WILLIAMSTOWN by Dudley Marvin Canright

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 16, 1875

WILLIAMSTOWN

By Dudley Marvin Canright

Michigan.

WILLIAMSTOWN

This church is situated some seven or eight miles north of Jay, Michigan. The members of this church attended most of our meetings at Jay, but I went out to see them and had a meeting with them. There are seventeen Sabbath-keepers here, fourteen of whom belong to the church. They have been unfortunate in having a great many trials at different times. We found them in one at the present time. I saw no prospect of bettering their condition for the present, so did nothing about it. I hope that in time they may have a better understanding and come to work more in unity.

The brethren here have done about the best of any I have found in taking our periodicals, pledging liberally on Systematic Benevolence and paying promptly. They raised their S. B. from $68.00 to $92.50, though a part of them pay theirs at Jay.

EDENVILLE.

Nov. 29, I went to Edenville, a place about thirty miles north-west of Jay. I found this company entirely disorganized. They have no meetings and pay no S. B. But few of them take our papers, and they are in a bad condition generally. There are thirty-five Sabbath-keepers here. Having but a day or two to spend with them in the middle of the week, I saw that it was too short a time to undertake to do anything for them. I think that with two weeks’ judicious labor things might be set in order here with most of them, so as to have a working church. I regret that I could not stay to do it. Bro. and Sr. Marsh pledged $28.00 S. B. for the coming year, and will probably pay more.

ST. CHARLES.

We commenced meetings at this place Thursday evening, Dec. 2. The church here have done well in putting up a very good meeting-house. They have kept it neatly. They have a good bell, and everything is in order. A good list of our periodicals is taken here. Nearly every family takes the REVIEW, Reformer, and Instructor. This always speaks well for any church. When these are dropped the church soon runs down. Quite a number renewed their subscriptions, and several subscribed for the SIGNS at $3.00 per year.

In the T. & M. work they have been ahead of the churches around them. All this is good. Except the first night, the brethren with their families attended all our meetings quite promptly; and we had a good attendance from without, so that our house was well filled at nearly every meeting, though some of the time it was very rainy and muddy. Evidently the labors of the T. & M. Society have created an interest to hear in all our churches.

I am sorry to say that we found our brethren and sisters too dull and backward in their social meetings. For some cause many of them have largely lost the real life, spirit, and power of the message. What they need is to be waked up and become more earnest and lively. They all seemed to realize this and confessed it. Sabbath afternoon there was very deep feeling in our meeting. About fifty came forward to confess their backslidings and their sins, and to seek God. Among these were twenty young people and children. Nearly all of those who came forward spoke with very deep emotion. It was indeed a very excellent meeting, and we hope that it will result in permanent good to the church. Prayer-meetings for the young people, and district prayer meetings for all, will be held now for some time, in order to make this a permanent work.

On Sunday morning all were out. I laid before them the subject of S. B., stating how very slack our brethren are becoming on this point. In my visits among the churches thus far, I have been surprised to find how S. B. has run down among them. One-half of the churches do not even make any pledge whatever; among the churches that do still make some pledge, not more than a third of the Sabbath-keepers take part in it; and from one-third to one-half of what is pledged is never paid. Unless something is done to correct these things our S. B. fund will soon be a failure. One great cause of this failure is that our brethren have entirely neglected to follow the Bible plan, viz., that of giving the first fruits, or laying by a part weekly as God has prospered them. Instead of doing this they have used their means to meet every other obligation first, while pledges to God’s cause have been left to the very last part of the year. Then it seems like a large amount to have paid at once. They come to feel that it is a burden. They refuse to pay any more till they have paid up for the past. In a large number of cases the consequence is that the past debt remains unpaid and nothing is pledged for the future. This is all wrong. This is not Systematic Benevolence at all.

After stating these facts, every one promptly took part in pledging for 1876, raising their pledge from $206 to $332. Then, by a rising vote, they solemnly vowed to God to lay apart one-tenth of all the money they received, just as fast as it was received till their pledge was paid. If they will do this, they will not only pay what they have pledged, but will pay it on time and do it easily. About $25.00 was immediately paid down for the next year. This is an assurance that they mean to keep their promise. I was quite tired, took cold, and so did not have very great freedom in preaching. Six joined the church and three were baptized.

CHESANING.

After the close of our meetings at St. Charles, which most of the brethren and sisters from Chesaning attended, as it was only some seven miles distant, I went up there on Tuesday and held an all-day’s meeting with them. Their meetings are held at a private house. There are ten members of the church and as many more Sabbath-keepers outside. I found that they had been in a very low condition for a year or two. Their meetings had entirely run down, and no S. B. had been pledged or paid for the year.

Their elder, Bro. Milk, is one of our licensed preachers, and a man who might accomplish much good in the cause. But he had allowed his financial affairs to embarrass and discourage him till he had become of little service to the cause or to the church. At our meeting at St. Charles, he came out clear, and decided to take hold again and get into the work. When he stated his feelings and resolutions to the brethren at Chesaning, they all promised with him to renew their vows to God and seek him more earnestly, to revive their meetings, and make another effort to walk together in love and harmony.

I have very strong hopes that this will be carried out. They pledged for the coming year S. B. amounting to $52.00. There has been a church here for fifteen years. During this time the inhabitants have greatly changed and the village has grown up, so that it appears to me to be a good place to present the truth anew. There are many such places in Northern Michigan where I think it would be more profitable to give a course of lectures than in some new place. The preacher would find a good and welcome home among the brethren. They would advertise for him and pay all expenses. Many have heard and read enough so that a long course of lectures need not be given. Two or three weeks would be plenty long enough. This would be quite sure to bring out from half a dozen to twenty. These added to the old members would make a strong church; whereas, if they were raised up alone in a new place, without any experience they would make a very weak church, and perhaps go down. I wish labor like this might be bestowed in several places where I have been. But it must be done by the right man. It requires more wisdom and prudence to do this than it does to go into an entirely new field. Almost always there is some little trial in our churches which the minister can fish up if he wishes; and some of our ministers seem to have a special liking for such things. Unless they have wisdom from God they do more harm than good. The weather is now rainy and bad. D. M. CANRIGHT.

St. Charles, Mich., Dec. 6, 1875.