  The Church of England has been actively engaged in missionary operations since the year 1698, when the “Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge” was formed. In 1701, the “Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts” was instituted. The “Church Missionary Society” was established in 1800. These societies are still in active and vigorous operation. They have missions in [pg 342] The Episcopal Church in the United States established a Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society in 1820; and the General Convention of 1835 resolved, That the Church itself was the missionary society and that every member of the Church, by baptism, was, of course, bound to support her missions. The missionary field was declared to be the world, domestic missions being those established within the territory of the United States, and foreign missions those without that territory. At each triennial meeting of the General Convention, a Board of Missions, consisting of about one hundred members, is selected from the different dioceses. This Board has the general supervision of all the missionary operations of the Church; and meets annually, or oftener, if necessary. There are two standing committees of this Board,—the Committee for Domestic Missions and the Committee for Foreign Missions, to whom, during the recess of the Board, the care and management of the missions is confided. This Society now has under its charge one hundred and forty-five domestic, and twelve foreign stations, employing eighty-five domestic and eleven foreign missionaries, and also eighteen teachers and assistants in the foreign stations. The expenditures of this Board, for the year 1841, were sixty-one thousand five hundred and eighty-six dollars and thirty-seven cents. This Society has missionary stations in Athens, Crete, Constantinople, China, (Maca,) Cape Palmas and other stations in Western Africa, and in Texas. |
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