1903 군산 보고서 annual report--Kunsan
Personal Report of W. D. Reynolds
My report for the past year falls naturally under four heads:–
1. Moving. 2. Literary Work. 3. Evangelistic. 4. House Building. Perhaps the last should be first in order of energies expended; but it is last in time and (pardon the pun!) will doubtless last some time longer.
1. Moving. This began as soon as I was able to move out of a sickbed after last Annual Meeting, –and is still going on! Move No 1: From Hulbert’s to the small house in the Appenzeller compound. Move No. 2: Household stuff from Mokpo to Seoul. Move No. 3: Last June, to the guest room at Dr. Vinton’s. Move No. 4: Thence to an 8 by 8 room in a Buddhist monastery for the summer. Move No. 5: Across the courtyard into a 6-kan temple building. Move No. 6: Back to Seoul. Moves No. 7 and 8: Into our new house attic, and finally downstairs when the house is finished will be “continued in our next.” I am reminded of the song I learned from a fellow student at the seminary: “Keep on a moving, a-moving, a-moving, keep on a moving, O my soul.”
2. Literary Work. This has consisted of Bible Translation and Tract Society work. Beginning daily continuous sessions Oct. 13, 1902, the Board of Translators has worked steadily on from I Cor. vi to II Thess. ii. The departure of Mr. Gale April 15 for a five months’ visit to his family in Europe, and of Mr. Jones in May for a year’s furlough in America, left only Dr. Underwood and myself to continue the work. As we each had a house to build, and furthermore, according to the Consitution of the Bible Society three votes were necessary to pass a manuscript, after a month or six weeks of desultory sessions, we adjourned for the summer. Not having an architect to superintend my house building, my presence was absolutely essential at certain stages. And it seemed the sensible thing to do to push house building while the Board was handicapped by having only half membership present in Seoul, and that half with half a mind over at the house site! Regular sessions will be resumed as soon as the two other members return from Pyeng Yang. We propose to finish the rest of the New Testament in time for its incorporation in the edition which is now in press; and then take up the drafts which have been prepared by individual members in private work on the Books of the Old Testament.
As the member of the Examining Committee of Korean Religious Tract Society I have voted upon 14 tracts. It fell to my lot also to prepare the Calendar for 1904. I ventured to make some changes with apparently satisfactory results. The Calendar is now ready for distribution. At the request of Mr. Kenmure, I prepared a Programme and Responsive Readings in Korean for Bible Society Sunday. In the spring three native brethren and I were appointed a committee of the “Seoul Preaching Association” to select and publish a cheap, suitable leaflet for free distribution. The result is the small folder entitled “Believe and be saved” composed by Kim Sung Sam. An edition of 30,000 was printed with native funds. I have also been appointed chairman of a committee to prepare a series of Geographies for use in the native Christian schools. We hope to have something tangible to report at next Annual Meeting.
3. Evangelistic Work. Outside of two or three addresses and sermons at Methodist churches, my work has been connected with the Central church of the Northern Presbyterian Mission. It began with supplying Mr. F.S. Miller’s place during his absence on itinerating trips. About the first of the year I was asked by the Evangelistic Committee of Seoul Station to serve as Pastor of Central church, Dr. Avison taking charge of the Sunday school. I consented to do so for four months, but the arrangement has continued up to date, though only in name during the rainy season. I have been unable to do proper pastoral work owing to the demoralizing, absorbing cares of house building. I have taught a catechumen class on Sunday from 12 to 1, taken my turn preaching at the mass meeting of the three churches Sunday afternoons at 2 o’clock, preached Sunday night and conducted Wednesday night prayer meeting. I have moderated three-session meetings since January with a total of 45 examinations. Six adults have been baptized after completing the catechumen course, leaving a present enrollment of 18 catechumens. As Mr. Moore is returning to Seoul, and Mr. Clark is acquiring the language rapidly, and has already done considerable pastoral visiting among the congregation, I think it better to retire from the acting pastorate of the Central church, while continuing to help in the evangelistic work of our Northern brethren, under the direction of the Seoul Station Evangelistic Committee. In this connection, I wish to express my heartfelt appreciation of the kindness and Christian courtesy shown us by the Seoul brethren and friends. The Seoul Station has treated me as a regular member in sending notices of meetings, in committee work, etc.
4. House-building. I have had two houses on my hands this spring and summer. The Seoul house which by contract was to be completed Sept. 1, has been delayed by an unusually severe rainy season, and by having taken five of the carpenters off to Kwan Ak San to work on our little summer cottage. So I have allowed the contractor one more month; after Oct. 1 he is to forfeit 2 yen a day. I have also made a new agreement with him by which he is to furnish materials and I pay the wages of the workmen, deducting the amount when we settle from time to time according to terms of contract. He has proved so disgustingly unreliable and unbusinesslike, however, that I am on the point of throwing him over altogether, and completing the house with the funds yet in bank.
