An Interesting Meeting by K. C. Russell

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Aug 2, 1906

An Interesting Meeting

By K. C. Russell

The regular quarterly meeting of the constituency of the Evangelical Committee for the District of Columbia and Takoma Park, was held Sunday, July 15, in the Memorial church of Washington, D. C. The object of these meetings is to counsel together concerning the best interests of the work in the District of Columbia, and to lay plans for more thorough and aggressive work.

Elder A. G. Daniells was present, and reported that wherever he and his co-laborers had attended the camp-meetings, they found the people firmly established upon the belief in the Testimonies, and manifesting a loyalty to the denomination heretofore unknown. He further said that the present controversy and temporary unrest had resulted in binding God’s people together, and was causing them to study more deeply into the merits of the Testimonies, and, in fact, was resulting in the fulfilment of the scripture which assures us “that all things work together for good to them that love God.”

Brother D. W. Reavis, the secretary, corroborated Elder Daniells’s testimony concerning the loyalty that was taking possession of our people everywhere, and further said that he was in a position to know something of the pulse of our people, owing to the fact that his work in connection with the REVIEW brought him in touch with the subscribers of the REVIEW, who in the main represent the most substantial Seventh-day Adventists.

Reports from the leaders of our tent-meetings were presented. Elder Wilkinson gave his experience in connection with locating his tent in Georgetown. Up to the time of this meeting, he had held services in his tent for four weeks, and had had a good attendance, though the weather had been very unfavorable, being rainy most of the time. He found the people friendly, and though he had not yet reached the Sabbath question, he reported two persons who had so early in the meetings accepted the Sabbath. The interest in the Bible workers’ part of the meeting was good, all of them having as much as they could attend to in giving readings. The prospect for Elder Wilkinson’s meeting was very favorable. He also made a brief report of the work of the M Street church, over which he had been placed during the summer as pastor.

Elder Sheafe gave a very interesting report of the beginning of his tent-meetings in the southeast portion of the city. A large attendance and good progress in the first three weeks of the meetings was reported. He mentioned the fact that on Monday evenings their services were devoted to health and temperance topics. These were taken up on Monday evenings in order to hold his congregations on that usually dull evening of the week. He found that his plan was working well in holding his congregation. He also reported that previous to the preaching service each evening, Brother Connelly, his tent master and collaborator, conducted an inquiry meeting in which the people were permitted to ask questions and to receive answers. This service, he said, was a very strong feature of the meetings,—one in which the people took an active interest. The average congregations were reported to be about three hundred persons. Sunday evenings the attendance was much larger. The Bible workers present also gave encouraging reports of their work.

Some of the methods which could be used to good effect in helping the interested ones in the tent effort, and establishing the believers in the truth, were emphasized by the chairman,—first, the importance of personal visits, and second, the securing of subscriptions for the REVIEW and the distribution of other literature. Sample copies of the REVIEW should be used in securing subscriptions for the paper.

K. C. RUSSELL, Chairman District Evangelical Com.