The Churches | AdventAI

Pacific Seventh-Day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, Cal. · Apr 19, 1877

FromThe Signs of the Times, Vol. 3, No. 16.

The Churches.

(Condensed from Review and Herald.)

Europe.

Eld. D. T. Bourdeau reports that he has obtained forty-eight subscribers for our French paper, Les Signes des Temps, in fifteen different communes, villages and cities in France, Switzerland and Germany, visited all the pastors in Valence, and had a long private discussion with one of the leading ministers and several of his most influential friends, on the Sabbath question. Truth triumphed, and they acknowledged the light. An English minister at Lausanne, is reading Les Signes and helping much in its circulation.

Maine.

NEW SWEDEN.—Bro. Sawyer is doing a good work here among the Swedes. He writes that he has just closed a very successful term of school among the Swedes. He began with seventeen pupils, and closed with thirty-five, mostly young ladies and gentlemen. Several were members of the Baptist church. An evening school was held twice a week at the same time two miles away. This began with twenty scholars, and ended with about sixty. These schools were effectual in removing much prejudice. He now lectures once a week in three districts, and he says: “I have heard of more than twenty who have accepted the truth since I came here.” He hopes to organize a church soon. May God bless his labors.

Georgia.

QUITMAN.—Eld. C. O. Taylor who lately commenced to labor in this State rejoices to know that there is one person in the State beside himself and wife who is keeping the Sabbath. He has received a letter from a brother near the center of the State who says that he has been keeping it since the spring of 1872. Eld. C. is also corresponding with a brother in St. Augustine and with one in Jacksonville, Fla., in each of which places there are about six who have commenced to keep the Sabbath.

Texas.

CLEBURNE.—Brn. Clarke and Rust recently visited this place which is the county seat of Johnson county and is some fifty miles from Dallas, and found that several families had embraced the Sabbath from reading tracts which they obtained from a family to whom the brethren and sisters of Dallas had been sending reading matter. They tarried with them some days, and held several meetings which were a great encouragement to those who had just started.

Kansas.

BLACK HAWK.—Eld. J. N. Ayers returned to this place the 21st, and held six meetings in private houses, baptized five, and organized a church of seventeen members. He says that the brethren are making clean work of putting away tobacco. One brother by the name of Dixon, seventy-two years old, who has been a slave to the filthy weed over fifty years, now rejoices in freedom. Four more have signed the covenant. We leave a company of thirty-five keeping the Sabbath.

TOWANDA.—Eld. J. H. Cook has organized a church here to be known as the Whitewater church. As yet there are only six members in the organization, but others are soon to join. Bro. N. W. Allee was elected and ordained elder; Bro. H. C. Main, clerk and treasurer.

OSAGE CITY.—As the result of Bro. Geo. Kennedy’s labors in this place, eight have signed the covenant to keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. There are some fifteen Sabbath-keepers who meet together for worship, and a Sabbath-school has been organized.

New York.

Eld. D. M. Canright gives a brief summary of news from several of the laborers in this State as follows: “A letter just received from Rome says, ‘We had a good meeting last Sabbath. About eighty present, and a good number bore testimony. Last evening our little prayer-meeting room was nearly filled. Had a lively meeting. All but three took part.’ Bro. Reynolds, just from Genoa, reports a good meeting. Seven young persons baptized, and two others united with the church, and all greatly encouraged. Bro. Buel Whitney writes that Bro. Morin has just brought out a company of ten firm in the truth. And Bro. Hall reports over twenty new Sabbath-keepers at Canasaraga.”

EAST OTTO.—Elders Canright and Reynolds have organized a church in this place, of eighteen members. S. B., $245. Two other churches will be organized in the county. Much interest was manifested in the meetings, some coming sixty miles. Nine came forward for prayers.

PARMA.—Eld. S. B. Whitney reports the cause as progressing finely here. A Baptist revivalist is helping materially by taking such a course as to confirm the old friends and add new ones. Fifteen subscribers were obtained for our papers, and a purse of $22.50 was made up in the community, and handed him as a token of appreciation of his labors.

Iowa.

SIGOURNEY.—Eld. G. I. Butler reports a very interesting quarterly meeting at this place. He mentions three interesting cases of public laborers in the cause of God, who have embraced the truth by reading, and a company of eleven Swedes in Dakota who have come out by the same means. There is great call for help, and the prospects in the Iowa Conference are encouraging.

HOOK’S POINT.—Eld. J. H. Morrison reports interesting meetings at this place. The efforts of revivalists in opposition have only served to ripen up the work, and over twenty have taken their stand upon the truth.