p. 198 | SPRINGFIELD, OHIO

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

SPRINGFIELD, OHIO.

By Dudley Marvin Canright; A. O. Burrill

We have just closed one week's labor at Springfield. There are thirty-nine Sabbath-keepers in this company. Over half of them were brought into the Sabbath under the labors of Brn. Waggoner and Stone, when they were here last summer with the tent. Regular meetings have since been kept up. We hired a hall for our meetings. Nearly all the Sabbath-keepers attended promptly; but the outside interest was small, not more than a dozen attending at any one time. Yet we found a large number who had heard the truth in the tent and believed it. Could one of the brethren have remained here for a few weeks to take care of the interest raised, the strength of the church might have been much increased. This is another illustration of the evil of leaving a church with the work unfinished. Quite a number who embraced the Sabbath then have given it up, and those who were almost decided have lost their interest. But there are enough Sabbath-keepers to make a good, working church, and most of them are strong in the truth and are trying to live it out faithfully.

We organized a Sabbath-school, and the brethren paid for twenty-five copies of the weekly INSTRUCTOR. We organized a church of sixteen members. Quite a number will be admitted at their first business meeting. Several did not join, as they were not ready to be baptized. Abram McLellan was elected clerk, and H. W. Cottrell elder.

The brethren have hired a good little hall for a year. This they will now fit up neatly with chairs, stove, etc., and thus have a permanent place of meeting.

This church has an excellent opportunity to do missionary work, and they have a mind to do it. There is good talent here to fill every office in the church. We enjoyed our visit with them very much. Three young people made a good start at this meeting, and the husband of one of our sisters begins the observance of the Sabbath this week. We got nearly every family in the church to take the REVIEW.

Eld. Wm. Cottrell will spend a good share of his time for some weeks to come in nursing this church, and teaching them all parts of the message. We feel that it is very important to have them come up strong and clear on the whole truth.

Our address for some time to come will be Newark, Ohio. D. M. CANRIGHT. A. O. BURRILL.