nineteen hundred and forty-six - Amazon Web Services

338 SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION
ing Union awards. We are already well ahead of last year's mark and we have
four months yet to go in the year.
In all of our teaching we have emphasized training in Stewardship and we
feel that our efforts have been rewarded in view of the fact that our Convention
statistics show that in 1943 our Spanish speaking people gave to all
causes $4.76 per capita. In 1944 they gave to all causes $7.08 per capita and
in 1945 they gave $12.35 per capita.
Another good indication of progress in this respect is the fact that three
more of our churches have reached the point of becoming self-sustaining in
this year, bringing the total number of self-sustaining churches up to seven
on the field.
•
Another splendid feature of our educational program has been the periodical
"El Bautista Mexicano." The number of subscriptions has been enlarged
from 2,000 last year to 2400 at the present time. This paper has consisted
of sixteen pages during the past year, but the prospect is good for enlarging
it to twenty-four pages and including some other special features.
The work of our Spanish Department has progressed considerably by the
enlargement of our personnel. During the year we have been able to acquire
approximately forty new missionaries, counting men and their wives. Also we
have been able to open a number of fields that had been desolate before.
We are grateful not only for the progress that has been made in the work
but also for the prospects for the future. We are expecting to have a goodly
number of new and well trained workers available for the work within the next
few years. Our training program is becoming larger and more accelerated all
along. Our Anglo-American churches in the areas where the Spanish speaking
work is needed are awakening to the tremendous opportunities that these people
afford and to their own responsibilities toward the Spanish speaking population.
A few years ago, we found it difficult to obtain the cooperation of the
Anglo-American churches at times for the Spanish speaking mission work. On
one occasion I received a very cold reception on the part of a certain pastor when
1 approached him about leading his church to cooperate in the program. However,
this same pastor recently called me to come across most of the State of
inthe work m church and encourage them to cooperate more effectively
TV,o3 h f; Me * icaI \ congregations also are awakening to their own possibilities
LvLrLfTl th T at ^ .^^tos are able to do a great deal for the
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n
T i the Lord's kingdom and they have learned how to do it. They
lie ILiTtfZ SK «."? the An g l0 -American people to do for them, but they
S£»fS£t 8 i? Y - that * w ^ cooperate with them. Moreover there is a very
S S ^ ^ T S S S S H 0 * * he S panish s P eakin S Population in general. They
traditional r?H^Ti, a - d v, they . are 0penin 2 their e y es to the abuses of their
andI thev a w S f heir fT, hearts , ai -c yearning for the soul satisfying Saviour
to the ZLZLf T?£ f ° r th . e ^ uth ^ } f we as Baptists are willing to respond
theSoaniS,TP»W2L 0pp< ? tunity ° f t] l is day, the prospects for our work among
been Cf ore. Speaking people for the futur * a *e greater than they have eve?
heirhtTflti %i S Jl°K eSS £ t0 be continue d a *d the work is to reach the
cJme. P ros P ects then there are certain problems which we must overmiJo^s^boufwhS
^r^X^'rLfoSS °of
SS'^fflE."!. an Th P o°s S e Si wh itieS ^.^^t^'SS^X SSfaJ
t^^^Jffi ^kVlets §&&?£
fundamentals about the work and how they can help it along? We SeTa stud?
course book which would enable them to know how the average church wtth
Spanish speaking people m its community would go about serving that cTm
mumty. And of course our missionaries and those who are undertaking to
do the work need constantly to know more about the nature of the pefple
and handicap people the Some problem problems many of and them on others a of their strong they are the have face part illiterate. ignorance Baptist finished and before denomination. how on Many only we to the will grammar win of part them be them of able have the school. and to people finished train build We with them. them must only whom into overcom? Also a few wlwork J we strong
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