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FOREIGN MISSION BOARD 265
their missionaries in Brazil, but which is destined to crystallize into one of the
great moving forces which is already playing a preponderant part in Brazil's
intellectual and spiritual development.
The Churches. The churches are always the center and the aim of Baptist
work. It was to them that the Commission was given. It is through them
that we have our authority. Of the approximately 900 churches in Brazil,
sixty per cent support their own pastors and seventy per cent have their own
church buildings. The First Baptist Church of Rio, those of Sao Paulo, Belo
Horizonte, Vitoria, and Curitiba stand out in the life of these cities and their
respective states because of their strength and influence. It is also significant
that a large number of small-town and country churches have their own houses
of worship.
Sunday School Board. The National Sunday School Board, headed by Dr.
T. B. Stover, as corresponding secretary, has become an organization of farreaching
contribution to Baptist work in Brazil.
There are six departments under this organization: the Baptist Publishing
House, the Departments of Statistics and Propaganda, the Sunday School Department,
Young People's Department, the Department of Permanent Literature,
and the Jornal Batista. The heads of these different departments in the order
named 'are T. B. Stover, J. J. Cowsert, E. F. Hallock, Walter Kaschel,
A. R. Crabtree, and Moises Silveira.
In his report to the National Baptist Convention in Sao Paulo, Mr. Stover
said of the Publishing House:
"Our printing presses continue to produce to the limit of their capacity
without putting on night shifts, which we now expect to do as soon as workers
can be found to do the work. This is our only solution until some new equipment
can be bought. Our production for the year can be appreciated only in
a comparison. For 1944 we printed 77,300 books, bound 65,000 and published
85,000 quarterlies (340,000 for the year) for the various denominational
organizations. In 1945 these figures were increased to 106,917; 129,302; and
102,300 (409,000 for the year) respectively."
Sales were even more impressive. From the same report we quote:
"In the local bookstore we had an exceptional year. During the year, sales
reached the surprising figure of $12,391.80 ($4,000 more than the previous
year). General book sales reached $57,743.30 ($35,790.70 more than the year
before).
Woman's Missionary Union. The following is a translation of an account
furnished to Brazilian Baptist papers of the work done by Woman's Missionary
Union in 1945.
"A glance at the report for the Woman's Missionary Union given by Miss
Minnie Landrum at the National Baptist Convention in Sao Paulo is convincing
proof of the numerical and spiritual development of that organization.
"From the statistics cited in the first pages of that report which makes a
comparison of the growth in the years 1944-1945, we find a marked increase
in every phase of the work."
Home Missions. The Home Mission Board of the Brazilian Baptist Convention
exercises its activities chiefly in the interior states of Brazil, and much
of their work is done among the Indians.
In his report to the National Baptist Convention in January, Dr. L. M.
Bratcher, corresponding secretary of the Home Board wrote:
"In 1945 the following new missionaries were sent to the various fields:
Maria Cardose de Souza, Elza Rocha Gottelip, Lydia Goncalyes dos Santos,
Pedrina de Souza Azevedo, and Mr. and Mrs. Guttumberg.
"During the year our office sent out more than 13,000 letters and prepared
two evangelistic radio programs weekly.
"Our workers conducted 895 preaching services and prayer meetings, and
there were 499 decisions and 83 baptisms."
Dr Bratcher closed his report saying:
"The co-operation we received in this glorious work could not have been
better During the nearly twenty years I have been secretary of the Home
Marion Board, I have never seen greater general interest in its plans Many
churches and individual members are assuming personal responsibility for