SCOTTISH MISSIONARY ARCHIVES
Part 5: United Presbyterian Church Missionary Record
This part of our series contains early issues of the periodical, The Missionary Record published by the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland, which in 1901 merged with the Free Church of Scotland to form the United Free Church of Scotland. Issues of the periodical for 1901-1929 are covered in Part 2 of our series.
Issued on a monthly basis The Missionary Record describes the work of the Church in its missions abroad and at home in Scotland.
The United Presbyterian Church had inherited missions from other missionary societies in Jamaica and Trinidad, in Old Calabar in Nigeria and in Kaffraria in South Africa. The Old Calabar mission was led by Hope Masterton Waddell who was joined in 1849 by William Anderson and Hugh Goldie. By the 1880s work expanded to places such as Okoyong in Nigeria and work in South Africa grew with other mission stations being set up at Lovedale, Port Elizabeth, Blythswood, Transkei and Buchanan.
The UPC founded a mission in Rajputan (now Rajasthan) in India in 1860, in Manchuria in China in 1872 and in Japan in 1873. It was also involved in colonial work in Canada and Australia. Work in Europe and the Middle East was concerned with missions to the Jews.
Statistics on the progress of the Church abroad are given regularly. In June 1858 the Church in Canada had 64 ordained ministers and 100 congregations with 7000 members and in Jamaica there were 25 congregations with around 4000 members.
An annual report gives detailed statistics on the missions:
• Members of the mission
• Baptisms
• Out-stations
• Children
• Teachers
Many of the issues contain sketches of mission houses, converts, schools and churches and later issues contain photographs. Maps are frequently included.
Foreign missionary news covers a wide variety of topics:
• Meetings with local African chiefs
• Local customs and festivals
• Slavery in Jamaica
• Progress of missionary work
• Female education work
• Education in Kaffraria
• Medical work in China
• Work of native agents
• New converts
• Zenana work with women
• Missionary deaths, retirements, obituaries
• Witch doctors in South Africa
• Famine relief in India
• Work of native pastors
• Biographies of missionaries
• Village life in Manchuria
Home work is also covered in detail with information on:
• Congregation news
• Reports of the Home Committee of the Synod’s Board of Missions
The large section devoted to the finances of the Church includes:
• Contributions from the Congregations, listed alphabetically
• Donations from societies and schools
• Salaries paid to missionaries, divided by mission area and mission station
• Status of the Zenana fund
Other sections give news on recently published missionary literature and on other missionary societies such as the American Board of Missions, the London Missionary Society, the Livingstonia Mission and the Church Missionary Society.
The Missionary Record will prove an indispensable resource for all those wishing to study mission work at home and abroad in the latter part of the nineteenth century.
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