p. 196 | LANCASTER T. AND M. INSTITUTE

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 19, 1878

LANCASTER T. AND M. INSTITUTE.

By S. N. Haskell; John Norton Loughborough

This Institute, which opened at South Lancaster, Mass., Dec. 3, 1878, has just closed. It continued five days, holding each day two meetings of two hours each. The first meeting was occupied in organizing and setting forth the objects of the Institute and the manner in which it was to be conducted. Eld. S. N. Haskell was chosen president, and Eld. J. N. Loughborough secretary. D. A. Robinson, M. Wood, and Eliza Thayer were appointed a committee on supplies.

On opening the first meeting Bro. Haskell said, “There are persons here and elsewhere

whom God will use in a special manner in his cause if they will only come into such a position that he can use them. All should prepare themselves for usefulness. The object of holding these T. and M. Institutes from State to State is to give our people an opportunity of learning how to do missionary work in a systematic manner. From this commencement of T. and M. Institutes, I think the time will come when there will be a department in the Battle Creek College devoted to instructions in the proper manner of doing missionary work.”

A call being made, fifty joined the class. These were arranged into four churches and two missionary districts. Eld. J. N. Loughborough, Sisters A. M. Loughborough and E. Thayer were appointed by the president as a committee to examine business letters, quarterly reports, balance sheets, etc., making corrections and suggestions on these documents and returning them to the students. These criticisms, with the oral instructions given by Bro. Haskell in connection with the lesson sheets he prepared and passed out to the students, made the school an occasion full of interest.

Our time was well occupied, and we deeply regretted that we could not have three weeks for the Institute instead of five days. Some of the class had home cares demanding a part of their time, yet the average attendance was forty-eight out of the fifty.

At the close of the last meeting the following resolutions were unanimously passed:—

Whereas, In the providence of God, Bro. S. N. Haskell has been moved out to hold in South Lancaster a T. and M. Institute which has been profitably conducted, therefore

Resolved, That we hereby express our gratitude for the efforts of Bro. Haskell in this Institute, and that he has been enabled to make it a success. (Adopted by a rising vote.)

Whereas, In the providence of God, Eld. J. N. Loughborough and wife have been with us and assisted in our T. and M. Institute, therefore

Resolved, That we express our gratitude for their presence and assistance.

Resolved, That we who have been attending this Institute from other places express our thanks to the South Lancaster church for the courtesies extended to us, and their care for our comfort during our stay among them.

On the passage of this last resolution, the following was immediately presented and adopted by the members of the South Lancaster church:

Resolved, by the South Lancaster church, That we express our gratitude for the privilege we have had of entertaining our brethren and sisters from other places during this T. and M. Institute.

Realizing that words simply are but a slight compensation for Bro. Haskell’s arduous toil night and day during this Institute, a purse of $14.50 was raised, and presented to him, after reading a testimonial to which was attached the names of the donors.

Thus closed this the first T. and M. Institute among S. D. Adventists, with the Spirit of God manifestly approving what had been done.

S. N. HASKELL, Pres.

J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH, Sec.

So. Lancaster, Mass., Dec. 8.