I have the contract, ‘specifications,’ and accounts here and shall be pleased to answer questions, receive suggestions, advice, etc. Will submit an itemized copy of all accounts to the Business Committee when the work is done.
Owing to the extraordinarily low bid made by the contractor, I have been able to make the house a little larger and add some features which were not mentioned in the original specifications, and yet not exceed the amount appropriated for the house. It is my aim to build as nice and comfortable a home as possible within the appropriation, with spare rooms enough to furnish a temporary home for any of our Mission who may visit Seoul from time to time. Please remember that the “latch string will always hang on the outside.”
Respectfully submitted,
W. D. Reynolds, Jr.
Personal Report of Mrs. W. M. Junkin
From the time of our last annual meeting till the last of March I taught the little girls’ Sunday School class with a roll of seventeen and average attendance of twelve, and a few extra ones occasionally especially at Christmas time. Till the early part of March, I had them for an hour every Monday morning also; but the attendance at this class was not, quite so good. It was a great pleasure and relief to me when Miss Streffer started her school for these little girls, for of course, knowing them as I did I had become very much interested in them, and they had so often said to me, “Why can’t you teach us to read as the boys are being taught?” From the time the boys’ school was opened until the first of January I taught one hour a day in it, but finding this with teaching my own boys was more than my strength could stand the Misses Bull kindly relieved me of it.
There have been comparatively few sightseers this year as compared with other years, but most of those seen have received a little tract of leaflet, and I have tried to preach to them as best I could. I have done some visiting and entertaining of country members of our church and have kept up some language study by way of preparing my Sunday School lessons.
We greatly appreciate the sympathy and help of members of the Chun Ju and our own station and of Mrs. and the Misses Bull in time of trial and sickness which have been frequent during the past year.
As Mr. Junkin has been sick a great deal, I have had to look after the gardening, pay off coolies, and play trained nurse, and sometimes doctor to the Koreans, though I, of course, used only a few simple things that we are accustomed to use in our home.
For next year I should like to take up the Sunday and Monday school work for the little girls.
Personal Report of W. F. Bull
As I understand it, the object of the personal report is to give an account of what work has been done by the writer during the past year. With me the past ‘year’ has been one of blessing received rather than blessings conferred.
At the last Annual Meeting, when given the work of secretary and treasurer and charge of the local work only; while not questioning the wisdom of the Mission in doing so, that is in restricting me in my sphere of work, I was somewhat sorry, as I had hoped to do some work in the country. On returning home I received a letter which made me glad that I was directed to stay at home. The letter referred to was the only that brought the joyous news that my mother and sister were coming out to make us a visit. I was glad that I could be at home and enjoy their visit almost brokenly.
Then another little visitor, but nonetheless welcome, came to our home; and altogether our past year has been one brimming over with joy, except when we have sorrowed with our friends who have passed through the deep waters.
As for the actual mission work that I have done I have very little of interest to report. My sphere of labor has been narrow and my work the same from one week to another. I have had the regular rounds of the regular services each week in the local church.
I have had each Sunday a Bible class for men at 10 o’clock and conducted the church services at eleven, making a feeble attempt to preach. On Sunday night I have had a class for women, and have conducted the regular Wednesday night services. During most of the school session I had a singing class with the school boys. But after several months of work I came to the conclusion that it was a hopeless task to teach Koreans to sing the American tunes, so gave up the undertaking. As long as the class lasted I tried to teach them the meaning of the hymns and to give them practical talks.
The school boys showed decidedly more adaptability to American athletics than to American music; probably because their instructor was better fitted for these accomplishments.
Until Miss Straeffer came and took up her abode in our gymnasium we had lots of fun and good exercise every afternoon. In the athletics I tried to teach them to play fair, to tell the truth and not to fith, but an occasional “scrap” would arise, and I do not know but that I was glad to see a little spirit among them.
I am sorry that I can report only a very little spiritual or numerical, growth in the local church. We have had a few additions, fewer cases of discipline and more applicants for baptism. Two out of eleven received.
While the work has made no marked progress, it is now in a hopeful condition and with God’s blessing on a faithful work can be developed. There are numbers who attend very regularly and seem to be in earnest. The average attendance at the Kung Mal church has been between forty and fifty.
In March we enjoyed greatly having the foreign and native brethren with us for the study class, and I hope they received great blessing from the meeting. I enjoyed having a class in geography at this time.
