p. 15 | The North Carolina Camp Meeting by J. O. CORLISS

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Sep 16, 1915

The North Carolina Camp Meeting

By J. O. CORLISS

This camp meeting has just closed, and was a success in many ways. From first to last about two hundred brethren were present, most of whom testified to having received lasting benefit from the occasion. At nearly every night service, as well as the day services on Sunday, several hundred from the city of High Point attended, and many expressed themselves as being deeply interested in what they heard.

The city of High Point, wherein the camp was located, is a city of nearly 13,000 inhabitants, and is one of the most enterprising little places to be found in the South.

The reports rendered at the camp meeting showed that the twenty-one churches of the conference are located in twelve counties only, while eighty-eight counties of the commonwealth, many of these constituting the richest part of the State agriculturally, have no organized representatives of our work. There are said to be 5,000 towns, villages, and cities in this State, only a fraction of which have been entered even by our colporteurs.

It seems almost a Herculean task to cover so vast a territory with so small a force of workers, and yet three new churches were received into fellowship at this conference, making the present membership 659. If all these would but faithfully render to God that which belongs to him of the substance in their keeping, not only would no deficit appear in the conference annual reports, but means enough would be in hand to carry forward aggressive work.

A very good showing was made in Sabbath school offerings for the two Sabbaths of the meeting, the amount being $104.45. Besides this, $576 was raised in special contributions for missions. Near the close of the last Sabbath, Brother W. L. Adkins was set apart to the gospel ministry by the laying on of hands, which was one of the precious occasions not only of that day, but of all the days of the camp. On the last Sunday thirteen followed their Lord in baptism.

Some changes were made in administrative officers for the coming year. Elder J. H. Behrens, who had faithfully served as conference president, did not feel that his physical condition would warrant him in continuing longer in the position, so Elder J. B. Locken, of the Cumberland Conference, was called to assume the duties of president.

Besides the local laborers there were present during a part or all of the time, Prof. J. L. Shaw, of Washington, D. C.; Elders O. Montgomery, of Atlanta, Ga.; Charles Thompson, of Minneapolis, Minn.; W. H. Williams, C. B. Haynes, and Prof. Leo Thiel, all of Atlanta, Ga., and the writer.

The camp broke up Monday morning, August 23, with a prayer service, and all the people left with apparent joyful courage that victory will crown their lives for the coming year. J. O. CORLISS.