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134.-Baptist Convention of S. C.
This body closed its forty-first anniversary on the 28th of July, at Spartanburg Court House:
Hon. J. B. O'Neall,
President;
Rev. Mr. Landrum,
Vice-President;
Rev. Mr. Breaker,
Secretary;
Prof. Judson,
Treasurer.
The aggregate membership of the churches throughout the
State, represented in the
Convention, is about sixty thousand; of whom
one-third are colored. The objects of the
Convention are Foreign and Domestic Missions, the
Bible and the Sunday School cause, and Education, both Literary and Theological.
A deep and prayerful solicitude for the success of our great national struggle marked all the religious exercises.
On this subject, the following resolution, offered by
Dr. W. Curtis, was unanimously adopted:
Resolved, That in the present peculiar condition of our political affairs, it becomes us thus to assure our beloved country of our sympathies, prayers, and thanksgiving on her behalf; that so far as we can understand the remarkable openings and guidance of Divine Providence, we have but received, in almost every instance, the merciful blessings of our God, as approbation upon the plans our State and the Southern Confederacy have deemed it best to adopt — that now especially, in the unprecedented, vindictive, and deadly strife against us, to which those who but recently spoke of us as brethren are urging one another, we can but rejoice in the oneness of our brethren of this State, in prayer and effort to defend our homes, our liberties, and our churches; and encourage them to be assured, that, as hitherto, putting our faith in God, though each of us may have much to bear, yet the rod will not finally rest upon us, but that in this most wicked attack upon our otherwise peaceful homes, the wickedness of the wicked will return on their own heads.
By special appointment of the
Convention, a
thanksgiving sermon was preached on Sunday morning, by
Rev. Dr. Broaddus, of
Greenville, from
Psalm 44: 6.
A collection was taken up at the close of the sermon for the relief of our sick and wounded soldiers, amounting to one hundred and thirty dollars; among which was found a handsome gold ring, the heart offering of some fair donor.
It is an interesting fact, as illustrative of the extraordinary character of our army, that
one of the churches of the
Convention, in Spartanburg District, has no less than thirty-four of its members in our Southern army.
In one of the companies from that district there are sixty members of the
Baptist churches, and not one of those killed in the late battle.
