Camp-Meetings in the Southern Union Conference
By George I. Butler
In view of the fact that full reports of the camp-meetings in the Southern Union were not furnished the REVIEW AND HERALD for publication, the writer has thought that it might be of interest to its readers to give a review of the camp-meetings held in the South, knowing that quite an interest prevails among many of our people to know of the progress of the cause in this great Southland. Seven camp-meetings have been held in the Southern Union Conference the past camp-meeting season,—two in the Cumberland River Conference, and one each in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee River, and Florida. Because of the yellow fever scourge the present season, and the quarantine influences to keep it from spreading, Louisiana and Alabama have been deprived of their camp-meetings. Mississippi also thought it not best to have more than a general meeting. When the yellow fever ceases, because of the cold weather, conference meetings will be held. The writer attended the meetings in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Florida, and one in the Cumberland Conference; all of these were encouraging and excellent meetings. Prof. J. E. Tenney attended these, and the other three, which the writer was unable to attend, on account of other pressing duties. Professor Tenney has spoken in the most encouraging words of the three meetings he attended where the writer was not present. He said he never attended more spiritual and precious seasons. The first Seventh-day Adventist camp-meeting ever held in South Carolina was17held this year. The readers of the REVIEW may not all know that South Carolina is not yet organized into a State conference, but from all the facts we can learn, it is making fully as rapid advancement as any of the organized fields. The Lord is blessing, and the brethren and sisters there are much encouraged. This State has seemed to be the last one entered by our organized work in the whole United States of America, though some years ago one or two small companies were raised up there. From that time on but little was done. When the North Carolina Conference felt that they could not carry on the work in this State as it ought to be, because of their poverty, and requested the union conference to take it as a mission field, the work was entered upon with more vigor. Elders Webster and Nash moved there with their families, and with the help of Brother Carey, have labored earnestly and faithfully to carry on the work, with gratifying success. We hope it may not be long until a State conference can be organized. A few of our people working there have taken hold nobly to sustain the cause of present truth, and are quite largely making it self-supporting. They are manifesting a truly encouraging interest. The brethren and sisters in the North Carolina Conference are as earnest and devoted to the interests of the cause as any we know of in the South, but they are laboring under great difficulties, because of lack of means. The Iowa Conference sent Elder Jeys to that field, and supported him there a year. His labors were much appreciated, and the brethren of that conference elected him president at the camp-meeting in July. We have no warmer-hearted, more devoted brethren in the South than the brethren and sisters of North Carolina. They are doing their utmost to advance the work in that difficult field. It was not the privilege of the writer to attend the Georgia camp-meeting. Our dear Brother R. M. Kilgore was re-elected president, and has been working earnestly this season, and has had some increase. Perhaps there is not a harder field in the world in which to carry forward the work of Seventh-day Adventists than the great empire State of the South. There are precious, noble, faithful souls in Georgia who are struggling against great difficulties, seeking to carry on the work to the very best of their ability, but their numbers are few comparatively. If earnest, devoted, true-hearted Seventh-day Adventists that could properly represent the cause of God would move to different localities in the State, and live out the truth, it would be a wonderful help to the work there. They are greatly needed. It would greatly encourage the heart of Elder Kilgore and other brethren who are devoted to the cause of God. But they would need to be people of stamina, earnestness, good judgment, and sound sense. We are not speaking of preachers, but devoted lay brethren and sisters, who would thus be helpful in a hard and trying field. All needy mission fields are not across the ocean. There are some of them in the most pleasant and delightful portions of the South. Devoted souls can be found scattered in various churches in our Northern fields, where they are not needed anywhere nearly so much as in some places in the South. Around such workers Sabbath-keepers would cluster, and openings would be made for labor. Their godly lives would shine out among those who may now be filled with prejudice, if the right kind of work could be done. The State of Georgia is a great and needy mission field. The Nashville camp-meeting, in the Tennessee River Conference, was, we think, the largest, and one of the very best camp-meetings we ever attended in the South. We should judge there were two hundred Sabbath-keepers present. Elder S. N. Haskell and his wife carried a heavy burden of labor all through the meeting, and their efforts were highly appreciated. A good work has been done in the Tennessee River Conference through the efforts of Brother N. W. Allee, who has been its president for two years past. During the last year he has been in very feeble health, unable to go out and labor in the work, but his mind has been clear, and his counsels blessed of heaven. An excellent spirit of union and love prevails in the conference. It has been a great regret to himself and the constituency of the conference that he has not been able to be out in the field laboring. His heart is there. His whole soul is inspired with an interest to advance the cause of the Master and carry the work on. The conference has greatly prospered under his labors. The tithe has increased quite largely. The year preceding the camp-meeting over one hundred souls came into the truth. The writer was pressed with many cares, and much writing, but assisted to the best of his ability. The meeting was located in the suburbs of Nashville, on one of the main city car lines. Though the writer had attended hundreds of camp-meetings, he never saw so beautiful a place for a camp-meeting before, a fine blue-grass sod, with great elms, maples, and oaks, from two to four feet in diameter, scattered here and there, furnishing delightful shade and beautiful walks. It was perhaps forty rods from the car line, so we were not disturbed by noise. Fifty tents, large and small, were pitched upon the ground. The weather was delightful. The sanitarium had charge of the dining tent, which was conducted with great satisfaction to all. Altogether, the meeting was a very precious one. God’s blessing was there. The attendance from the city was not large, yet many intelligent people came, and were deeply interested. Though Brother Allee was quite feeble, the conference insisted upon his serving another year. He was able to attend, and act as chairman in the business meetings of the conference, but not able to preach. All feel deep interest in his health. Through