Chapter XXV Mikula at the Christmas Festival
Months glide quickly by while working hard—Deacon’s meeting—Church-meeting—The kind of candidates who were rejected—Baptismal service—The great meeting of the Church—Election of deacons—The balance sheet—A deficit—Native Christians wipe out the debt—Local missionary meeting—The great communion service.
How quickly the months glided by! Mikula, my owner, was a busy man of affairs. As deacon and teacher he voluntarily gave many days every month to his arduous duties—visiting lukewarm members and absentees from communion, investigating charges brought against such as were accused of breaking the Church’s rules, examining and instructing candidates for Church fellowship, receiving the contributions from Church members, paying the teachers of his district their monthly allowances, performing the rites of burial and of marriage, preaching in his own town and frequently visiting other towns and villages to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Besides all these labours for the Church, he helped his wife by doing the roughest work on the farm, visited many of the markets for purposes of trade, for this was his principal means of subsistence—the means by which he met his various obligations as a man, a husband, and a Church member.
If he had devoted the whole of his time to trading he would have been a rich man. He was ’cute, smart, and energetic enough; but he preferred laying up treasure in heaven where neither white ants, nor rats, nor mildew could depreciate the value of his wealth.
It was thus the months passed all too quickly, and brought us to the great Church Festival held at Christmas-time, and the three principal events of this gathering were the Church-meetings, the baptisms, and the communion service.
Messengers and letters had been sent to all the deacons and teachers spread over the three thousand square miles that comprised the parish of the Wathen missionaries. These letters had informed the officials and Church members of the date upon which they were to assemble, and urging them to come in large numbers.
During all the afternoon and evening of the appointed Saturday, groups of men and women were continually arriving on the station, and the housing accommodation was taxed to its utmost capacity. The programme for the meeting had been arranged about a month before, and every male and female missionary had had their parts apportioned to them; but unhappily just on the very eve of the meetings two of the white men went down with very serious fevers, and the depleted little band of white folk had to work the harder to make up for those unfortunately laid aside.
At four o’clock on the Saturday afternoon the deacons were assembled, and the business to be laid before the coming Church meeting was thoroughly examined, such as cases of discipline, fitness of applicants for Church membership, the work, pay, and appointments of teachers to new spheres, or their removal from one place to another, and the many other points that demanded attention and investigation.
Soon after seven o’clock the bell rang out calling all those concerned to the Church meeting. About five hundred male and female members gathered. A hymn was sung, a prayer offered, a portion of Scripture was read, the minutes of the previous month were read and confirmed, and then the business of the meeting began—of course, everything was conducted in the vernacular, consequently everybody present could enter fully into the matters laid before them. After various items of business had been voted upon, the claims of candidates for Church membership were scrutinized and voted upon by those present.
While they were considering Mr. A.’s desire to join the Church, a member arose and stated that the applicant had a very bad temper, became enraged at the smallest annoyance, and frequently for no reason at all; and the speaker thought that the candidate should by properly and continually controlling his irritable nature get a better temper before he was received into the Church. The other members thought the same, and voted that Mr. A. should wait for a few months and be informed of the reason.
A little later the case of Mr. B. was under consideration, when a native of his village arose and said that the candidate was a very lazy man, lounging about the village all day, living on his wife; and he thought that such a person was undesirable as a Church member. Let him do some work and be honestly industrious for a year and then apply again. The vote was taken, and Mr. B. was counted as unworthy of Church membership until he had changed his lazy habits.
Later still in the evening the name of Mr. D. was mentioned as desirous of joining the Church, when a neighbour of his jumped to his feet saying: “Mr. D. is in debt to many people in his village and to others in the surrounding villages. Now we think that a member of this Church should not be in debt to any one; let him pay all his debts first and then apply for membership.” Hence Mr. D. was informed afterwards that he must go and pay his debts and apply later.
Others were rejected through lack of knowledge of the fundamentals of the Christian religion; others for using fetishes and charms, thus showing they were not altogether free of their heathen superstitions; and others because their lives were not consistent with their Christian profession. But after all this winnowing there were more than twenty who were recognized as worthy of joining the Church.
The following day, Sunday, commenced with an early morning prayer and praise meeting; then at the nine o’clock service the missionary preached a suitable sermon to the accepted candidates on some of the passages in Revelation, where the word “overcome” occurs; and at the close the candidates for baptism arose one by one, and in simple language, and, often with much nervousness, bore his or her testimony to the pardoning love of God in Christ Jesus that had called them out of the great darkness into His marvellous light. And then we adjourned to the place where the baptismal rite was to be administered.
