ARIZONA by E. W. Webster

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Aug 13, 1901

ARIZONA

By E. W. Webster

Previous to April 15, 1901, Arizona was a mission field under the supervision of the General Conference. It is now under the direction of the Pacific Union Conference. Steps are being taken, and are nearly accomplished, to place the work here in a more perfect state of organization, which will place the responsibility of the work more fully upon the laborers in the field, and which will cause our people in this Territory to feel more than ever that it is their work, and that they are responsible for its accomplishment.

An Executive Committee has been appointed, composed of the following persons, with the writer as Superintendent and Treasurer: C. D. M. Williams; W. L. Black; M. Serna, our Spanish minister; and E. A. Brown. The work will soon be as fully organized as can be in a mission field, by the creation of Sabbath-school and Tract and Missionary departments, and the appointment of secretaries for each, and also one to look after the youth's work, and the Berean Reading Circle work. We shall endeavor to work on the plan of making one person responsible for each department, thus giving each part of the work the benefit of the whole of one man's strength and energies, instead of compelling each and every branch to suffer by having one man try to spread out his energies over the whole work. Already God is blessing in it, and we look for better success in the future.

At the beginning of this year there were four churches in Arizona, with one hundred and eleven members, and about seventeen scattered Sabbath-keepers, who belonged to no Seventh-day Adventist church. Others have since taken their stand for the truth. Brother Williams and his wife, in Bisbee, are having all they can do, and report that some have already begun to obey, and others are interested. Brother Black reports from Tucson that he has more than he and his wife can attend to in looking after the new interests, the Chinese school, and the church. About half of this church is Spanish; and as Brother Black speaks Spanish, he works with them also. Brother Serna is looking after the Spanish church at Solomonville, and some companies of Spanish in New Mexico. Brother E. A. Brown, elder and librarian of the Phoenix church, is looking after the work in that place. Sister Iles has been in Flagstaff for some time, looking after the interests of the church, and working for all she can reach. Mrs. Webster and I were in Verde Valley for a few weeks, but the busy work of harvesting and haying kept the people from attending the meetings, so we decided to help in the interest here at Flagstaff, and return to the valley when the hard work is over, and the people have more time to hear.

Arizona is not an easy field to work. This is due to several causes. It is sparsely settled, and the settlements are small. But few railroads, and high rates, make it difficult and expensive to travel. Distances are immense here, as mountains and barren deserts must be crossed, often by team, on horseback, or afoot. Many of the settlements are mining camps, and the people are transients, caring principally for gold. Comparatively little of the whole country is tillable, and that only where irrigation is possible; so a majority of the people are consumers, not producers. And this, together with the high freight, makes living expensive. There is a proverb here like this: Every one who comes here leaves his religion in the Missouri River. This is indeed too much so; but we find some honest souls who are as glad to get the truth as any can be. We find many who have heard and rejected the truth in the East, and want nothing to do with it here. Such hinder others all they can. Perhaps this will explain why it is that so much work has been done here for years with so little manifest results. It is especially hard for the canvasser.

But we are not discouraged. We believe that the work will go as never before in this field, and we ask all who read this to pray for its success.

E. W. WEBSTER.