MINNESOTA by Harrison Grant

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 30, 1876

MINNESOTA

By Harrison Grant

I attended the quarterly meeting at Mankato Jan. 1. The fast was observed by this church, and we had a very good meeting. The next Sabbath I met with the Round Grove church in their first quarterly meeting. This is a new church, just raised up under the labors of Brn. Ells and Curtis. Here we met Ela. Babcock, a seventh-day Baptist from Transit, who assisted in preaching, and was a great help in our meetings. He seemed to drink in the spirit of the work. He also met with us at the Hutchinson quarterly meeting, and preached on the Sabbath to a large congregation of eager listeners.

Jan. 22 and 23, held a meeting at Kingston. This church was organized less than one year ago. The straight-forward, godly, lives of the members have told in its favor, and its numbers have more than doubled during the last six months. Others, without doubt, will join them soon. I have also held quarterly meetings at Litchfield, Koronas, Grove Lake, and West Union. I re-organized Systematic Benevolence at all our meetings held since Jan. 1.

Feb. 27, 28, I met with the church at Round Prairie. Here is a company of twenty-five, just raised up by Brn. Hill and Morse. We celebrated the ordinances with them, and were led to exclaim, How they love one another! Brethren and sisters attended this meeting from Grove Lake, West Union, and Hartford. And what is better, the Lord met with us; his Spirit warmed their hearts, and we left them rejoicing in the truth.

I am now at Sauk Rapids, looking after a few scattered ones here. I find them very lonely, and we are taking steps to have them unite with some church. Our meetings have been very interesting thus far. At almost every one some are present who have lately come out by reading, and wish to become acquainted with our people. A man and his wife walked fifteen miles and carried a small child that long distance to attend one meeting. A sister walked eight miles through the snow to attend an S. D. Adventist meeting for the first time at West Union. Others have come forty and sixty miles to attend our meetings. I am astonished, and feel to praise God as I see the fruits of the labors of our T. & M. Society here in Minnesota.

A Baptist minister at Burbank has been reading, and has now taken his stand on the Sabbath, and the life and death question, and he is reading with much interest on other points of the Advent faith. God has blessed the labors of his servants in this State very much of late. About two hundred have received the truth since our last camp-meeting. Eight new churches have been raised up. And in other fields the people have been reading, and are waiting with great anxiety for a minister to come. How it stirs my soul to hear these calls and see no one to fill them. Our ministers are doing all they can. Oh! that God would raise up more laborers; for the fields are whitening, and the harvest is great.

HARRISON GRANT.

March 2, 1876.