A General Missionary 
 
A General Missionary in a Land of Promise 
 
 HOENIX, the capital city of Arizona, 
 the youngest State in the Union, is 
 destined to become the inland 
 metropolis of the Great Southwest. 
 Situated near the center of the Salt 
 River Valley, fertilized by streams 
 from the great Roosevelt Dam, 
 having trees bearing all manner of 
 fruit, it reminds one of John's vision 
 of the New Jerusalem — lying four 
 square to the world, being equal in 
 length, breadth and height — for its 
 height is unlimited, there being scarcely a cloud to obstruct 
 the sight of heaven at all times of the year. 
 
 There is a population of nearly 30,000 in Phoenix, a 
 cosmopolitan people, far above the average in intelligence 
 and in all those virtues that make for safe and sane social 
 conditions. Our schools are among the best, all depart- 
 ments being under the instruction of specially trained 
 teachers whose records class them among up-to-date 
 educators. 
 
 The atmosphere, dry by nature, and the State, dry by 
 law, furnish an ideal place for recovering lost health and 
 lost fortunes, for one who can make a bare living else- 
 where can here, with a little capital, push, pluck and 
 patience, soon recline under his own vine and fig tree. 
 
 Religiously speaking, we have a difficult problem in 
 Phoenix, for, although almost every denomination is rep- 
 resented, it is hard to attract people to our services, because 
 
for about nine months of the year the climate is so delight- 
 ful that we cannot interest them in the joys of heaven, and 
 for the other three months it is so hot that they have no 
 fears of the torments of Gehenna. 
 
 Strenuous activity is apt to characterize the work of 
 any missionary in the Great Southwest, and since I entered 
 upon my duties in this field some 
 two years ago there has been no 
 opportunity to take a vacation 
 either on Sundays or week days. 
 When I became General Mis- 
 sionary to the Congregational 
 churches of Arizona and New 
 Mexico there was no Congrega- 
 tional church in or near the city 
 of Phoenix. Since that time, 
 however, we have succeeded in 
 organizing two quite promising 
 churches. "The Neighborhood 
 Congregational Church," in 
 December, 1916, our first triumph, 
 now has amembershipof The Great R°°seveit D; 
 
 over fifty and a Sunday school of nearly eighty. 
 
 Perhaps a brief report of the work done by a General ' 
 Missionary on a single Sunday in this section of the country ,j 
 will be of interest to our Congregational friends in the 
 East and elsewhere. The following is a record of a 
 Sunday's program in 1917, during the spring of which year 
 I tried to serve three churches in the hope of effecting 
 another organization which could be linked with the Neigh- 
 borhood Church: 
 
 At 9:45 in the morning I taught the Bible school in 
 Phoenix, and at 11:30 held services in the Neighborhood 
 
im, Salt River Valley 
 
 Church, about four miles south of the city. At 2:30 I 
 instructed classes at the Murphy Schoolhouse, four miles 
 to the west, held preaching services immediately afterward, 
 and at 7:30 in the evening preached in the city. This 
 schedule continued until June 17, 1917, when Rev. J. Craig 
 Watt was called to the pastorate of the Neighborhood 
 
 Church, where he is doing a most 
 excellent work. 
 
 Upon being released from this 
 duty I immediately directed all my 
 efforts toward the organization of 
 the First Congregational Church 
 of Phoenix, and on the first of July 
 this was accomplished, with a 
 charter membership of thirty-nine. 
 The next day our new church was 
 incorporated under the laws of the 
 State of Arizona, and we took an 
 option on a beautiful corner lot, 
 200 by 235 feet, entering into 
 negotiations with the Church 
 Building Society for aid in making 
 the purchase, and it was paid for on the fourth of October. 
 A vigorous campaign for $1,000 with which to meet the 
 grant of the Building Society toward the erection of a 
 parish house on the newly purchased lot was then begun. 
 It will be readily understood that it was no easy task to 
 raise even $1,000 without a definite constituency and in the 
 face of drives for war funds which are being made every 
 week. However, my wife and family helped in conduct- 
 ing the services, the people were faithful in their attendance, 
 and the Lord wonderfully blessed our efforts. Early in 
 January we were able to turn over to the new minister 
 
The Neighborhood Church, Phoenix 
 
 subscriptions for $1,000 and a total charter membership of 
 forty-three, a few of whom had left town but had not 
 severed their connection with our church. After some dis- 
 couragements and many delays, the new parish house is 
 assuming material form, and the new minister, Rev. J. 
 Spencer Voorhees, is pushing the work to completion, 
 enlarging his constituency and endearing himself to a 
 rapidly growing community. 
 
 The coming of Mr. Voorhees to this enterprise released 
 me for labor in new pastures, and on the twentieth of 
 January I began work with the First Congregational Church 
 of Albuquerque, New Mexico. On the twenty-seventh the 
 young people took the evening service, and although it was 
 a new venture for them, they did nobly. On the third of 
 February we conducted a most interesting "Fellowship 
 
Drive." Our working force consisted of twelve visiting 
 teams, and in about two and a half hours they totaled 
 upward of 850 calls. This "drive" was followed up the 
 next day by team work, which had for its object the lifting 
 of a small though burdensome debt of $1,400. Since the 
 people had no salary to pay during this time, thanks to the 
 Home Missionary Society, we succeeded in paying off 
 $400 of the debt, meeting our current expenses, and there 
 is now nearly $900 subscribed toward a final note of $1,000. 
 
 In addition to entering into these canvasses I have 
 been able to make 120 personal calls and on the eighteenth 
 
 The New Church, Tucson 
 
of March we received into membership twenty-two new 
 members, all of them young people. 
 
 In all my work I have enjoyed the wise and kindly 
 fellowship of Superintendent Heald, the hearty co-operation 
 of our National Societies, the generous responsiveness of 
 every community visited and the guidance of the Holy 
 Spirit. 
 
 ' 'CHUECO" 
 A Game of the Southwest 
 
 THE CONGREGATIONAL HOME MISSIONARY SOCIETY 
 Offices: 287 Fourth Avenue .... New York