Home Missionary Report for Quarter Ending Dec. 31, 1915
By Edith M. Graham
THIS report gives the work of all but four conferences in the North American Division. It is interesting to note that the number reporting has grown by twelve hundred, and that every line of work but three shows a good gain over the previous quarter. Not so many tracts were used, but many more papers, so doubtless the increase in the use of one kind of literature partly accounts for the drop in another. There were not quite so many missionary visits made. The number brought into the truth by the efforts of our lay members has grown from 393 to 506. This good work was done by 12,034 of the members. If all the 77,650 had worked with equal zeal and faith, and with corresponding results, we should have had 3,000 more members instead of 500. That would have meant a much longer step toward the finishing of the work. The total figures of different lines of work are large, and show that a great many people have been given some light on the truth during that quarter. We have been unable to obtain reports from the four German unions. The brethren have tried to get them through, but so far have failed, though we expect to receive them later. We know their efforts have not diminished. Our Russian people are hard at work, and are bringing souls into the truth, but we cannot collect reports from that field at present. The South American Union Conference has also failed to report. Their staff of workers is small, and they have had to change and adjust to meet the needs; so the home missionary work has been temporarily suspended. But the brethren are doing their best, and we expect soon to see the missing reports put in their appearance. Owing to these missing reports, the grand totals are smaller than they were the last quarter. These quarterly home missionary reports should encourage every one of us. All these letters, visits, Bible readings, literature circulated, acts of kindness done, must be exerting a mighty influence in behalf of this message. They are the leaven that is spreading everywhere. Shall we not press forward and do more and yet more, until every soul is warned and the work finished?