 8, 1914.

What are Christians in the world for but to achieve the impossible by the help of God?

— General S. C. Armstrong

PART I THE MATERIAL AND HOW TO USE IT The Place of Missionary Material in the Opening Period of the School

Attention is now being directed more and more to the value of worship in the Sunday-school. It is as necessary a part of the curriculum as is the more formal instruction offered in the class-work. The opening period of the school's session is recognized as an occasion when training in worship may be most properly provided. Worship, in the limited sense of reverence, or adoration of Deity, is an attitude of mind and heart which must be developed in the pupils, partly by the very atmosphere of the school itself. The child learns to worship by contact with other worshipers. As the fundamental idea in worship is fellowship with God, every Sunday-school session should be planned so that some part of it will call forth from the pupils that attitude of mind which seeks fellowship with him. That which may be the immediate cause of such a mental attitude may in the case of some pupils be the singing of a hymn, in others the offering of the prayer cr the reading of the Scripture, or even the relating of some incident. One or all of these may produce worship oh the part of some and fail to do so on the part of others. It is possible for a pupil to be in a non-worshipful mood throughout the entire session of the Sunday-school. Hence the necessity of training in worship.

If the fundamental idea of worship is fellowship with God, then in true worship we seek to come into harmony with his plans and purposes. These plans the Bible reveals to be essentially missionary. Missionary incidents in the opening or closing periods of the Sunday-school session may, therefore, be the immediate stimulus that will create in the minds of the pupils the spirit of true worship.

The period of worship ordinarily does not consume the entire opening or closing period. Some of the remaining time may, therefore, profitably be used as instructional. If instructional, then missionary material is essential from time to time, because of its distinct cultural value.

The Method Employed

Those who have used Five Missionary Minutes will recall the method of missionary education employed. The present volume adopts the same method of the normal and natural presentation of missions in the Sunday-school service from week to week. Emphasis needs to be laid upon the necessity for such normal presentation.

Missions should never be introduced in a way that will give the slightest impression that the subject is dragged in. Its presentation must be natural and appropriate, otherwise the effect will be disastrous.

The Material Unified and Classified

In Five Missionary Minutes, First Series, there was no attempt to unify the material of a given quarter,- each Sunday's work being distinct. The present volume differs in this respect. The material in each Quarter is classified under four distinct topics, namely : I. Conditions Revealing the Need for the Gospel, four Sundays; II. The Gospel Meeting the World's Needs, four Sundays ; III. Notable Events in Mission History, three Sundays ; IV. The Call of the Field for Service, two Sundays. In the Fourth Quarter but one Sunday is given to topic IV, as five are devoted to topic II. Under each of the captions mentioned a variety is offered, both of material and of the manner of its presentation. To devote several consecutive Sundays to the varied illustration of a single theme, such as any of the four above noted, is a well-approved educational method.

Monthly Programs

Another distinctive feature of this volume is the introduction of twelve monthly programs, three each quarter, on the first, fifth, and ninth Sundays respectively. Rearrangement of this order may be necessary during certain months, if the programs are to be presented on the first Sunday of each month. These programs are planned to occupy the entire time of the opening period of worship, and they contain hymns, prayer topics, and Scripture, all chosen with special reference to the theme presented. Each program is complete in itself. In most cases more material is offered than can ordinarily be presented in fifteen minutes. Choice of the subject-matter must therefore be made or more time allotted. Care should be exercised not to exceed the usual time for the opening period of the school's worship. Time for the other parts of the session must not be encroached upon, or the missionary programs will be brought into disrepute. Some schools occasionally desire a program that occupies not merely the opening period but the entire school session. Such needs will be met by those programs which are longer; such as on the Fifth, Eighteenth, Thirty-first, and Forty-fourth Sundays. If desired, any of the programs may be lengthened by introducing additional material. The sources for such material are mentioned at the end of each program. Some schools may wish to examine the sources and prepare programs entirely different from those offered in the book. Such original effort is to be heartily commended.

The Aim of the Programs

In using any missionary program there should be a well-defined purpose in view. It should have a definite aim; something more than merely the making of a general impression. If the program is to be used during the opening period in the Sunday-school, as these are intended to be, then it should afford training in worship, and consequently must be planned with great care. In presenting the twelve monthly programs a definite aim for each has been stated. Local workers after examining the material may wish to formulate different aims. Those offered are merely suggestive. Inasmuch as each of the programs is classified under one of the three captions — I. Conditions Revealing the Need for the Gospel, II. The Gospel Meeting the World's Needs, III. Notable Events in Mission History — the aim of the particular program will be governed by the caption under which it is classified.

Chart and Motto Material

For most of the programs chart and motto material has been suggested for display on the walls of the Sunday-school room. This should be prepared in advance by the Missionary Committee of the school, or under its direction. It should be as well and artistically done as possible, so that it may become a permanent part of the school's equipment.

