MONTHLY MEETING AT SOUTH LANCASTER, MASS by John Nevins Andrews; L. L. Howard

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Sep 10, 1867

MONTHLY MEETING AT SOUTH LANCASTER, MASS.

By John Nevins Andrews; L. L. Howard

This meeting which has just closed, has been a season of some interest and profit we trust. Our brethren from various parts of the State, and also from N. H. and Conn. took much pains to attend, and we hope were not unprofited by the meeting. Our meetings on first-day were quite largely attended by the people of this village, and a good degree of interest was manifested. Our brethren in the region represented by this gathering have had little labor bestowed on them for a long season, and have had great discouragements to pass through. Yet nearly all have remained steadfast in the truth, and have tried in patience to possess their souls. At this meeting we have taken steps for systematic labor that shall reach all our brethren in New England. We propose to divide the territory occupied by our people into districts for Monthly Meetings, and that one of us shall attend each of these meetings. In this manner we can in a comparatively brief period meet with the whole body of our people. We have arranged these districts, but as each of us will be absent from this part of the field after a few days, until about the middle of November, we thought it not best to make appointments for Monthly Meetings only in those districts in which we have already labored, until we can return.

Much patient labor is requisite that prosperity may be attained, but we certainly feel cheered by the tokens of good which we already witness. We cannot doubt that if we do earnestly seek God, a special revival of his work shall soon be witnessed in this region, not only in the ranks of our people but also among those that know not of this precious truth.

We labor therefore with cheerful confidence in the full assurance that God is about to signally bless the preaching of the present truth, and that many of our fellow-men who now ignorantly transgress the fourth commandment shall soon unite with us in the observance of all the commandments of God. Indeed in every place where we have labored to benefit our brethren we have found the unconverted anxious to hear upon the present truth. We feel therefore extremely desirous to labor a portion of our time for them, and not devote it all to the service of our brethren.

A good degree of interest is felt in the Health Reform, but yet as a whole our people in this region are behind those in other places in this work. But there is reason to hope for progress in this work of Christian temperance. We have done what we could to set forth the pecuniary wants of the cause, and we hope that it will not be without tangible results.

Next Sabbath and first-day we spend together in Washington, N. H., at the Monthly Meeting. The following week we design to attend the Vermont Conference at West Enosburgh. Here we propose to separate; Bro. Howard to return for a few weeks to Maine, and I to attend the N. Y. Conference at Adams Center, and to spend a portion of October in that State. Duty seems plainly to demand this arrangement and it is because of this that the Maine Conference is appointed so late as Nov. 1st.

J. N. ANDREWS, L. L. HOWARD.

South Lancaster, Mass., Sept. 2.