THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CAMP-MEETING by John Norton Loughborough

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Oct 25, 1877

THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CAMP-MEETING.

By John Norton Loughborough

The southern California camp-meeting, held at Lemoore, Tulare Co., Sept. 26 to Oct. 1, has proved a decided success in every respect. Twenty-two tents were upon the ground, besides the 50-ft. tent, which was used for public meetings. The number of campers was one hundred and fifteen.

By request of Bro. Church, the mottoes of our northern camp archway were taken to the southern meeting and placed over a similar triple archway entrance. There being no evergreens within fifty miles of the ground, we substituted therefor trimmings composed of red, white, and blue cloth, which gave a very neat and pretty appearance. Everything possible was done to make the grounds attractive, and this had its effect, not only in making our own people feel decidedly at home, but in attracting the outside world from far and near to see the grounds, especially when word went out that “at the Seventh-day Adventist camp-meeting all was as quiet and orderly as at a meeting-house.”

This seemed to astonish the people, as at all previous camp-meetings in this vicinity there has been much noise and confusion. Even at a camp-meeting held a few weeks since, only eighty rods from our grounds, no less than three arrests were made to quell the disturbance, and one of those arrested was a woman. We were favored with a good outside attendance evenings, and on Sunday not far from four hundred were upon the grounds. There was not the slightest show of a spirit of disorder, but as the people went round admiring the grounds and reading the mottoes, they seemed to catch the spirit of the place, and not a man did we see who even attempted to smoke a cigar inside our gateway. They seemed to think and act as if we had suddenly thrown an ornamental village into their new country, and to show their appreciation of our kindness they treated us with the greatest respect and courtesy. They could be heard saying, “Well, this looks like business, this is a people in favor of order; I’m going to see what their ministers have to say.”

The Lord gave his servants, Brn. Healey and Wood, and the writer, something to say, and the influence of his Spirit to help us say it. When, on the Sabbath, we called for half-hearted professors and backsliders to enter into a covenant for greater devotion and consecration to the work, the people were ready to respond as rapidly as they could get upon their feet. This call was followed by one for those seeking the Lord for the first time; this brought a score or more forward, who after prayers in their behalf, responded with earnest testimonies. An invitation was extended to those who desired baptism to manifest it by coming forward, when twenty-nine candidates presented themselves. Besides these four others united with us, making thirty-three in all.

According to appointment the meeting should have closed on Monday morning, but a petition from every camper, for the meeting to continue another day, decided the matter. Another day was given them, and every one staid. Monday was a glorious day. The baptism occupied the forenoon. We were obliged to go four and one-fourth miles to the place of baptism. The procession was nearly one-fourth of a mile long. We told the people we were going to a burial, but unlike common funerals, this had a resurrection connected with it. The baptism was pleasant. The sandy beach of Kings River, strewn with mica, a yellow substance that looks like gold, especially under the water, made the place selected most lovely. As we saw handfuls of this mica on the beach, washed up by the slight waves of the river, we were reminded of the golden banks of the river of life, where all the faithful shall stand, after the resurrection, in the glorious city of God.

In our business meeting a call was made for the district to raise the sum of $83 to pay its indebtedness to the State Society. In fifteen minutes, with no urging, $106 were pledged, and all paid but $9. It was voted to appropriate the surplus over the $83 to the sum still due for the 50-ft. tent purchased last summer. The sum of about $200 per year was added to the S. B. funds by the pledges of new members, and a goodly number of missionary members was obtained. So, financially, as otherwise, our southern meeting was a success.

A young lady living a few miles from the ground, came to the meeting because she had some relatives who were going to be there, and whom she wished to visit. After being there a day she said, “My mother must come and hear this.” So she went home and let her mother come, agreeing to stay by the “stuff.” After the mother had been there a day she thought that would not do; all the family must have the benefit of the meeting. So home she went and found some one to take care of their affairs, and the family all came and remained through the meeting. On Monday Brn. Healey and Wood baptized the daughter who came first, then the mother and another daughter. Bro. and sister Brown, of San Pasqual, San Diego Co., came three hundred and fifty miles in their wagon to attend this meeting, and said they could cheerfully go back over the long journey again, feeling that they were richly paid for the seven hundred miles of carriage travel, which it would take them twenty-seven days to accomplish. God bless them!

The camp-meeting has had a wonderful influence to give permanence and stability to the work in this southern field. A great interest has been awakened in the vicinity of the camp-meeting. Eld. Wood commences a course of lectures immediately at Lemoore. Bro. Rice is to join him to assist in the work. Bro. Eugene McCapes, of Fairview, who received a colporteur’s license at the camp-meeting, enters without delay upon his work from house to house, in the vicinity of the camp-ground.

It certainly should give a spring of joy to the hearts of our people, and serve as a stimulus to greater efforts on the part of our ministers and missionary workers, when we think that through the instrumentality of two camp-meetings nearly one hundred have taken their stand with us.

Four weeks since, I made the report to the General Conference, and put the number of Sabbath-keepers in California at seven hundred. Were I to do that over to-day, I should have to say eight hundred instead. J. N. Loughborough.