The Eastern New York Camp-Meeting by Eugene W. Farnsworth

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Nov 14, 1907

The Eastern New York Camp-Meeting

By Eugene W. Farnsworth

THIS meeting was held at Herkimer, N. Y., September 5-15. There were about fifty tents pitched on the ground. The plot of land was somewhat low and level, and the heavy rains made it wet.

Elder S. N. Haskell was in attendance at the meeting, and his studies of the Word and his testimony in the meetings were a great help and inspiration to all. I was glad to have the privilege of associating once more with this servant of God in labor.

Elder H. F. Ketring was also there a part of the time, and assisted greatly. Elder H. W. Carr, of the Western New York Conference, was present a day or two, and did what he could. Brother R. J. Bryant labored hard in the interest of the book work. New York has done a good work in the circulation of literature the past year; but, being pressed for laborers in the evangelistic work, they took their general agent and put him at work with a tent as a minister. This worked well for the tent and the company, but the canvassing work suffered as a result. It is a very difficult proposition to keep the canvassing work in a healthy condition where there is no State agent, or where his time and thought are divided with some other calling.

The business part of the conference was dispatched promptly and very harmoniously. Elder F. H. De Vinney was re-elected president, and F. N. Johnson secretary and treasurer. A few changes were made in the committee. The camp-meeting was about as large as the meeting for the undivided conference was last year. I should judge from what I learned, that about the same amount of labor has been done in this half of the conference as was done in the whole conference last year.

Elder S. B. Whitney had been holding a tent-meeting in the city for a short time before the camp-meeting began. Some interest had been awakened. The interested ones attended the meeting whenever the weather would permit.

The conference had about six hundred dollars to raise on their part of the $150,000 fund. In one meeting they raised it all in cash and pledges in a few minutes. It will not be long before they will have the cash all in.

The most serious problem that confronts that conference, in fact both the New York Conferences, is the lack of laborers. There are only three ordained ministers in this conference who are able to labor, and one of these is seventy-five years old. The others whose names appear in the Year-book, who have not moved away, range all the way from eighty to ninety-six. Elder Frederick Wheeler is ninety-six years of age. He is somewhat feeble, yet sent a most vigorous and ringing testimony to his brethren at the camp in behalf of the unity and stability of the whole truth of this message, and his faith in it all.

There are nine hundred Sabbath- keepers and thirty-six churches. Their laborers must be replenished. What is true of the two New York Conferences is true, to a large extent, of this whole union conference. If there is a union anywhere that is largely destitute of laborers, in proportion to its needs, it is this one. We all need to pray earnestly that the Lord will send forth laborers into his harvest. There is a sifting going on all the time, and some have fallen out, but the work goes steadily onward, and a spirit of courage pervades the conference. All seemed ready and anxious to press the work forward as never before. I enjoyed the meeting very much. God greatly blessed the people. E. W. FARNSWORTH.