Southern Camp-Meetings by William Ambrose Spicer

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Sep 12, 1907

Southern Camp-Meetings

By William Ambrose Spicer

Louisville, Ky.

The Southern Union lists nine general camp-meetings and one local meeting this season. The first of the series was the local meeting for the northwestern part of the Cumberland Conference, held in the suburbs of Louisville, Ky. The Louisville believers and a small representation from near-by places gathered here from July 18 to 28. I enjoyed the two days spent with the brethren.

The workers present had cheering reports to give. And earnestly do they plead the need of more laborers in this populous and enterprising part of Kentucky. The meeting opened with blessings, and the surrender of hearts to the Lord, some starting for the first time; and I hear that this little camp-meeting closed with encouraging results.

Boyce, La.

The Louisiana meeting was held at Boyce, a town near the center of the State, July 19-28. The attendance of our own people was not large, as the meeting was rather distant from most of the churches. But as a means of agitating the minds of the public in a new region, the meeting was well located. The public thronged the tent night after night, and some were left more than ordinarily interested in the truth.

Brethren Horton and Reynolds were to follow up the interest with the large tent, while Brother Roberts, a new licentiate, and an associate are to use another tent elsewhere. Louisiana is evidently ready to hear the message, and the believers are anxious to see the active field work pushed.

The meetings brought decided spiritual victories to those attending. The proportion of young people present was encouraging in view of the great need of laborers. Canvassers had cheering reports to give. Out of about thirty-five parishes, or counties, the canvassers have been able to enter but seven or eight. They are aiming at new fields. And there is abundant room for new workers. One sister has done excellent work selling the Watchman in the towns of Louisiana. This feature of the work must surely become one of the strongest factors in sowing the seed through these enterprising towns of the South.

This conference has had three church-schools in operation, and the good influence of Christian education was apparent in the devotion of the little children at the camp-meeting. Last year's statistics of growth in Sabbath-keepers shows a gain of twenty-eight per cent. The State has had but one ordained minister, the president, and the New Orleans work has taken much of his attention. The conference invited an experienced minister of the West to enter the State.

In New Orleans a mission property has been purchased, on exceptionally favorable terms, which it is hoped will prove a great strength to the work. That is a cosmopolitan city, and the opening of work on the Panama Canal adds to its importance as the nearest great port to Central American countries. The main aim financially in the meeting was to secure help in this New Orleans enterprise; and the brethren in the South need any help that any one, especially interested in New Orleans and its outlook toward Spanish countries, may be led to give them.

Seven or eight were baptized in the Red River. The visiting laborers were Elders R. W. Parmele and J. E. Tenney, Dr. Mrs. Parmele, and myself. One important feature of the meeting was the excellent work of Elder Horton in reporting for the papers. By cultivating the friendship of the press, he was able to secure the insertion of daily reports of the meetings in New Orleans papers, although our meeting was in the central part of the State. By such means even a small camp-meeting may set multitudes to thinking about the message. The conference re-elected Elder S. B. Horton president, and Mrs. N. D. Saxby secretary and treasurer.

W. A. SPICER.