/^Ifg □ illQllSv 7SSI0NAR Y PALESTINE EXHIBITS for Single Parishes, Small Communities, or Any Other Qroup of Churches in Town or City 1 ^nangtd by the MISSIONARY E! 'CATION MOVEMENT 156 FIFTH AVENUE NEW YORK QTY Dll ilia a Missionary and Palestine Exhibits for Single Parishes, Small Com¬ munities, or Any Other Group of Churches in Town or City What an Exhibit Is An exhibit is a graphic and material rep¬ resentation of conditions of life in one or more home or foreign mission fields and the methods and successes of missionary effort in these fields. The collection and display of scenes, buildings, curios, and other objects and furnishings native to the fields is in¬ volved, as well as an interpretation of the exhibits by stewards or volunteer workers enlisted from the cooperating churches. In this interpretation use is made of a variety of attractive educational methods; such as impersonations, missionary plays, demon¬ strations, games, native melodies, addresses, stereopticon and motion picture lectures, and other interesting and instructive activities. Purpose The purpose of an exhibit is to enlist a considerable number of Christian people in a study of missions, and through them and the exhibits to arouse, extend, and make per¬ manent in the life of all who may attend the exhibit such an intelligent and active interest in- missions as shall lead to personal service in the support and extension of Christ’s king¬ dom at home and in foreign lands. How to Organize an Exhibit Enlist the cooperation of a small but earn¬ est committee of the most influential Christian workers in the chureh or community. If they are in agreement that an exhibit gires prom¬ ise of accomplishing the purposes outlined in the foregoing paragraph^ and of meeting the spiritual and missionary needs of the church or churches cooperating, let them prayerfully decide to proceed, first securing approval of such leaders or organizations as may need to be enlisted in order to make the exhibit serve the largest possible number of people. The necessary committees are enu¬ merated in the paragraphs devoted to “Gen¬ eral Organization” and “Department Com¬ mittees,” on pages 6-11. Scenes In order to aid committees planning to hold exhibits the Missionary Education Movement has had prepared several sets of painted scenery, for small exhibits in Sun¬ day-school rooms, church parlors, and other similar rooms. By the use of this scenery, a natural background and environment for the exhibits may be provided. The coun¬ tries for which such scenes have been made are China, Japan, Turkey, India, Africa, and Palestine. Sets on home mission fields, and on a few other foreign fields, will be made available, if demand warrants. Tliese scenes 2 are offered because in most communities this desirable part of an exhibit cannot be made locally without excessive cost^ while most of the other needed material can be borrowed or made. Each scene consists of painted scenes on canvas^ mounted on frames, and so constructed as to be packed into a large crate for shipment by freight or express. Each scene has eight frames, ten feet high and four feet wide. They are made wdth hinges, so that Mdien set up they cover a background of sixteen feet with a wing eight feet long on each side. A small edifice representing some typical building, such as a temple or house, forms a part of each scene. This is also so constructed that it may be taken apart and packed with the scenes. The rental price of these scenes ranges upwards from $15 for one scene for an engagement of two days, according to the number of scenes used and the duration of the exhibit. Full information as to the cost will gladly be furnished on inquiry. Palestine Exhibit The Missionar}" Education Movement has made arrangements with the Rev. Allen Moore, F.R.G.S., to act as a director of Pal¬ estine exhibits. There is available a large collection of curios and costumes from Pal¬ estine and neighboring Mohammedan coun¬ tries with some painted scenes for use in such exhibits.* Mr. Moore has been a missionary in Palestine and other Mohammedan lands, and for many years has been conducting Pal¬ estine exhibits in England and the United 3 States. Arrangements for a Palestine exhibit can be made by addressing the Missionary Education Movement. The responsibility in¬ volved in organizing such an exhibit is such that any of the agencies enumerated under the section entitled “General Organization” can readily assume it. A special circular con¬ cerning Palestine exhibits will be sent upon application. Costumes In contrast with the painted scenes pre¬ viously described;, costumes can usually be . collected locally from missionaries or resi¬ dents who have traveled^ or they can be bor¬ rowed from denominational mission boards or friends in other towns or eities. When¬ ever praetieable, the desired costumes may be made locally as a part of the educational preparation of the stewards, by using single available costumes as patterns or by securing patterns from other exposition towns whose addresses will be furnished bv the Mission- ary Education Movement or by the educa¬ tional departments of the mission boards. Curios In like manner, curios should as far as possible be collected loeally or from friends of those who are to participate in the ex¬ hibit. The mission boards and missionaries on furlough are increasingly acquiring mate¬ rial for loan or rental as a means of aiding committees in their work. It is surprising oftentimes to see how many curios, costumes, and furnishings can be colleeted or made 4 with little or no cost, but by means of which the missionary’' work and message of the Church can be illustrated and illuminated. Missionary Plays Several missionary plays have been pub¬ lished, suitable for presentation