The Twenty-Cent-a-Week Fund and the Harvest Ingathering Campaign
By W. T. Knox
THE accompanying report of receipts on the Twenty-cent-a-week Fund is of special interest, as the time covered by the report is the first six months of the year, and should, therefore, furnish to all a fairly good suggestion as to the prospects for the full year and the efforts that must be put forth in order to reach our goal for 1916, of $743,000, the equivalent of twenty cents a week per member. The report reveals that for the first half of the year we have decidedly failed in reaching our aim, the shortage being $116,748.54. A large amount, the reader will doubtless say, and it surely is; and in view of the great responsibility carried by the General Conference in foreign fields and the relief work being undertaken in the North American Division Conference, it should bring to every Seventh-day Adventist most serious concern; for if the coming six months should show similar results, it would mean a total shortage for the year of almost $225,000. But this need not be. The present shortage can be quickly provided for, without injury to any other line of work. The Harvest Ingathering campaign is to begin October 1. There has been provided for this effort the best and most artistic foreign mission campaign paper ever produced by the denomination. Definite provision has been made for issuing 800,000 copies of this periodical. Not less than a million copies should be circulated, and we should be satisfied with nothing less than $100,000 in contributions as a result of this campaign. Considering the prevailing conditions throughout the world foreshadowing the fulfilment of all last-day prophecies, the great opportunities and needs in mission work, and the impoverished condition of the General Conference8treasury, our expectations and efforts should call for even greater returns from this campaign. The final results will, of necessity, depend upon the consecrated cooperation of the entire membership, and the faithful leadership of the conference laborers and church officers. Information received from the Pacific Press indicates that much interest is being taken in this effort by many conferences and mission fields. Even at so early a date as July 31, orders for upwards of 100,000 copies had been received. These orders are not only from the North American conferences, but from foreign fields as well. In fact, some of our missions are calculating on raising substantial sums by the circulation of this paper in their territory. This is especially true in Java, where they are planning to raise at least $1,000 to help in providing suitable quarters for the workers. Evidently there will be a much larger demand for the papers this year than ever before, and I trust that all churches and isolated members will take an active part in the campaign. The demands of our foreign missions were never of such magnitude nor of such urgent character as they are today. Almost every day's mail brings to the Mission Board some strong appeals for men or money. These are of such a nature that it is hard to refuse any of them. As a result, the General Conference today is carrying on its work with an empty treasury. The present conditions existing in the world will cause many to think more seriously of the work of the gospel and be more favorably inclined toward missionary work than in past years. So, better results may be expected for our work in this campaign than in any past efforts, if the people of God will give themselves heartily to the work. While the paper prepared is all that could be asked for, and the publishing house has made every provision for expeditiously handling the orders, yet the real success of the movement is dependent upon the hearty cooperation of the individual members. Remember the date of the opening of the campaign, October 1, and place your orders with your tract society at once. W. T. KNOX.