The place was about a mile from the station, and the baptistery was formed by the natural widening of the stream into a pool that answered the purpose as though it had been designed especially. The stream came from an open valley, and, filling the pool, passed beneath the cool shelter of some trees that threw a shade over a part of the shore, that by a steepish slope led down to the water. This incline was covered with people in their varied coloured dresses and cloths, tier above tier, that were desirous of witnessing the baptisms. Many lads and young men had waded across the water, and had seated themselves on the edge of the farther bank, from which point of advantage they gained an uninterrupted view of all that took place. Around the nearer side of the pool, occupying positions right on the very edge of the water, were those who were to undergo the rite of baptism—the observed of all observers, nervously conscious of all eyes being fixed upon them.
A baptismal hymn was very heartily sung, two deacons offered prayer, and then one by one, the women first, and then the men, the candidates entered the pool and were baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—buried with Him in the waters, a symbol that the old, heathen life was finished, and raised again—a sign that henceforth they were to lead new lives of faith, purity and love in Jesus Christ.
Soon after ten o’clock on Monday morning the bell sounded forth its clamorous call to the great Church meeting. The large building was soon filled with more than six hundred Church members—male and female, who had gathered to elect their deacons for the ensuing year, to hear of the progress of Christ’s kingdom in their large parish, and to have laid before them a financial statement concerning the income and expenditure of the closing year.
All deacons, no matter in what month they were elected, relinquished office automatically at the end of the year, therefore one member of the Church proposed, and another seconded a resolution of thanks to the deacons for their work during the past year. This was carried unanimously with much clapping of hands—a purely native mode of expressing thanks whether performed by an individual or a crowd. Then two others proposed and seconded a request that the retiring deacons be asked to take office again for the coming year, with two exceptions. One deacon during the year had broken a rule of the Church, and as it was essential for the welfare of the Church that their deacons should be blameless in life and character, he was not re-elected. Another deacon had exhibited much incapacity and such an utter lack of zeal in the discharge of his important duties, that he was asked to stand on one side to make room for a better man. The rest were re-elected with acclamation. Their spokesman replied in a few suitable words, and begged them to remember their deacons always in prayer that they might perform their difficult duties worthily of the Master they all desired to serve.
It was felt in consequence of the work extending so rapidly that the number of deacons should be increased to twenty-five to adequately cope with the work. Men, therefore, of strong character, of long, faithful service, and good Christian lives were chosen and voted to the office to make up the desired number.
Then the missionary who had charge of the Church books wrote on a black-board the number of members in fellowship at the beginning of the year, the number of those who had been expelled for inconsistency, the number who had passed to the eternal home during the twelve months, the large number that had been baptized on profession of their faith in Christ, and it was shown that those who were enjoying all the privileges of Church membership made a grand total of 1674. Here and there over the building could be heard ejaculations of “Tutondele Mfumu Nzambi!” (“We thank Thee, Lord God!”)
The white man then put another black-board in position, and wrote on it all the offerings from the various districts, the amount of the July Harvest Thanksgiving, and sundry other items to the credit of the Church accounts—it reached some hundreds of thousands of brass rods. On another black-board he wrote down the cost of the teachers in the different districts, and when these were added up there was a large deficit. What were they to do—leave the Church in debt, or withdraw some of the teachers? No, they must wipe that debt off!
Another black-board was quickly in position to receive their offerings for clearing away the deficit. A white teacher present said: “I will give two thousand rods towards the debt.” But a native deacon arose to his feet and said: “White man, we thank you for your kind offer to help us; but this is our work for Jesus Christ, and we intend to do it by paying that debt ourselves. Christ has done so much for us, that we must do this little bit of work for Him.”
During the next hour the missionaries were very busy writing down gifts and promises; and gradually the debt shrank until at last it disappeared. They had contributed over £180 to meet the entire expenses of their local missionary work. It was a large sum for poor people; but it was an expression of their gratitude to God for all the benefits they had received through the preaching of the Gospel. If it had been possible to value all the voluntary work done by deacons and Church members, the above amount would have been more than doubled.
