Cheering Reports Regarding the Week of Prayer
By Arthur G. Daniells
WE are greatly encouraged at headquarters by the reports that are coming concerning the week-of-prayer services just concluded. They tell of a good attendance at the meetings, of a deep interest in the readings, of new life, and, in several places, of special revivals. And nearly all tell of a large increase in the annual offerings to missions. Many have sent their offerings directly to the office, with most encouraging words of good cheer. These offerings sent in by individuals have ranged from one dollar, from widows eighty years old, to one hundred dollars, from men and women in the prime of life. I think it is safe to say that the reports of the past week are the best by far that we have received for three years. Surely the cloud is lifting, and a new era is dawning. Praise God for these tokens. Although none of these letters were intended for publication, some of them are so good that they deserve a wider circle of readers than the workers in our office. Sister White writes:— “We have had a very good meeting in this neighborhood during the week of prayer. Brother — visited the Napa church last Sabbath, and although the attendance was not large, they had very interesting meetings. One man who gave up the truth about a year ago, confessed his sins, and again took his stand for the Lord. At the sanitarium last Sabbath, the offerings amounted to about twelve hundred and fifty dollars. At Napa, twenty-five dollars was given. We have not heard the amounts received in Healdsburg or in St. Helena. I will send you a copy of the encouraging report I received from Brother — concerning the meetings at Healdsburg. The work of the Spirit of God has been manifest in all these places.” The following is a part of the report from Healdsburg to which Sister White referred:— “We are having good meetings here during the week of prayer. To-day a wave of blessing came into the college. It was a most glorious occasion. Out of fifty-five students, all but two or three were free and rejoicing in the Lord. We have had a noonday meeting, lasting one18hour or more, also three o’clock meetings for those who can not get out at noon, or come after dark to the seven o’clock meeting. A noticeable work of heart-searching, confession, and a determination to get near to God, was begun from the first of the week. To-day it culminated in a wave of glory sweeping through the whole school, and almost every one (only two or three stood out) had a victory, and were free and rejoicing in the Lord.” Elder Breed writes as follows, about their experience at College Place, Wash.:— “I am glad to tell you, and you will be glad to know, how the week-of-prayer meetings are progressing at College Place. There is a most excellent attendance, both in the church and in the college. The meetings are held together, and from the first reading, a good spirit has been present, and a steady increase has been seen from the first, until last night after the reading by Brother Jones on the Cleansing of the Sanctuary, a general move was made, and half, or more, of the congregation arose, asking for a better and richer and deeper experience in the things of God. Part of the congregation went to another room, and Professor — said it was the best meeting of the kind he ever attended. A victory was gained, and this morning there is a shout of victory in the camp.” Elder Saxby, writing from Spokane, Wash., says:— “We had a precious week of prayer. Two meetings were held each day—one in a park in the afternoon, and one at the church in the evening. Our donation was $880.77. More is expected.” Elder Shultz writes from his home in California as follows:— “Our little church at Stockton, though they gave what they thought liberally last year, doubled their donation this year, and if every church in the United States will give as much per capita as we did here, you will get double the amount called for. I have but one fault to find with the Mission Board, and that is that they call for so small an amount for so great a work. Remember the words of Elisha to the king of Israel when he told him to smite the earth with his arrows. He smote only three times, when he ought to have smitten five or six times. You should have called for five or six times as much.” “I do not often find fault, but I do like to see the work spread into regions beyond, and I know it takes means, and lots of it, and hence we must call for large sums. And the fact that people become enthusiastic whenever mission work abroad is presented, is certainly an indication that the Lord wants us to push that part of the work more than we are doing. I trust you will get all you called for, and much more, so as to put you to shame for your small call, and encourage you to call for five or six times as much next time. And now, my brethren, be of good cheer. The Lord still lives; he is not dead; he is still at the helm. Take for your encouragement Joshua 1:7-9, then the people will do as written in verses 16-18.” Another brother sends the following vigorous account of the meetings in the church where he was:— “We have enjoyed a glorious week of prayer. This conference has done all you asked, and God has given a precious blessing. We had meetings every afternoon for those who could not come evenings, and had the general daily meeting in the evening. We had no preaching. The reading and social meeting occupied the full time, and we let the good Spirit lead in the singing, and in all the program. In the middle of the week we received the additional interesting matter from the Mission Board,—your letter and appeal, and letters and news from the mission fields. They were a Godsend to us. Friday evening we called a special meeting, and read the items from foreign fields. It is a great mistake to raise the cry that we can not call for means for our needy missions without destroying the spirituality of our meetings. Some may be tired of so many calls for home work, when the nations are crying out to God and to us for help, but our dear people still love the message, and they love to hear the facts; and the facts draw the means. “Sabbath we made of first importance the subject of missions and the offering. Your appeal was read, and though the envelopes were ready to hand in, many persons, whose hearts were touched, opened the envelopes and enlarged the gift. Our method of taking the offering was this: In the midst of the meeting, as the most important item, we told the people that the deacons would collect the gift, count it immediately, and then place it on the table, and the congregation would gather around it, and pray for our missions, the missionaries, the members of the Mission Board, and the prosperity of the gift. This was done. You should have seen the astonished, glad faces in the little congregation of less than fifty members, when the gift was announced to be $162.35 [since increased to $170], and the burst of tears of thanksgiving, and song that followed. The elder stood up to speak, but could not. He only said he wanted to shout. I do not know why he did not. One sister said she laid aside her gift; then in the middle of the week, she doubled it; then later she added two thirds to it; and if the week of prayer were to keep on, she thought she might have given all she had, and thrown herself in.” “That was the best meeting I have attended for years; and the subject of the meeting was ‘money, money, money’! ‘missions, missions, missions’! O, the people love to hear of all the good things that mean the closing up of the grand, old gospel work! and they are not tired of being asked for money, for such purposes.” These are some of the soul-stirring reports we are receiving at our office. These cheer our hearts, and encourage us to press on in the face of difficulties and perplexities. Again we ask the question raised in the Review two weeks ago. Why not continue the week of prayer through the year 1904? It is not necessary to go through the exact forms, but the year can be one of much prayer, earnest labor for God, and cheerful, liberal giving to the cause.