S OME plans tor giving the ap¬ portionment that have passed the test of experience SOME PLANS FOR GIVING THE APPOR¬ TIONMENT THAT HAVE PASSED THE TEST OF EXPERIENCE I. HOW TO INCREASE THE SUNDAY OFFERING T HE method most generally employed to secure funds for missionary support is the Sunday offering. It is not always satisfactory because the weather, journeys to Europe and Cali¬ fornia, illness, and other causes, frequently prevent all the members of the congregation from sharing in the offering on a given day. These disadvantages can be removed to some extent by the use of a pre¬ liminary letter enclosing a leaflet giving information about the purpose for which the offering is desired, and an envelope which will ensure the contents being applied for missions at whatever time it is placed upon the alms basin. As a rule an offering for domestic missions and one for foreign missions secure better results than one offering for general missions. If an offering for missions among the Negroes, and an offering for missions among the Indians, can be taken also, so much the better. Letters, leaflets and envelopes for offerings for general missions, for domestic missions, for foreign missions, for missions among the Negroes, and for missions among the Indians, can be obtained in any quantity and without cost from The Corresponding Secretary, 281 Fourth Avenue, New York. The adoption of this method has generally resulted in a larger offering, and the number of parishes using it is steadily increasing. This method is still more effective when, instead of using a general letter, a letter is prepared by the rector with his own congregation especially in mind. In one instance that has recently come to our atten¬ tion the action of the rector in using this plan has resulted in increasing the offerings of the congrega¬ tion for general missions from less than $2,000 to more than $5,000 II. THE INDIVIDUAL APPORTIONMENT I N some instances the rector of the parish has taken the time to apportion the amount asked for from his congregation among the members, indi¬ cating to each the amount he considers to be a fair share for the individual to give. This plan, though not widely adopted, has worked well wherever tried. III. THE DIVIDED APPORTIONMENT T HE amount of the apportionment may be divided into shares and the members of the congregation asked to select the amount each will give. For a congregation of 300 communicants with an apportionment of $275, some such division as this might be suggested: 2 contributors at $25.00 each $50.00 5 “ 10.00 “ 50.00 IO “ “ 5.00 “ 50.00 20 u “ 2.00 “ 40.00 50 “ “ I.GO “ 50.00 ICO “ “ .50 “ 50.00 r- 00 29O.OO The suggested amounts and the number of con- tributors may be varied indefinitely in accordance with the character of the congregation. This plan has been tried in some instances with marked success. IV. THE DESIGNATED OBJECT PLAN I N some congregations larger gifits result from the knowledge that what is given will be used for the maintenance of some particular mission or missions. This is called “a designated offering.” It means tak¬ ing shares in one or more mission stations. A con¬ gregation may designate the entire amount of its apportionment, for one station at home or abroad, provided its apportionment is not larger than the appropriation to that station, or it may divide its offering between two or more stations. Under this plan it is better for the sake of simplicity to take shares of $50 or multiples of $50. V. THE SYSTEMATIC SUBSCRIPTION PLAN O NE of the best methods for securing worthy offerings for the support of missions is to form a missionary committee, composed of fifteen or twenty of the best informed and therefore most inter¬ ested men and women of the congregation. To each member of this committee may be assigned a group of twenty or twenty-five members of the congrega¬ tion, each of whom will be visited by a member of the committee and asked to subscribe towards the apportionment fund. Many a person who, without any intention of shirking responsibility, gives an offering for missions much less than might easily be given, will, when the matter is presented personally and when there is opportunity for questions with regard to matters of administration, use of funds, etc., give much more largely, 4 VI. AN APPORTIONMENT BULLETIN O CCASIONALLY the rector of a parish, in order to keep facts about the apportionment before his congregation, has placed an apportionment bulletin in the vestibule of the church. This shows the amount of the apportionment for general missions and sometimes for diocesan missions as well. Below is the amount received on these accounts, the figures being changed from time to time as gifts or offerings are made. The third line shows the amount still to be given. A plan such as this can be adapted to any or all of the methods already touched upon. Besides being useful in itself, it suggests the import¬ ance of keeping the congregation informed, whatever method may be adopted, with regard to the progress being made to raise the full apportionment. It seems particularly desirable whenever an offering for missions is taken that a statement should be made on the following Sunday of the amount received, whether it is sufficient to meet the apportionment, and if not, how