Notes on the Summary by E. R. P.

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Sep 29, 1910

Notes on the Summary

By E. R. P.

The blessing of the Lord resting upon the faithful labors of his servants always brings victory. This precious fact is written in large letters all over the accompanying summary.

The Northern Union Conference has been in the grip of a terrible drought, and doubtless this caused discouragement to some of the canvassers, and has made it difficult for our field agents to hold their workers.

A careful study of the accompanying summary for the month of August, will start a song of praise and thanksgiving in many hearts. We join heartily with our dear workers in the field in thanksgiving to God for this victory.

We take pleasure in calling attention to the strong increase in many union conferences over previous years. It is only right, however, for us to state that many large camp-meetings were held in the Central Union Conference during the month of August, which doubtless accounts for the small decline in that territory.

It is unnecessary to recount the struggles and the earnest work of our general agents and field agents in the United States, since the beginning of 1910. In some of our union conferences there appears to have been an accumulation of difficulties, which has made the work peculiarly trying to the leaders. We have recognized this, and have referred to it in connection with previous summaries. However, as the difficulties have pressed in upon the work, more earnest prayers have been offered, leaders have talked courage, and have worked hard, and the canvassers have put in more faithful hours.

Last year there were forty-seven canvassers in the Northern Union during the month of August, and this year thirty-seven. Evidently the drought got inside of a few of our workers, and they have had a dry time. It is both interesting and instructive to note that the thirty-seven agents who continued in the work, succeeded even better, per agent, than last year. This demonstrates that the difficulty was not in the fact that there was a drought, but in the fact that some workers left the field. What a fine thing it would have been if all the workers could have trusted in God to give them a greater victory, under such difficulties, than he had done in times of prosperity! This was evidently true of those who engaged in the work.

Considering the conditions that prevail, the showing is excellent for the Northern Union Conference, and we are thankful to God that he still has workers who believe in him, and will in his name triumph over temporal difficulties.

The summary as a whole shows a substantial gain over the month of August for any previous year.

The success of our workers during the months of June, July, and August has been more evenly distributed this year than in the two preceding years. None of these months shows as large a report as the one published for June, 1909, or for July, 1908; but the total for the three months is far above either of the two preceding years.

For his manifold blessings upon this department of his work, we thank God with all our hearts. E. R. P.