That night a missionary meeting was held. The building was full; bright and inspiring hymns were sung; and one teacher after another told of the difficulties and triumphs of the Gospel in his part of the district. Then two of the white men spoke of the grand results that had attended the efforts of other missionaries at the various stations on the Upper and Lower Congo. They summed up by saying: that thirty years ago there was not a single language that had been reduced to writing, now eight had been mastered, and into them more or less of God’s Word had been translated; thirty years ago and there was not a single person on the Congo who knew how to read or write, now there were thousands of men and women, boys and girls who were reading God’s Word in their own languages; thirty years ago there was not a single native teacher on the Congo, now there were nearly five hundred—two-thirds of whom were entirely supported by the free-will offerings of the native Christians, and the other third doing voluntary work in their own towns and villages; thirty years ago not a solitary brass rod was given to God’s work—but hundreds of thousands of them were spent on witch-doctors, fetishes and charms, now over £400 a year are given by native Christians that others might hear the glad news of Christ’s redemption; thirty years ago there was not a single Christian throughout the whole length and breadth of Congoland, now in fellowship with the B. M. S. Churches alone there are nearly 3500 Church members, and God Himself alone knows the great number that has already passed from the Church militant on earth, through faith in Christ, to the Church triumphant in heaven that is gathering around the great white throne of the Lamb. These are 3500 fulfilments of God’s promises; 3500 encouragements to continue the work with zeal and aggressiveness; 3500 proofs of the power of the Gospel to change the hearts, and purify the lives of men and women.
It was about eleven o’clock next morning when that bell called the Christians and their friends to the last great meeting of the festival. The building in which the service was held was long, wide and rather squatty, with no claim to beauty or dignity, and no pretensions to architectural elegance; and although in the eyes of men it might honestly be styled ugly, yet in the eyes of angels it must be very beautiful—for it is the birthplace of many a soul.
It was all too small that day to hold the crowd that pressed into it. The seats soon filled, and the mats that had been spread on every available space quickly received more than their full quota of people, and the doors and windows rapidly filled with folk who listened as eagerly as those who were inside the building. How heartily they all entered into the simple service!
The preacher knew their difficulties, their temptations and their weaknesses; he knew the pit of heathenism from which they had been digged; and he knew that they were going back to their towns, villages and homes to live among superstitious heathen neighbours, so he preached to them with the power born of full and deep conviction from 2 Tim. i. 12; and they by and by returned home strengthened to continue the fight knowing that God was with them, and, therefore, they were on the winning side.
The preaching service over, the non-members left the building, and their places were immediately filled with those Church members who had been standing round the doors and windows. Over seven hundred persons were present to take the communion.
The eyes of the white man who officiated dimmed with tears as he looked over that crowded assembly of communicants. He thought of those who had borne the heat and burden of the day, those who had toiled and died without knowing of any results to their labour; he thought of those who, baffled and defeated by broken health, had been compelled to retire from the dangerous climate; he thought of those native teachers who had lived faithfully and worked arduously to bring about this grand gathering; and he thought also of that vast number of friends in the homeland who by their labours, gifts and prayers had made this glorious assembly possible. Surely all would ultimately rejoice together in the great, glad cry of Harvest Home! Perhaps—who can tell?—the spirits of those who have passed away, missionaries and supporters—white and black workers alike, were, some of them, present at that service and were rejoicing together over so numerous a company of ransomed souls.
It was in a tremulous voice that the white man addressed a few words to those who were to be received in that day, and then he took each by the hand and welcomed him and her into fellowship in the name of the Church. After that a prayer was offered that these new brethren and sisters might ever remain true witnesses for Christ, the Saviour.
A hymn was then sung that the hearts and thoughts of all present might be centred on the purpose of their presence in the gathering—to commemorate the death of their dear Lord until He come.
One of the deacons prayed for a blessing on the “bread,” and it was then dispensed among the communicants, and after they had partaken of it they bowed their heads in reverent worship. The cups were then distributed to every member in that great assembly. Another deacon pleaded with God for a blessing on the cup; and then the missionary arose, and holding his cup in his hand, said: “This cup is the New Testament in My blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of Me. For as oft as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup ye do show the Lord’s death until He come.”
And as soon as his tones had died away seven hundred cups were raised and drained to the memory of their Saviour, and seven hundred hearts bowed in prayer before the Lord. In a little time there arose upon the air a song of faith. It was a translation of that incomparable hymn—
“There is a fountain filled with blood,
Drawn from Immanuel’s veins;
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains.
“Dear dying Lamb! Thy precious blood
Shall never lose its power
Till all the ransomed Church of God
Be saved to sin no more.
“Then in a nobler, sweeter song,
I’ll sing Thy power to save,
When this poor lisping, stammering tongue,
Lies silent in the grave.”