A Missionary Meeting by J. R. Ferren

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

A Missionary Meeting

By J. R. Ferren

Every fourth Sabbath service in our church at Mountain View, Cal., is arranged for by our missionary committee. Since the fire our church has been divided, and two companies meet in the churches offered by the brethren of other denominations.

Home missionary work was the general subject studied at both churches at the Sabbath service two weeks ago, and the meeting I attended was an excellent one.

Elder M. C. Wilcox, editor of The Signs of the Times, gave briefly the history of our pioneer missionary paper; he spoke of the great work for which it stands, and the need for its existence. He referred to the present-day fulfilment of prophecy, the intensity in business, social, and political circles, the great Protestant Church Federation movement, the great federation now being formed known as “The American Federation of Catholic Societies”—all striking signs of the times. The Signs of the Times had a special representative at the Catholic convention just held in Buffalo, N. Y., and a series of articles, beginning with the issue of September 5, reporting this and pointing out its meaning in the light of prophecy, is now appearing in that paper.

Brother Corliss in his talk told how the Signs pioneered the way for evangelical work in the early days. In those days the tract and missionary societies were faithfully sending the paper to people in communities where as yet our ministers had never gone. Calls frequently came to workers from those who were keeping the Sabbath as a result of reading the Signs. In one place in Colorado in this way a church of twenty-eight members was organized. The Signs has been growing in influence since then, and from reports constantly received, we know that where faithfully circulated, it is doing an equally effective work now. When, then, shall we work?—Now. Brother Corliss asked for a definition of the word “now.” He gave one given him recently by a ten-year-old boy at a meeting in Salt Lake City. It is, “The time we can not get away from.”

With a new awakening as to the times in which we live, and with facts presented showing what The Signs of the Times is actually accomplishing, the members of our society were convinced that the time to renew missionary effort is now.

Our society uses a large club of Signs each week, mailing them to lists of names furnished by members or secured from agents and from other sources. At this meeting the plan of subscribing for papers in this club was made clear. At the club rate the cost for papers to the member subscribing is just two cents for each copy per week. For example, if a member subscribes for five copies, it costs just ten cents a week. The librarian attends to ordering papers, and collects from the members every four weeks.

As a result of this missionary meeting, over one hundred copies of the Signs were subscribed for to be added to the one hundred and twenty-five already being taken. The Young People’s Society has increased its club from one hundred and forty to two hundred.

Perhaps you would like to read the booklet outlining this plan in detail. It is written by the secretary of the California Tract Society. A copy of this Signs of the Times booklet may be obtained free from your State tract society.

J. R. FERREN.