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ILLINOIS

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Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jul 6, 1876

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 48, No. 2.

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ILLINOIS

By G. W. Colcord

April 14–17, I attended the church and T. & M. quarterly meeting at Aledo. Three were immersed. Received $40 on the State tract debt.
April 18, I spoke in the city of Rock Island, in Dart’s Hall, to a goodly number of interested hearers. Two ministers were in my audience. Bro. Kendall writes me he is convinced that Rock Island is a promising field. Oh! for more laborers to enter the fruitful fields of Illinois.
April 19, 20, spoke three times in Bro. F. Simonson’s neighborhood, near Hillsdale. Sister S. writes that one has since commenced keeping the Sabbath.
April 21, I came home and remained over two Sabbaths. I spoke a few times to the brethren and sisters of the Clyde church, and to the many friends of my childhood. One meeting was particularly affecting. In the afternoon of the same day we enjoyed a communion season. Sunday evening, April 30, I talked with freedom to a large congregation of my relatives and neighbors, then distributed several hundred pages of tracts among them. The word is received at Coleta that some of my wife’s relatives have embraced the Sabbath under the labors of Bro. R. M. Kilgore, near Marshalltown, Iowa. This adds to the interest at C. Thus the Lord’s servants working in Iowa aid us in Illinois. Human influence! how extensive its power eternity alone can tell!
May 3–8, held meetings with our Scandinavian and American brethren and sisters in Chicago; also looked after the tent interests of our Conference.
May 13, 14, Bro. R. F. Andrews and myself held a few meetings at Watseka, Iroquois Co. At the same time, Bro. Morin was holding meetings with the French in W. When I left, he hoped to raise up a little band of souls devoted to the truth. Met Bro. B. F. Merritt, who has been holding a few meetings in this county. He intends to give a course of lectures under one of our sixty-foot tents at Sheldon.
May 20, 21, attended the quarterly meeting at Kankakee. It was very encouraging. I examined the offered camp-ground, and decide it worthy of acceptance.
May 27, 28, held meetings in the Legg school-house, near Waldron, where Bro. Stevard gave a course of lectures last winter. Friends came from Kankakee and St. Anne. One was baptized.
June 3, 4, I spoke four times at Lovington. Baptized four. Two of these were converts to the truth at Cerro Gordo.
June 9–11, spoke several times at Oakland. Baptized six; organized a church of twenty-three members. Bro. H. P. Ritchey was chosen and ordained elder; Bro. S. T. Bland was elected church clerk; Bro. W. Bitner, church treasurer.
Nineteen attended meeting from Bro. Bitner’s neighborhood, where, in 1873, ’74, Mrs. C. and self were treated as never before nor since. Our meetings in St. Omer school-house were closed by interference of almost a mob! Leading church members came to that last meeting, fired with whisky, and armed with revolvers (if I am correctly informed), threatening to “egg” us; and thus “break up” our meetings! We received no bodily injury, but in disgust we closed the effort. Some of the gang have since left the country in disgrace.
None of the nineteen who attended my late meetings in Oakland took part in this miserable affray; but one sister said she was glad to receive baptism at my hands, because she had opposed me. Now we are friends. Four lately ceased using tobacco. The clouds rise a little; the sky begins to appear, and I am encouraged with reference to Coles County. We had an ordinance meeting here yesterday.
G. W. Colcord.
Lovington, Ill., June 18, 1876.