p. 4 | Sharing the Burden by William Ambrose Spicer

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D. C. · Feb 22, 1906

Sharing the Burden

By William Ambrose Spicer

Now that we are brought by the Lord's own providences face to face with the vast heathen and Catholic fields, it is most encouraging to see gathering in Protestant lands, outside of our own country, an ever-increasing body of believers who mean to share with us the burden of the world's speedy evangelization. In a recent letter from Miss E. M. Graham, the Australasian Union treasurer, we have the significant information:—

You may be interested to hear that several of our churches have a chart, which is hung up in a conspicuous place in the church, with “Australasia's Burden, 50,000,000 People in the Islands,” at the head of it, and underneath the names of the islands where missions are established, and the names of the workers in each. In this way they have before them a reminder of the burden they have to carry, every time they come to meeting.

It means much to the missionary advance that this union conference, lying in the midst of the South Seas, has grown into strength, and now begins to share the burdens of the great island fields. Although the work in Singapore and the Malay States and in the Philippine Islands has been added to Australasia's field this year, they call for no more appropriations from the Mission Board than they had last year. The extra burden—and it is no light one—they intend to make up by extra lifting. And when it comes to directing and administering the work among the islands, the Australasian committee, close at hand, is able to do vastly better service than could be rendered by the Mission Board, so far removed.

A similar situation is developing in South Africa, where the colonial conferences are taking on more and more

the burden of the native African work. We can not expect so few believers to carry any very heavy end of the financial burden of training native workers and sending laborers forth to warn the fifty millions, more or less, in the South African Union's share of the Dark Continent. But with all courage they are lifting at the load, and it is a great strength to the missions of the interior to have a base of operation and direction close at hand in the coast colonies.

Surely we may see a guiding providence in the planting of these strong English-speaking commonwealths alongside vast, dark, unevangelized populations, such as lie next to the Australasian and South African Union Conferences.

The European field is rapidly growing into a strength that will lift very materially at the burden of the unwarned millions in Catholic, Mohammedan, and heathen lands. The German field has for years been carrying the main load in eastern Europe, and helping loyally in Asia. Now it is pressing into German East Africa.

With these and other helpers coming in to lift, shall we in the home land of this advent movement carry any less burden?—Nay, verily. The evidence that the work done in other lands is bringing in companies of believers to join heartily in sharing burdens, should but encourage and strengthen us all to go at this task with greater enthusiasm. The world-wide body of believers, working as one, can quickly “belt the world” with this message. W. A. S.