THE WINTER'S WORK by James White

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Feb 15, 1877

THE WINTER'S WORK.

By James White

The winter is rapidly passing, and the Tract and Missionary Societies are falling far behind on the work allotted to them by the General Conference. But a small portion of the 10,000 new subscribers for the SIGNS OF THE TIMES have been gathered.

One measure of the Conference has been pretty generally taken hold of. A large portion of all our churches have adopted the plan to add one-third to the amount of their Systematic Benevolence for 1877. This one-fourth of all their S. B. is to be used in circulating the HEALTH REFORMER, the SIGNS OF THE TIMES, and other publications. There are no reasons why a church or a Conference should wait for means to accumulate on their hands by the slow income of this system before going to work in earnest. As the result of labor, they can forward names for the SIGNS and REFORMER.

Why not every church in the land, that has not done so already, immediately order a package of the SIGNS, from eight to eighty copies, according to the amount of S. B. they pay, to use in their T. and M. work? Individuals, especially those who are scattered away from our churches, are also requested to circulate the SIGNS OF THE TIMES on the installment plan thus:—

Small churches and individuals can take eight copies at a cost of $12 a year. And if they are short of means, they can pay $1 at the commencement of each month until the entire sum shall be paid. Those who can use sixteen copies can pay $2 at the commencement of each month. Large churches can take twenty-four, thirty-two, forty, and all the way up to eighty copies or more. That church which takes eighty copies would have only $12 to pay at the commencement of each month. The little church in Oakland of about sixty members, and nearly all of them the poor of the flock, besides building a meeting-house and raising means for other missionary work, pay $51, for thirty-four copies to hand to strangers who come into their meetings and to use in general missionary work.

If all our churches and scattered brethren would act upon these suggestions at once, our list of subscribers would be swelled to 15,000 in a few weeks. If it is thought that this work should all be done through the T. and M. Societies, that will be the best way if the T. and M. workers will take hold of it at once; but let it be done immediately in some way. Let this be borne in mind, that these packages of the SIGNS are to be addressed to one person, and to be paid for in monthly installments at the commencement of each month. No packages will be sent to strangers unless the first month's installment accompanies the order.

Individuals and churches that receive packages of the SIGNS and obtain regular subscribers can have copies transferred from the packages and sent directly to the individuals at any time; but in all such cases they must pay the year's subscription for these individuals in advance. The winter is rapidly passing, and the best time for missionary labor will soon be over. The Missionary Societies have done but little toward furnishing the 10,000 subscribers for the SIGNS. We have been holding back on the great subjects of Christ in the Old Testament and the moral law in the New Testament, waiting for much greater circulation of the SIGNS before entering upon them.

The SIGNS OF THE TIMES is adapted to Missionary work. We have no publication that can do more good with the same amount of money than the SIGNS. We are making special efforts for the volume of 1877. We ask for immediate and hearty co-operation. The officers of our Tract and Missionary Societies, and the elders and deacons of our churches can bring about the desired object if they have a mind to work to the point.

We regret that a feeling has existed more or less among our people that the Tract and Missionary work has been pushed inconsiderately and rashly. In some localities this may have been true in a degree. But this error is not one-hundredth part so great as the error of doing little or nothing, which now exists to a great extent. We deplore over-action. It furnishes the devil a handle to get hold of to stop the car altogether. What has built up the cause has been steady pulling, strong pulling, and all pulling together. Sudden jerks prove to be poor policy.

But we have done all in our power to remove discouragements from all our State Tract and Missionary Societies. The REVIEW AND HERALD Office gave several of the societies that were in debt the amounts of their indebtedness—Minnesota, $943, Wisconsin $464, Indiana, $150, Missouri, $117, Kansas, $312, Iowa, $170, Maine, $100. And these very States, up to the present time, have done next to nothing in the work of furnishing the 10,000 subscribers for the SIGNS.

The Michigan Conference had $6,000 in her treasury after paying off all her ministers, and meeting all her tent expenses last September. And now that Conference is promptly adopting the added one-third to her S. B. which will add several surplus thousands to her funds. And yet Michigan has forwarded only a few hundreds of new subscribers. That State alone will have means to furnish 5,000 subscribers for the SIGNS with proper canvassing.

The most attractive and useful premiums have been made ready, such as the The Way of Life, engraving, Life of Urgos, and Sunshine Series of little books for children. Every encouragement and inducement has been held out to forward the winter's work of canvassing; and we still believe that our friends will not disappoint us. We close this hasty article by saying, Let the work be done, and let the names of new subscribers pour in by hundreds, and let the light of truth shine forth. J. W.