p. 12 | Cantonese General Meeting by A. L. Ham

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Tacoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · May 11, 1916

Cantonese General Meeting

By A. L. Ham

A. L. HAM

GENERAL meetings in the mission field are on the order of our camp meetings in the homeland, only they are not so large, and we do not use tents. Our native believers look forward to these gatherings with as great eagerness and expectation as do their brethren in other lands to their yearly camp meetings. Our annual general meeting for the Cantonese-speaking people was held recently in Fatshan, one of the oldest outstations in this field. From the beginning, the attendance was good, and an excellent interest was manifested in the subjects presented by both foreign and native workers.

Pastor B. L. Anderson, superintendent of the South China Mission, and Pastor J. P. Anderson, director of Swatow work, were in attendance, and helped much in making the meeting a success. The subjects which they presented were of special importance, as they related to the time in which we are living, and the need of speedily preaching the gospel to those who do not know of the soon-coming Saviour.

A regular program was arranged, similar to that usually followed in large gatherings, giving the time and subject for the different meetings during the day. A special period each day was used exclusively for women's meetings, the instruction being given by Sister E. H. Wilbur. These meetings proved a blessing to the Bible women and other Chinese women who were in attendance.

Another important feature was the discussion held, and the instruction given by Brother A. Mountain, Jr., on the literature work.

During the meeting two of our young men gave a temperance program. One of them had been trained as a dispensary attendant by Dr. Law Keem, when he was at Fatshan, and the other had attended our training school at Shanghai. Both these young men showed that they had studied well the effects of tobacco and alcohol on the human body, and they used good illustrations and demonstrations to prove the truthfulness of their statements. I was much pleased with their report, and am sure that it would have been a credit to our American boys.

Near the close of the meeting twenty-two persons followed their Lord in baptism, and were accepted for membership in the different churches represented. These were from the teacher, merchant, and farmer classes, but they are united in looking for the soon coming of our Saviour. It makes our hearts glad when we see people taking their stand to keep the commandments of God, forsaking their customs and idol worship, and trusting in the “only name” which can save them.