Liberty County, Georgia - Chapter with an unread heading (no. 8 of those read), 1903

Foreign Missions

The church, always liberal in her contributions and ever ready for every good work, seemed in her later history to be especially interested in the cause of Foreign Missions.

addition to appropriate exercises collections were taken up in behalf of the cause. As-the result of regular systematic training, and in answer to the many prayers offered, God as missionaries to foreign fields. The first of these to goout were the Rev. R.Q. Way and wite, who were accepted by the Presbyterian Board as missionaries to Bankok, Siam. We must not forget that to go as missionary then was not so easy a thing as now. There were no steamships to short- slow sailing vessel must be used. The cape of Good Hope must be doubled, and long weary months spent at sea, entirely cut off from the outside world. To go as missionary

Rev. and Dear Sir: - It was my privilege to attend upon the last Sabbath (27th) one of those meetings with which Almighty God is favoring his churches in different parts of our country, as well for their own as for the welfare of the perishing heathen. It was the meeting of the Midway church and congregation on the departure of two of their members as missionaries.. Icannot forego the sat- - isfaction of forwarding to you an account of that meeting, although I am sure I cannot convey to your: mind an ade: quate-conception of it.

The day was aptly chosen. It was the regular communion Sabbath. At an early hour the roads leading to the old - church, so hallowed in the religious association of the people of the country, were filled with carriages and gigs and crowds of negroes on foot and on horseback, all converging ~~ with haste to the sanctuary of God. At 10 a. m., the bell struck and we were engaged in a prayer-meeting, conducted by the members of the church, until. eleven, when the bell ~~ struck again and the congregation assembled again for public worship. The dense mass of negro communicants oceu- - pied the galleries while the lower floor was occupied by the whites, collected. from different parts of the country and - from different denominations of Christians. The Rev. C. C. Jones preached on the assurance of faith from I. Timothy - I:10-11. At the close of the sermon the junior co-pastor of - the church, Rev. I. S. K. Axson, admitted and baptized four - negroes. The communion service was then administered by Mr. Jones and himself, both making brief addresses to the communicants. The morning exercises were concluded by a prayer for the baptized children of the church and a: a doxology.

After a brief intermission, the bell rang and we again as- - sembled in the house of God. This was the-farewell meeting. Mr. Richard Way was in the pulpit and took his text from Acts XX:21. Silence pervaded the house, and from these noble, decided words of Paul, he delivered an address characterized by simplicity, earnestness and piety, which conveyed to his brethren and friends the conviction of his own mind and the impressions of his own heart, in respect to that great work to which he believed himself called of God. His closing remarks and his request for the sympathy of the church, and his final farewell were followed by intense feeling which found vent in tears from the whole congregation. The choir sang an appropriate hymn. Mr. Way came down and took his seat in the left pew from the face of the pulpit. Mr. Axson rose and delivered an address in which he took a brief sketch of the Apostle Paul, the nobleness of the missionary work, the honor which God had put upon the church in chosing two of its members to go far hence to the Gentiles, and the great duty of the church to cherish more and more the missionary spirit; and then in behalf of the church and congregation, he expressed their sympathy, confidence and affection towards Mr. and Mrs. Way, and their desire ever to remember them at the throne of grace; their hope that God had called them to this work, would be with and sustain them even untodeath, andcrown their lives with usefulness. ''The last act was now to be performed," said he, 'my brethren, in the name of this church and congregation, and by their request and direction I now extend to you my hand, and say farewell."

