One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Dollar Fund by S. J. Hersum

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jul 4, 1907

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 84, No. 27.

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One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Dollar Fund

By S. J. Hersum

For Special Work at Home and Abroad

The Gold and Silver Are the Lord's

“The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord.” Haggai 2:8.

Not only are the silver and gold his, but the cattle upon a thousand hills, and all the fowls as well. Ps. 50:9, 10.

Not only the cattle and fowls belong unto the Lord, but the world itself and everything in it. Verse 12.

It matters not under whose control these things are at the present time. They in present possession are only stewards over what belongs to God. It is God who gives man ability to get wealth. Deut. 8:18; Hosea 2:8. But if that which the Lord gives is put to a wrong use, he will hold the one who has it responsible.

The Lord will always bring into the hands of his people an amount of means sufficient to carry forward his work. Illustrations of this fact are given us in the Scriptures. When God's people had been for so many years in bondage in Egypt, it is but reasonable to suppose that they had but little aside from their herds and flocks. But the Lord had a work for that people to do that required something besides sheep and goats,—a work that required some silver and gold,—so he told his people to borrow jewels of silver and gold from the Egyptians (Ex. 12:35, 36), and those things were used in the building of the sanctuary after they came out into the wilderness. Ex. 35:22-24. At another time, when God's people had been in captivity for threescore and ten years, at the end of that time the Lord had promised that his people should return to their own land, and the temple was to be rebuilt. But had that people the means with which to build it? It is evident that they had not the money of their own to do that work; so the Lord put it into the heart of Cyrus, when he made the proclamation for that people to return, to give them means with which to do the work. Ezra 1:4. And later, after the work had been begun and before the temple was finished, they still needed means to carry the work to completion; so Artaxerxes made a donation to help forward the work. See Ezra 7:15, 16. The amount specified in verse 22 is one hundred talents of silver, an amount that equals, in our money, $164,250. This certainly was a fulfilment of Isa. 60:9, 10, which says: “The sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee.”

But could that people expect help financially from the world if they had had the means to do the work themselves? I can not think they could have expected it. Man's necessity is God's opportunity to work. The gift of Artaxerxes exceeds the amount called for by our leading men, more than fourteen

thousand dollars. There is no question in the mind of the writer that if this denomination had not the means to meet this call, God would move upon the hearts of others, and they would supply the money needed. But so long as this people are able to raise the amount called for, they can not expect help from the world. The time is soon coming when the property we possess will be of no value to us. It will be consumed in the fires of the last days. The apostle says: “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” 2 Peter 3:10. Those who have money, then, will have to give it up. How much better it would be to use some of this means now, when the cause of God is in so much need of money with which to carry its work forward.

S. J. HERSUM. Richmond, Maine.

Received on the $150,000 Fund up to June 25, 1907

Atlantic Union Conference

Central New England ............... $ 2,472.26 Chesapeake ........................ 424.26 Eastern Pennsylvania ............. 1,411.85 Greater New York ................. 415.75 Maine ............................. 360.82 New Jersey ........................ 552.63 New York .......................... 1,026.17 Southern New England .............. 880.53 Vermont ........................... 850.70 Virginia .......................... 266.67 Western Pennsylvania .............. 822.57 West Virginia ..................... 241.67 Western New York .................. 1,291.67 Total ............................ $11,017.55

Canadian Union Conference

Maritime .......................... $316.43 Quebec ............................ 33.78 Ontario ........................... 350.48 Total ............................ $700.69

Central Union Conference

Colorado .......................... $ 878.19 Iowa .............................. 2,244.97 Kansas ............................ 1,655.65 Missouri .......................... 851.45 Nebraska .......................... 4,789.63 Wyoming ........................... 403.87 Total ............................ $10,823.76

District of Columbia

Washington churches ............... $1,168.24

Lake Union Conference

East Michigan ..................... $ 1,197.82 Indiana ........................... 4,475.48 North Michigan .................... 121.51 Northern Illinois ................. 1,619.74 Ohio .............................. 2,661.61 Southern Illinois ................. 750.58 West Michigan ..................... 3,165.35 Wisconsin ........................ 1,812.22 Total ............................ $15,804.31

North Pacific Union Conference

Conference not specified .......... $ 350.26 British Columbia .................. 67.80 Montana ........................... 221.66 Upper Columbia .................... 1,348.22 Western Washington ................ 1,021.81 Idaho ............................. 844.90 Western Oregon .................... 864.53 Total ............................ $4,719.18

Northern Union Conference

Alberta ........................... $ 144.10 Manitoba .......................... 238.70 Saskatchewan Mission Field ........ 34.85 Minnesota ......................... 3,485.00 South Dakota ...................... 2,114.19 North Dakota ...................... 1,681.23 Total ............................ $7,698.07

Pacific Union Conference

Arizona ........................... $ 177.87 California-Nevada ................ 5,164.16 Southern California ............... 482.79 Utah .............................. 205.46 Total ............................ $6,030.28

Southern Union Conference

South Carolina .................... $ 103.85 Alabama ........................... 200.63 Tennessee River ................... 502.94 Florida ........................... 337.65 North Carolina .................... 255.25 Kentucky .......................... 30.36 Cumberland ........................ 533.44 Louisiana ......................... 385.61 Mississippi ....................... 190.63 Georgia ........................... 345.86 Total ............................ $2,891.22

Southwestern Union Conference

Not specified ..................... $ 170.18 Arkansas .......................... 221.64 Oklahoma .......................... 1,414.94 Texas ............................. 1,060.86 Total ............................ $2,867.62

Unknown

Unknown ........................... $149.20

Foreign

Algeria ........................... $ 13.33 Australia ......................... 137.06 Bermuda ........................... 25.00 China ............................. 3.00 South Africa ...................... 128.16 Jamaica ........................... 13.41 Yukon Territory ................... 10.00 England ........................... 256.32 West Africa ....................... 13.90 Mexico ............................ 2.00 Costa Rica ........................ 2.00 India ............................. 12.48 South America ..................... 23.35 Switzerland ....................... 9.69 Panama ............................ 9.00 Nicaragua ......................... 2.00 Trinidad .......................... .34 Central American Mission ......... 17.00 Norway ............................ 25.00 Japan ............................. 12.50 Hayti ............................. 5.00 Egypt ............................. 51.55 Palestine ........................ 2.00 Tobago, W. I. ..................... 1.22 Total ............................ $775.31

Grand Total ........................ $64,645.43

All remittances should be made to the treasurer of the State conference wherein the remitter resides. If, for any reason, this is not possible, then remittance should be made to I. H. Evans, Treasurer, Takoma Park, Washington, D. C., and not to the Review and Herald Publishing Association.

I. H. EVANS, Treasurer.