How the Missionary Volunteer Work Answers the Needs of the Young People
By Arthur G. Daniells
The Young People's Missionary Volunteer Department was organized, and is being carried on, in the interests of our young people in all parts of the world. It is estimated that fully one third of the one hundred thousand members of our denomination are young people. Thirty thousand young people! Who can measure the responsibility that rests upon some one in their behalf? And upon whom does that tremendous responsibility rest if not upon the senior members of our denomination? These young people are full of life and activity. They have their conceptions and ideals of life. They have courage and hope regarding the future. But in all these respects they are immature. They need help. They need warnings of the dangers around and ahead of them. They need instruction and direction. Ay, more, they must be laid hold of by a power that will mold them aright while they are in the formative period of life. To aid in the accomplishment of this great work is the one great object of the Young People's Missionary Volunteer Department. And by the blessing of God, the earnest efforts of the department are being crowned with success. Through the earnest, practical, systematic efforts of the department since its organization four years ago, thousands of our young people have been converted, and are now working earnestly to lead other young people to the Saviour. The aim of the department is not only to prevail upon young people to surrender to Christ, but constantly to grow in grace, and to become successful in soul-winning service. To accomplish this, simple yet vital conditions of spiritual growth set forth in the Scriptures are kept constantly before these young Christians. A constant effort is made to impress upon their minds the importance and value of prayer, Bible study, and the reading of good books. As we advance in age and experience, we all come to realize more keenly the value of secret prayer and personal study of the Bible. A returned missionary from China, when addressing some candidates for that field, said: “You may live in Chinese houses, eat with chop-sticks, speak Chinese fluently, and even wear a queue; but unless you pray and study your Bible daily, you will be a failure as a foreign missionary.” Communion with Heaven is the secret of spiritual growth and successful missionary service. To encourage this daily, constant communion, the department has for four years prepared and sent out the Morning Watch Calendar. Hundreds testify that this little daily reminder is helping them to form the all-important habit of regular secret prayer and personal Bible study. The increase of the circulation of this little booklet among our young people testifies to their appreciation of it. The first number had a circulation of seven thousand, while the number for the present year has a circulation of over twenty-two thousand, and many orders have come in since the edition was exhausted. This year the Reading Courses conducted by the Missionary Volunteer Department have an enrolment of about fifteen hundred young people and children. These courses are helping to protect these youth from the destructive influence of pernicious literature by giving them a desire to read that which will help them to build strong Christian characters. One Missionary Volunteer secretary gives expression to the experience of others when she says: “Those who have taken the Reading Courses are anxious for more education, and many of them are in school, or are taking the Correspondence School work.” The Standard of Attainment plan has stimulated many young people to become better Bible students and better acquainted with our denominational history. About one hundred seventy-five young persons have passed the examinations, and hold certificates of Attainment. Many more are preparing to take this test. More than one third of the Missionary Volunteers in Australia are studying Bible doctrines. In a number of conferences, resolutions have been passed recommending that the workers take these Standard of Attainment tests. God has made the young people's workers in the conferences a means of bringing salvation to many young people. Some time ago one secretary wrote: “I thank God that the Missionary Volunteer organization in this conference has been instrumental in saving seventy-six young people this year.” Another reported eighty-three conversions; and still another, one hundred thirty-two. These young people are being saved to serve. We rejoice to see the interest that is being created among the young people in missionary work; for not only does God's great cause on earth need the young people, but they greatly need the work God has appointed them to do. The world is bidding high for young men and women. They are made the special target for her innumerable inducements; and there is nothing that will so certainly protect our young people against these temptations, or so securely bind them to God's cause, as Christian service. We thank God that he is using the Missionary Volunteer work to help bind their hearts to this precious truth. The pledge distributed among the young people demands faithfulness in missionary work. It reads:— “Loving the Lord Jesus, and desiring to co-operate with him in the closing message of salvation, I promise to take an active part in the work of the Young People's Missionary Volunteer society, doing what I can to help others, and to finish the work of the gospel in all the world.” Thousands of young men and women have signed this pledge. It has doubtless spurred them on to greater activity in all lines of missionary work. During the last three years much effort has been given to the temperance cause. Our Missionary Volunteers have held many temperance rallies, circulated great quantities of the Temperance numbers of the Instructor, and distributed about twenty-five thousand temperance pledges. Those who watch the reports of the department must be encouraged by the17progress this good phase of our work is making. Although our conference officers and ministers in home and foreign fields are pressed with many burdens, they are giving this line of work more and more attention. Missionary Volunteer societies are being organized and cared for in all our conferences and mission fields throughout the world. Australasia reports nearly two thousand earnest Missionary Volunteers. In Europe, Africa, and South America, thousands of our young people are receiving new ideals of life and new inspiration to live for God and a lost world through the very practical lines of work being carried on by the Missionary Volunteer Department. The value of this endeavor for our young people is clearly and impressively presented to us by the picture of two churches. One has put forth no special effort in behalf of her children and young people. Most of the young people of that church have drifted into the world; scarcely any of them have given their lives to the work of this cause. The other church has made earnest efforts to save her young people. A Missionary Volunteer society has been organized and looked after. Note the result. One of that society, when expressing his gratitude for what had been accomplished, said: “The years have flown swiftly by, and to-day those who were faithful in doing the work are taking up the burdens of older laborers. To my personal knowledge two are in the ministry, one is a member of a conference committee, one is director of the normal department of a college, while another is doing efficient work as a conference tract society secretary.” Nearly every church has an experience similar to one of these, and surely the results plead eloquently for more earnest efforts in behalf of our children and young people. Here have been given some of the methods whereby the Missionary Volunteer organization is endeavoring to enlist, to hold, and to train the young people of this denomination; and through God's blessing we believe these methods are all contributing much toward the salvation of our youth, and their preparation for service.