Liberty Center and Hamler by Dudley Marvin Canright

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jul 24, 1879

Liberty Center and Hamler.

By Dudley Marvin Canright

Tuesday, July 8, I came to Liberty Center, and found the brethren having the largest interest we have had in Ohio for many years. About a dozen had been keeping the Sabbath here for a few years, though unorganized and in a poor condition. We gave Bro. O. F. Guilford a forty-foot tent, and he with Brn. Bigelow and Hussey came here designing, only to remain about two weeks to help the brethren. But from the first a deep interest was manifest. The tent was crowded to overflowing. One after another began to keep the Sabbath, until already about sixty are fully decided, and more are coming in daily. Most of these come by whole families. On every street, and in every direction from town, are to be found Sabbath-keepers. About twenty have been baptized, and new ones go forward in this ordinance every Sunday.

When we get the idea that God can work only through some of our older and more able ministers, we are greatly mistaken. This has been the trouble in Ohio. Young men and those of smaller talent have not been encouraged, lest they should make mistakes. Here we have an illustration of the folly of such overcautiousness. Our young, inexperienced hands are having as good or even better success than the older ones. We would like a few more such.

On the Sabbath we organized a church of twenty-seven members. Others will be added as soon as they are ready. Of course a meeting-house is now indispensable, and this is just the time to strike for it. So we drew a plan, 28x42, 16-foot posts, and started a subscription. One brother gave the lot, another the timber, while another saws it; others give work or money, some outsiders giving $50.00, and so on down to $5. Bro. Guilford, being a carpenter, will take the oversight of the work. We are confident that we shall have a meeting-house here before winter.

Of course the churches in town are in trouble. Their own ministers could do nothing; so they sent for one Eld. Alwood, a presiding elder, to tear down God’s work. He came and demanded a debate. This our brethren utterly refused, but offered him the tent every other evening for several days. He then went to a church, hoping to draw the crowd and break up the interest in our meetings. One evening a good many went to hear him; but the next evening we had the crowd, while his congregation numbered only about forty. He made one more effort, and became discouraged; but we had a crowded tent, and this, too, in the midst of harvest.

Bro. Wm. Daniels and family, who make music teaching a business, volunteered to assist during the tent-meeting; so we have had an excellent choir. I am more and more impressed with the value of good singing as an aid in our work. The tent will remain here some weeks longer, then it will be pitched near by, and the work will be continued.

Monday we went about twenty miles to Hamler, and met with the church there, where we found a good little company, who have also commenced to build a house of worship. A little misunderstanding had arisen among them, which was readily settled, and the brethren will proceed rapidly with the work of building. We shall have three or four new churches to be dedicated this fall in Ohio. Thank God for these tokens of success. At this meeting Bro. Rudolph Fisher was ordained elder of the Hamler church.

I am now in Toledo, looking after a few Sabbath-keepers here. D. M. CANRIGHT.