The Missionary by S. N. Haskell

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Aug 14, 1884

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 10, No. 31.

The Missionary.

By S. N. Haskell

Bible-Readings in City Missions.

THE city missions were entered upon less than a year ago as an experiment; but they have already been established in quite a number of our leading cities. There are scarcely any two of them where those in charge adopt precisely the same method of carrying forward the work, and the question to be solved is, Which method will be productive of the most good? We hear very encouraging reports from Buffalo and Syracuse, N. Y., also from other cities West. Hundreds of subscribers for the Signs have already been taken in the city of Buffalo; a few have embraced the Sabbath, and many more are interested. We also hear encouraging reports from Boston.

It is evident that no one method can be adopted in every city with the same success. And yet there are certain principles which will apply to all places. The plan which as yet has seemed to be most successful is that of holding Bible-readings in families, and obtaining subscribers for the Signs, delivering them each week and receiving pay for them when delivered, at five cents per copy. The papers are also sold in public parks, depots, and wherever the people are accessible. To those who become interested our tracts and pamphlets are sold. Bound books do not sell so readily in the Eastern cities as in the West.

The following is an extract of a letter just received from the Boston mission:—

"Have you any tracts in Swedish? If so, please send us an assortment. There is a family of Swedes where we hold Bible-readings who are going to keep the Sabbath. They want to know how to show it to others, so, as they said last Sunday, 'When we take away what people believe we can give them something better.' We hope to have them doing missionary work. They are two young ladies—dress-makers. We held a Bible-reading with them and they said after we left, the Sabbath came home to them 'so sharp' they could hardly wait to keep it. Please send something in Swedish, Danish, or Norwegian.

"We have sold over one hundred copies of the Signs in a week past, at five cents per copy. Bro. — and myself sold over thirty, Sunday morning on the Common. We have been selling old papers which we had loaned and taken up. After we get all these odds and ends disposed of, I hope to call on you to increase our club.

"Our Bible-readings in families are becoming intensely interesting. Several seem to be brought right to the deciding point. It seems as though we had led some of these just as far as we know how to lead them; and we feel a great responsibility rests upon us to know how to make them feel the importance of obeying the truth. Some of these persons will be a great help to us if they will take their stand with us.

"We have had to give up for the present the Wednesday night meeting at the mission, in order to keep up the appointments in families; have one Bible-reading every night, and three on Sundays. Then we have one every morning among ourselves; so you see we get some drill on the Bible.

"Hope we shall have your prayers for God's blessing to attend the work here. We are all working hard and wishing we could do ten times as much. Please send Present Truth one year to —. Send a set of charts on rollers. A gentleman who was here yesterday wants to buy them."

These Bible-readings embrace more than a single family. Sometimes they are held with the family during the first visit, then an appointment is left for another, when the family themselves invite in their neighbors. In this way the families become interested for their neighbors, and not unfrequently there will be from five to fifteen in attendance at each Bible-reading. They sit around a large table, each one with a Bible, and all turn to the various texts. Questions are asked and the Bible explained, or rather texts are quoted so that the Bible explains itself. On Sabbath and Sunday, there are public social meetings or readings at the mission rooms. Bible-readings are also held on board the ships. Some of our sisters are quite as successful in holding Bible-readings as our brethren. There is no reason why there should not be a hundred of them acting as colporters, visiting from house to house and holding Bible-readings, where there are now but ten. But it is not every one who can hold a successful Bible-reading. It is as important that our brethren be instructed how to do this successfully as it is doing missionary work of any kind. Some will naturally adapt themselves to it, while others need a special drill to prepare them to give the readings acceptably. There are many who have engaged in the missionary work in the past, and given up discouraged because they failed of having success; when, had they felt the importance of being instructed by some person of experience before they commenced, they would have had success. One thing is certain, God is with his truth, and he will help those who not only feel their need of him but feel the importance of qualifying themselves to labor in the best manner. The Lord seems to be blessing the work in Worcester, Mass. The Bible-readings are also made prominent at that place. For all of these things we thank God and take courage.