BUSINESS TO BE DONE AT CAMP-MEETINGS by Dudley Marvin Canright; Stephen Nelson Haskell

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · May 16, 1878

BUSINESS TO BE DONE AT CAMP-MEETINGS.

By Dudley Marvin Canright; Stephen Nelson Haskell

Our camp-meetings are becoming seasons of very great interest, and they are growing in numbers and importance each year. Hence as they come only once a year, as they involve a great deal of expense, and as they are the only occasions that hundreds have of hearing the truth at all, every possible pains should be taken to make them a success. It is a bad thing to come up to a camp-meeting half prepared, with our hands folded and our ideas all confused. Let us lay our plans beforehand, and understand well what we have to do. Very much depends upon the promptness and ability of the camp-meeting committee, and upon the president of the Conference. We would suggest the following points for consideration:—

1. It is very important to secure a good location. A pleasant grove, good water handy, a

place for baptizing, easy access to the railroad, and nearness to a large city or village, are important points to be secured.

2. Reports. Advertisements of the coming camp-meeting should be sent two or three times to all the leading papers in that region. Then, on the very start, one or more good writers should be secured to furnish good, readable, daily reports, not only to these papers, but to all the leading papers in the State. We may just as well have the people print for us as not.

3. Large bills announcing the camp-meeting should be posted all over the country a full week beforehand. Don’t make a failure by putting this off till the week of the camp-meeting, and then have it done in a hurry, and too late to be of any use.

4. The camp-meeting furnishes a splendid chance for missionary work. A proper number of the best qualified brethren and sisters should be selected to distribute tracts and sample copies of our papers to those who may come upon the ground. This work should not be left indiscriminately to everybody, nor should a large number of our books and tracts be placed upon a stand with an invitation for everybody to take all they choose. I have sometimes seen one person carry off an armful of books with simply a “thank you.” We cannot afford to throw away our books in that manner. Some of our smallest tracts, eight, or sixteen-page at the most, should be used for this purpose. Two or three of these, of different kinds, should be put into the hands of every person who comes upon the ground. The best time to do this is after a discourse, selecting for distribution a tract bearing upon the same subject. This would involve but little cost, and would secure a wide circulation. Larger works can then be offered for sale, or they can be given away in special cases.

5. Provision stand. In a majority of cases, if the provision stand is rightly managed, it can be made, not only to cover expenses, but to leave considerable profit. We have observed that there is a wonderful difference in this matter in different camp-meetings. Under about the same circumstances one will lose a hundred dollars or more, while another will make as much clear gain. It must be in the management. Necessary provisions for our brethren should be sold low, of course, but extras, confectionaries, and the like, which would be largely used by others, can be sold higher.

It is a very easy matter to throw away fifty dollars or more lightly in a provision stand. We notice that the stand is frequently open to about everybody; that is, a half dozen are placed in the stand to tend it. Then their wives, and children, and second cousins, and special friends feel at liberty to go in and help themselves. Every minister and his family takes the same liberty. We think that this is a nuisance, and needs to be corrected. We know of one camp-meeting where a pretended brother was allowed in the stand to sell and make change, and he made off with a good pile in his own pocket. Brethren of the strongest integrity, who cannot be tempted of the devil, should be placed in the stand to handle the money.

6. Ministers’ reports. Every minister in the Conference is expected to bring in a report at this meeting. This should embrace a careful statement of all his labors during the past year; also a financial report, showing just how much he has received, where he got it, and the exact date of receiving it; also what his expenses have been, and for what they have been. It is an easy thing to make a mistake of ten or twenty dollars in figures; hence these accounts should be carefully audited, and compared with the State treasurer’s report, to see if they agree. These reports should be written in good style, carefully dated and signed, and handed to the committee the first day of the meeting. We have seen some brethren hand in their account written on the back of an envelope, without date or signature, and in such a shape that nobody but themselves could unravel it. Such reports should be promptly rejected. If a minister cannot make out his own report properly, how can he instruct the church in business matters?

7. S. B. reports. The S. B. book of every church treasurer in the Conference should be carefully audited at each Conference. We have found by experience that this is a matter of some importance. Will our presidents see that it is done?

8. Auditor. For the above purpose a properly qualified person should be chosen as auditor the very first day of the meeting, and all these books should pass under his examination during the meeting.

9. T. and M. officers should report at this meeting, when there is to be an annual meeting of the society.

10. Sabbath-schools. As we are now undertaking to effect State Sabbath-school organizations, there should be a report at this meeting of every Sabbath-school in the Conference, giving the standing of the school.

11. Periodicals. A special effort should be made by the president to have all our brethren renew their subscription on their periodicals at this meeting, and see who has them. It would be well to devote a whole meeting to this purpose to ascertain who has them, and who does not have them.

12. A sermon on S. B. A sermon should be preached before the Conference on Systematic Benevolence. New ones are constantly embracing the truth, and scattered brethren who have never been able to hear on the subject will be present. This is just the time to attend to it. Then if there are any present who are not paying S. B., they can make their pledges at this time.

We suggest these points for the consideration of those interested in the matter; and in order that they can be kept to refresh their memories, we will give the headings again:—

Location.
Advertising the meeting.
Reports for the secular papers.
Missionary work.
Provision stand.
Ministers’ reports.
S. B. reports.
Auditor.
T. and M. officers’ reports.
Sabbath-schools.
Periodicals,—renewing subscriptions, and seeing that all have them.
Sermon on S. B.

D. M. CANRIGHT, S. N. HASKELL.