At the Camp-Meetings by GEO. F. ENOCH

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Tacoma Park Station, Washington, D.C. · Aug 8, 1907

At the Camp-Meetings

By GEO. F. ENOCH

The Velva (N. D.) camp-meeting is the fifth camp-meeting attended by the writer up to date, each of which has had specially interesting features.

At the western Washington camp-meeting the young people's work was signally blessed of God. The instruction given was practical and spiritual. The motto, “The Advent Message to All the World in This Generation,” which stood out clear and plain over the pulpit, was the key-note of every service, and struck a responsive chord in the hearts of the young people.

We had some real pentecostal blessings. Early in the meeting a special tent was fitted up and named “Bethel,” and almost all the time some young people were to be found there confessing sins, and getting right with God. In that meeting the young people were fortunate in having a band of personal workers, who with sympathetic hearts could kneel by their side and lead them to the fountain in which all their sins could be washed away.

Before the meeting closed, five mature young people, alone by themselves in that little Bethel, consecrated their lives definitely for India's great need, praying for God to open the way by which they might go to their chosen field of labor this fall. Four are nurses, and one is a teacher. Then there followed a wonderfully blessed meeting among all the young people, and almost the entire company laid their lives definitely on the altar. Many are laying plans to enter our various schools this fall.

At the Minnesota camp-meeting there were a large number of mature young men and women who responded to the call of the hour by consecrating their all to God and his cause, pledging their lives to his service, either at home or abroad, wherever he may lead.

At the South Dakota meeting the good work among the young people continued. Many gained a new experience, others found their Saviour for the first time, and almost all reached higher ground. At all the larger camp-meetings a little band of personal workers was formed from the start, meeting together for prayer each day, and after presenting particular cases before the Lord, separated to do personal labor for those in need of help. The Lord graciously blessed, and the workers had the joy of seeing the larger number of those for whom special prayer was made come to God. It is worthy of notice that this work among our young people has become much more effectual and substantial since the establishment of church-schools and intermediate schools in our conferences.

The last Sunday morning at the South Dakota camp-meeting will be long remembered. After a presentation of the world-wide situation, showing how God has in the last century opened doors into all lands, and how he has raised up this people for no other purpose than to enter these open doors and meet the world's great need, and how only that work lies now between us and our future happy home, there was a call for consecration of all to the finishing of this work. The Lord made plain that all the power and all the glory belong to him, but now since he is doing what he is, all the responsibility belongs to us. There was a heartfelt response. First a large number of strong young men and women arose and laid their lives on the altar. Then an equal number of parents arose and consecrated their sons and daughters to go wherever the Lord would lead. Then a call was made for the consecration of farms and means, which also met a hearty response. Many consecrated their farms to God, the proceeds of which were to be used in finishing his work. One brother arose and said he would give a donation of five hundred dollars, which he at once sent up to the desk. Another arose and said he had just bought a lot in a city and built a new house upon it; he realized that he should not have done so, and gave his house and lot for the heralding of the message in the regions beyond. Others gave their jewelry. The good work went on until twenty-seven hundred dollars in cash and pledges had been given in but a few minutes. Then before the meeting dismissed, the entire congregation stood, pledging themselves and all they had to stand by the work in the regions beyond.

No one will ever know the courage that such meetings bring to the heart of the worker who is going out into the dark places of the earth to work for Jesus. Brethren and sisters, this means that the work will soon be finished, and Jesus will come to take us home to glory. But between us and that glad day lies a little space of earnest toil and complete self-sacrifice and whole-hearted self-denial. Even so come, Lord Jesus.

At Velva we had meetings conducted in four languages — German, English, Russian, and Scandinavian. The union meetings with their several interpreters was a unique feature, particularly that of the last Sabbath afternoon, when all the camp met together around the Lord's table and celebrated the ordinances of the Lord's house. To many of us this was a symbol of that day, in the near future, when all nations and tongues shall gather around that one table on the other shore, and Jesus himself shall serve.

God drew graciously near at all these meetings, and in proportion to the surrenders made for his service and the world's great need, poured out his blessing. From all the meetings brethren and sisters returned home with new zeal and courage, and renewed consecration to his cause and work. GEO. F. ENOCH.