Napa, St. Helena, Healdsburg, and Santa Rosa
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Napa, St. Helena, Healdsburg, and Santa Rosa.
By John Norton Loughborough
FROM June 11 to 13, I was at Napa, where Brethren Healey and St. John are holding a tent-meeting. Present truth was first presented in this place by a tent-meeting thirteen years ago this month. The following season a neat and comfortable house of worship was erected. A number of those who formed the church at that time have either died or moved away. A few are holding on to the truth, but some of these are aged and quite feeble. It was the desire of the church that the tent should be pitched, and thereby some strength be imparted to their number. I was glad to find some interest to hear, and had the privilege of speaking twice while there. The congregations at that time averaged from fifty to seventy-five. From the 13th to the 17th, I was at our Health Retreat at St. Helena. I found that institution progressing favorably, the family of helpers and patients comprising seventy souls. About every available place in our building and the surrounding cottages is full. The new addition will very soon be completed, which will give us much better facilities for treatment, and will furnish room for the accommodation of patients. A marked degree of success has attended the treatment given at the institution, and its influence is extending. While humbly moving forward, we expect the blessing of God to second our efforts at the Rural Health Retreat. June 18, I was at Healdsburg. Here our people are engaged in erecting a house of worship. The building is on the lot adjoining our College building. The edifice is to consist of two parts, all on the ground floor. The main building, or auditorium, is, on the plan, 64x96 feet, with a transverse section in the rear 40x90. The latter is to be divided by sliding doors into five rooms, which can be used for Sabbath-school, and class rooms for the College. The foundation of the building is laid, and the work upon the frame is progressing. We hope during this summer season to get the building enclosed, at least. Healdsburg church alone would not need a building of that size; but the College calls our students there, which makes a necessity for more meeting room. Many in the Healdsburg church have subscribed nobly for the enterprise; if all do as well as these, the building will go up without any hitch. Healdsburg, being the place of our College, is missionary ground, and we doubt not that our people in other parts of the State will esteem it a privilege to aid in this enterprise. June 19 and 20, I was with the church at Santa Rosa. Here is the first Seventh-day meeting-house that was erected on the Pacific Coast. The time of my meeting was the time of the annual election of trustees. Although the church has an enrolled membership of over fifty members, so many of them are non-resident that it required some special effort to get a sufficient number together to hold the election. I gave three discourses to interested audiences. After one of these discourses five trustees were elected for the next year.