p. 6 | The Thanksgiving Ingathering by George I. Butler

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Oct 22, 1908

The Thanksgiving Ingathering

By George I. Butler

This plan, I believe, is one that God approves. I heartily indorse it. The great work now incumbent upon us, as a people, is to consent to carry this glorious truth into all parts of the earth, especially the dark, unenlightened corners of the world. God has said that every nation, kindred, tongue, and people shall hear his glorious message. It is evident from our statistics that our people are one hundred thousand strong. The exact number of our membership is not quite this large; but even this number does not by any means include every person who loves this truth. The writer, from his long experience, is confident that in the aggregate, there are thousands scattered here and there who believe this message, and love the glorious hope we all have. A hundred thousand strong! O, what a power we may be if all are alive, awake, and strong in God and in the power of his might, moving forward as a unit, pouring out our means to do a great work in a short time! It is time to arise and shine, for our light has come. Surely the time has arrived to be no longer satisfied with little things. God never calls upon people to do great things for him unless, through his grace, he gives the power to do them.

I welcome this new move for the furnishing of the “sinews of war” and liberal support to our Mission Board in sending forth the truth and its missionaries to the ends of the earth, because I believe God’s time has come, and to be in the light is to recognize his call, and to act accordingly. The Mission Board has been greatly hindered for lack of means. The calls for help are constantly increasing. God has put it into the hearts of young men and women to offer themselves to go out into the needy fields; but for lack of means the Mission Board has had, in some instances at least, to smother their missionary zeal by telling them there was not sufficient means to send them. This is a sad fact, and can but indicate that there is a lack on the part of our people to recognize the opening providences of God. May this cease to be the case with us in the immediate future.

There is no lack of means among our people to carry on this work to success if they will walk in the might of God. We rejoice to see the growth in the gifts of our people. Only two or three years ago more than one hundred thousand dollars was rapidly raised, and did a vast amount of good; and this year we have been raising another fund of one hundred fifty thousand dollars. This fund is almost completed. It has been a wonderful help in the South and other places. Have our people been impoverished by making these gifts? — By no means. We have never heard of a single instance of distress because of the raising of this fund.

The calls of our brethren are reasonable, but no call could be more in place than this Thanksgiving service for missions. One short week of earnest endeavor by this people in opening the way for the fulfilment of the promise that the “wealth of the Gentiles shall come unto thee,” will be sufficient to give this message at this crucial period the necessary means to swell it into the loud cry, and greatly hasten the coming kingdom. The Lord is coming! Let all the people do their full duty in preparation for this great event.

GEORGE I. BUTLER.