WHAT WE WISH TO ACCOMPLISH IN NEW YORK by Dudley Marvin Canright

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 21, 1876

WHAT WE WISH TO ACCOMPLISH IN NEW YORK.

By Dudley Marvin Canright

At our meeting in Rome, there were present the State Conference committee, most all our ministers, most of the directors and many of our leading brethren. Here we freely discussed the condition of things in this State and the wants of the cause here. It was decided by all that the most important thing to be done for the present was to accomplish, if possible, a revival of the work among our older brethren in the churches. Hence this will be the work to which we shall bend all our efforts this winter. Bro. Hall, S. B. Whitney, and myself, start in here together for this work.

We design to visit the churches in order, just as rapidly as we can, and still accomplish what is needed. As far as practicable, we shall follow the plan of my labors in Michigan last winter. We have some over thirty churches in New York. We wish to visit all these within the next sixteen weeks. I hope to remain in the State at least as late as the first of May. This will give us about four months labor.

Of course, we can only hold Sabbath meetings with about one-half of our churches, and others must be visited during the week. It is now winter, and a good time for meetings. Work is not pressing, and there is no reason why we cannot have just as large a turnout of brethren and sisters on Tuesday and Wednesday as upon Sabbath and Sunday. This must be done, or as all can see, we cannot visit some of the churches at all. We shall take the most important churches as centers, where we wish to have general gatherings from all around on Sabbath and Sunday. Here a special effort will be made to reach the young, the backslidden, the unconverted, and unbelievers. Hence we urgently request that all the surrounding churches within twenty-five miles of a Sabbath and Sunday meeting, make a special effort to bring all these classes to this meeting. We believe that by the help of God a great work can be done in this State this winter in this direction.

We hope that at different points, important interests will be developed where it will be necessary to carry on a meeting for a couple of weeks or more. If this is the case at any point, either Bro. Whitney or Bro. Hall, or both of them, or some of the other brethren in the State, who will be with us at different points, will take right hold and follow up these interests.

It is now the time of year in which s. s. should be re-organized in all our churches; hence we will give particular attention to this. We request all s. s. treasurers immediately to straighten up their books, collect the back dues and get these things in order. We further request that no church re-organize their s. s. for 1877 till we meet with them. We shall examine the records of every church and ascertain particularly how every member stands and whether the record is kept correctly, so we request the clerks to look over their books and get everything, as far as possible, straightened up beforehand. Absent members should be written to, so that at the time of our meeting we shall know how they stand. We design to celebrate the ordinances in every church. Let the elder, deacon or leader in the church make full preparations for this beforehand. Unorganized bodies will be organized, deacons and elders elected and ordained. This especial work we shall look after particularly, as I understand that it is very much needed in this State. There are scores of scattered believers in the State who have not united with any church. This should not be so. We recommend all these to unite with us somewhere. Every family of Sabbath-keepers should have the REVIEW, the REFORMER and INSTRUCTOR. We shall look after this also. We hope our brethren will lay by $3.50 for that purpose. We shall also have a full supply of all our late books, Bibles, Concordances, &c. Many other things will come up which we will mention from time to time.

In short we do earnestly hope to see a thorough revival of the work of God in this State this winter. To accomplish this will require, not only much hard work, but a good deal of faith in God. We appeal to our people to take hold with us, to do all they can to help us. We expect large things. The ministers have all solemnly promised to wake up thoroughly and lift in these matters. But we will write more definitely about these things hereafter. Probably we shall hold our first general meeting at Roosevelt, N. Y. D. M. CANRIGHT.