The Sabbath-School Donations by G. B. Thompson

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · May 7, 1908

The Sabbath-School Donations

By G. B. Thompson

THE report from our Sabbath-schools for the year 1907 has been completed, and shows a very encouraging increase in the donations given to foreign missions. The total contributions reported for the year amounted to $86,454.47. Of this the sum of $71,753.01 was given to missions, an increase of $13,839.30 over that of the past year. The schools of the United States and Canada gave to missions $51,393.30. This lacked but $606.70 of being a thousand dollars a week.

The donations from our Sabbath-schools have become a strong factor in financing our mission work in all parts of the field. Most of our schools are using much less of their donations than formerly for local expenses, and in some conferences the entire donations are given to missions. We believe that considerable improvement can still be made in this matter. A conference secretary in the United States writes as follows: “One of our larger schools, having donations amounting to $21.65 during the quarter, contributed just five cents to missions.” We are glad, however, that this is but an isolated case. If all our donations had been given to missions, there would have been an increase in the offerings for the work abroad of nearly fifteen thousand dollars.

The Sabbath-school contributions are a part of the ten-cent-a-week plan, and an increase in the offerings means additional help in raising the amount of ten cents a week per member for missions. With the excellent organization in our Sabbath-schools, we believe that over a hundred thousand dollars should be given to missions this year. Shall we not all work to reach this goal?

G. B. THOMPSON.