Camp-Meeting at Santa Cruz, Cal.
By Stephen N. Haskell
A LOCAL camp-meeting was held at Santa Cruz, July 29 to August 8. There was a good attendance, and the last Sabbath of the meeting over three hundred were enrolled in the Sabbath-school. From the beginning, the interest steadily increased. It was necessary for Elders H. W. Cottrell and J. O. Corliss to leave in the midst of the meeting, and several others left also, so the laboring force was not large; but God manifested his power to restore both soul and body. On the last Sabbath of the meeting, at the close of the forenoon discourse, about fifty came forward for prayers. Two of these were quite weak and feeble, and felt as if they had scarcely strength to go to the front seats, yet when they sat down upon the front seats, God instantly restored them soul and body. Others took their stand for the first time to keep the Sabbath, and the meeting lasted from eleven o’clock until two. The shout of victory was in the camp; several persons were prayed for and healed. The last Sunday morning at eight o’clock small groups of our brethren and sisters could be seen in the different tents, pleading with God for special victory,—some for physical blessing, and some for spiritual liberty; some that their friends who were out of the truth might be reached by the Spirit of God. It was a wonderful scene, and God most signally blessed these companies. During the camp-meeting there were $1,188.10 worth of books and periodicals sold; over three hundred fifty dollars’ worth of Sister E. G. White’s books were sold the last Sunday forenoon at the nine o’clock missionary meeting. Eight or nine hundred dollars was16raised for the foreign missionary work. We consider this a very generous amount when we remember that our brethren in this section of the conference are not wealthy. Santa Cruz is a place of resort for pleasure seekers during the summer. The sea-breeze made the nights quite cool, but during the day it was warm and pleasant. There was no murmuring or complaining on the ground, and many who had attended most of the camp-meetings in California, expressed themselves as having never attended one where the spiritual interest ran higher than at this meeting; yet there was no excitement. Our general camp-meeting will be held in some location around the Bay, and will begin the ninth of September. During our general camp-meeting a special session of the conference will be held, and many important interests will be considered at this meeting.