Emmanuel Missionary College by H. B. Lundquist

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Tacoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · May 27, 1915

Emmanuel Missionary College

By H. B. Lundquist

Bible Workers' and Ministerial Bands

Realizing that their future usefulness in God's service will be largely determined by wise improvement of present opportunities, the Bible workers' and ministerial bands, early in the school year, adopted service as their watchword.

Nor were the opportunities long delayed; for soon after, the West Michigan Conference accepted the services of eight members of the ministerial band for work during the week of prayer. If the churches visited by the young men received a blessing proportionate to the experience gained by them, the effort was worth while.

The anxiety of the band to engage in actual work was the means of securing a fine opening. Services were held Sunday evenings in a country church four miles distant from the college. Some who came from a distance to attend the meetings, were desirous of having services nearer home.

Acting on their invitation, a committee waited on the community, and learned that a Sunday school was wanted. A union Sunday school was started, with a membership of thirty-five, being in charge of a member of the ministerial band, assisted by a corps of Bible workers. The people were appreciative, receptive, and needy. The blessing of God attended the humble efforts of the workers, and soon fruits began to appear.

The Sunday school, something the people wanted, acted as an entering wedge for evening services. And in these meetings, too, God's Spirit blessed. Here, right at our very doors, were souls perishing for the truth, which they literally drank in. The attendance increased from thirty-five to forty-five, and finally one evening we counted eighty-two present, in a little country schoolhouse.

From almost the very first, a liberal use has been made of the weekly Signs of the Times, and not without very beneficial results.

A few personal cases will serve to illustrate the nature of the results of this effort. One brother, his wife, and children, recently baptized into another faith, became deeply interested. This brother, as he afterwards told us, sat up many times till midnight studying God's Word. A sister who had at one time been an Adventist in good standing, renewed her consecration, and began a successful effort to win her husband. A brother who had long since given up the battle, enlisted again, and gained the victory over the tobacco habit, which had long enslaved him. All these persons began to keep the Sabbath without one word having been preached on the subject. Others who have not yet publicly taken their stand for God's truth are enjoying the effects of its cleansing power, and are testifying thereto by changed lives.

Some follow-up work has also been done with interested families by the Bible workers' band. In one of these families the indications are bright for a harvest of souls. The people vie with one another in expressing their appreciation of our humble efforts.

All this makes us feel very grateful to our Heavenly Father for the privilege of sharing with him the joy of service. Surely God has put his hand to the work the second time, and will do a quick work in the earth. There is only a short time in which to labor, and then, if faithful, we shall share in the reward.

H. B. LUNDQUIST.