Sources

At the end of each incident or Program, when it has been possible to do so, the sources from which the material is taken are indicated. The author has felt free to make such changes and adaptations of the material as seemed necessary for the requirements of this volume.

Correlation of Programs with International Graded Lessons

It should be noted that some of the programs, namely, on the Ninth, Eighteenth, Thirty-fourth, and

Forty-ninth Sundays, deal with subjects that are treated in the International Graded Sunday School Lessons. The topics are "How the Gospel Entered Japan/' "An Empire Builder, Sheldon Jackson/' "Kapiolani Defies the Fire Goddess Pele," and "Some Results of a Haystack Prayer Meeting." These programs might therefore be used most appropriately on the Sundays when the same subject is considered in some one of the graded lessons. Lesson 46, Lesson 47, Lesson 42 of the Fourth Year Junior, and Lesson 44 of the First Year Intermediate, respectively, correspond to the topics as above enumerated. The programs as given in this volume have been prepared with the idea of their suitability for the main assembly of the average school, where all grades of Junior age and above unite. If it is desired to use the programs solely for a particular department, such as the Junior or Intermediate, they can be adapted by local workers.

Correlation of Incident Material with International Graded Lessons

It should be said further that the items offered for the Tenth, Fifteenth, and Thirty-sixth Sundays, "How the Digging of a Well Broke the Backbone of Heathenism/' "How Prayer Secured Help for Uganda's Needs," "Seeking the White Man's Book of Heaven," deal respectively with the same stories that are considered on the 42d Sunday of the Second Year Junior, during the Fourth Quarter of the Second Year Intermediate, and on the 37th Sunday of the Second Year Junior, of the International Graded Lessons. The material is presented, of course, in different form from that in which it appears in the Quarterlies for class use. Opportunity is then afforded" for correlation of class and platform instruction on the Sundays mentioned.

> Correlation of Programs with Other Graded Lessons

There is also correlation between the programs and the Bible Study Union (Blakeslee) Lessons, now published by Charles Scribner's Sons, New York. This correlation occurs in the First Year Intermediate study of "Heroes of the Faith." The program of the Twenty-second Sunday, "Preservation of the Burmese Bible," is correlated with Lessons 29 and 30, "Adoniram Judson." In the Third Year Senior study of "The Conquering Christ," the program of the First Sunday on "Immigration" is correlated \vith Lesson 33, "The Foreign Invasion"; the program of the Ninth Sunday, "How The Gospel Entered Japan," with Lesson 7, "Shintoism, the Native Religion of Japan"; the program of the Fourteenth Sunday, "Some Needs of American Children," with Lesson 34, "The Work in Modern Babel"; the program of the Twenty-seventh Sunday, "The Work of the Sunday School Missionary," and of the Fortieth Sunday, "Continent Map Talk — North America," with Lesson 38, "Unevangelized Areas" and with Lesson 39, "Christianity in the Western Hemisphere"; the program of the Thirty-first Sunday, "A Christian Hero, Dr. Arthur Jackson," with Lesson 41, "The Power of Medical Missions";

the program of the Forty-ninth Sunday, "Some Results of a Haystack Prayer Meeting," with Lesson 45, "Modern Missionary Movements."

Correlation of Incident Material with Other Graded Lessons

Further correlation with the Bible Study Union (Blakeslee) Lessons can also be made on the Sundays when missionary incidents are presented. This is notably so in the First Year Intermediate, as follows : The Tenth Sunday, "How the Digging of a Well Broke the Backbone of Heathenism," with Lesson 35, "John G. Paton" ; the Temperance Sunday which presents the topic, "Smallpox and Alcohol," with Lesson 46, "Heroes of To-day."

Correlation also occurs with the Third Year Senior Lessons as follows: Second Sunday, "How Prayer Secured Help for Uganda's Needs," with Lesson 15, "The Redemption of Africa"; Fourth Sunday, "The Cost of Confession in India," with Lesson 2, "The Religion of the Hindus," and with Lesson 16, "The Struggle in India"; Nineteenth Sunday,"From Beggar to Benefactor," and Twentieth Sunday, "A Famine Lad Worth Saving," with Lesson 48, "Individual Renewal of Life"; Thirty-fourth Sunday, "The Story of Sin Pao," with Lesson 21, "The Glad Story of Korea" ; Forty-first Sunday, "Continent Map Talk — South America," with Lesson 2j i "Protestantism in South America" ; the Temperance Sunday which presents the topic, "Smallpox and Alcohol," with Lesson 36, "Missions for Men of the Sea."

Those who are teaching the Bible Study Union Lessons will doubtless find other Sundays when further correlation is possible.

