The Harvest Ingathering Campaign by W. T. KNOX

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Sep 17, 1914

The Harvest Ingathering Campaign

By W. T. KNOX

A Call to Service

WITH great anxiety and solicitation the officers of the Division and General Conferences have been looking forward to the Harvest Ingathering campaign that has been set for October 5-9. In past years these campaigns have given a wide publicity to our work and to the truths of the third angel’s message. Encouraging reports have been received from many who have engaged in the distribution of the special periodicals devoted to these campaigns, and in addition to this, the campaigns have been important agencies in securing the needed funds for our foreign mission enterprises.

Since the inauguration of the Harvest Ingathering work, there never has been so urgent a need of its assistance as there is at present. The scope of our foreign mission work has in the past two years been greatly enlarged. This has been rendered necessary on account of the urgent demands from the fields,—demands that have appeared irresistible because of the awakening interest in the hearts of men and women in every land to hear the message of peace and salvation the Lord has intrusted to us for these last days.

Those who have been following the reports of the laborers in both home and foreign fields, cannot have failed to be impressed with the wonderful manner in which the Spirit of God is working on the hearts of men. It is doubtful if there has ever been a time in the history of the denomination when the work in the cities of America has been, on the whole, so encouraging as at present. The general nature of the reports from the workers is: Tents crowded nightly by earnest inquirers after truth, and many decisions on the side of God. And this interest is not confined to any particular class, but includes the educated, men and women of means and influence, as well as those from the middle walks of life.

The same, in the main, has characterized the reports from foreign fields,—an ever-increasing demand from all classes for instruction and enlightenment, calling for expansion of the work already established, and extension in new territory.

There is but one explanation to be offered for these conditions, and that is that the Lord is today in a special manner moving upon the hearts of men to prepare them for the truth, and at the same time bestowing his Spirit upon his servants that the work of the gospel may be speedily accomplished, and the reign of sin ended.

Without doubt the distressing and appalling conditions existing in Europe are today contributing to this tendency to soberly investigate the teachings of God’s Word, and these very conditions greatly emphasize the necessity of the present campaign. The General Conference has been taxed to the limit by the work it undertook under normal conditions for 1914, but the expected gifts to missions for the first eight months of the year fell distressingly short of our needs. The great war that has directly involved all Europe and to some extent affected almost all the world, has placed additional financial burdens upon the General Conference; for the income of the European Division Conference, with its mission fields, has been practically destroyed by the war. They must now look to America for help. In a letter recently received from the president of one of the European conferences, the following statement is made: “The workers receive for the present one third of their pay, and this will enable us to get along with the money on hand until the end of September. How we must scrimp can be better imagined than described; still we shall not complain. We are grateful to God when we compare ourselves with the brethren in Germany and Belgium.” Surely these brethren are endeavoring to get along on a pitiful allowance to provide for the necessities of life in the face of the high war prices that must be prevailing.

In view of these things, is it asking too much when we urge that all shall enter heartily into this campaign, praying the Lord to give success to their efforts? We are informed that some of the contending nations have called to their armies every available male, from the young schoolboy to the old man, resulting in the practical abandonment of the industries and activities of the nation, to enable the government to meet the present crisis. God’s kingdom surely demands no less. He is calling to every one to give him his service today. The world is confronted with a crisis, compared with which the present trouble in Europe will not be remembered. Now is the time to prepare the people for that great event,—the coming of the King of kings, accompanied by the armies of heaven, who will appear as the Prince of Peace and Lord of salvation to the few, but as the mighty God, taking terrible vengeance on the many that will not know him.

Hundreds of thousands of the beautiful special number of the REVIEW have already been printed, and are now ready to be sent out to the conferences and churches. The faithful and intelligent distribution of these will afford golden opportunities to present God’s truth and his message of mercy to many, as well as to secure from our friends and neighbors that financial assistance so much needed by the General Conference at the present time. Many conferences are planning for a large work, and some having set themselves the task of raising in this way an amount equal to five dollars for each member of their constituency. Many are planning to devote a full week’s work to the effort. In one conference every worker has undertaken to raise from his own efforts $100. This earnestness should at this time possess all God’s children, and will surely be honored by him.

Orders for the papers are already being received at the Review Office, and the indications are that there will be required a much larger number of papers than in any previous campaign. All churches and isolated members should at once send in their orders for the needed supplies, that the campaign may be begun at the time appointed.

W. T. KNOX.