The Ohio Camp-Meeting by G. A. Irwin

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

The Ohio Camp-Meeting

By G. A. Irwin

This meeting was held August 9-10, at Marion, Ohio. The brethren had obtained the use of the fair-grounds for their camp, and being located on a street-car line, it was very easy of access from the depots and from any part of the city. The grounds were excellent. There being many natural shade trees, the camp was not only attractive, but very comfortable during the heated part of the day.

There was a good attendance of our people, considering the lateness of the season and harvest. There were one hundred and five family tents on the grounds, containing an aggregate of five hundred persons; one hundred persons were accommodated in rooms near by, making a total attendance of six hundred in all.

From the first, the spiritual interests of the meeting were good. At the conclusion of the forenoon service on the first Sabbath, the whole congregation arose in response to the invitation to consecrate themselves anew to the Lord. In the afternoon services many cheering testimonies were borne, expressing confidence in the message and its ultimate and speedy triumph. Every day was filled with the consideration of some phase of our work for this time.

The first Sunday was a beautiful day, and there was quite a large number of the citizens of Marion in attendance. In the afternoon they listened attentively to a clear exposition of the Sabbath truth as we hold it, and in the evening to a discourse on the second coming of Christ.

Monday forenoon was taken up with the consideration of the recommendation of the General Conference Committee at its recent session at Gland to transfer the Ohio Conference from the Lake Union to the proposed new union conference that is to be formed out of the southern portion of the Atlantic Union. After the matter was presented from the standpoint of the interest of the work as a whole, and a few questions that arose in the minds of the brethren were answered, a motion to accede to the recommendation was unanimously passed by the brethren present. The rest of the time was taken up in considering the needs of the school at Mount Vernon.

In the afternoon I gave a talk on my trip around the world, and especially my experiences in Africa and my impression of the needs of that great field. Following this talk, the needs of the Mount Vernon school were again taken up, and a collection was taken, resulting as follows: $677.73 for the school; $75 for China; $62.50 for Africa, making a total collection of $815.23.

Wednesday forenoon an effort was made to raise the amount yet due from the Ohio Conference ($2,003) on the $150,000 fund. After a stirring missionary talk by Elder Thompson, and a few remarks by Elder Burkholder, the president of the conference, I made an appeal to the people to make up this fund, stating that I had made some figures while listening to Elder Thompson's speech, and if the brethren would respond to these, they could soon make up the amount. Prior to going into the meeting, we had had a blackboard marked off with squares; and I first raised the question if there were not ten persons in the congregation who would be willing to give one hundred dollars each to this fund, and as fast as they would stand upon their feet, signifying their willingness to do it, Brother Thompson would mark out one square in the first row. In order to give evidence of my interest in this effort, I told Brother Thompson to mark out the first square for myself. This example was quickly followed by eleven other persons. We then dropped down to fifty dollars, and it was not long until six persons gave fifty dollars each. We then dropped down to twenty-five dollars, and twenty-four squares were marked out. Our next drop was to ten dollars, and twenty-four more squares were marked out. Forty-one persons gave five each, and nine persons gave three dollars each. The hat was then passed in the congregation, and thirty-six dollars was collected in cash in varying sums from a nickel to one dollar. When this amount was all summed up, it was found that we had $2,608; adding to this amount twenty-five dollars that had been given for the same purpose the day before, it made $2,633; thus wiping out Ohio's quota to the $150,000 fund, and leaving a surplus of $630 to be put into the missionary work. Later the Ohio Conference Committee voted to add sufficient to this amount to bring the whole up to $3,000. In view of the fact that there were not over two hundred and fifty persons present when this effort was made, we felt well pleased with the result, especially since, the day before, $815 had been raised for the Mount Vernon school. If the whole membership of the conference had been present, and had lifted as did the few who were there, we would have realized a very handsome sum from the Ohio brethren for the promulgation of the truth in foreign lands.

Nor did this effort exhaust the liberality of the brethren present. Later, Dr. Miller received $308 for the work in China, and the last Sabbath of the meeting $105 was given in the Sabbath-school donation for foreign missions. Adding to

this the twenty-two dollars given the first Sabbath, we have the sum of $4,250.23, camp-meeting expenses excepted. The brethren seemed pleased because the Lord had put it into their hearts to give so liberally of their means.

Each day of the meeting following this was well filled with Bible studies, missionary talks, and matters of interest pertaining to the work both in the home and in the foreign field.

Elder Thompson and Dr. Miller each gave a stirring address; the former upon his trip and experiences and the need of the work in India, and the latter told of his experience and the needs of the work in China. Regular meetings were held each day for the young people, and daily meetings were also held with the workers in the conference, and an hour each day was given to instructing church officers and to answering questions.

The last Sabbath was an especially good day. Following the forenoon service nearly three hundred persons came forward to especially seek the Lord. Many of these were members of the church, but had felt they were in a back-slidden condition. Some gave themselves to the Lord for the first time. As the result of the entire meeting, thirty-four persons were baptized at the close. The meeting throughout was well planned and conducted, and, I think it could be said, judged by its general results, the best meeting Ohio ever yet held.

The two principal papers of the city gave very liberal reports of the sermons and addresses, so that the citizens of Marion who were unable to attend the meetings in person could read the principal addresses at their homes.

The one theme that seemed to permeate all the discourses and the meeting in general was the second coming of Christ in this generation and the preparation necessary for that event.

In addition to the ministry of the conference, Brother Moon, president of the Lake Union; Elder Curtis, educational secretary; Brother Slosser, canvassing agent; Elder Thompson, Dr. Miller, and the writer were in attendance.

I can not refrain at this point from speaking of the kind and courteous treatment we have received at each of the camp-meetings we have attended thus far. Everything has been done that could be done to make us comfortable both in the way of lodging and of board.

I was very pleased to have the privilege of attending this meeting, and especially because it was held in the town of Marion; for it brought vividly to my mind my experience at that place seventeen years before. The first camp-meeting held at Marion was the first meeting that I had charge of after having been elected president of the Ohio Conference. It was at that meeting that I was ordained to the gospel ministry. After the lapse of seventeen years, during which time I had spent four years in Australia and had made two trips around the world, visiting our work in different parts of the great field, it was indeed gratifying to me to come back and be privileged to meet many of the very persons with whom I was associated in my early experience in the work. I was glad to see many of the pioneers, and to hear their testimonies and their expressions of confidence in the ultimate triumph of this message, and their hope to triumph with it. While there were many whom I had formerly known, there were a great many whose faces were entirely new to me, showing that while there have been deaths and removals of the brethren and transfer of workers from that State to other fields, yet the cause of God is still onward in the Buckeye State.

The Ohio Conference has been very liberal in recent years with both its means and its laborers toward the work in foreign fields, and I trust this liberal policy will be continued in the days that are to come. G. A. Irwin.