as features of the program of exhibits. The time re¬ quired for preparation is the same as for par¬ ticipation as stewards; that is, from two to three or more months. The titles and texts of these plays can be secured from the de¬ nominational boards or from the Missionary Education Movement, with a statement of conditions under which the plays may be presented. Missionary Games As a means of enlisting the interest and service of children in the exhibit and in mis¬ sions in general, the reproduction of the games of all lands through children trained as stewards invariably proves a most val¬ uable part of the daily program of an exhibit. The illustrated book, entitled Children at Play in Many Lands, will give the necessary information. It may be secured from the mission boards or the Missionary Education Movement. Literature The text-books regularly furnished by the educational departments of the mission boards or the Missionary Education Movement will be found to cover most, if not all, of the fields and phases of missions chosen for rep¬ resentation in exhibits. In the case of de- 5 nominational exhibits, all orders for litera¬ ture should be sent to the mission boards of that denomination. In the ease of interde¬ nominational exhibits, literature should be ordered of the Missionary Education Move¬ ment. Preparation for Stewards The ideal preparation, and that almost in¬ variably adopted, is to make participation in an exhibit as a steward conditional upon reg¬ istration in a mission study class and at¬ tendance upon its sessions for a course of study dealing with the subject to which the steward is assigned. Herein lies one of the most valuable features of an exhibit. There¬ fore, not less than two, and preferably three, months should be allowed for preparation, after the enrollment of stewards is finished, in which to complete the study of the text-books, plan the demonstrations, rehearse the plays and games, and assemble the exhibits. In the ease of large expositions this period of preparation may ne^d to be extended to from nine to fifteen months. In preparation for Palestine exhibits this longer period of prep¬ aration is unnecessary, Mnce usually the leaders and stewards will be Bible teachers and Sunday-school workers measurably fa¬ miliar with Biblical history. General Organization A general committee of arrangements or executive committee of from seven to fifteen members should be chosen, according to the scope of the exhibit. This committee should 6 have a chairman^ secretary and treasurer. In the case of a single churchy the members of the committee should represent the cooperat¬ ing organizations in the congregation; in the case of a small group of churches from one denomination^ they should represent each church; in the case of a small community having several churches of different denom¬ inations^ at least one member should repre¬ sent each denomination; and in the case of a large town or city with a large number of cooperating churches^ a central committee should be chosen with regard to denomina¬ tional representation^ influence^ and ability. Whenever possible^ an existing committee or organization should be, made responsible^ to avoid duplication of effort and to assist in strengthening agencies now in position of leadership. Among the interdenominational agencies commonly existing that should be able to assume responsibility for a mission¬ ary or Palestine exhibit are the following: The Woman’s Missionary Union^ the Jubilee Committee of Women^ local Sunday-school Unions^ the County or City Sunday-school Association^ the local Association of Sun¬ day-school Superintendents, the City Chris¬ tian Endeavor Union, the Ministers’ Asso¬ ciation, the local Federation of Churches, local or district organizations of the Epworth League, Baptist Young People’s Union, Lu¬ ther League, and other denominational agen¬ cies. A union of mission study classes and particularly a group of summer conference delegates are in a position to arrange an exhibit. 7 Department Committees Having secured the consent to serve of an able general committee, there will usually be required department or subcommittees for several or all of the following lines of work: 1. Stewards .—The duty of this committee is to determine the number of stewards or participants required, to allot the number desired from each church, to enroll them, assign the subjects or fields to the different churches or groups, provide trainers or teach¬ ers for the mission study classes, supervise the work of the classes and the special train¬ ing of the stewards in the demonstrations or activities in the scenes, make up the time¬ tables indicating the hours of service for each steward, and supervise the work of the stewards in the exhibit. 2. Publicity and Tickets .—The duty of this committee is to advertise the exhibit and supervise the sale of tickets. This committee also should arrange for the ticket-takers to collect the tickets during the days of the ex¬ hibit and turn over the receipts to the treas¬ urer or the chairman of the finance commit¬ tee. When desirable, the duties of this com¬ mittee may be divided and two committees appointed: one on publicity, and the other on tickets. 3. Finance .—The duty of this committee is to outline the budget and recommend it for adoption to the general committee of ar¬ rangements, to secure subscribers to the guarantee fund, collect money from all the committees receiving funds, pay the bills of the exhibit, and submit a final report on the 8 income and expenses to the general commit¬ tee of arrangements. 