Florida Missionary Opportunities by R. W. Parmele

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Dec 26, 1907

Florida Missionary Opportunities

By R. W. Parmele

THERE is a common expression among Northern people who visit Florida, that the climate is worth two hundred dollars an acre, so strongly are they impressed with the evenness of its temperature. The winters are usually quite dry, with pleasant days and cool nights. During the summer rain falls frequently, but usually in the afternoon, the remainder of the day, and the night being bright. There are no sultry days or nights, as a cool breeze is always stirring. The pleasant climate, together with semitropical fruits, beautiful lakes, clear streams, and the ocean beach, furnishes abundant attraction for people from the North, and they come by the thousands to spend the winter.

While on a train from the North a few days ago, I ascertained that in the car in which I was riding, eleven States were represented by from one to six tourists each. Some of these people said this would be their eighth winter in Florida.

A great many of the people are wealthy, and, at their homes are occupied with business cares, and bound by church and social ties, so that it is difficult to reach them with the message. When they come to Florida, they dismiss business, and though they are most of them here on pleasure bent, they still take time to read and to listen to the preaching of the message. They are not bound by social ties, church relations, or business, and thus furnish excellent soil for sowing the seeds of truth.

There are only about four hundred fifty Sabbath-keepers in the Florida Conference, and our force of laborers is small. Our constituency does not grow very rapidly, and there is a good reason for this. For illustration; last winter a tent-meeting was held, as a result of which eight adults took their stand for the truth. Of that company only one remained in this conference, while the others returned north to be a blessing to the conferences in which they reside. Thus it is seen that Florida is constantly doing work for other conferences.

It is not the purpose of this article to present the missionary opportunities among the permanent residents of Florida, which are abundant, but to call attention to the work in which our brethren in the North should be deeply interested. From reading the above some of these opportunities will be apparent, but perhaps it would be profitable to enumerate a few ways in which effective work for souls may be done.

First, the canvassing field furnishes an abundance of the very best territory. The winter season is the best time for this work. At that time, in addition to our own permanent residents, a large number of wealthy tourists are here. Florida is bounded on three sides by the ocean. Into the large number of seaports come vessels from all nations. A Swedish sailor said to me a short time ago that many times he has left a port, wishing he had some good book to read on the voyage.

Second, I am firmly convinced that no place in all the world presents a more promising field for medical missionary work. Vegetarian cafés would thrive here, I am sure, though to my knowledge nothing of the kind has ever been attempted. In the winter the northern tourists would furnish a good patronage, and in the summer the wives and families of many business men go north, leaving the men to board. A great many of the tourists who come here to winter are sick, and these would furnish additional patronage for sanitariums or treatment rooms.

Liberal patronage is given subscription schools, and an abundant field is open before them, for both white and colored. A number of tracts of land are freely offered for both schools and sanitariums.

Furnished cottages rent to tourists for the winter at about two hundred dollars. By investing in a few of these a family would have an independent support, and till their time for personal work for souls. Property is steadily advancing all over the State, and is likely to continue to advance. The Florida ports are becoming of more and more importance, and this fact is largely responsible for the increasing price of real estate. Carpenter work is abundant, and wages good.

The soil of Florida is not the best, but by proper cultivation almost anything grown in the North may be raised here. Two crops a year are easily raised. Oranges, grapefruit, kumquats, lemons, guavas, and some bananas are grown. Living expenses average about the same as in the North.

Brethren of the North, seeing so many Northern people come here to spend a portion of every year, will you not consider Florida a part of your field, and help us work it in every way you can? Should any wish to come here either to locate or to remain for a time, or desire to help on the work in this conference in any other way, we would be glad to hear from them. Address the writer at Bartow, Fla.

R. W. PARMELE, President Florida Conference.