by Rev. A. F. MacKay, M.A.
The morning of Saturday, 8th June opened with overcast skies and desultory showers of rain which increased into a steady downpour as the day advanced, when the fifth meeting in the cause of our Rhodesian Mission was held in the city of Utrecht, Holland, this year. Large crowds of people, among them parents accompanied by children, and groups of women in their colourful native dress, brought in to the town by trains and buses and cars from a wide area outside Utrecht, quickly filled the ground floor of the vast Bargreithal, seated for 5,000, and by the time the meeting began few of the seats were left unoccupied. Enthusiasm for our mission cause which was evident throughout the large gathering, by no means diminished by the heavy rain that fell ceaselessly during the day, made it a pleasure to be present. These large gatherings have now become annual events in the history of our mission, the present being the fifth of the series and no exception in numbers or zeal to the meetings held in past years. As interest has been shown by our people at home in the present meeting, and a desire expressed to have some account of its proceedings, a few brief remarks may serve to meet this desire.
The president, Mr A. de Redelijkheid opened the meeting on time at 10.30 with the singing of Psalm 65 and the reading of the account in Acts of the glorious days of the Gospel in Jerusalem when the early church was visited with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, followed by a brief address of welcome to the people and delegates who were present. The morning was then devoted to preliminary but very necessary business which had a direct bearing on mission affairs, particularly the departure of Mr Jan Van Woerden and the severance of his connection with our Mbuma Mission in Rhodesia after many years of faithful and successful service. The full facts of Mr Van Woerden’s decision were briefly and I understand frankly and clearly outlined and misunderstandings regarding his present relation to our Church and Mission cleared up. Mr Van Woerden felt that it was his duty to take up independent mission work in Rhodesia, in the form of disseminating Christian literature in the vicinity of Bulawayo and occasional visits to the Batonga people about 300 miles to the north of Bulawayo. The country occupied by the Batongas is virgin land as far as Mission influence goes, a primitive people completely devoid of the ordinary facilities of civilised society, such as medical care, schools, or church. With the appointment of a doctor to the Mbuma Hospital, Mr Van Woerden considered that his work with our Mission there was at an end and felt drawn to take up this arduous work in another and far distant part of the country, unhampered by any connection with our Mission organisation in Africa. As this decision means complete separation from our Mission in Rhodesia, it was necessary to make clear that the F.P. Church was withdrawing all support, and any money given in support of this mission could only be regarded as a diversion of our funds. However regrettable this decision of Mr Van Woerden may be, it was necessary to explain that there now exists no understanding or co-operation with Mr Van Woerden by our Church on mission work. Mr Van Woerden who was present on the platform gave a short speech in farewell, to which the president replied and in doing so paid tribute to the valuable work which Mr Van Woerden had done in our Mission in the course of his long years of service as a missionary of our Church. Rev. D. Smits also spoke on the subject of Mr Van Woerden’s separation and with the singing of Psalm cxxi, this somewhat sad part of the proceedings was brought to a close.
Before the mid-day interval, as deputy of the F.P. Church, I was called to speak, and after conveying the good wishes of the Synod of our Church to the meeting, in the course of a brief address, I made some observations on the work being done among our African people, as I was able to see it, in the three months’ visit to Rhodesia from which I had recently returned. “Our Mission, begun about 60 years ago on a very modest scale, has been slow of growth because our first missionaries set themselves the task of laying securely the foundations of the Mission upon the Word of God. The temptation may have often prompted these early missionaries to adopt the easy methods employed by other missionary bodies around them, such as the Roman Catholics, who have grafted directly their Church rites upon the African Heathen beliefs and practices; or the Seventh Day Adventists, who were satisfied if their peculiar tenets were accepted; or the Anglicans, who simply closed their eyes to the entrenched heathen institutions which they found among the people. The fruits of this early foresight and patience which are now discernible, justify the scriptural policies of our Church. I observed in all the services which I conducted in the mission field, a solemnity, a decorum and reverence among the people and a close attention to the sermon preached which showed that the fear of God is among their assemblies. Scriptural practices are now making their way among the people as the leaven of Christian doctrine spreads, especially noticeable in their respect for the claims of the Sabbath Day. I was told that the sale of large steel drums of 30 and 40 gallons’ capacity is on the increase, as the people are now having these drums installed in their compounds, which they fill with water on the Saturday so as to leave the Sabbath free from all such unnecessary tasks as drawing water from the bore-holes, often some distance away, that they may devote the Sabbath to the Lord’s worship. The observance of days in honour of the spirits of their ancestors is slowly going out under the influence of scriptural education and the progress of Christian civilisation. The power of the witch-doctor, though still formidable in many districts, is declining. I cannot say that there is a general turning of the people in true conversion to the Lord on any large scale, but drops from on high upon the parched wilderness frequently refresh the weary labourers. In the school at Ingwenya, drawn from the boarding students in the secondary department, some seven young lads and girls came forward at the time of the March communion desiring baptism. They were fully aware of the solemn step they were taking, and their profession of faith which they gave was clear and moving in the simplicity and scriptural soundness of their views. These young lads and girls have gone out to centres of higher education to pursue their studies and they carry their faith with them, and I was greatly cheered to learn that they are showing “the meekness of wisdom” in bearing the reproach of the cross among their new acquaintances. It is tidings from the mission field such as this which rejoice the hearts of all who love the Redeemer’s Kingdom and inspire them with fresh courage to intensify their efforts to press on with the work of mission extension.”
