p. 166 | Tuscola Co., Michigan by Dudley Marvin Canright

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Nov 25, 1875

Tuscola Co., Michigan.

By Dudley Marvin Canright

From Tuscola village I came to Vassar, Thursday, Nov. 4, and held meetings all the time till Nov. 8. Spoke nine times. The brethren here have put up one of the neatest and most tasty meeting-houses I have seen among Seventh-day Adventists. Everything about it is kept in the best manner. They have good warm sheds for their horses, and a large wood-pile ahead for winter. This looks enterprising, and is just as it should be. There are no debts on the house. From the first, the members of this church have been prompt and liberal in all their money matters. Their Systematic Benevolence is paid up squarely, and other things are attended to in an orderly manner. It is very refreshing to find now and then a church where things are thus managed. Bro. Doud, their elder, has had much to do in bringing about this state of things; and the others have had a mind to work with him. As might be expected, God has greatly blessed them. They have had a constant increase of numbers, with very few trials, so that they now have a large church, all in peace and harmony.

I enjoyed my meetings here exceedingly. Brethren and sisters turned out promptly. They were not as lively in some of our social meetings as I could wish them to be. The outside attendance was good. On Sunday evening their house was packed full, below and in the gallery. I had some freedom in preaching the truth. The brethren came in from Tuscola, Watrousville, Fairgrove, Mt. Morris, and other places. On the Sabbath we enjoyed the privilege of seeing thirty-one of the sons and daughters of our Sabbath-keepers come forward for prayers. This greatly increased the responsibility of these brethren. A prayer-meeting will be held each week for the special benefit of these youth and children.

On Monday, we celebrated the ordinances, baptized five, re-organized S. B. amounting to $200, and six were added to the church. Two brethren of this place are thoroughly convinced upon the Sabbath, and will take their stand with us as soon as they can bring about certain business relations. A course of lectures here would be certain to add a good number to the church.

Tuesday, Bro. Doud took Bro. Lawrence and myself eighteen miles through the cold and mud to Fairgrove, where we held a meeting in the evening. Here there are a dozen or fifteen keeping the Sabbath; but they are in a very bad condition. They have had trial after trial, but seem to be left each time where they were before till I fear this state of things has become chronic. I saw no chance to do anything for them. I fear that with many of them, the standard of morality is altogether too low, and that unless there is a radical change of life the blessing of God will not attend them. I think, however, that there are some good people here. We reorganized their S. B. for 1876 to the amount of $44.72. Last year they made no pledge.

The next day we went twenty miles over terribly bad roads to Ellington, in the north-eastern part of the county. Four families, eight persons in all, have moved to this place lately. Two of them are sons of Eld. R. J. Lawrence. One is Bro. Lockwood, formerly of the Holly church; the other is his son-in-law, a school-teacher. I was very much pleased with our visit to them. They are all united, and seem to be heartily engaged in the work. One of Bro. Lawrence’s sons was elected and ordained elder, and Bro. Lockwood was ordained deacon. After setting before them the scriptural plan of S. B., they promptly raised their figures from $42.00 to $100.00 per year. We expect that every cent of this will be punctually paid. There is a good opening here for lectures.

From Ellington we came back to Watrousville, which is eight miles from Vassar. We commenced meetings Friday night, and filled up all the time till Sunday night. I preached three times each day, and had an extra meeting with them after nearly every sermon.

This was the largest meeting that we have had in the county. Brethren came from nearly all the other churches; and besides there was a large attendance from without, much larger than at any of the other places. Here our brethren have a meeting-house large enough to accommodate all who come. A very large number came out here when Bro. Van Horn and myself had the tent here ten years ago. Some of the most pleasant memories of my past labors are associated with this church. But they have been very unfortunate in past years. They have passed through very severe trials, and some have turned away from the truth. These trials have dampened their zeal, and in a measure destroyed that warm sympathy and strong confidence which they first had. Then some who have labored among them have acted very unwisely in taking a radical and extreme position on the health reform and other subjects. Instead of helping them, they have set some of them very much against these things. Then just at this time, some who were reproved for their faults at the other places brought their trials here ahead of me, so that when I came things were not in a very hopeful condition for a good meeting. I hardly knew what course to take. I concluded, however, that the plain, simple truth would be more powerful than anything else, hence I reviewed the evidences of our faith on the prophecies and on the messages; and then gave them a history of the cause, with an account of its present condition and wants. The Lord seemed to help us, and some light came in.

On Sunday, I felt a very great burden of soul for them, and a deep anxiety that there might be a breaking down before the Lord, and my hopes were realized. The Lord gave me freedom in preaching. As I talked I could not refrain from weeping much of the time, and many of them also wept with me. At the close of the sermon quite a number came forward for prayers, some to confess their backslidings and renew their covenant with God, and others to start for the first time.

After the afternoon service I presented the subject of S. B. This had almost entirely run down here. There have been no pledges made for the last year or two, and perhaps longer, though a little has been paid in irregularly. I was therefore exceedingly pleased to find every one ready and willing to enter into the plan again. As far as I could judge, they pledged quite liberally, their S. B. amounting to $200.00, which is double what it ever has been before. The whole amount was voted to the Conference. We also raised several dollars for the Kansas and Missouri Conferences. Bro. Hartshorn was unanimously elected elder and ordained. A full vote was taken to commence their weekly prayer-meeting again, and other steps were taken showing that the brethren and sisters here mean to engage in the work anew. One good sister took a decided stand with them upon the Sabbath. Could I have remained over another Sabbath I am satisfied that quite a number would have come out with us.

I know of no place where there is a better interest to hear than in this church. I was strongly tempted to promise them a short course of lectures in the future. All my old interest and affection for these brethren was revived by these meetings, and I leave them feeling that I have as tender a place in their hearts as ever. Our parting meeting in the afternoon and evening was a very affecting one to me.

On the whole, these were the best meetings that I have held in the county. I shall hope good things for this church in the future.

Bro. Lawrence has been with me during all my meetings in the county. Bro. Miller has done all he could to help me, and so have Bro. Doud and other brethren. These three weeks have been weeks of exceedingly hard labor for me, but I hope that much good has been accomplished, and that fruits of it will be seen in this county through coming months.

D. M. Canright.

Vassar, Mich.