Oakland by John Norton Loughborough

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Mar 28, 1878

Oakland.

By John Norton Loughborough

The past week I have spent in Oakland. I am glad to see those newly in the truth so earnest in the work and making progress. The prayer and social meetings, both the Tuesday evening and the three district meetings on Friday evening, were full of interest, and the time was well filled with spirited testimonies. The Sabbath-school and Bible-class is filling up with new recruits. The discourses of both Sabbath and Sunday evening were listened to by good audiences, and the Lord gave freedom to the word spoken, some who have not yet signed the covenant express determination to soon take their stand with us.

The Oakland Vigilant Missionary society has some good accessions to their corps of workers, and this society is doing effective work in spreading the truth by scattering our periodicals all over the world. Already they see valuable fruit as the result of their efforts. Some have commenced the observance of the Sabbath, and others are investigating and express the greatest thankfulness for the efforts of the V. M. society in sending the truth to them, by means of the periodicals and tracts. To give our readers some idea of the practical workings of the society, I copy, by permission of the Secretary, the report of their last meeting:—

"The Oakland V. M. society met at the appointed hour, Sunday evening, March 24. Meeting opened with prayer. Report of the previous meeting was read and accepted. The names of those who were appointed to write letters to different persons were then read, and nearly all had performed the work assigned them. Some very interesting letters were read, which had been received the past week in reply to letters sent out by the society. One was read from a person in Denmark, to whom several copies of the SIGNS OF THE TIMES had been sent. In this letter the greatest gratitude was expressed for the papers sent, and a request made to have reading matter in the Danish language, which will be furnished immediately. The names of thirty-six persons were then handed in to be written to during the coming week, and this labor was apportioned out to fifteen of the members.

"Reference was made to the plan which has been followed in the East, of sending papers to foreign countries, and to the Southern States, where our publications have not been distributed. It was suggested that we adopt the same plan here as far as possible.

"It was ascertained that one sister had friends in South America. She was appointed to write to these friends for names of persons of candor to whom a few copies of the SIGNS might be sent on trial. Members of the society were appointed to write to the States of Alabama, Texas, Tennessee, Virginia; to Denmark, to British Columbia and to England, for names and addresses. Donations for the workings of the society were passed in, and the meeting adjourned."

The V. M. society of the Oakland church commenced its operations about six months ago with a club of twenty SIGNS weekly. Calls for reading matter have increased till they are now using a club of one hundred copies of the SIGNS weekly, and I am informed by the president of the society that they will soon have to double this number and use two hundred copies weekly as the labor increases on their hands and their force of laborers increase. Although this makes work for this working church, and calls for sacrifice of time and means on their part, the fruits are already apparent and the prospects of the "well done" leads them to say, "'Tis sweet to work for Jesus, There's resting by-and-by."