The Cause in California by John Norton Loughborough

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Nov 5, 1872

The Cause in California.

By John Norton Loughborough

Dear Brethren and Sisters in California: Since our late, excellent camp-meeting, I have been drawn out in my mind to say some things to you, and, as it is not consistent for me to meet with you again soon, I take this, my shortest method, to address you all at once, through the REVIEW.

I have occupied, in the past, much time in writing letters to you, and others. I am admonished that, for the sake of my health, and for the sake of this precious cause, I must lay aside so many business cares, and devote what strength I have to the spiritual interests of the work. I shall study to let these cares drop upon you, and to economize my time, and devote my energies to the study and proclamation of truth.

While the cause was in its infancy here, and the few did not realize what there was to do, or what needed to be done, it was important that some one should stand in the gap, and take responsibilities. Without any spirit of boasting, or complaining, I will simply state, what most of you know, and some of you realize, that I have had many cares and burdens upon me. Some of these, I am now confident, I might have laid down sooner, at the feet of others competent to bear them. Perhaps I had borne them so long I thought I must bear them. I am thankful for God's grace sustaining in bearing what was duty to bear. I have carried too much for one man, if, at the same time, I expected to do justice to my duty as a minister of the word. Caring for the temporalities has taken the strength that should have been devoted to the spiritual. This has been especially true during the last year. I have not had that time for earnest devotion and study of the word I should have had, to be an effective minister of Jesus Christ.

When coming home, it has been accumulated letters of business that has taken the time I should devote to my children. There must be a reform in these things. With God's blessing, there will be.

You appreciated, dear brethren, the weight that was upon me at our last State meeting, and came up nobly to the work. God bless you. By your actions then, and there, you showed a willingness to do, when you knew what to do, and I doubt not that you are anxious to act your part, so that the servants of God may “give themselves to the ministry of the word,” and not be caused to “leave the word of God and serve tables.”

When the elders and S. B. treasurers came up with promises to take responsibilities in their respective churches, and see that their dues are kept square, it was a relief; for it shifted responsibilities where they belonged. The prompt carrying out of those promises, has been a still greater relief. It is a lesson for young and inexperienced churches to learn promptness, and promptness in all things, is, under God, the mainspring of all true religion; and, in fact, of all true manhood. You have made good advancement in learning this lesson. Still persevere in the work.

To serve you as a State treasurer, when each church for themselves attend to their own finances, with none of the responsibility upon the State treasurer of collecting the funds, is a light task, and need not occupy—with our present number of churches in the State—fifteen minutes per quarter. In case all act promptly, the treasurer has simply to receive and disburse the funds under the direction of the State Conference, or State Committee, and make his entries on the books for the same, without any responsibility for its collection in the churches.

But, with the matter of this office of treasurer, freed from the embarrassments it has been encumbered with in the past, it is not my duty to hold the office. I give this timely notice, that at our next State meeting I may lay it down, and you choose some one of your number to hold the office of treasurer.

And here I would state that you will see by examining the Constitution adopted at our last State meeting, that it is the duty of each S. B. treasurer, after you have collected your quarter's S. B., and paid it over to the State treasurer, to report, on the blanks provided for it, to H. T. Hewitt, Santa Rosa, State secretary, the amount of your S. B. pledges per quarter, and the amount paid during the said quarter to the State treasurer. Bro. Hewitt is to preserve these reports, and, by the aid of them, he can, before the State meeting assembles, when making out his report of the standing of the State, compute the exact amount paid into the State treasury by the churches.

Copies of the printed Constitution, as adopted at last State meeting, are in my book-rooms at Santa Rosa. A copy should be in the hands of every officer in our organization, and in every family of our churches, immediately. Let the clerk of each church in California ascertain, directly, how many copies of the Constitution are wanted in your church, and write me at Santa Rosa, Sonoma Co., Cal., and I will send you, free, the number of copies of the Constitution you may specify that you need, as also two blanks for the two remaining quarterly reports of our S. B. treasurers for this Conference year. Hand these, when received, to the S. B. treasurers for future use. They are to be used Jan. 1, and April 1, 1873.

You are aware that the greater labor, or perplexity, rather, is in constructing a piece of machinery, and getting it into running order, not in running it after all is in order. So with these matters of which I have been speaking. You are trying to find your place in the organic machinery, and to do your duty. It works well, and my mind is relieved.

