The American Missionary — Volume 33, No. 12, December 1879

This December 1879 issue opens a window onto a bustling network of clergy, businessmen, and activists who steered the American Missionary Association in the years after the Civil War. Their motto, “To the Poor the Gospel is Preached,” frames a publication that lists dozens of leaders from coast to coast, reflecting a nationwide effort to blend faith with social aid. The pages capture the organization’s formal structure—president, vice‑presidents, secretaries, and an extensive executive committee—showing how coordinated philanthropy was administered in a rapidly changing America.

The heart of the issue is a faithful reproduction of the Association’s annual meeting, distilled into a readable report that outlines governance, financial appeals, and strategic outlooks for the coming year. Listeners will hear the earnest call for subscriptions and donations, the promise of upcoming field news, and a vivid portrait of 19th‑century missionary ambition. It offers a rare glimpse into the administrative pulse of a movement that sought both spiritual and material uplift for the nation’s most vulnerable.