SOUTH CHURCH AFRICA MISSION DUTCH REFORMED TO BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA

[s. 712] : Headquarters: Sea Point, Cape Town, Cape Colony. In 1884 the ministers of the Dutch Reformed Church of the Cape Colony decided to form a Ministers’ Mi ion Union, with a view to supporting their own ordained representative in the foreign mi ion field. They undertook to contribute each from $25 to $,50 per annum, out of their private salary, for this purpose. While looking out for a field in which to work, they were b-94 generously invited by the Livings ton i a Mi ion of the Free Church of Scotland to come to the region we,st of Lake Nyasa, and share their extensive field there. In 1888 the Rev. A. C. Murray, an ordained minister of their church, after an eighteen months’ course of medical training in Scotland, left South Africa as their first representative in that field. The following year he w;,s joined by another mi ionary from South Africa, and they selected the district to the S. AV. of Lake Nyas;-, as their sphere of labor. The first station was Mvera, in what is now the British Central Africa Protectorate. Gradually the work extended, until in 1899 the staff consisted of sixteen workers (including three mi ionaries), working at three main stations Mvera, Kongwe, and Mkoma. In 1897 the Synod of the Dutch Reformed Church of the Orange Free State decided to start their own mi ion work in Central Africa, and sent out two men, who proceeded from Mvera farther to the west, and planted their first station at Magwero, in the district of N. E. Rhodesia, near Fort James on. This work, altho carried on uninterruptedly all the time, could not be extended owing to the South African war, but within a year after peace was made the Orange River Colony Synod decided to send out three more men (one being an agriculturist), and a new station was started at Madzimoyo. In 1899 the chairman of the Cape Colony Mi ion, Dr. Andrew Murray, urgeci upon the committee definitely to pray for a doubling of the stations and workers in Nyas a land within five vears. To many friends of the Mi ion this seemed too much more as within six months the devastating war broke out. But within four years there were thirty-four workers instead of sixteen, and six stations instead of three. The first two converts were baptized in 1894, but no others were admitted into the Church till 1897, when thirty adults were baptized. Since then the number has steadily increased, till in 1901 there were in all close upon three hundred church members, and at the end of 1903 over seven hundred. The district occupied by the above Mi ion in Nyas a land (not counting N. E. Rhodesia) contains about 300,000 natives. With two more stations it will be sufficiently occupied and can then be worked by means of native evangelists and catechists. There are over one hundred out schools under native teachers, with an attendance of 7,000 children, while about 10,000 natives are continually under religious to ask for, the and instruction. The conditions of baptism are rather strict, as the candidate must have been at least one year in the catechumen cla , and have manifested a thorough breaking with all heathen customs during that time. Consequently cases of discipline are rare. There are seven unmarried women workers in this field, who are supported by the Women’s Mi ion Union {Vrouwcn Zending Bond) of the same church. This union also supports women workers in other mi ion stations m the Cape Colony, Transvaal, Bechuanala.nd, and Mash on a land. Hoadquarturs: Huguenot College, Well influence ington, Cape Colony. 712