T. AND M. WORK IN INDIANA by Stephen Nelson Haskell

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Aug 29, 1878

T. AND M. WORK IN INDIANA.

By Stephen Nelson Haskell

Our missionary effort at the Indiana camp-meeting was a success. When we made the suggestions in REVIEW No. 6 about “Missionary Work at our Camp-meetings,” it was under the solemn conviction that very much more could be accomplished at our camp-meetings in the missionary work than we as a people have ever realized. The fact that there would be an aggregate attendance at all our camp-meetings of one hundred thousand people, and this at twenty different points in the country, led us to feel that at these meetings something should be done especially to call attention to present truth, besides simply the preaching. Therefore making a specialty of obtaining subscribers for periodicals at the Indiana camp-meeting was an experiment. This being a young Conference, the necessity of a systematic missionary effort has never been fully realized, and circumstances were such that we were unable to devote that time to giving instruction upon this point that we should otherwise have done; yet we have never visited a Conference where the brethren had more of a mind to work than they have here.

Brethren and sisters were appointed to canvass for the various periodicals, some for the REVIEW, others for the SIGNS, REFORMER, INSTRUCTOR, and COLLEGE RECORD. The aggregate number of subscribers obtained for these periodicals was over one hundred. This, considering the circumstances, was doing well. These subscribers were mostly obtained Sunday afternoon.

The report of the tract society showed that more than three times the amount of missionary labor performed any previous year during the history of the society had been accomplished during the past year. The plan of raising a six-hundred-dollar fund for tract and missionary purposes was cheerfully entered upon, and in less than twenty minutes from the time that pledges were asked for, $327 was pledged. When the brethren take these papers home and give each individual an opportunity to do according to his ability, the fund will be easily raised. It is not by the large amount done by any one individual that a great work is accomplished, but each one must do his respective proportion.

Another feature of their tract society was the courage with which they spoke of the Annuals. They ordered five thousand this year, one thousand more than they have ever ordered before. This is doing well for Indiana.

S. N. HASKELL.