Missionary Department by John Norton Loughborough

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Aug 5, 1875

Missionary Department.

By John Norton Loughborough

"In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand; for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good." Eccl. 11 : 6.

Be Energetic.

Although we have said considerable on the manner of doing T. and M. business, we do not wish any to be disheartened or to slacken their efforts in tract and Signs distribution, if they do not understand all the minutia of the work. There is so much to be done, and so good materials to do it with, that there is every inducement to diligence in the work, especially when we see so many embracing the truth as the result of reading.

Diligence and promptness are requisite in the prosecution of this work. Every director should consider himself in a great measure responsible for the condition of his district, and should especially keep posted relative to all missionary work laid out before them, seeking to stir up the officers and members of his district to activity and zeal in the work. If the director is prompt and energetic it will tend to encourage the President and State Secretary in their labors, and give tone materially to the whole work. Whereas if they are slack, and fail to give immediate attention to matters committed to them, there is liable to be indifference with the officers and members in their respective districts.

We have published a good supply of Signs extra, with the supposition that our members would make special efforts to scatter single copies as freely as they do tracts. It is true something has been said about using copies of the Signs in obtaining subscribers, but let none think that they have not liberty to circulate these copies wherever they can find readers. Let your orders come in from all the districts, and let these Signs be scattered even to the islands of the sea. A good work has been done in placing copies on the ships in San Francisco harbor, but even this can be done on a still grander scale. Let us be energetic, and not "do the work of the Lord negligently." J. N. L.