JOHN MATTESON by John Matteson

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Oct 29, 1872

JOHN MATTESON

By John Matteson

Report.

At present, I am preaching in Shelby Co., Iowa, about forty miles from Omaha. Here is a large Danish settlement in the town of Fairview. The majority of the people are Baptists. Two of their preachers live right here, and one of them has shown himself as a zealous opposer of the Advent faith since I first embraced it.

About nine years ago, he told his church in Wisconsin, when I came there preaching, that they must not go to my meetings. If they did, they would be excluded. But most of them went, nevertheless. They said they would not be under a pope. A church-meeting was called. He requested obedience, or he would leave. They voted, Leave. I listened to his farewell sermon. He left for Omaha. Afterwards, he became pastor of this church. He has shown no open opposition yet. But there is a deep prejudice in the minds of the people, and of course the leading men try hard to keep the people away. I tried one week in one school-house, but only a few would come; next week, in another school-house, with like result. Then I was invited to a third house. These school-houses are only two miles apart, and free for meetings. Here, the people turn out generally, and manifest good interest so far. This is the third week I am here. Sundays, we have had a congregation of about one hundred. I have hope that some souls may be gained by patient labor. The truth of God is very precious, under evil as well as good report. May it become a living reality to us. And may we, through daily union with Christ and patient continuance in well-doing, at last obtain immortality.

JOHN MATTESON

Altamont, Shelby Co., Iowa, Oct. 14, 1872.