Report of the Young People's Missionary Volunteer Department
[Elder M. E. Kern presented to the General Conference, June 4, a report of the work of the Missionary Volunteer Department. The following is an abstract of the same.] Importance of Work for the Youth
An old minister in a Scottish church was told by a well-meaning deacon that surely his work was no longer owned and blessed of God; “for,” said the deacon, “during the past year but one person has been added to the church, and he only a boy.” “Only a boy!” but that boy was Robert Moffat, the noble missionary who brought a whole province under the influence of the gospel, tamed one of the most savage African chiefs, and gave the translated Bible to strange tribes. Let us not pass by the young, remembering that labor for them is “the highest kind of missionary work.” That this denomination is to do a special work for its children and youth is pointed out by Malachi the prophet, who, in the closing Old Testament prediction, portrays this last reformatory movement as the message of Elijah, which is to “turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers.” In the year 1892 we were called upon, through the spirit of prophecy, to give attention to this matter. Other Testimonies followed in 1893 and 1894, in which the young people who love and fear God are called upon to organize themselves into companies of workers to labor for their unconverted friends, and for those who do not know the truth. This instruction was timely; for doubtless many of our young people are out in the world to-day, who might have been saved by well-directed efforts. The following statistics, gathered three years ago from fifty representative churches in the Middle West, to me are very significant, and constitute a loud call to greater diligence on our part. Fifty-eight per cent of the youth who are connected with our people are church-members; thirty-two per cent are said to be active Christians. About five times as many young women marry out of the truth as do young men, and about half of each class who do this give up16the truth. Of all those who give up the truth, one third are those who marry outside the faith. Early History of the Young People's Work
Efforts were made in various places to follow the instruction of the Testimonies. In August, 1899, the Ohio Conference recognized this work by perfecting a State organization. In 1901 the General Conference held at Battle Creek, Mich., approved the plan of organizing young people's societies for more effectual missionary service, and the responsibility of general direction was given to the Sabbath-school Department. A simple plan of organization was soon perfected, and a manual of instruction prepared. Through the efforts that were put forth, the work gradually grew, and assumed a permanent form. In February, 1907, the General Conference Committee arranged that a General Conference Sabbath-school and Young People's Convention should be held during the summer, and in May of the same year, when the General Conference Council met in Gland, Switzerland, it was voted to organize the young people's work as a separate department. The convention arranged for was carefully planned, and held at Mount Vernon, Ohio, July 10-21, 1907. Here the new department, under the name of the “Young People's Missionary Volunteer Department,” was launched, and a very definite policy outlined for it to follow. These plans the present officers have endeavored to carry out. This chart, entitled “Training in Service,” presents a general outline of these efforts. A.— Devotional.
1. Consecration Services.
2. The Morning Watch Calendar.
B.— Educational.
1. The Youth's Instructor.
2. Society Lessons.
3. The Missionary Volunteer Reading Course.
4. Standard of Attainment.
5. Leaflet Series.
6. Libraries.
7. Camp-meetings and Institutes.
C.— Organized Missionary Effort.
1. Personal Evangelism.
2. Literature Work.
3. Christian Help Work.
4. Bible Readings and Cottage Meetings.
5. Temperance, Religious Liberty, etc.
6. Missionary Correspondence.
7. Christian Stewardship. Devotional and Educational
It is very evident that the first and greatest need of our young people is more devotion to God, and a more definite experience in the Christian life. Strong evangelistic effort is needed, that many of our young people who are unconverted may be brought to Christ. Moreover, we need to put forth more earnest efforts to hold what we gain. As among the means being used to this end, we mention our devotional meetings and the Morning Watch Calendar. Many have testified to the great value of this; and the increasing interest in it is shown from the fact that last year about six thousand copies of the Calendar were distributed, while this year successive editions were called for until fourteen thousand five hundred copies were used. The Youth's Instructor has been for more than fifty years perhaps the greatest single factor in the religious work for the children and youth of the denomination. It is now the organ of the Missionary Volunteer Department, and is doing a good work. The society lessons for some time have been on missions, alternating with health and temperance, religious liberty, and special subjects. The reading course, which was inaugurated at Mount Vernon, is a success, and is destined, I believe, to become a great power for good. It is an effort to establish in the lives of our young people the habit of systematic reading of good literature. About fifteen hundred are enrolled in the United States and Canada, and hundreds of others are following the course without enrolment. It has also been taken up in Australia. Our young people can not rightly represent the truth, giving a reason for our hope, unless they know the truth. And to fully appreciate the message they should know of the providences of God in connection with it. A call is issued to our Missionary Volunteers to inform themselves on the cardinal truths of the Scriptures, and on the history of this advent movement. They are asked to pass an examination in these subjects, thus reaching the standard of attainment. It will take time and perseverance to work up this excellent plan. The Mount Vernon convention laid on this department the duty of the selection and preparation of literature suitable for our young people. The need is very apparent. We live in a reading age. A liberal education can be obtained by the study of good books. Yet the world is flooded with cheap, sensational literature, which claims its victims by the thousands. We need a strong, wholesome literature, adapted to the needs of our young people, which will hold up true standards, and delineate the character which we must possess if we stand before the Son of man at his coming. A little has been done in the preparation of such literature; some is in process of preparation, and we have selected and recommended some already published. One of the most hopeful signs of the development of this work is the increased interest in the efficiency of our young people's work at camp-meetings. These great annual gatherings of our people are the golden harvest-times of the year, and are a great educational factor among us. Conventions and institutes are also doing much to build up the work. Organized Missionary Effort
