The Iowa Camp-Meeting by R. A. Underwood

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Tacoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Oct 8, 1908

The Iowa Camp-Meeting

By R. A. Underwood

THIS meeting was held about one mile from the center of the town of Nevada in a beautiful grove on the grounds purchased for the new sanitarium. The meeting continued from August 27 to September 6. The local papers of the city gave excellent and liberal reports of the meeting. The citizens of Nevada should have given our people fifteen thousand dollars to assist in the erection of the sanitarium plant, which is to cost not less than fifty thousand dollars. The town has also expended a considerable amount of money in building a road to the sanitarium grounds. It is one of the most beautiful sites for a sanitarium that I have seen in the West. Our brethren

hope to have the sanitarium built and in full operation before another camp-meeting season.

Nearly one thousand persons were encamped. A little over twelve thousand dollars was raised in cash and pledges for the erection of the new sanitarium building. They have already in cash and pledges and other resources forty-seven thousand dollars with which to erect the sanitarium; but will need to secure from three thousand dollars to five thousand dollars more. This can easily be done by the conference, as not one half of the conference membership was present at the camp-meeting. The contribution for foreign missions amounted to $3,385. Aside from this, eleven hundred dollars was donated for the Scandinavian work in New York City and for the circulation of literature in that language. About three hundred dollars was given to the State tent fund, and the Sabbath-school donations were one hundred forty-six dollars.

The conference turned over to the General Conference two thousand dollars from its surplus tithe to be used in advancing the work in more needy fields. This appropriation would have been much larger had there not been appropriations made by their committee to support laborers in many fields during the past year, thus cutting down their surplus tithe to a little over twenty-five hundred dollars all told.

The workers present to assist in the meeting, aside from the laborers in the conference, were Elders A. G. Daniells, G. F. Haffner, L. H. Christian, S. Mortenson, M. L. Andreasen, Prof. P. T. Magan, and a number of the members of the Northern Union Conference Executive Committee, who held a business session in connection with the camp-meeting. All these brethren labored more or less in the interest of the success of the meeting. Elder Daniells was with us only two days. Professor Magan remained during the entire meeting, and his labors were much appreciated.

The first Sunday afternoon there was a temperance rally, in which the ministers from the city occupied most of the time. There was also a temperance lecture given by a traveling temperance worker the last Saturday evening of the meeting. Two sermons were preached on the Sabbath question, which led some to decide to observe the Sabbath, and others became deeply interested. One of the most interesting meetings was one held at half past five on Sabbath morning, when Brethren J. T. Spriggs, O. M. Kittle, R. E. Burke, E. Rosenwold, A. F. Ferguson, J. W. Dorcas, and W. J. Johnson were ordained. Elder M. N. Campbell was elected president of the conference.

Forty-seven persons were baptized during the meeting. The most encouraging meeting was one held on the closing Sabbath, conducted in the form of a consecration service, which led many to dedicate themselves to definite work in the cause. From this company there will be some to enter nearly every branch of the work.

The Missionary Volunteers' work was conducted by F. J. Wilbur and Prof. J. G. Lamson, with others to assist. There is a large number of young people in Iowa, and a goodly number of these have consecrated their lives and services to the cause of Christ in a way they had not heretofore. The brethren return to their homes feeling of good courage, and hope to see the work greatly prospered the coming year.

I trust that God will greatly increase not only the efficiency of the corps of laborers, but will add to the number of believers in this conference during the coming year.

R. A. UNDERWOOD.