At last Annual Meeting the work that was assigned to me as my first and chief was language study. Up to the time that Mr. Oh left for America I was putting in good work with him. Since he left I have not been able to spend much time with my teacher, outside of preparation for classes and the church services, but have studied Korean daily, not with books, but form the Koreans, and hope I have made progress since last Annual Meeing.
I have tried to be a courteous and considerate to the Koreans as possible. Have sold a few books, distributed many tracts, and talked personally to many.
In the early spring I had the great pleasure of accompanying Brother Junkin on trips to Man Chi San, Nam Chai Moon, Songedong and Sung Mal and taking a part in the examination of applicants for baptism and seeing a goodly number added to the church.
Through we have no immediate need for larger quarters we took advantage of a good opportunity to enlarge our lot and bought a piece of ground to the rear and side of the church. We bought this on the faith that the time is coming, and we hope soon, when we will need it, and will have to pull down our walls and build larger.
I have made one trip in company with Brother McCutchen and our Korean evangelist across the river into Chung Chung Do to SE Chun Magistracy where a work is opening up. We went in unexpectedly on the congregation and found about forty assembled for service. This work is the result of the labors of one of the members from Man Chi San church who moved over there to live. When he went there was not a single Christian anywhere near him. He has at least been faithful in teaching, as those whom we have examined from there have stood remarkable good examinations. This brother referred to is himself a good student and is teaching faithfully. When he first moved to that province he came to me and said that he was going there and that he would be removed largely from all church advantages, being across the rive and twenty li inland. It would be difficult for him to attend services regularly at Kung Mal, so even though the times were hard he must have the Christian News and the Wul Po (monthly lessons in the O.T.) and asked me to order them for him.
There is another meeting point twenty li from SE Chun at Han San where between fifteen and thirty are meeting. They have made arrangements by which the two congregations, women and all, come over in a body to Kung Mal to services. On these occasions our congregations are considerably swelled and our church well filled.
The brother from Se Chun has been over several times recently urging one of us to go over there. They had bought and paid for a church building and received the deed and the people in the village were trying to prevent their occupying it. They said that their village was a Buddhist village and did not want any other doctrine there, also that the Christians were buying for foreigners and that this was illegal. Mr. Junkin was sick at the time and unable to go so after consultation I made the trip referred to. After church service we went to see the new church. It is situated in a large and beautiful village high up on the side of a hill. Still higher, larger and imposing, for Korea, is a Buddhist monastery. There are several large, tiled buildings in the compounds, a wall enclosing them, large double gates with the Korean flag painted at the entrance. This monastery is now deserted. We sent around in the village for those who are opposing the Christian worship, but none were to be found. Finally one very polite and seemingly respectable old man came up and we questioned him as to the objections on the part of the villagers to the purchase. He insisted that there was no objection and said that only a few who were ignorant of the doctrine were objecting. The brethren with me took the occasion to give him a good lot of the gospel truths to take away with him. We hope that their prejudice will soon be overcome and that those who are now opposing will become zealous advocates for the church.
In going to SE Chun we took boat and went across to Shinapo, a large village of one hundred and sixty houses, insight from our house. In this village we have a baptized family, a man and wife, and child whose membership is at Kung Mal. He had just left for Han San to teach the Sunday School there. We were also told that an old man and his grandson had just left to attend services at Kung Mal. We waited for the coolies to get their breakfast here and then started out. We had gone only a short distance before we were overtaken by a nicely dressed, and of nice address, middle-aged Korean, a resident of Shinapo and an attendant at Chil San, sixty li from there, and an applicant for baptism. Chil San is in the field worked by Mr. Steadman and now at long intervals visited by Mr. Fenwick. It has been a year and a half since he has been there.
As for the future my first great desire is to secure a good teacher and put in some good work on the language. The man I have now is better than none at all, but it is very disheartening to try to study with him. I have labored in vain to get something from him that I have gotten from our house boy in a few minutes.
The next work that I desire to do is to make friends with more of the people in our immediate village, and then from there to take in all the villages insight from our place and try to reach some of the people there. There are large villages on both sides of the river, reached easily by boat, in which comparatively little work has been done. I hope that after the rice crop has been gotten in that we can put in some good work in these villages and work be started there.
Respectfully submitted,
W. F. Bull
Personal Report of W. M. Junkin
Immediately after closing my last report I made a trip out to the Kokunsan group of islands. As Dr. Drew had sold many books here the previous year the Korean brethren and I were anxioius to know what the result would be. As the boatman was not available for the trip, we shipped three land-lubbers and were met by a gale before we had gotten out of the river. Two