Missionary Department by John Norton Loughborough

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Jun 10, 1875

Missionary Department.

By John Norton Loughborough

“Philip saith unto him, Come and see.” John 1:46.

Equality.

PAUL says, “I mean not that other men be eased and ye burdened; but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be an equality.” 2 Cor. 8 : 13, 14.

As has frequently been stated, one object which the T. and M. Society has is to secure equality in raising means for all the branches of the cause. This, then, should be the case in raising means for general use in the T. and M. work. All can see that to have one or two districts doing considerable in raising means for T. and M. work, and to have other districts which may be just as able to do in point of means, raising but little, and constantly drawing heavily upon the society for supplies of tracts, pamphlets, and even bound books, would not be equality.

We desire, in this State, to bring our mission work, as rapidly as possible, to the same system in all respects that has been adopted and is now working so admirably in other States. In some of our districts especial efforts have been made to sell pamphlets and bound books, and to obtain donations: For these sums they have received credit on the cash book of the secretary. In other districts there has been but little effort made to sell books, or to increase the mission funds. In getting the society into working order we have had considerable to say to you on various points, and so have said nothing before on the point of raising means. In fact, there has not been, heretofore, that necessity which will soon exist to adopt a system of raising T. and M. funds. When we commenced operations under the new constitution, we had a mission fund of over $500.00. This fund is nearly exhausted, and must soon be replenished in order to carry on the T. and M. work.

As I trust all our workers are disposing of the work that was dealt out to them on the SIGNS’ list, and are preparing to settle up their indebtedness to the Review and SIGNS Offices, we may without distraction consider other matters and prepare for an onward move.

We read in our State missionary constitution that it is the duty of our State Secretary “(2) To keep an account of the money received from each district, and the number of pages of tracts and pamphlets, and the number of books furnished to the same, and the value of the whole. (3) He shall notify the director of any district that may have drawn the amount of books to which it is entitled, so that he may raise more money from that district.”

One object of keeping a debt and credit account with each district is to ascertain whether each district is raising its just proportion of the means used, and whether it is drawing more books than it has ever furnished means to pay for. At our next State quarterly meeting the cash book of the Secretary will be looked over by the directors, and some plan devised to raise more means. In the meantime let each librarian, and in fact each T. and M. member make all book and pamphlet sales possible, obtain memberships, or donations from any interested parties who may wish to further the tract work.

J. N. L.