"Lord's Acre"

"Lord's Acre" has become an institution in the South, particularly in Georgia, because acres planted for God have produced more abundant crops and have been miraculously free from the boll weevil, potato bug, army worm and other enemies of God's people.

Last year, the Rev. H. M. Melton, pastor of the Baptist Church, Bluffton, Ga., induced seven men to sign the following agreement:

"We, the undersigned farmer members of the Bluffton Baptist Church, hereby agree to plant, cultivate and harvest one acre from our farm, said acre to be known as the Lord's acre. We agree to turn the proceeds of said acre in to a committee appointed by the Church. They are to dispose of same and distribute the funds derived from it in such a way as we may instruct."

It was signed by J. B. Goodman, Dauss King, E. L. Gay, A. M. Hubbard, J. E. Shaw, W. G. Rish, J. A. Mansfield. That year, the boll weevil did its worst. But it touched not the Lord's acres.

Dauss King grew a bale of cotton on his Lord's acre, which he did not even spray with calcium arsenate. "It is in the Lord's hands," said he.

Belief spread that miracles had been performed at Bluffton. From all America and parts of Europe came inquiries to the pastor, the postmaster, the mayor, the banker of Bluffton. Literature was compiled.

This year, Baptist headquarters in Atlanta were amazed to find that 100 churches in Georgia had instituted : Lord's acre, making a total of 500 acres, from which the yield is expected to be at least $20,000.

Georgia pastors now believe that the institution of consecrated land will be adopted in every state. Whether miraculous or not, the institution of the Lord's acre stabilizes church finances and is in accord with Jewish traditions dating from Abraham and the Roman Catholic practice in feudal days.