TO THE FRIENDS OF THE CAUSE IN IOWA by George I. Butler; J. T. Mitchell; H. Nicola

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 16, 1869

TO THE FRIENDS OF THE CAUSE IN IOWA.

By George I. Butler; J. T. Mitchell; H. Nicola

DEAR BRETHREN; Believing you will all be interested in the progress of the truth in our own State, we desire to present before you the following statement for your consideration: Our tent, after being in service more or less for about eight years, is used up. The top is full of mildew holes, and the wall badly torn; so that it will never answer for more than some temporary purpose, or to cut up for small tents, or something of this kind. The two meetings last fall finished it. So we are now left without a tent. We cannot believe for a moment that you will think it advisable to remain thus destitute

of means to convey the truth to others. Without a tent we can do very little toward laboring effectively in the summer season for the propagation of our faith; neither could we ask for a laborer of the General Conference with much assurance, if we had no means of making his labor available. Many of our churches have been brought out by this means and should therefore feel a special interest in providing one for the benefit of others. Without a tent it seems to us the cause in the State must inevitably flatten down, and that interest which has been rising, dwindle out, and those who have been laboring with earnestness for its advancement, become discouraged.

We must have a tent. We make this appeal before the Conference, because if we wait till then, it will be too late to get the use of it the coming season. It would take some time to order one from Rochester, and before it could reach us and be set in order, the season would be far advanced. We therefore take the responsibility upon ourselves of making this call before the sitting of the Conference in June, so that it may be on the ground ready for use at that time.

We want a sixty-foot tent. The additional cost above that of a fifty-foot one would be more than compensated by the additional capacity. Our tent last summer sometimes had as many on the outside who could not get in as there were in it. The price of a new sixty-foot tent is a little over four hundred dollars. We desire to raise this sum by the first of June. We desire to present this matter before our churches as we labor with them this spring, receiving either money, or pledges payable at the State Conference, and we earnestly hope our scattered brethren through the State will respond to this call by sending in either cash or their pledges to Bro. R. M. Kilgore, Washington, Iowa. If they want the truth preached in their vicinity it will be very necessary to have a tent; and the measure of their desire will be expressed by their liberality in responding to this call. We have not sufficient Systematic Benevolence to do this without seriously embarrassing the Conference. Our former tent was bought with means partly raised by our eastern brethren. The General Conference have taken the interest to supply us with labor for several years past. Let us show them that we have interest enough for ourselves and others to provide the means to make this labor effective without making them any additional trouble on this account. The General Conference are strongly in favor of our having a tent. We have an abundance of means among our brethren with which to purchase one. Shall we take hold promptly and have it upon the ground in June? Let your answers to this question come in the form of money and pledges.

GEO. I. BUTLER, } Iowa State Conf. J. T. MITCHELL, } Executive H. NICOLA, } Committee.

We hereby pledge ourselves to pay the sums set to our names for the purpose of buying a tent to be used by the Iowa Conference of S. D. Adventists:

George I. Butler, $20.00; J. T. Mitchell, $20.00; Henry Nicola, $25.00; Mary Nicola, $5.00; R. M. Kilgore, $10.00; David Smouse, $20.00.