But there is our Missionary Society, which, in its partly organized condition, the past year, has been a source of more labor and care to me than all the rest. This will be helped, as you all learn and come up to fill your places. In this, I have been bearing burdens that no longer belong to me; and you will willingly take them when you know what they are. Some duties in the matter I have done, which I was not really responsible for. I write these things to prepare the way to lay all such duties down, that you may learn them, and with them receive the blessing of doing in this cause.

I do not wish to lay down one burden that is legitimate for me, or that I should bear, but to simply “stand from under,” and let those do the work of their office, that hold the offices. For all would prefer I should do this, and that I should devote the strength I have given to your duties, to the more effectual performance of my own work as a minister of Jesus Christ.

This work is great. Its field of labor is increasing. The harvest is white for the sickle; and, if we all come up to our duty in this advancing cause, we may all be reapers. There is ample room for us all to labor, and we may grow with the work if we bear our proper burdens, in our proper sphere.

Before making the suggestions I have to make, relative to the Missionary Society, I will make a few statements relative to its rise here. Before any direct system had been adopted in the States, with reference to State Tract and Missionary Societies, we began to see a necessity for some system of tract distribution. I commenced, by myself, to appropriate a portion of the profits on book sales to the purchase of tracts for gratuitous distribution in connection with meetings in new places. In the spring and summer of 1870, I distributed, in this way, about $30 worth of tracts, and had the pleasure of learning from the lips of several persons, that they had embraced the truth from reading those tracts.

By an article in the REVIEW, our State Committee brought this matter before our people here, and July 4, 1871, we organized a Tract Society, considering each Seventh-day Adventist as a member, and receiving quarterly donations as each were pleased to pledge. By remodeling our plan from time to time, we had, up to May, 1872, raised and distributed tracts and pamphlets, at wholesale prices, to the amount of about $350.00.

There were present, at the State meeting in Santa Rosa, in May, 1872, several who had embraced the truth from reading tracts. This had its effect to stimulate us to more earnest efforts in this direction, and we adopted the constitution recommended by the General Conference, counting each church as one division of the Tract Society, to have its quarterly meetings, with reports of labor, in connection with the regular quarterly meetings of each church.

The previous year, with our temporary tract organization, we became responsible, by vote of our State meeting for arrearages on the periodicals taken within the bounds of this State organization. Here was occasion for much labor in the shape of letters to delinquent subscribers. Here I have erred. It was the duty of the State secretary to either write these letters, or see that they were written. But, understand me, I blame no one; for none were instructed as to their duty in this matter; but, as I now call to mind about one hundred letters of this character I have written during the last year, I mention it as an item of the care connected with the duties of the Society.

I would here state that Bro. Kellogg has rendered me efficient aid in these matters, especially since our last State meeting. I lay down this burden also, but am willing to counsel with the proper officers of the Tract Society, and furnish them lists of delinquent subscribers, so that this work of collecting, as far as possible, may be completed, and that by the first of January we may present to the Association, with the opening of the strict advance pay system, a clean list.

Another point, in which my cares can be lessened, and the proper ones bear the burdens, is in the matter of business between this coast and the Office of Publication. Several letters containing means, written by our brethren, have been lost, and to avoid other losses, of a similar character, all the business has been sent to me, and then by me copied to the Office, and the means sent by me in money orders, so that, as yet, there has not a dollar's loss occurred. This occasions a great amount of writing. As a general rule, I shall lay this burden down, and would suggest this plan, let the business agent in each division of the Missionary Society open an account with the Office on the periodicals, and let each church, and individuals in the vicinity, do their business on REVIEW, Reformer, and Instructor, through the business agent of their church, he, keeping a book in which is an exact copy of each letter he sends—and on this I will show you my book if desired—and he, from time to time, send the means collected in post-office orders to the Publishing Office in such a manner that the Secretary of the Association understands it, but any one pilfering the mail would not, so there could be no loss. In time, we will get this arranged; if not before our State meeting, we can then.

Of the work of the Tract Society, I would say, It seems to me that what we see, of souls embracing the truth through reading, should stimulate us all to act. What we saw on the camp-ground at Windsor, Cal., Oct. 2 to 8, a number who have come out on the truth in that manner, I hope will have its effect. The librarian should immediately make out a list of the tracts you have on hand, and mail to me at Santa Rosa. In a few weeks there will be a fresh supply of books and tracts, so that your supply can be replenished. Send in your orders. There are several boxes of books on their way to California, and these should be placed in the hands of all candid ones who have a desire to read, whether they are here in California, or whether they are your friends abroad. Let us arise to do all our duties, and take hold unitedly for an earnest effort in the work.

J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH.

P. S. Let the officers in our churches in California preserve this article for future reference. J. N. L.