Our Quarterly Meeting at Knoxville, Iowa.
By George I. Butler
We greatly desire that this meeting, which is to be held December 30, 31, shall be generally attended by the directors, and by the brethren and sisters within a reasonable distance. We hope all our districts will labor earnestly between now and that time in the distribution of reading matter, almanacs, getting subscribers for the SIGNS, REFORMER, etc., so they will have something to report. We want every district to report in time. All district reports to be sent to Bro. C. G. Johnston, Sigourney, Iowa. Let all the directors see that the members have blanks to report with. Now is the time to labor. If we don’t do anything the next three months we shall probably make a complete failure this year. We hope this general quarterly meeting will be a great success, an encouragement to all who attend it. We hope Bro. Haskell will attend and help us all in the good work by his counsel. As the board of directors at their last session voted to pay their own expenses in attending the quarterly meetings instead of drawing upon the Society, and as some of them are hardly able to do this, we trust our brethren in their several districts will look after this and assist their directors in bearing this expense. It is reasonable they should do this. It is important that we have a general attendance of the directors at our quarterly meetings to make a general plan of operation for the whole Society. Their presence is a great encouragement to the workers, and is worth far more to the cause than the cash cost. But our brethren should share these burdens as far as consistent with the directors. For instance, in Dist. No. 1 the director is one of our most earnest workers, and his presence at our last meeting and his earnest words were a real blessing to the meeting. We hope the friends in his district will help him in sharing such burdens so that he may not be forced to stay away. And the same is true of other districts. In regard to our pecuniary standing, I wish to say, there is great need of improvement. By a recent statement from the Office I judge by the time of our next general meeting at Knoxville, we shall be in debt about $800.00. Our directors must make a very strong effort in each district to raise all the means they can. We must not neglect this important item in our T. and M. work. Our credit and financial standing as a Conference and Society has for years been among the very best. Can it be possible our brethren in this large and rich Conference have made up their minds to reverse this and go along in debt from this time forward? From the last few month’s experience, I am led to fear it. Many seem to have become thoughtless and indolent in regard to the claims of God’s cause upon them. This is the most discouraging omen for the cause I see in this State. If we continue to pursue this course, we shall see sad and dark days in Iowa. I know times are hard, but shall we relax our efforts on that account? On the contrary, we must redouble them. Brethren directors, look after these financial interests and try to come to our general meeting prepared to help all you can in lifting this debt. Talk of this matter in your district quarterly meetings, and especially to our brethren of means in private. Set before them the claims of the Lord upon them, and the claims of their fellow-men. Oh! we must be in earnest, or our light will become darkness. Clouds are gathering over our country and in the old world. Troubles are arising which threaten our nation with sorrow and woe. Shall we not enter anew into the work? Faithfulness becomes us all in this important time.