much still remains to be given. VIE SOME GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS W HATEVER method is adopted for raising the apportionment, certain general facts should be borne in mind. l. Missionary Intercession It is most important to cultivate in the congrega¬ tion the habit of missionary intercession. The fre¬ quent use, at regular services of the Church, of the prayer for missions included in the special prayers in the Book of Common Prayer, and the use, on special occasions, of prayers such as those contained 5 in the pamphlet “ Prayers for Missions’’ (10 cts.), leaflet No. 920 (free),and the Church Calendar (free) all to be obtained from the Corresponding Secre¬ tary, 281 Fourth Avenue, New York, will help to suggest to many the use of definite intercessions for missions in their private devotions. 2. Missionary Information But intelligent prayer can only be offered for objects concerning which the congregation has infor¬ mation. Therefore definite instruction, not only about the privilege and responsibility of giving for missions, but about the methods and results of mis¬ sions, is a condition of success in arousing sufficient interest to pray for and give to, missions. The best hand-book for up-to-date missionary facts is The Spirit of Missions. A Cleveland clergyman said recently that of all the sermons on missions that he had preached, the one that had most interested his people and had proved most effective, was based largely upon the information secured from the late issues of The Spirit of Missions. No one need hesitate about using facts from The Spirit of Mis¬ sions because they are already in print. The pres¬ ent number of subscribers is only about one in every fifty of the communicants of the Church. Experi¬ ence has shown that even if a few people have already read a statement, the fact that they have read it before only interests them the more to hear it repeated. Two suggestive handbooks for the use of the clergy are: Mr. Eugene Stock’s “Short Handbook of Missions” and Mr. John R. Mott’s “The Pastor and Modern Missions.” The former deals with the 6 general principles and methods, results and needs of the missionary enterprise. The latter tells how many clergymen are furthering missionary interests, and, in doing so are strengthening their congregations numerically, spiritually and financially. By special arrangement The Spirit of Missions can supply these books to the clergy at 50 cents for the former and $ 1.00 for the latter. In both cases postpaid. 3. The Spirit of Missions The circulation of The Spirit*?/ Missions is one of the most effective methods of arousing missionary interest. Thousands of people through The Spirit of Missions have learned that a missionary magazine can be just as interesting as any other magazine. Whether or not the members of the congregation see The Spirit of Missions depends almost entirely upon the clergyman. If he will commend it pub¬ licly and privately, request parishioners as occasion offers to subscribe for it, make mention from time to time of some article or incident it contains, much may be done, to increase its circulation. Advan¬ tageous club rates are offered. Correspondence is invited. Address The Spirit of Missions, 281 Fourth Avenue, New York. Missionary Recruits It is desirable to keep the importance of securing recruits for the mission field before the minds of the congregation. At first sight this may not seem to have any bearing upon the giving of the apportion¬ ment, but it is an almost invariable experience that a congregation that gives a missionary is more than ready to give for missions. 7 VIII. “WE CAN DO IT IF WE WILL” It is important that the parish authorities should maintain a spirit of confidence in the ability of the congregation to do what is suggested. Nothing will more surely dry up the springs of congregational giving than the impression that the parish leaders are indifferent about the matter or think that the appor¬ tionment is too large. No plan is free from inequali¬ ties, but they can be removed and remedied from time to time. The important thing is to approach the task of raising the apportionment confident that it can be done successfully. To say to the congre¬ gation, “Our apportionment is too large and we cannot hope to give it all,” is to discount whatever plan may be adopted and to invite excuses for failure to make some real and worthy effort. On the other hand to take the ground that it is no less a privilege than a duty to share in paying the bills for mission¬ ary support, and to emphasize the ability to do what is asked, is to ensure if not complete success at once, at least a growing desire to reach a high standard of missionary giving. An analyzed apportionment often ceases ro be formidable. In the bulk it may seem large; broken up into shares as indicated on page 3, or com¬ pared with not merely the number of communicants, but the number of parishioners, the ability of the average congregation to do what is asked generally becomes apparent. c, All offerings for missions should be sent to George C. Thomas, Treasurer, 281 Fourth Avenue, New York. ^Copies of this leaflet may be had in any quantity by asking the Corresponding Secretary, 281 Fourth Avenue, New York, for leaflet No. 982. 8 Edition Nov. '08. 2M.