The educational features of our work are largely means to an end. The organization called for by the spirit of prophecy is for work. “Will the young men and young women who really love Jesus, organize themselves as workers?” The Missionary Volunteer Society is a training-school for young Christians. Associated together under wise leadership appointed by the church, the young are built up in Christian life, by study and work. Without activity there can be no advancement. The greatest need of our young people to-day is that of wise leaders to devise ways and means of utilizing their talents, and leading them enthusiastically and steadily in Christian effort. It is the earnest determination of the Missionary Volunteer leaders to make personal work fundamental. This is the foundation. If we lack the spirit of heart-to-heart contact with souls, our mechanical efforts will be in vain.17 During the last four years, as shown by the reports, the organized work for our young people has had a steady growth. In March, 1906, there were 224 societies, with a membership of 4,871, giving $2,534.75 for foreign missions and $762 for home missions; in 1907 there were 272 societies, with a membership of 5,163, giving $3,894.70 for foreign missions, and $1,835.28 for home missions; in 1908, 346 societies, with a membership of 6,938, giving $7,029.42 for foreign missions, and $4,534.04 for home missions; in 1909, the number of societies had increased to 418, with a membership of 7,500, giving $7,898.73 for foreign missions, and $7,426.14 for home missions. The volume of missionary work likewise increased. Foreign Mission Seminary Scholarships
About one year ago the General Conference approved of a plan for this department to raise money for one hundred scholarships in the Washington Foreign Mission Seminary. This is to be a permanent fund, under the control of the General Conference Committee, to lend to recommended students who need a short course in the Seminary; that they may be hastened on into the needy mission fields. Our young people have taken hold of this matter very well where it has been presented to them, and twenty-seven hundred dollars has been received. As illustrations of what the young people are doing and can do, I will mention a few items. One conference in Australia raised during 1908 nearly six hundred dollars, giving three hundred ninety dollars toward the wages of a missionary, providing her also with a pony and saddle, also a new typewriter for the mission, an organ for the mountain home in Java, and the tuition for a Chinese student at Singapore. The young people of a conference in the United States raised more than five hundred dollars by making small investments, and giving the proceeds. One large society in this country is supporting a missionary and his wife in Africa. Another society provided two tons of coal, twenty dollars' worth of groceries, twenty bushels of potatoes, and one barrel of clothing for destitute poor. In 1907 a temperance number of the Instructor was published, and fifty-five thousand copies were sold. Last fall and winter we prepared a series of temperance lessons for the societies, and these were followed by another temperance number of the Instructor. With the better basis for interest in this work the young people took hold nobly, and more than one hundred thousand have been distributed, and another edition is on the press. Along with this work, temperance rallies have been held, and signers obtained to the temperance pledge. These items give us some conception of what our young people can do when properly organized for study and work. We have encouraged our young people by literature and personal effort to take up the plan of earning scholarships by selling denominational literature.18 Here is an outline of our plan of organization:—
1. General Conference Department.
Officers: Secretary, assistant secretary.
Committees: Other members representing all parts of the world.
2. Union Conference Department.
Officer: Secretary.
3. Local Conference Department.
Officer: Secretary.
(a) Conference Society.
Officer: Leader (the Conference Missionary Volunteer secretary).
Members: Isolated Missionary Volunteers.
(b) Local Societies.
Officers and Committees: Leader, assistant leader, secretary-treasurer, executive committee, such other officers, committees, or bands, as the needs of the work require.
Meetings: (1) Prayer and workers' meeting, all together or in small bands; (2) general meetings for all young people. The Mt. Vernon convention gave a new impetus to the work for our young people. To-day there are in the field more workers, and more efficient workers, giving attention to this work than ever before. When this department was organized, there were two union conference secretaries of young people's work. Now there are about a dozen. In nearly all the conferences, added attention is being given to it with most excellent results. Very little has been done by this department for lands outside of America, for two reasons. It is here in the home field that there is the greatest need, where we have a large army of unemployed young people. In most of the other fields the numbers are not so great, and all available young men and women are carefully looked after, and efforts made to get them into the work. The department officers, thus far, have not had time to give much attention to other fields; but when the work is better established here, this help should be rendered,—not to mold the work in other lands after the fashion of America, save only so far as is consistent with local conditions. We shall doubtless soon see the young people all over the world taking their place as earnest workers for the Lord. May the day be hastened when the hearts of parents and children shall be united in love, and our homes shall present a solid front against the enemy.