The Wisconsin Camp-Meeting by George A. Irwin

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Sep 26, 1907

The Wisconsin Camp-Meeting

By George A. Irwin

THIS meeting was held at Grand Rapids, Wis., on a plot of ground about a mile from the center of the town. In this beautiful pine grove, there were pitched one hundred and ten family tents, all filled to their utmost capacity. In addition to this, there were a great many people located in rooms near by. It was estimated that there were between nine hundred and a thousand persons in attendance.

A good spiritual interest prevailed from the beginning. The services on the first Sabbath forenoon were followed by a revival effort in which over two hundred came forward to seek the Lord. At different times during the progress of the meeting there were revival efforts in which a number of people gave themselves to the Lord. A great spiritual blessing was experienced the last Sabbath.

The annual conference was held in connection with this camp-meeting, at which time financial reports from the conference and conference association, the Bethel Academy, and the Madison Sanitarium were presented. The total contributions for the year, including the tithe, amounted to $48,500. About $19,000 of this amount has gone outside the State. About five thousand dollars of the tithe is annually paid to laborers in other fields. There was a healthy increase in all the donations of the conference for the past year, except in the annual offerings. The tithe in the past two years has increased about twelve thousand dollars.

Six tent companies have been in the field this season. There was one church of twenty-two members admitted to the conference, and a reported increase of three hundred and forty-four members during the year.

The school work in general received considerable attention in this conference. In addition to the Bethel Academy, they have one intermediate school, and another is about to be established. There were twenty-two church-schools in operation, and more are being added each year.

There were two sessions of the conference held each day until the business was completed. The following officers were elected for the coming year: President, C. McReynolds; Secretary and Treasurer, R. T. Dowsett; Tract Society Secretary, W. J. Huffman; Field Secretary, A. J. Olsen; Educational Secretary, Mary C. Cook. Conference Executive Committee: C. McReynolds, R. T. Dowsett, P. M. Hanson, A. J. Olsen, A. W. Hallock, W. J. Pflugradt, and the superintendent of the Madison Sanitarium. The newly elected Wisconsin Conference Association Board stands as follows: Chairman, C. McReynolds; Secretary and Treasurer, R. T. Dowsett; other members, C. J. Herrmann, J. C. Mikkelsen, and F. Stebbels.

Ministerial credentials were renewed to eighteen persons, and ministerial licenses granted to ten persons. Twenty-eight persons received missionary licenses, and eight persons were given medical missionary licenses. Licenses were granted to seventeen evangelistic canvassers, and teacher's credentials to thirty teachers. A recommendation was also passed that M. H. Serns, Theodore T. Lewis, and S. T. Shadel be ordained to the gospel ministry, and granted credentials. This would make twenty-one ordained ministers in all. Several of these persons, however, are practically on the superannuated list, having reached too great an age for active service in the field.

All phases of the work received their due share of consideration during the conference sessions. The foreign missionary work was made especially prominent during the conference, inasmuch as there were persons present who had recently visited Africa and India; and China was represented by Dr. Miller, who has spent several years in that field.

During the early part of the meeting Brother Moon and myself accompanied a committee appointed by the conference to visit the Bethel Academy school grounds to look over the situation, and to make report to the conference as to what should be done in the way of erecting a new building in place of the one recently burned. I was pleased both with the location and with what I saw in the way of improvements and crops. Their young apple orchard was loaded with fruit. Their blackberries, raspberries, and in fact all their small fruits and crops, looked well. They have a large and commodious hay, grain, and cattle barn on the place, built entirely by the labor of teachers and students. A new frame dormitory for girls has been built this season in a similar way, and is rapidly approaching completion, besides a new engine and boiler house. All they lack now is the building for chapel and recitation rooms.

On returning to the camp-ground the committee recommended that a new building be erected, and that seven thousand dollars be raised for this purpose. The matter was taken up at the next session of the conference, and $3,525 was obtained in cash and pledges. It is expected that the rest will be raised by the time it is all needed.

At the close of my talk on the needs of the work in Africa, one sister gave $1,000 toward the work in that field. At the close of Dr. Miller's talk on China, $543 was given in cash and pledges for work in that field. On Wednesday we took up the matter of raising the remainder due from this State ($4,891) on the $150,000 fund, which brought in the required amount. As a fitting climax to this remarkable meeting, the conference voted the sum of $1,500 from its surplus tithe for missions. The signal blessing of God attended this meeting. The Sabbath-school donations for the two Sabbaths aggregated $110, making the grand total of donations given during the conference $11,569. In addition to this twenty scholarships of $17.50 each were taken to send pupils to Sister Thompson's

school in China. A considerable sum was also raised toward the purchase of a new pavilion for camp-meetings.

Meetings were held every day for the German people in a tent pitched for that purpose on the ground. These meetings were conducted by Elders Herrmann and Shrock. Elder Reinke also was present during a portion of the time, and rendered valuable service. Regular meetings were held for the Scandinavian people in a separate tent, conducted in the main by Elders Johnsson and Locken. Elder Christian also was present for a few days, and spoke several times.

Quite a number of persons from the town attended the night services, which were almost entirely devoted to doctrinal subjects. As a result of the spiritual interest of the meeting, eighty-five persons were baptized. In addition to these, another baptism was to be held on Sunday. Elders Moon and Covert, Dr. Miller, Brother Blosser, and the writer were present from the beginning of the meeting until the middle of the second week. Brethren Thompson and Curtis arrived the Monday evening following the first Sabbath, and remained until the close of the meeting. Prof. J. G. Lamson was present the last few days. Brother Moon left for the North Michigan meeting on Wednesday of the second week, and Dr. Miller and I left on Thursday for the East Michigan meeting.

Taken all together, the Wisconsin camp-meeting can be safely said to have been a very successful meeting. The studies and lessons given, and the preaching services in general, were all calculated to build the people up in the most holy faith, and impress all hearts anew with the nearness of the end and the importance of the times in which we are living, and I feel sure that, in most cases, the effect will be a deeper consecration and more earnest service in future for the Lord. G. A. IRWIN.