Impartial Use of Home and Foreign Missions

Throughout the volume Home and Foreign Missions are impartially presented, as there is no distinction in the heart and thought of God, nor should there be in our teaching. The aim of the book is to increase the knowledge of missionary facts and conditions, to stir the emotions, and to appeal to the will. In other words, the aim is to create a right attitude of mind and of life toward the missionary enterprise.

Utilization of Different Personalities

Effort should be made to have many different members of the Sunday-school take part in the programs, and give the incidents from week to week, rather than to have the material presented to the school chiefly.by the Superintendent or members of the Missionary Committee.

Leader Instead of Superintendent

The term "Leader" is used in the following pages, rather than "Superintendent," because of the desire to emphasize the fact that the "Superintendent" should not necessarily always preside when the missionary material is given. He may and should do so frequently, but other capable persons such as members of the Missionary Committee or others should also serve in this capacity.

io Missionary Programs and Incidents

A Method Illustrated

While this volume contains sufficient missionary material for an entire year's work in the Sunday-school, its use should suggest to local Sunday-school workers a method of missionary instruction, material for which they themselves can gather from the current press, magazines, missionary books, a/nd other literature. Collect your own missionary items and make your own programs. Thus in your own workers will be developed the missionary sense, and they will become, because of their own originality, independent of such volumes as this. If this book can indicate a method so as to make the further use of its own pages unnecessary, it will serve its highest purpose. A crutch is no longer useful when a man has gained the use of his own legs.

Introductory and Explanatory Notes

Very full suggestions regarding the presentation of the material are given throughout. These should be carefully noted, as some such introductory or explanatory remarks are essential to a proper rendering of the programs and incidents. There is of course large room here for originality on the leader's part. He may wish to make entirely different comments from those offered in the text. It is essential, however, that he make some. If he uses those in the book, he should not read them verbatim, but make the thought his own and express it in his own language.

Thought Rather Than Words

Likewise the material itself should not be given

The Material and How to Use It ir

verbatim nor should it by any means be read from the book. Let those who are to take part prepare well in advance, by mastering the thought of the paragraph rather than the words. Then let them express the thought in their own language. There are passages, however, which can be rendered best by giving the exact wording in the text. These should be so assimilated into the speaker's own thought and personality as to be given with the freshness of originality.

Manner of Presentation

Much will depend also on the way in which the items are given. An excellent story can be spoiled by a poor narrator, and a fine paragraph ruined by a halfhearted presentation. Read over carefully the material to be given, be sure of the point you want to make, and then go straight at it in as few words as possible. When you have made your point, stop. Above all things make the item vital and throbbing, and you cannot fail to catch and hold attention. Get into the spirit of the item, let it grip you, and then, with abounding animation, tell it out.

Moralizing to Be Avoided

Do not moralize. The school will do this for itself if let alone. If the speaker does it, he hinders the working of the very mental and moral processes his story should set in operation. As it is far better to start trains of thought than to state conclusions for others, so is it in matters of conscience.

A Reference

As the author has given in Five Missionary Minutes, First Series (see chapter IV) very full and complete suggestions for the use of missionary material in the Sunday-school, it seems unnecessary to repeat here.

Contents

In addition to Book Announcements, Field Items, Hymn, Prayer and Scripture Introductions, appearing in Five Missionary Minutes, the present volume contains Impersonations, Continent Map Talks, a series of Notable Events in Mission History, and a dozen Monthly Programs, already mentioned.

Special Days

Incident material for special days and occasions is also provided. No attempt has been made however to outline programs for such days as Easter, Children's Day, Rally Day, or Christmas, because many of the Mission Boards or other publishers provide sufficient special material for these occasions.

Use of the Material Weekly

As has been stated, the volume contains sufficient material for use for an entire year, so that schools desiring missionary platform instruction every Sunday may have their wants supplied. Care has been exercised also to arrange the material in each Quarter, and in fact for the year, so that it is well balanced from the standpoints of Home and Foreign Missions, variety of subject-matter, and method of presentation. There will doubtless be few schools that will follow the order of the material as it appears in the book for fifty-two consecutive Sundays. It is not the desire of the author that they should. Missions is so bound up with current life and world progress that every wide-awake Sunday-school will seek for the latest, freshest, current missionary information, and will present it either as incident or program in some one of the variety of ways illustrated in the text, or perhaps in some other way. While it has been the aim to gather in this volume material of abiding value, for use at any time, one should not hesitate to lay aside such a book as this for the presentation of some current missionary information that may be more appropriate for the moment.

A number of the Mission Boards, from time to time, in connection with special Home and Foreign Mission Campaigns, have provided just such material for platform use in the Sunday-school. Local Sunday-school workers should therefore keep in close touch with their Mission Boards and secure from them full particulars regarding all such special campaigns.