Tent-meeting in Owosso by Uriah Smith; W. H. Littlejohn

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Aug 24, 1869

Tent-meeting in Owosso.

By Uriah Smith; W. H. Littlejohn

The tent-meeting in this place has closed, after continuing three weeks and four days. We have been exceedingly favored in respect to rains, all the showers of this rainy season having come between meetings as accurately as if planned for this special purpose. This has seemed providential, as from our limited time we could not spare a single discourse, and yet bring before the people all the subjects we wished to present; and we were not obliged to omit a meeting on account of the weather. But some of the evenings were excessively cold, which kept many, especially the more feeble ones, from coming out. The hurry of harvest prevented any attendance of any consequence from the country. And a secret influence was kept busily at work through the city to keep the people away, some of the ministers even forbidding the members of their churches coming into the tent. These circumstances, combined with the natural amount of prejudice that is to be met everywhere, prevented our getting a very extensive hearing. Our congregations ranged from fifty to three hundred. Among these were quite a number of constant hearers.

We gave in all twenty-seven discourses; sold $13.04 worth of books; and at the last meeting, twenty gave in their names as determined henceforward to keep all the commandments under the third angel's message. Others acknowledged themselves to be fully convinced of the truth, and promised conditionally to obey. Were it not that the camp-meeting is to be held here, we could not consent to leave the work as it is, apparently but just begun. We confidently expect to see the number of Sabbath-keepers here considerably increased as the result of the camp-meeting.

U. SMITH, W. H. LITTLEJOHN.