What the Situation Demands by W. T. Knox

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Nov 17, 1910

What the Situation Demands

By W. T. Knox

With each succeeding year, this people have, by their representatives in council, planned for a constantly increasing work in the proclamation of God's message of mercy. Invariably they have liberally given of their substance to support these plans.

The General Conference of 1909 and the General Conference Council in April last were no exception to this rule. The missionary efforts arranged for by that Council called for a very large increase in our work at home and abroad. It has been generally understood that the present scope of our work calls for an expenditure by the Mission Board during 1910, in mission fields at home and abroad, of at least $400,000. The general verdict of the people has been that this is none too much to expend in the giving of this message in needy fields in view of the times and development confronting us.

For the past six months, the General Conference has been striving with all its energy to find the necessary means to keep the different mission fields properly supplied, but we have had only partial success in this effort. Lately we have been unable to send to some of the missions their usual monthly remittances, and in no case have any been supplied as the conditions demand.

Brethren in the home field, what shall we do? What will you do? Shall we leave our brethren in far fields with only half of the meager allowance voted to them, and without sufficient funds to move about from station to station to care for the already developed interests? None of us are willing that such conditions shall exist.

The situation confronting us has not been created by a falling off in donations, but by the fact that our work has outgrown the former measure of our gifts. A greater liberality, with its accompanying sacrifices, is now demanded in order that we shall be able to continue to carry on our present work.

We hope that the week of prayer will witness a hearty and an unusually liberal response by all.

W. T. Knox.