The Central Presbyterian

For the Central Presbyterian.
The New Evangelistic Movement in North Carolina.

In your report of Synod last week it was mentioned that Synod divided Orange Presbytery, but the full significance of that fact can only be known by a knowledge of the circumstances.

The division of Orange Presbytery has been agitated at intervals for the past twenty years. Originally covering the whole State, it still covered at the time Synod met nearly one half of it, although the other half was divided into four Presbyteries. The question has been how to divide it. A north and south line through the middle would put about two-thirds of it in the eastern section, and in that section were only a few scattered churches, while all the strength of the Presbytery was in the western portion, on the line of the old Scotch-Irish settlements. The great length of the Presbytery—stretching from the mountains to the sea—made division by an east and west line out of the question.

In the past few years Orange Presbytery has made great efforts to evangelize this territory, but finding the work beyond its own strength, some eighteen months ago it overtured Synod for relief. To consider all the questions involved in this memorial more fully than could be done in the ordinary time of Synod, a Home Mission convention was called to meet in Goldsboro last year, the day before the meeting of Synod. It met in an earnest, prayerful spirit, and as the result of its deliberations memorialized Synod, (1) to take immediate steps for placing a Synodical evangelist in the field, (2) to appoint a committee to consider the question of a re-distribution of territory among the Presbyteries, and (3) to adopt a standing order, making Home Missions the order of the day for eleven o'clock on the second day, with precedence on that day over all other subjects.

The prayer of the memorialists was granted in each particular, and the same committee was appointed to elect an evangelist and to propose a plan for re-distribution of territory.

With our success in the first particular, in the securing of Rev. W. D. Morton as our evangelist, your readers are familiar, and from time to time they have had occasion to rejoice with us in the news of God's blessing on his labors.

The other question presented serious problems, but we hope they have been solved in such a way as to increase the efficiency of our work. It was proposed to erect out of the eastern part of Orange Presbytery a new Presbytery, consisting largely of mission ground, which should be the special care of the whole Synod until it was evangelized, Synod promising to give it half the time of the Synodical evangelist and $500 a year for its general mission work for five years. The line of division was drawn far enough west to include the city of Raleigh, and the churches in Granville county and Goldsboro were added from Wilmington Presbytery. With these boundaries it consists of 22 churches and 12 ministers. The proposition was adopted by Synod by an overwhelming majority, and the name of Albemarle was given to the new Presbytery. It is believed that this is the most practical step ever taken for the evangelization of Eastern Carolina, a fine section of country and largely occupied by Universalists and Primitive Baptists.

Another feature of the committee's plan was the transfer of the counties of Randolph and Chatham from the remainder of Orange to Fayetteville Presbytery, and the compensation of Orange by three northwestern counties from Concord. This equalizes the mission territory to a considerable degree among the Presbyteries, though it still leaves Mecklenburg with a large mission territory west of the mountains. Mecklenburg is a strong Presbytery, however, and is doing fine work in that section. When that work reaches a certain stage of development it is proposed to repeat in the west our plan for evangelizing the east. The plan is on a good financial basis, and we feel that a bright day is dawning on our Synod. God's Spirit has been here, and is still with us.

P. H. H.