the efforts of Professor Tenney and other able helpers a special work for the young people of the union conference has been inaugurated successfully, and systematic efforts are being made to get all these young people interested in the carrying forward of the work of God. The Southern Union Conference is blessed with many fine young people, who have the capacity for becoming noble laborers in the cause. To secure the help of this class is an object that should not be forgotten. Sister Mettie Lenker is acting as secretary of the young people’s movement, and is well qualified by experience and ability, and love for the cause, to be helpful in it. She is seconding nobly the efforts of Professor Tenney to create a deeper interest on the part of the young people, and thus advancing the work of God. We wish great success to this movement. The Spring City camp-meeting, which immediately followed, was also an excellent meeting, the best the writer has ever attended in the Cumberland River Conference. This is the largest State conference of the Southern Union. There had been a small camp-meeting held in Kentucky in July; Elder Tenney and others felt that it was a very blessed season. The numbers of Sabbath-keepers in that section of the country are few. Perhaps there were a score or two present, but the interests of the cause in Kentucky were advanced by having such a gathering, where the people could come and hear the words of life. Each year such opportunities should be afforded our people who have but little opportunity to hear preaching and keep in touch with the great movement of which they are a part. The Spring City camp-meeting was the main meeting of the Cumberland River Conference. There was a good attendance, nearly as large as at Nashville, and it was a spiritual meeting, blessed of God. The last Sabbath a large number came forward for prayers, and the blessing of God rested upon the people. The Tennessee River Conference has a very excellent intermediate school. Prof. C. L. Stone is the principal. It is a school much to be prized, and that conference raised quite a large sum of money to put it in the best condition possible. They pledged very liberally to his support, and raised money for other objects—between one hundred and two hundred dollars for the Graysville school. Considering the ability of the people, they gave nobly for the advancement of the work. At the Spring City camp-meeting between two hundred and three hundred dollars in pledges was raised for the training-school at Graysville, which is in great need of funds. A tent- and camp-meeting fund was also raised. It may be proper to speak of one interesting occurrence at the camp-meeting. A young sister had a serious accident, and her knee was greatly injured, so that she was unable to walk without crutches. She felt a great desire to have the brethren pray for her. Prayer was offered according to the directions of the Scriptures, and God’s blessing came in. She was able to throw away her crutches and walk about the camp as nimbly as others, much to her joy and that of her parents, and all felt that God was near, and that his blessing was among us in large measure. The camp-meeting in Florida has recently closed. It was held from October 5-15, at Plant City, where it was held last year. All felt that it was a meeting of great profit. The attendance in the earlier part of the meeting was not so great as at some of the meetings in the recent past; but before the meeting closed, the attendance was quite good. Elder J. E. Tenney and the writer were present. The local help also took part in the preaching, with acceptance.18 The editor of the paper published in the small city spoke very kindly of our meeting. Our attendance from the city was considerably larger than last year; in fact, the tent was nearly full every night, and Sunday nights was overflowed. There has been much preaching in Plant City during the last year, as the writer gave quite a thorough course of lectures there, before and after the camp-meeting, and quite a number accepted the truth. There have been many discouragements during the present year for lack of a place to hold meetings, and certain untoward circumstances that are liable to occur in the early experience of all young companies, but there has been a good interest to hear ever since. The brethren remained with the tent about a week after the camp-meeting, and organized a church of fourteen in Plant City, and eight or ten more are keeping the Sabbath; while at Knights, four miles away, is a company of good souls who have also taken a stand, where an organization will probably be effected. Altogether, some thirty or forty have come out through the efforts which began in Plant City a little over a year ago. Two churches will doubtless come into the conference. Twenty-nine persons were baptized at the camp-meeting. Those conducting the morning meetings spoke very highly of the spirituality and success of these occasions. Elder C. B. Stephenson was re-elected president, the committee this year being C. B. Stephenson, L. H. Crisler, Thos. Rowe, L. T. Crisler, and Irving Keck. The writer’s official connection with the conference closed with this meeting. It may be proper to speak of the most encouraging growth of the cause in Florida during the last three years. The regular membership of the conference is now four hundred, with quite a number of believers yet to be organized. Four thousand five hundred dollars tithe was paid this year. Quite an amount of canvassing has been done; and union and love prevail. Brethren C. B. Stephenson and L. T. Crisler have begun preaching, and have both been ordained. Brother D. G. Stephenson has held a license, and has been laboring efficiently in the work. All of these began preaching during the last two or three years. Six churches were admitted to the conference as a result of labor during the past two years. Some fifty souls embraced the truth the present season, half of whom were colored. Brother O. N. Whetsel has been connected with the colored work in the State for over two years. There are now three colored churches organized, and another one soon to be organized, and their tithe amounts to between four hundred and five hundred dollars a year, making the colored work nearly self-supporting. Two camp-meetings were going on at the same time, one for the white people and the other for the colored; these meetings were held on opposite sides of the city. About five, we learn, have embraced the truth under the influence of those meetings. The servant of the Lord has said that the cloud is lifting in the Southern field. God’s Spirit has most certainly been manifestly present to no small degree in the conference the present year. Two or three of our conferences have not been making the progress we hoped to see, but we trust that improvement will be made. They have passed through discouraging experiences. Oftentimes God permits great trials and perplexities to precede great blessings which he has in store for his people. We trust it may be so with these conferences. We expect to see the day when God’s power will be manifest as much in the South as in any part of the field. He is ready to work, and is giving us his blessing. We hope to see great difficulties removed, and our institutions founded on a proper basis, and the work advanced in all directions. May God hasten this in his own good time. GEO. I. BUTLER,
President of Southern Union Conf.