P. T. S. Messenger

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · May 18, 1916

P. T. S. Messenger

The youngest messenger in our evangelical literature is the Present Truth Series. It came into existence Jan. 1, 1915, and began an aggressive work immediately, increasing as time passed. It now has a subscription list of more than 62,000, the largest list of any paper published by the denomination. Over three million copies have been ordered during the sixteen months of its life, and at the present time nearly one quarter of a million copies are being ordered each month.

The largest order yet received from one person totals 144,000. This order is only the beginning of large orders for the Present Truth Series. Being so cheap and yet so well adapted to general missionary demands, dealing fully yet concisely with only one topic in each issue,—an ideal and most effective way of presenting the gospel,—it will be more and more used in missionary work as our workers become acquainted with its power when in the possession of the people.

This Series is already an important factor in the usual work of the churches and of individual church members, and it is now planned to use it extensively in connection with tent efforts. The workers believe it will add greatly to the strength of the discourse on any topic, if, at the close of the meeting, the number treating on the subject matter of the discourse is placed in the hands of all who attend.

It will also be used in advertising tent and hall meetings. The workers who are sent out with printed notices of the meetings can take along a supply of these Extras dealing with the subject presented at the previous meeting. When inviting the people to attend, they may say, “This little paper gives an outline of the subject presented last evening [or last Sunday evening, as the case may be].” If the entire community is worked thoroughly in this way in connection with tent and hall meetings, there will be hundreds of people reading the truth presented at the meetings who could not be persuaded to attend, and hundreds of others will become interested through reading and will attend later on in the series. These, having read the numbers on the subjects already presented, will be somewhat in touch with what has been going on at the meetings.

Another advantage of the series in a tent effort is the opportunity it offers the workers of cultivating liberality in their congregations. The workers give regularly a paper of interest and profit, and when the people’s opportunity comes to reciprocate through contributions, the donations will be far greater than they would be without the gift of the papers. The increased collections will be ample to pay for the papers. In many ways the P. T. S. messenger will be a blessing to all tent efforts.