Correspondence prior to Edith C. Tallmon's return to the U.S. in 1922

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The.National Christian Conference Shanghai May 3-11 192S Reports of Commissions I,The Present Stati Of Christianity in China. The prayer of Robert "orelson,fiest Protestant Missionary to China, is regarded in his dairyon the occasion of the fiast b: »tlsm %h I of TsaiA-ko in 1814:"Hay he be the f i r s t fruits of a great harvest,n In May 19f?3 the number of 3?5°Q.O cunnunioants i s f o u r - f o l d the s t r e n g t h of ilia- Church twenty years ago, to say nothing of tji . increase in n a t i v e % l e a d e r s h i p , l a r g e C h r i s t i a n i n s t i t u t i o n s and the i n f l u e n c i af the C h r i s t i a n Ch C h u r c h , a l l of which r i I ' i , er f f i g u r e s an< i>r is to d e s c r i b e, "All our t h i n k i n g must la., dona on the b, ckground of ninek mdrad and n i n e ty n i n e sheep o u t s i d e the fold toone withinfi "The p r e s e n t p o t e n t i a l erjergj of the Chinese church i s enoughtQ a f f e ct ornna. m aaj, t t i i nation any. s t a r tier to a»; yea uepwis, There wae slime "h a a 'a < , a, la i g n o r a n t of China and the Chinese, to four hundred m i l l i o n s . ;ar ,1 ff©r< Lg] f o r c e s, the p r o p o r t i o n i s one Chinese to 900 fallow Chinese, rid a. a a n then there ar no b a r r i e r s of race and language. Tre: *ndo ;s v l c t o r i e . . •••. . ^ a . ,. .. n a t g r e a t c o a t . Since 19*00 Chinese l i v i t 3 Chinese money h ve been inereasir1. I n g l j ; o f f e r e d in the g r e a t cause* To remedy the weaknesses of the mis. e s afed of t CJ a Gaurch c a l l s fp f o r g e n e r o s i t y in g i f t s of money,largejf-zalndednesa in t h e o l o g i c a l outlook and s p i r i t u a l i n s i g h t mil poi rlfrstl I crf • •» a t ,f . it- to every C h r i s t i a n to meet t h i s new time and unpreced n t e a opportunity i ;. 3h the new l i f e , from C h r i s t , w i t h t h a t st J./ growth i n the grace arai knowledge of C h r i s t which i s the f r u i t of the S p i r i t a; I a ring r e c e i v e d the Word, i n an honest and good he a r t , we hold i t f a s t an firing f o r t h f r u i t wita $ji]C p a t i e n c e . Development of - i rohip . - e nee : a new i.nd a' 1 ad-'- c o n v i c t i o n t h a t the c3 • a i a - 1 J i s a aarkshop 'men ni! i"-.a>-.. i\ - ••', ,,aaincu an i a ,-a. p t* s. c roj -. _• o r -.- ^omiiioii /exi/arsr* T r a i n i n g Pl.ans: Hive a el-.- .-r i >:a of v/h t a. epecte i from V o l u n t e e r s. ., ' "Car-afnl coaching in work in h no-con times with, r e a d i n g , ; P e r s o n a l workers c l a s s e s , S. S. Now .1 Bias -.a,Clubs. Summer Con"; H ; ] c e a , a o m b i n i a ; I ctqj a and s t u d e n t reading, i t i» imperative t h a t immediate pro v i s i o n be made for the discovery and t r a i n i n g of those who w i l l bear the h e a v i e s t r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s - o f l e a d e r s h i p, but t h i s w i l l not make unnecessary the t r a i n i n g of the rank and f i l e of the church membership. To kaaa a l s o must be given t h a t ' t r a i n i n g which w i l l enable each to share in the b r i n .* n in of the kingdom thru '. . fcVlng of i n d i v i d u al l i v e s from sin anal ignorane to r i g h t e o u s n e s s and t r u t h arai C h r i s t i a n Service I I I , The Message of the Church C.Y.Cheng, Chelae n The United Ohureh-Strength for the task* of saving China can only be had-through s o l i d u n i t y , -.a;- C h r i s t ! as apj al to a l l m i s s i o n a r i e s and churcn I of toe ..est to remove the o b s t a c l e s in ordor t h a t C h r i s t 1 s p r a y e r for ^X.t u n i t y be f u l f i l l e d in China* The Indigenous Church. The h i s t o r y of C h i n a , t h e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of the people and n a t u r e of the work, the r e s u l t s of our p a a i e x p e r i e n c e , a n d the fjlpjL r a p i d l y ch nglni c o n d i t i o n s of the country a l l mend an indigenous Church , which w i l l not saver i t s c o n t i n u i t y with the h i s t o r i c a l Churches but a t the same time will take cognisance of the s p i r i t u a l i n h e r i t a n c e of the Chinese r a c e . The Deeper Consecration of the Church, We thank Godfor Hia c r e a t i on of o p p o r t u n i t i e s which have ah i ; i • , a. of the Chines® n a t i o n to C h r i s t i a n i t y , t o an a t t i t u d e of close s c r u t i n y . This demands an even more genuine C h r i s t i a n l i f e onthe p a r t of everj C h r i s t i a n and on the p a r t of the Church as a body, fi confess with h u m i l i a t i o n the: f a i l u r e to l i v e up to the o p p o r t u n i t y , we r e c o f n i z e t h a t the task of evangel Lnation cannot be-e f f i c i e n t l y done without a genuine C h r i s t - l i k e l i f e , and then: fore appeal to a l l who c a l l themselves C h r i s t i a n s to r e - d e d i c a t e ana r e - c o n s e c r a t e t h e i r %f.\r l i v e s and pray t h a t the power of the Holy S p i r i t help us to g l o r i f y C h r i s t,