President: Rev. J. K. McLean. D. D. Vice-Presidents: Rev. A. L. Stone, D. D., Thomas C. Wedderspoon, Esq., Rev. T. K. Noble, Hon. F. F. Low, Rev. I. E. Dwinell, D. D., Hon. Samuel Cross, Rev. S. H. Willey, D. D., Edward P. Flint, Esq., Rev. J. W. Hough, D. D., Jacob S. Taber, Esq.
Directors: Rev. George Moor, D. D., Hon. E. D. Sawyer, Rev. W. E. Ijams, James M. Haven, Esq., Rev. Joseph Rowell, E. P. Sanford, Esq., H. W. Severance, Esq.
Secretary: Rev. W. C. Pond. Treasurer: E. Palache, Esq.
Fung Affoo’s Bible Class—Visalia and Petaluma.
REV. W. C. POND, SAN FRANCISCO.
Remembering that the Sabbath worship at our Central Mission had never been described, though often alluded to in the Missionary, I requested Bro. Fung Affoo to give an account of it, and received the following communication:
“As we have not much time to teach them the Scripture on any other evening, we set apart Sunday and Wednesday evenings to teach them to read the Bible instead of their other lessons. On Sunday we have the “Bible-class,” commencing at half-past eleven A. M., and continuing for one hour and a half. We sing about half an hour either in Chinese or in English, then offer a prayer, and then read a chapter from the Bible. Each verse they read after me, then I translate it into Chinese; when through interpreting, on each verse or paragraph I make some remarks which I have studied out during the week days. After we get through the chapter, I speak about ten minutes on a subject selected from that chapter beforehand, then one of our brethren offers prayer; we then unite in singing the Doxology, and close with the Lord’s Prayer. Our exercises on Wednesday evening are similar to those we have on Sundays. It gives me much encouragement in the work seeing that they like to read the Bible more than ever before. Formerly only about one-half of the school attended the Bible-class on Wednesday evenings, but now they number nearly as many on that evening as on any other evening of the week. It seems as though their hatred of Christianity becomes less. Of course, many come to read the Bible only for the sake of learning the English, but in time we hope, when they know the truth of God, they will change their mind and heart, as some of them have already done, who are now on Christ’s side, battling for the Lord.”
“Fung Affoo.”