SUGGESTIONS ABOUT THE CAMP-MEETINGS by Dudley Marvin Canright

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · May 4, 1876

SUGGESTIONS ABOUT THE CAMP-MEETINGS.

By Dudley Marvin Canright

Our camp-meetings are becoming more numerous and more important every year. They cost a large amount of hard labor and money, and they have a great influence on souls one way or the other. Hence, every reasonable precaution should be taken to insure success. We cannot afford to have one failure at a camp-meeting; nor is it necessary that we should. Perhaps I may be allowed to make some suggestions upon the subject.

1. Not only should the small family tents be well arranged and neatly kept, but the tent should also be pitched so as to set well and look well. It should be seated neatly and kept in order. In several of the tents last year, I noticed that the seats were of all lengths and widths, and were thrown together in all shapes. The pulpits were put up in the most careless manner. Then the lamps were small, feeble, and dirty. On the whole, the tent presented anything but an inviting appearance. A little taste and a little work will obviate all this; it should be done in every case.

2. The General Conference has already advised that a fit person be selected to make a full report of the meetings for the secular press. If our people are awake and alive to this matter, full reports can be published in from one-half a dozen papers at each camp-meeting. The president of each Conference should arrange beforehand with the papers to publish these reports. Daily papers in part will do it. As an inducement, we can offer to advertise and sell these papers on the ground. Doubtless many would be sold. Then these reports will be copied by other papers, and so the truth will be brought before many thousands. This important work should be promptly attended to.

3. Camp-meetings furnish the very best opportunities for missionary work. All classes of people are here and they have come out to learn our views, and become acquainted with our work. There should be on the ground a full assortment of our small tracts to be given to all who will read. Sample copies of our papers would be about the best thing to distribute. Several judicious persons can be elected and appointed to attend to this work. The president should see to this in time.

4. It is necessary that there should be a report made to the Conference from every church in the Conference. We have blanks all prepared for this purpose. It takes but a few minutes to fill out one of these and bring or send it to the State secretary. There can be no reasonable excuse why any church clerk should neglect to do this. It is a shame that any should neglect it. It makes trouble all around, and leaves our records in confusion and uncertainty. It has been found that the best way to secure reports without fail is to have the State secretary send a blank to each clerk about a week or so before the Conference with a request that it be immediately filled out and returned.

5. The S. B. treasurer of every church should also square up his account, and send in the money he has on hand with a statement of the entire yearly pledge of his church, and how much of this is still unpaid up to the close of Conference.

6. Every minister and licentiate who has labored any during the Conference year, is expected to present to the Conference a full report of his labors, expenses, receipts, &c. These should all be written out with ink in a plain, orderly manner. In a number of cases, I have known preachers to come before the auditing committee to report without a scrap of record of any kind. They expected simply to make a verbal statement from memory. Then a great amount of precious time has to be wasted by them in trying to get at the facts. Others come in with simply a few pencil marks on some scrap of paper, without date, order, or name. Then the whole committee have to spend hours in deciphering these reports. This is an imposition on the Conference, and a shame to any minister. A little taste and a few hours' work on the part of each preacher will obviate all this confusion. A report should state where the minister labored, when he went to a place, and how many days he was there, how many times he preached, and how many meetings he held during the year. After this should be a financial report, showing to a cent how much his expenses have been, and what they have been for; how much he has received, and the exact date when

a separate payment was made to him. This is necessary, that it may be compared with the treasurer's books to see if they agree. The best of men are liable to make mistakes—hence it is the duty of the auditing committee to look carefully to these things.

The secretary should have a written statement of what has been paid to each minister, giving the date when each payment was made to him. Then it is but a moment's work to compare this with each minister's report. Much time and confusion will thus be saved at our camp-meetings.

Proper provision should be made to make those comfortable who have to attend all the camp-meetings as laborers. Unless a person has tried it, he cannot realize how exceedingly wearing this work is. For about five consecutive months there is no rest at all, scarcely a day to stop even one day. It is incessant work seven days every week, and from five in the morning till nine at night. If the minister is not attending a meeting, he must be on some committee, or else advising with some one about something. Then the same round of business must be gone right over with again every week. As soon as one meeting is ended, they have to hurry off and travel day and night to reach the next one. This breaks up all regularity in sleeping, in meals, proper food, &c. Nothing can be more wearing than this.

Hence, I say it is reasonable that the camp-meeting committee should do all they can to make them comfortable. They need chairs to sit down in, a table to write on, a small stove to keep warm by when wet or cold, as it most always is more or less, a good bed, a wash basin, towels, a glass, &c.

So far as I went last year, with a few exceptions, none of these things were provided for, but were only obtained in a few cases by a good deal of asking and running. We would go on the camp-ground tired, hungry, and our clothes wet. Then we had to beg a chance in some body's tent as best we could, and so shift from place to place without any chance for retirement.

Knowing that our brethren do not mean to be negligent in these things, I write this to call their attention to what is needed. You are all looking for Bro. and Sr. White to attend your camp-meetings, and I hope they may; though I know it will be a terrible strain on their strength and health. Do all you can, therefore, to relieve them. I am sorry to say that I know of some little-souled, jealous-minded fault-finders who are really startled if even under these circumstances any extra provisions are made for the comfort of these overworked servants of God and of his people. These persons think that they should put up with as rough fare for five months in the year as they themselves are able to stand for about five days when they have nothing to do but to take care of themselves. Shame on such meanness.

Finally, everybody should come to the camp-meetings and bring all their friends. Hundreds were converted to the truth and to the Lord at these meetings last year, and we hope for greater success this year.

D. M. CANRIGHT.

St. Paul, Minn., April 20, 1876.