The Convention of Self-Supporting Missionaries
By P. T. MAGAN
DURING the past few years every department of work in the third angel's message has made great advancement. Schools, colleges, sanitariums, and publishing plants have been established and equipped with great rapidity. All these have been greatly blessed of God in spreading the last warning message to the world. At the same time, in a more definite and positive manner than ever before, there has been a movement upon the part of the lay members of this faith to engage in self-supporting missionary work. Conditions in the Southern United States have seemed especially adapted to missionary effort of this character, and there has been much instruction from the spirit of prophecy relative to this point. In 1891 it was written with special reference to the Southern field:— “God will accept many more workers from the humble walks of life if they will fully consecrate themselves to his service. Men and women should be coming up to carry the truth into all the highways and byways of life. Not all can go through a long course of education, but if they are consecrated to God, and learn of him, many can without this do much to bless others. Thousands would be accepted if they would give themselves to God. Not all who labor in this line should depend upon the conferences for support. Let those who can do so, give their time, and what ability they have; let them be messengers of God's grace, their hearts throbbing in unison with Christ's great heart of love, their ears open to hear the Macedonian cry. “The whole church needs to be imbued with the missionary spirit; then there will be many to work unselfishly in various ways as they can, without being salaried.” In the REVIEW AND HERALD of Nov. 26, 1895, it was written:— “Where are the families who will become missionaries, and who will engage in labor in this field? Where are the men who have means and experience so that they can go forth to these people, and work for them just where they are? There are men who can educate them in agricultural lines, who can teach the colored people to sow seed and plant orchards. There are others who can teach them to read, and can give them an object-lesson from their own life and example. Show them what you yourself can do to gain a livelihood, and it will be an education to them. Are we not called upon to do this very work?” “God calls for missionaries, and asks us to take up our neglected duties. Let farmers, financiers, builders, and those who are skilled in various arts and crafts, go to this field to improve lands, and to build humble cottages for themselves and their neighbors. Christ says to you, Lift up your eyes, and look upon this Southern field; for it needs the sowers of seed and the reapers of grain.” And lastly:— “It is not ministers who can preach that are needed so much as men and women who understand how to teach the truth to poor, ignorant, needy, and oppressed people. . . . It needs men and women who will not be sent to the Southern field by our people, but who will feel the burden to go into this neglected portion of the vineyard of the Lord.”—Testimony, June 21, 1899. The preceding Testimonies, and others of a similar nature, have caused a considerable number of men and women to engage in this kind of work in the Southern field. As time has passed, these have felt their need of meeting together for prayer and counsel and study. As a result of this, a convention of self-supporting workers was called to meet at the Nashville Agricultural and Normal Institute, Madison, Tenn., opening October 15, and continuing for ten days. It was especially desired by those who have been active in the self-supporting movement that there should be a goodly representation of leading men from the regularly organized work in attendance at this gathering. We have felt that, while self-supporting work is in its infancy, a mold which God can bless must be put upon it, and that we should all speak the same things, and be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. We have sincerely felt that there must be a spirit of brotherly confidence between the conference employed workers and the self-supporting worker. We knew that this spirit was reciprocated by many of the brethren at the head of the work, and consequently we were glad to welcome a large delegation of our general laborers to this meeting, among whom were Elders A. G. Daniells, S. N. Haskell, George A. Irwin, R. A. Underwood, George B. Thompson, C. F. McVagh, W. A. Westworth, and John W. Christian, and Prof. Frederick Griggs, and others. The attendance at the convention was quite general in its nature. A large number of the brethren and sisters, from the North, East, and West, who are interested in self-supporting work, paid a visit to the South for the special purpose of attending this meeting and getting a glimpse of this kind of work for themselves. The representation of self-supporting workers was also very good. Many of the teachers from the small schools, which have been started as a result of the work of the Nashville Agricultural and Normal Institute, were in attendance. Among these were Brother and Sister C. F. Alden, from the school at Ridgetop, Tenn.; Brethren Christian and John Holm and their wives, from the Paradise Ridge School; Brother and Sister Braiden F. Mulford, from the school at Fountain Head, Tenn. Elders Haskell and Irwin acted as chairmen of the convention, and the writer as secretary. At nine o'clock each morning Elder Haskell conducted a Bible study in the chapel at Gotzian Hall. These studies were a great inspiration to all. That God remarkably blessed his servant in bringing forth things new and old from the Scriptures was very manifest to the entire gathering. From 10 A. M. to 12:30 each day was taken up with papers, talks, and discussions having special relation to self-supporting missionary work. These were participated in by teachers, doctors, medical missionary nurses, canvassers, periodical workers, missionary farmers, carpenters, and others. The afternoon program was much the same as that of the forenoon, and the day was closed with two studies of one hour each, in the evening, on the Bible and the spirit of prophecy. Several excellent Bible readings of a practical nature were given by Sister Hettie Haskell.