J. GERSHOM DASENTE by J. Gershom Dasente

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Oct 11, 1906

J. GERSHOM DASENTE

By J. Gershom Dasente

Barbados

ST. JAMES.—Since my last report, I have attended our conference in the island of Trinidad, and returned.

The work recently opened up in The Garden is onward. Prior to my leaving for the conference, eleven precious souls—all adults, and varying in age from twenty-one to fifty years—were buried with our Lord in baptism, and received into church fellowship. Later these new members were organized into a tract society, and are doing good work with our literature. Since my return, many who were halting have begun the observance of the Sabbath, and are preparing for baptism, while others are on the verge of decision. This is indeed encouraging. Last month we organized a Young People's Society, and it is working admirably. We meet every Sunday afternoon at four o'clock.

The work in Speightstown and St. Lucy is also moving on, but slowly. We have a small company of believers in each of these districts, who see a minister about once a month, sometimes less than that. On visiting these companies last month, we found them all moving forward, in spite of the workings of the enemy. Each company presented a candidate for baptism, which took place at Crab Hill, St. Lucy, on August 23. We had quite an orderly attendance, and many realized the importance of the occasion. One of these newly baptized members is a brother who lives on the borders of an unentered parish, St. Andrew. He sells the Caribbean Watchman, and uses The Family Bible Teacher quite successfully. Thus the work is opening up eastward. The Lord is working mightily with his people. It is only about two years ago that a systematic effort was made in behalf of the people to the north of Barbados, comprising five parishes, by the living preacher; to-day we have believers in three of these parishes, with a total membership of about forty, and the fourth is calling for a laborer. The greater number of these members pay tithes and offerings. In spite of their poverty, they endeavor to meet their church dues, and send donations to other missions, quarterly.

We are now putting forth strenuous efforts for a church building of our own. At present the only place we can hire for our meetings is a room in a dwelling-house, or possibly a local friendly society might let or sublet its lodge to us. Very many people, especially those of the better class, have a prejudice against attending divine services in such places. Consequently, a church building of our own would assist us materially, for it would be the means of helping some to accept the truth who could be of some financial benefit to the cause.

We have distributed quite a number of Contribution Cards, but what the harvest will be we know not; but this we do know, unless we obtain some help outside of our efforts, we may not be able to begin operations just now. We are praying that the Lord will come to our assistance, by touching the heart of someone

with whom he has entrusted his goods, and bountifully blessed in temporal things, to give to this noble cause. We are greatly in need of a church building. There is only one such building in the whole island, consequently we labor under the circumstances that are spoken of by the servant of the Lord when she says: “In many places where the message has been preached and souls have accepted it, they are in limited circumstances, and can do but little toward securing advantages that would give character to the work. As persons become interested in the truth, they are told by the ministers of other churches [and these words are echoed by the church-members], ‘These people have no church, and you have no place of worship. You are a small company, poor and unlearned. In a short time the ministers will go away. . . . then you will give up all these new ideas which you have received.’”

May the Lord hear our prayers and answer them, and may the day be not far distant when we shall have in northern Barbados a humble house of worship as a sign, a memorial, of God's Sabbath, a light amid the moral darkness.