4. Exhibits. —The duty of this committee is to collect the material for the exhibits, in¬ cluding scenes, curios, and other furnishings; to install the exhibits; surpervise them while in use; dismantle them; and return them to those who may have provided them. The work of this committee should be conducted in constant consultation with the leaders of the committee on stewards. 5. Costumes. —The duty of this committee is to assist the stewards in securing costumes, whether by loan or by making, as a part of the educational preparation. 6. Missionaries and Speakers. —The duty of this committee is to invite missionaries and speakers required for the program, secure their entertainment while in attendance upon the exhibit, and provide any special hospi¬ talities that may add to their comfort and efficiency. 7. Missionary Plays and Games. —The dutv of this committee is to train the stew- ards who participate in missionary plays and the children who are enrolled for the games, and in close cooperation with the program committee to superintend the presentation of the plays and games during the exhibit. There may be separate committees for these two activities when desired. 8. Motion Picture and Lecture Hall. —In the case of an exhibit using either or both of these features, it is the duty of this committee to make arrangements for the room, tickets, speakers or lecturers, lantern equipment, 9 wirings inspection of equipment by city au¬ thorities, and in consultation with the com¬ mittee in charge of the program to supervise the lectures. 9. Sale of Goods .—If it is decided to in¬ clude the sale of goods as a feature of the exhibit, the duty of this committee is to se¬ cure the cooperation'of individuals who may have missionary goods for sale and to super¬ vise the sale of goods in the exhibit. Care should be taken to include only those articles that have a missionary significance, prefer¬ ably those that are made in industrial de¬ partments and schools of mission stations at home and abroad, or articles that are being sold directly for the benefit of some estab¬ lished denominational missionary enterprise. Care should also be taken not to commer¬ cialize the exhibit by giving undue emphasis to the sale of goods. 10. Missionary Methods and Literature .—- In the case of interdenominational exhibits or those enlisting the cooperation of a large number of churches of on« denomination, it is well to have a table devoted to litera¬ ture which should find use in the different churches. The duties of this committee should be to collect the educational literature recom¬ mended by the different mission boards whose churches are represented in the exhibit, and to superintend the distribution and sale of such literature. 11. Refreshments .—In large exhibits it is desirable to have refreshments served so that people may attend in the afternoon and re¬ main tlirough the evening. Usually refresh- lO nients are served for wliieli a eliarge is made, the food being prepared, donated, and served by committees appointed in the different churches. The committee for this section should therefore take in hand the customary arrangements for serving refreshments. Size and Personnel of Committees In selecting these department committees 'an effort should be made to enlist workers having special qualifications for the work assigned, and to disperse the membership as widely as possible among the cooperating churches and organizations. Not fewer than three nor more than seven will usually be desired on one department committee. In the case of an interdenominational exhibit certain committees, such as those on stewards and exhibits, may be made up of representa¬ tives of denominational committees. This is especially desirable when the churches of each cooperating denomination become re¬ sponsible for a definite field or phase of work, like China or immigration. In small exhibits the duties of several of the subcommittees may be assigned to one group, thus simplify¬ ing the organization. Cost The cost of an exhibit is determined by the number of sections or subjects included, the length of time it is kept open, the rental of* the building (if any), the rental of scenes, curios, costumes, and other furnish¬ ings, and the extent to which it is organized and conducted with volunteer as compared with employed workers. Every possible ef¬ fort should be made to utilize volunteer work¬ ers and eliminate employed workers and other provisions involving expense. In small ex¬ hibits practieally everything ean be done by volunteers. Local expenses range from $75 to $100 upwards for a small Palestine or missionary exhibit of several days’ duration, and then, according to the scope of the plan, up to any amount the executive committee may approve. Income An exhibit should be self-supporting. The methods employed to meet the expense of an exhibit may be any one or combination of the following: 1. An entrance fee, with a guarantee fund equal to at least sixty per cent, of the esti¬ mated cost, on which the finance committee may draw if the income does not equal the expenditure. 2. An entrance fee, either with or without a guarantee fund, supplemented by extra re¬ ceipts from the sale of curios and other goods having a missionary origin, motion picture or stereopticon lectures, refreshments, books, and other money-earning features. 