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Seventh-Day Adventist Church of New Orleans, La

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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Apr 4, 1912

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 89, No. 14.

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Seventh-Day Adventist Church of New Orleans, La.

By E. P. Auger; W. McLennan; A. J. Hetherington

Its Organization, Opportunities, and Problems

This article is written in answer to the many inquiries from our brethren and sisters who have seen the notice in the Review that literature in many languages is much needed for mission work.
The membership of this church is composed of seven nationalities. Each is very zealous to give the warning to its own people. The work of training these believers into efficient workers is carried on systematically. They study the Testimonies weekly in regard to the work in cities. The church is organized to do effective missionary work, and committees are appointed to have charge of the various lines of missionary activity.
The medical missionary committee, with a physician as its chairman, is qualified to care for the sick, and is able to render valuable service in the homes where sickness is found. The members carry with them literature on health and temperance. The whole church cooperates in reporting cases that need to be ministered to.
The members of the visiting committee visit the church-members who are not able to attend the meetings or Sabbath-school. They see that all have the papers to use for missionary work, study the Sabbath-school lessons and pray with them. The usefulness of this committee is unlimited. The whole church cooperates in this work, under the direction of the chairman.
To the corresponding committee is given the work of the church beyond the city limits. The ships that come to this seaport are visited, and the addresses of the sailors, soldiers in the navy, and seagoing persons are obtained, and literature mailed to them. The letters the members receive that need special answers are referred to this committee.
The ship committee has the oversight of the work on the ships. This important seaport has thirty miles of wharf. Thousands of ships come and go, freighted with precious souls of all nations. No other field offers such opportunities. The sailors are always glad to get the papers and tracts. We can keep several persons busy all the time distributing literature among them.
The committee for the distribution of literature is composed of the seven foreign committees, each of which has a chairman, and sees to the work for its own nationality.
The young people's committee cooperates with the home missionary society. The report of work done is as large as that of the other society.
The opportunities of this church are unlimited:—
1. We have over three hundred fifty thousand souls of all nations of the world to warn.
2. Where, with our present means, we can answer one call, hundreds must remain unanswered.
3. The church is working earnestly, and to the best of its ability.
The hard problems to solve are:—
1. How to keep the seventy-seven members of this society supplied with literature in all these languages.
2. How to warn people of so many nationalities, when we have only one Bible worker for the French and two for the English.
3. If we had a pastor (it has been two months since we had one), how could we invite the public to come to hear the truth at our mission meeting-room, when there is seating capacity for only the adult members of the church?
4. If we had more Bible workers for the various nationalities, how could they be supported? Our conference can not take any more laborers on the pay-roll.
To solve the first-mentioned problem, it occurs to us that if the brethren and sisters representing the various nationalities—French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Jewish, etc.—would send us papers and tracts for distribution, a wonderful amount of good would result.
The second problem is one we have no hope of solving unless some of the churches or conferences will send a worker and support him in the work for the foreigners he represents. We have the mission building, and the people to work for.
To continue the work, we must have a place to which to invite the people. To be on the grounds and see the many thousands of people looking for the knowledge we hold so dear, is like seeing many persons drowning without power to save them. There is a building offered us that will seat three hundred persons. It is in a good location, and is commodious. We have offered four thousand dollars cash for it. If we can secure this, it will be a great blessing.
The fourth problem is to have Bible workers for the different nationalities. We see the possibility of getting them if the brethren of these nationalities will send consecrated workers to do this work under the direction of the mission. We ask our brethren in the various conferences to consider the urgent needs of this field at once, and to make a special effort to send laborers for the foreigners in this city.
The church of New Orleans has its own problems also. The membership is largely sisters, and most of them have husbands who are not with them in the truth. Yet the total of the tithe last year was $1,508. The contributions, all told, amounted to $2,808. The Sabbath-school donations for foreign missions are averaging one dollar a day this quarter.
The reader can thus understand why we are appealing so earnestly for laborers and means for the work. Address all correspondence to E. P. Auger, 1726 Gen. Taylor St., New Orleans, La.
E. P. AUGER, W. MCLENNAN, A. J. HETHERINGTON.