OUR WORK AND WORKERS

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Apr 30, 1896

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 22, No. 18.

OUR WORK AND WORKERS.

AT Albuna, Ontario, ten persons were baptized on the 1st inst.

IN connection with the canvassers’ school at Minneapolis, which closed on the 7th inst., ten persons were baptized.

AN addition of eight to the list of converts as a result of labor among the French in Marinette, Wis., is reported by Elder D. T. Bourdeau.

ELDER E. G. OLSEN reports the organization of a church of sixteen members at Davenport, Iowa. He expects soon to organize the company at Bladensburg.

BROTHER ALBERT WEEKS reports that twelve adults have accepted the faith at North Wheeler, Mich. A Sabbath school of sixteen members has been organized.

THE brethren at Ola, Gratiot County, Mich., have begun the work of building a new house of worship. Elder A. O. Burrill reports the conversion of seventy-five as the result of twelve weeks’ meetings.

THE Review of April 21 says: “Altho we have no news from our missionaries in Matabeleland directly, we are informed by London papers of recent date that they have been removed for safety to Buluwayo.” The latest press news we have is that Buluwayo was under siege by the natives, and the people were anxiously awaiting relief by British troops. Missionary work in Central Africa is still fraught with hardship and danger.

It is comparatively easy to be conscientious, yes, even zealous for an imaginary public benefit, provided some one else has to bear the cost. So the prosecutors of our brethren in Ontario were zealous for the vindication of their Sunday law until the appellate court, in affirming the sentence of the lower court, did so at the cost of the prosecutors. Inasmuch as the imprisonment of the accused would add to the expense, they are still at large. There is nothing that so dampens the ardor of overzealous people as having to foot the bill.

ATLANTIC Conference has made arrangements for an active summer campaign. Two tent companies will operate in New York City, one company in Baltimore, and one in Millville, N. J. Elder O. O. Farnsworth is to conduct a series of meetings in Jersey City until about the 1st of June. Other plans for labor indicate that the Conference Committee are awake to the great responsibility of the large population within their boundaries. With limited facilities, this conference has a larger and more varied charge, in the matter of population, than any other conference in America. However, there are some advantages in the compactness of the population which the sparsely settled states and territories do not afford.

AT Mt. Hebron, W. Va., Brother B. B. Noffsinger was granted the use of the United Brethren meeting-house. After his meetings were closed, the U. B. Conference passed a vote of censure upon the trustees of the church for allowing their house to be used for that purpose. In spite of the censure, however, the trustees sent word to Brother Noffsinger that he could have it again.

ENCOURAGING word comes from the work in Tahiti. Brother E. C. Chapman, who formerly labored there, has information from Elder Cady to the effect that “the work is progressing well.” He says, under date of March 8, that “every few days for the past few weeks some have taken their stand for the truth.” Among the number were three French ladies. The little printing office seems to be doing a good work in furnishing reading matter in the language of the people. The influence of the work is not confined to the island of Tahiti, but extends to other islands of the Society group.

IN addition to the regular services of the San Francisco church at 914 Laguna Street, there are now held four preaching services weekly at No. 1433 Valencia Street. Two of these services are in English and two in the Scandinavian language. Two Sabbath schools are also conducted here, one in each of the languages mentioned, and still another service on Wednesday evenings in the English language. A Sabbath school is also held at Uranus and Seventeenth Streets. Seven or eight members of the church are also engaged in holding Bible readings, while others distribute literature from house to house, and a few are canvassing. All this we gather from a report of the church elder, Brother E. E. Parlin.

BROTHER GEO. J. LLOYD reports that the people of Salisbury, Md., and vicinity have heard concerning the Sabbath question from a leading Methodist minister of that place. He endeavors to show that the commandments were done away when Christ was crucified. As this is getting to be a quite common delusion of the enemy of souls, it will no doubt blind many unwary people. If it be true, what a pity the commandments could not have been done away in the beginning, then it would not have been necessary for Christ to have been crucified. His death was solely because of sin, and “sin is not imputed when there is no law” (Rom. 5:13); “for where no law is, there is no transgression” (chap. 4:15). Our work is to show the immutability of the law, that it is “perfect” (Ps. 19:7), that it is “holy, and just, and good” (Rom. 7:12), and that the only escape from its penalties is through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid; yea, we establish the law.” Chap. 3:31.