What Our Missionary Volunteer Work is Accomplishing
By Milton E. Kern
Purpose of Our Young People’s Organization
TWENTY-FOUR years ago the church began to receive messages concerning the organization of its youth. Here and there efforts were made to carry out this instruction. Fifteen years ago the first General Conference organization for young people was formed. Nine years ago this month the General Conference Council at Gland, Switzerland, organized the young people’s work as a separate department of the General Conference. The object of all this was well set forth in the following statement made by the general young people’s convention in 1907:— “The primary object of young people’s societies is the salvation and development of our youth by means of prayer, study, and personal missionary effort.” The object, then, of our efforts for the young people is twofold,—their salvation, and their development as Christian workers. The means suggested for the attainment of these ends is set forth as prayer, study, and personal missionary effort. This simple statement corresponds to the threefold division of our Missionary Volunteer work,—devotional, educational, and organized missionary effort. It is fitting that, on Missionary Volunteer Day, we consider the purpose of this department of our cause, the means for the accomplishment of the ends in view, and the results obtained. The Salvation of the Children and Youth
The great object of all our work is that our children and young people be saved. We recognize that a change of heart and the reception of the Holy Spirit are fundamental, and that earnest evangelistic work must be carried forward in their behalf. And the young people who are converted are organized that they, in turn, may seek to save other young people. The exact results of this work for and by the young people cannot be known. We have endeavored to learn how many young people are converted and added to the church each quarter. The reports from the North American Division indicate that in 1914 1,814 young people had been converted, and in 1915 more than 2,200 were brought within the fold. A large ingathering of young people is taking place in all parts of the world. Thus the New South Wales Conference, in Australia, writes that in six months 94 young people had been baptized. In the Philippine Islands many young people are accepting the truth and are developing into good workers. Young people of China, Japan, Korea, India, Africa, South America, and other countries have shown their willingness to suffer persecution rather than disobey the Lord, and are consecrating their services for the salvation of others. We recognize that when young people are converted, they have simply made a start to live the Christian life. Like all new Christians, they need instruction and experience. We have endeavored to place before them such plans as would help them to maintain a victorious Christian experience. Prayer and consecration services are a part of the society programs. Prayer bands are encouraged. An effort is made to get every one to observe the Morning Watch. The Morning Watch Calendar, which is published each year as an aid in keeping a daily appointment with God, has met with a ready sale. Over 50,000 of the English edition have been sold in a single year, besides other thousands in German, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Danish-Norwegian, Swedish, and Finnish. Our young people have responded splendidly to the efforts put forth to provide for them good reading. The Missionary Volunteer Reading Courses, including books of devotion, missions, travel, religious history, and nature, have attracted many of our youth from the cheap literature of the day, and have cultivated a taste for that which is wholesome and uplifting. A young woman just leaving for the mission field says that her first interest in missions was awakened by the Missionary Volunteer Reading Course. Aside from the English Junior and Senior Courses, Reading Courses have been conducted in German, Japanese, Chinese, Danish-Norwegian, Swedish, and Spanish. Many of our young people have been willing to study as well as to read. Privately, and in groups, hundreds have studied Bible doctrines and denominational history, and have passed examinations in these two fundamental subjects, thus becoming Members of Attainment. One busy young person worked till one o’clock in the morning, and another until three, on the self-chosen task of writing out their Standard of Attainment examination papers. Organized Missionary Work
“It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.” It is the purpose of our Missionary Volunteer Department to train the inexperienced to bear the yoke. Mrs. E. G. White has said, “When the youth give their hearts to God, your care for them should not cease. Lay some responsibility upon them. Make them feel that they are expected to do something. The Lord chooses them because they are strong. Teach them to labor in a quiet, unpretending way, for their young companions. Let different branches of the missionary work be laid out systematically, and let instruction and help be given, so that the young may learn to act a part. Thus they will grow up to be workers for God.” This instruction is very clear. It is evident that our Missionary Volunteer Societies are doing much to accomplish these results. One worker writes, “The young people of this conference are learning that they can help in giving the third angel’s message.” What a blessed thing to learn! A conference president in a foreign field writes, “The young people are truly becoming a tower of strength in the giving of this message.” The Missionary Volunteer secretary in one of our small conferences writes, “Two societies are taking such an interest in the present campaign with the Present Truth Series that they are working17other small towns besides their own. Even the Junior members are going out with the older ones with these special papers. We expect to have calls for Bible readings in the near future as a result of this work.” Another says, “One of our girls who thought she could not do anything but give music lessons has taken up the work of giving Bible readings in her own town, and is so enthusiastic that she is trying to get some one to take her music class so that she can give more time to the Bible work.” A young man in Brazil left a good place in the customhouse and worked with pick and shovel in order to keep the Sabbath. He is now a successful colporteur, and is begging for a minister to go to the interior, where he has been selling books, and where there are more than thirty persons who have quit their drink and tobacco and are keeping the Sabbath. There are now more than a thousand Missionary Volunteer Societies in the world, with a membership of about 20,000 young people. The reports show that in the last two years these young people have made over 260,000 missionary visits, conducted 81,000 Bible readings and cottage meetings, distributed more than 2,500,000 papers, spent 300,000 hours in Christian help work, given over $43,600 to foreign missions, and nearly $22,600 to home missions, and to other kinds of work in the same proportion. While our reports do not represent all that has been done, and while we fall far short of what we can, and, I believe, will do, still this report ought to encourage us all to realize the truth of the statement made years ago, that “we have an army of youth today who can do much if they are properly directed and encouraged.” All round the world young people are joining the ranks of our Missionary Volunteer army. May the day speedily come when this ever-increasing army shall be well equipped with the Christian’s armor, and doing its part in the finishing work of the gospel. M. E. KERN.