The negroes in the gallery, who had risen up as the interest of theservices increased, leaned forward with the tears running down their cheeks, the congregation all below bowed with emotion; the weeping became audible. We remained in this state for about a minute, when Mr. Jones concluded by prayer in which the missionaries were solemnly and earnestly commended to God. On being dismissed I observed the ministers and members go up and shake hands with them in tears. No words were spoken, and we separated in silence. It was a day long to be remembered in this church. Although God has raised up many ministers from its own bosom, yet these are the first missionaries to the heathen.

entered into covenant with God for themselves; where they often sat at the table of the Lord; and where now they _ stood and gave themselves to God's service in a far distant - a love for the perishing heathen, for the cause they had, by - the grace of God, taken in hand. We wept to say farewell. We sorrowed that we could see their faces no more. But we spirit of missions among us? Why are we not consecrating our sons and our daughters to this holy work of God? Have we nothing to do in encouraging the world? Let it - great promise, as a missionary. He was a member of the 'Sunbury Baptist church. Itis said Mr. Way and himself ___ will be about one hundred miles apart.

4 __ On Monday morning at six o'clock a prayer-meeting was _ held with Mr. and Mrs. Way by their relatives and friends F: at Jonesville, one of the summer retreats of the county, re _ which was their last interview with them. At eleven or ___ twelve o'clock they took the stage and left the county first, 4 _ for Columbia, S. C., where Mr. Way will be ordained, and then north, to embark for Siam.

Subscriber

As stated above, Mr. and Mrs. Way started on their journey on the Monday following. Not long after their arrival at Columbia, Mr. Way, who was a licentiate of Charleston

: Presbytery, licensed April 8th, was ordained by them in _ September, and went directly on to New York, from whence b- expecting to sail; but no vessel offering for Siam, they went to Boston, from whence they embarked November 18th in a sailing vessel for the island of Java. After waiting there in vain two months for a vessel for Siam and none appearing, they left in a Dutch vessel for Singapore, where they remained two months. There learning through Mr. and Mrs. Buell, the only missionaries of Siam, who were leaving on - account of Mrs. Buell's health, that the mission there was 'broken up, they changed their course tor China, and reached Macoa; where meeting Rev. W. M. Lowrie and other mis- : sionaries, they determined to settle at Ningpo, which place they reached November, 1844, just twelve months after sailing from Boston. While at Singapore their eldest child was born unto them.

Rev. Thos. Clay Winn and his sister, Miss Harriet Louisa. . Winn, the son and daughter of Rev. John Winn, and both ea missionaries to Japan. The former was born at Fleming- 25 ton dee 29, 1851, ordained in 1874, and went out thesame ee west eee: ea miles from the sea. The latter, also aes at as Flemington May. 14, 1853, went to China in. 1873, and af __ ter twelve years' service as a missionary of the Dutch Re _ formed Board in Yokohoma, married a prosperous a Merge i: ; chant of that city, and now resides there. ec y In addition to these, I mention the name of Mis. ig i. _. Woodbridge, the daughter of Dr. James Woodrow, grand- _ daughter of Rev. J. W. Baker, one of the Liberty county - GO ministers, -and wife of Rev. Samuel I. Woodbridge, missionary..to Japan. ones 2 ai . , Also, that of Miss Mary Leila Winn, daughter of Rew ake a Thomas Sumner and Mary (Quarterman) Winn, who was © 2% born in Hale county, Alabama, August 12, 1861, and went - as missionary to Japan. in 1882, 'under the Dutch Reformed _ ce Church, where she has now been laboring for sixteen years. _ Thus, including Dr. Abiel 'Stevens, Baptist missionary to Burmah, whose parents were members at Midway at the time of his birth, and had him dedicated to the Lord ia baptism, | mee 7 the old church has 'the honor of sending out directly and he: through her descendants, nine missionaries to foreign fields, ae - five men and-four ladies, viz.: Rev. Dr. Stevens, Rev. R. Q. - Way, Rev. Jokn Winn Quarterman, Rev. "Wiliam LeConte, Rev. Thomas Clay. Winn, 'and Mrs., W ay, Miss. Harriet' Louisa Winn, Mrs.. Woodbridge, and Miss Mary Leila Winn,, 'the list being 'wholl y exclusive of Rev. John Winn and wife, who offered themselves and were accepted as foreign mis. _ .sionaries by | the Presbyterian Board, but were areveateds from going on account of the. ill, health of Mrs. Winn, as © elsewhere stated. _