The Mbuma Hospital has been steadily earning a reputation from the humane and successful treatment of the sick and is now firmly established in the confidence of the people. One incident was referred to. In the same ward of the hospital just recently, a young lad was treated for some persistent ailment which had defied the powers of two witch doctors to whom he had gone for a cure, and had finally came to the hospital; the witch doctors themselves had entered the hospital to receive skilled treatment. Mr Jan Van Woerden’s labours at Mbuma were mentioned, with regret that he had decided to end his connection with the Mbuma Hospital. The future of our Rhodesian Mission was regarded as full of promise, but staff shortages and Government policy which favoured entrusting more power into the hands of the local African Councils at the expense of the missions, hampered the opening up of uncultivated parts of the country in the vicinity of our mission to the influence of the Gospel. The address was translated into Dutch by Mr Smits who acted as interpreter.
At the morning meeting a collection for the Mbuma Mission amounted to 16,000 gilders. The afternoon opened with a pleasing incident which I was glad to witness. Four young boys were called to the platform to receive from their minister a book each in acknowledgment of their zeal in collecting the sum of 1,000 gilders — almost £117 in our money — each in their congregation for the Mbuma Mission. In his opening remarks the president had made the observation that though it might be true of the meeting at Utrecht that day that they were divided by language and national boundaries yet the cause of the Mission of the F.P. Church in Rhodesia, which had brought us all together, provided common ground on which they could nevertheless unite in seeking the extension of the Redeemer’s Kingdom. This remark was amply illustrated in the succeeding speakers who were drawn from different churches and denominations in Holland. Five addresses were given, and each minister gave what I could judge, as I was unfamiliar with the Dutch language, from the animated and vigorous delivery, to be a stimulating address on the cause of missions. The texts from which they spoke were varied; the letter of Paul to Philemon; the words in Zephaniah iii, v. 10: “from beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, even the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering”; “and repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations beginning at Jerusalem” (Luke xxiv: 47); Ruth’s words to Boaz: “Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger” (Ruth ii: 10; and finally, an address from Rev. Van de Breevart, the boys of whose congregation had done so much for the Mbuma cause, on the words: “And I wept much” (Rev. v: 4). These addresses, each occupying about 20 minutes, were followed by the large concourse of people with the closest attention. I understand that these addresses are to be published later as part of the proceedings of this meeting at Utrecht in the form of a pamphlet. The final amount of money taken, made up of a collection morning and afternoon, augmented by large sums brought in by representatives of various congregations, was found to be over 31,000 gilders, which in our money today, considering the devaluation of sterling, is in the region of £3,600. It was calculated that on a conservative estimate there were at least 4,500 people present.
The mission meeting at Utrecht this year served the useful purpose of strengthening the bonds between our Dutch friends and the Free Presbyterian Church, of supplying information about the condition and progress of our Rhodesian Mission cause, which this year was especially urgent since the departure of Mr Van Woerden besides raising problems had created some confusion and misunderstanding in Holland, and of giving the opportunity for a deputy from the home church to meet and confer with those mission-minded and warm-hearted friends in Holland who have done so much in past years for our mission in Rhodesia. I was deeply impressed with the enthusiasm shown by so many of our Dutch friends in coming long distances to attend the meeting in heavy rain, and by their generous financial aid testifying to their practical interest. I was specially reassured by learning that these friends who belong to different churches and denominations in Holland are unswerving in their attachment to our Mission cause, and are resolved to continue their support in the future with unabated zeal and determination.