The Needs of Our Missions and the Response of Our People
In view of the intense interest in the present effort to secure funds to meet the emergency that has arisen in the General Conference treasury, by reason of the war situation and its effect on our work, the accompanying letter from Elder I. H. Evans, president of the North American Division Conference, is published, knowing that the Review readers will be greatly encouraged and interested in its contents:— “Elder W. T. Knox,
“Takoma Park, D. C. “DEAR BROTHER KNOX: The response our people have made to your call for an emergency fund, to help meet the situation in Europe and the mission fields receiving support from the European treasury, has been most hearty and sympathetic. I quote from several letters which I have received, that you may see how anxious our brethren are to help the General Conference treasury at this time. “Elder F. W. Paap, writing from New Orleans, says: ‘At the New Orleans meeting, cash and pledges were given to the amount of over $600. The Mississippi Conference was behind on the Twenty-cent-a-week Fund, so the brethren turned their attention to their own field, and raised over $1,200.’ “The Ohio camp meeting was reported as being well attended, and a large donation was taken. First the brethren made a call for the congregation to give themselves to the Lord, and nearly every person came forward. Later an offering was taken for the foreign mission work, and over $11,000 was received in cash and pledges. “Brother C. L. Benson writes: ‘As you know, about $11,000 was pledged at the Ohio camp meeting. Twenty-two young persons were baptized at this meeting. The Ohio young people on the ground pledged $580.’ “From the Indiana camp meeting, Prof. Frederick Griggs wrote: ‘The spirit of the meeting is excellent. In the revival service last Sabbath, fully four hundred, I should think, came forward. In the young people’s meetings, scores gave themselves to the Lord. In the meeting on foreign missions this morning, $2,850 was raised in cash and pledges. There was also six or seven hundred dollars in conditional pledges. The Sabbath school offerings last Sabbath amounted to $325, and every provision is being made to increase the Sabbath school offerings for the conference to $1,000 next Sabbath; so I think there will be no difficulty in raising a total of $4,000 for missions. This will put Indiana ahead on the twenty-cent-a-week quota for the year, without doubt.’ “Concerning the West Michigan meeting, Brother L. H. Christian, president of the Lake Union Conference, writes: ‘We have secured quite large donations for foreign missions. In West Michigan the brethren gave about $4,500; in North Michigan they gave about $2,000. I think this means that each of these conferences will succeed in raising its quota on the Twenty-cent-a-week Fund. Elder W. A. Westworth, and some of the leading members of the Battle Creek church, have promised that they will see that Battle Creek pays its full quota this year. Elder C. F. McVagh says that if Battle Creek does its part, he will guarantee that West Michigan will do its full share. I am convinced that every The Needs of Our Missions
conference in this union can reach the goal if each person will do his part.’ “Elder Paap writes from Southern Illinois: ‘I shall not go into detail much in this letter, but you will be interested to know that we raised over $3,000 on mission offerings at the meeting this morning. The people responded well. There were some real sacrifices. Everybody feels good. This is a record for Southern Illinois.’ “From the Western Washington meeting, Elder O. A. Olsen sends these words: ‘The churches of this conference also did real well in mission offerings. Elder L. Johnson told me that $10,000 had been subscribed in cash and pledges, although I think a large proportion was dependent upon property sales. Besides this, the Sabbath school offerings for the two Sabbaths amounted to $543.73, and an offering of $871.76 in cash and pledges was made for home work. I wonder if I told you in a former letter that nine new churches had been added to the conference, with a total membership of one hundred and sixty-nine.’ “Elder B. G. Wilkinson reports that West Virginia raised $1,000 for missions, which was a large donation for so small a constituency. “Concerning the Tennessee meeting, Elder S. E. Wight says: ‘We raised $2,400 for missions in the morning meeting. We shall secure at least another hundred dollars, so that this conference, which seems to be the most difficult in which to raise the Twenty-cent-a-week Fund, will be entirely free.’ “Elder O. Montgomery, writing from the Southeastern Union, says: ‘At the camp meeting at Lenoir City, Tenn., yesterday forenoon, after a thirty-minute talk and a season of earnest prayer, we gave the people a chance to see what they would do for foreign missions. The Spirit of the Lord came into the meeting, and notwithstanding the fact that there were only about one hundred persons in the tent, they pledged to the amount of $15,712.50, without any urging. In addition to this, several hundred dollars was pledged to the school and local conference work. “We feel that the brethren have done well in each conference we have visited. North Carolina pledged an even $2,000. Georgia pledged nearly $1,700; South Carolina’s gift was the smallest, only a little over $600; but when we reached Cumberland, the offering was beyond our greatest expectation. We rejoice over this not so much because of the dollars and cents represented, but because of the spiritual blessing and the consecration of the people which it means. “In every meeting we held, we had a most excellent spiritual revival, the brethren and sisters consecrating themselves anew to the Lord; but the meeting at Cumberland was the best of all. I feel sure that the Southeastern Union can be counted on for its full proportion of mission21funds for this year. Every worker, man, woman, and child, will stand loyally by the cause of God during this great crisis.’ “In every field, from which we have received reports up to date, the brethren have done nobly in responding to the emergency call. I believe their hearts are in sympathy with the great work that the General Conference is carrying forward in all parts of the world. “Yours in the Master’s service,
“I. H. EVANS.”