3. Silver collections at one or more daily meetings in the exhibit, with no entrance fee and either with or without the sources of in¬ come mentioned under paragraph 2. In this case there should be a guarantee fund. i. Privately secured subscriptions from a few benevolently inclined supporters of mis¬ sions who will make an outright gift of the necessary sum in order to make the exhibit free to all. Of these four^ either the first or second will usually be adopted. Tickets of Admission In large exhibits single admission is usu¬ ally fixed at twenty-five cents; children, fif¬ teen cents; and a season ticket fixed at some larger price, according to the length and scope of the exhibit. In small exhibits a scale of prices somewhat lower may be adopted. Proceeds An exhibit should not be conducted pri¬ marily for the purpose of making money for missions or any other religious object, but rather for its educational and spiritual bene¬ fits. It is, however, entirely proper to plan to cover its cost by its own income. If there should be a margin of income above cost it may well be used for any worthy missionary object connected with the benevolences of the church or churches cooperating. Some have used the proceeds in sending delegates to the nearest missionary summer school or in the support of the work of some agency through which missionary education is being promoted. The disposition of any profits should be by vote of the general committee of arrangements after all bills have been paid. In case of deficiency, there should be returned to each subscriber to the guarantee fund the sum previously advanced, less his share of the loss. In the case of an exhibit whose income is larger than its expenses and for which a guarantee fund may have been 13 provided the full amount paid in by each guarantor should be returned. Hours of Exhibit The hours of each day when an exhibit shall be open to visitors must be determined locally according to the requirements and con¬ venience of those who are to act as leaders and stewards, and the occupations of those whose attendance is sought. In small ex¬ hibits the hour of opening will usually be S P.M., and of closing, 10 P.M. Many are open from 3 to 5.30, and 7 to 10, allowing time for supper at home. The exhibit should be open only at those hours when stewards and other workers can be in attendance. A' shorter period with full attendance of visitors and stewards is better than a longer period witli scattering attendance and the extra dif¬ ficulty of conducting an instructive and in¬ teresting program. Large Expositions The suggestions contained in this pam¬ phlet pertain chiefly to relatively small ex¬ hibits, plans for which can be adapted to conditions in any church, community, or group of churches. The Missionary Education Movement, however, is prepared to outline plans for expositions on a much larger scale, send experienced counselors to help organize local committees, furnish an experienced di¬ rector to act as the executive of the local committee, secure the use (through rental) of scenes, curios, and other furnishings in large quantities, and the services of a man¬ ager in installing, supervising, and disman- 14 tling the exhibits. Important service can also be rendered bv the Movement in con- nection with several departments of a large exposition which require trained leadership. In like manner the mission boards associated in the Movement can generally be counted upon to furnish invaluable aid in many ways. Correspondence about an exposition of this larger type will gladly be undertaken by the Missionary Education Movement at any time. Cooperation with Mission Boards The Missionary Education Movement be¬ ing a federation of home and foreign mis¬ sion boards for purposes of missionary edu¬ cation^ has undertaken to promote the organ¬ ization of exhibits and larger expositions solely to assist these boards in extending in¬ terest in Christian missions in the churches of their respective communions. The Missionary Education Movement is prepared not only to rent scenes (and in some cases other material) for exhibits and to furnish literature for interdenomi¬ national exhibits, but also to offer counsel freely by letter concerning every feature of the plan. Whenever practicable, assist¬ ance in the period of organization will be given by a personal visit of one of its secretaries. In large exhibits or in connec¬ tion with a series of exhibits of moderate size an experienced director can usually be fur¬ nished by special arrangement. Too much importance cannot be attached to the matter of planning an exhibit, and es¬ pecially the educational preparation, in close 15 cooperation with the educational departments of the mission boards. Thus the educational departments of these boards may better know the condition of missionary interest in each congregation, and offer such help as will se¬ cure larger results in giving, prayer, and service. The Missionary Exposition Company In order to be able to provide exhibit com¬ mittees with scenes, curios, costumes, and other material facilities for exhibits without drawing upon its regular funds the Mission¬ ary Education Movement took the lead in having organized a small group of its Board of Managers into a special agency, known as the Missionary Exposition Company. This group of men secured extra funds for the construction and purchase of the material needed by exhibit committees in order to make it available by rental to exhibit com¬ mittees at the request of the Missionary Edu¬ cation Movement. This has been done at considerable expense, with the purpose of aid¬ ing the Missionary Education Movement, the boards whose representatives compose the Movement, and the churches at large in bringing the message and meaning of home and foreign missions close to the conscience and will of all who mav be led to attend an exhibit. The final agreement for rental of material desired will be with the Missionary Exposition Company. All inquiries concern¬ ing exhibits and exhibit material should be addressed to the Missionary Education Move¬ ment, 156 Fifth Avenue, New York. i6 l^:- ■■;■/■ ■ - ':■■■ ^ r- .'.' -r''«f -'v few:b-V'='^: ■*■’:/jE (as;; ■ .;T(i.'^''i/f:i> fis,',,!!;; «;iii';.''"-f''"' / " V’/J ■','{;i>'v?''■; ;?>^ »i',■!,>>'^,' V-’’' V'p:?."' "V'A, ''^'i': ^ ■'^■■7- ■ \ r. ■. ';,.ii & ‘'t'-/-; j'-,;i;'' ''-'i'n'' V:-