p. 38 | NORTH-WESTERN KANSAS by Smith Sharp

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jan 30, 1879

NORTH-WESTERN KANSAS.

By Smith Sharp

There are about three hundred Sabbath-keepers living in what we generally term North-western Kansas. There are nine organized churches here, but no ordained minister living

nearer than two or three hundred miles from the most of them. As they had had no preaching for almost a year, it was decided that I should visit them this winter; and since the middle of last November this has been my work. I have held nine meetings a week since that time on an average. Six have been baptized, quite a number have made a start in the cause of God, about a hundred copies of the Signs have been taken in clubs, and twenty-five or thirty have joined the tract society. I think that if all come up on S. B. to the pledges they have made, there will be twice as much paid in 1879 as was in 1878. The Sabbath-school work has also received some attention, and in most of the churches the schools are in a prosperous condition.

There are excellent fields of labor in this part of the Conference. The people are generally poor. Having but lately come to Kansas, they have expended what means they had in opening their farms. This is proving to be an excellent country, and thousands are constantly moving in from Eastern States, and among them are many good, responsible Sabbath-keepers. Smith county enough have lately settled to form a church. There are several lecturing in different places, and our tract workers are meeting with good success here. There is no part of our Conference where our people are more ready to sustain our different enterprises than they are here. In the most of the churches pledges have been made for our missions, and the churches at B. C. and Oakland.

New Year's day was very cold. I was at Bethany, where we kept the fast; almost all present pledged $1.20 each for the church at Oakland. Their elder and deacon were ordained.

The greatest lack I have seen in this section is the failure of our people to live out the health reform. There may be some excuse in a new country like this for a limited use of meat; but I can see no excuse for the use of tea and coffee; and when old Sabbath-keepers indulge in their use they injure the cause. I spoke several times on this subject, and I hope there will be an improvement. SMITH SHARP.

Tabor, Jan. 17, 1879.