CALL AND RESPONSE by H. W. Cottrell

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, California · Jan 30, 1907

CALL AND RESPONSE.

By H. W. Cottrell

A CALL of far greater importance than that to an official position of trust, in conference, State, or nation, is the call of Jesus Christ to an ambassadorship in His work on earth, to which every true Christian is called. The heavenly King holds every ambassador responsible to properly represent Him and each of His interests on earth. "If riches increase, set not your heart upon them," but each soul should rather hold himself in readiness to distribute of the means the King of Heaven has made him steward over, as the interest of His work may require from time to time.

We are not our own, are we? We are "bought with a price." Our money is not our own, is it? Only stewards of the Lord's means for a time, and He is thereby testing each of us, as to the use we will make of it. The gold and the silver, and the cattle of the valleys and upon the many hills are His, but He permits us to gather from His earthly storehouse to hoard up, or to expend as we will. As stewards over His means, and as representatives of His work on earth, the Lord will require an impartial report of our expenditures, and of the varied interests of the ambassadorship.

Pacific Press Building, Closing the Last Gap in the Roof.

A Fund of $150,000.

There has never been a time when some department of our Father's cause did not need financial help. But just now it is in special need. At the recent council of the larger number of local conference presidents, union conference presidents, and General Conference Committee, together with many other leading men among us, held at Washington, D. C., it was decided to ask the people to contribute to the varied interests of the Lord's cause $150,000, as follows: To the Southern work, $50,000; Washington Sanitarium, $50,000; Review and Herald, $10,000; British school, $10,000; Academy in Nova Scotia, $2,000; Sanitarium in Denmark, $2,000; work in the West Indies, $4,000; Chilean printing-house and school, $2,000; and the Pacific Press, $20,000.

All the interests herein referred to are in actual need of help now. Those of us who are subscribers to the Review and Herald and the SIGNS OF THE TIMES are conversant with the straightened circumstances of these varied interests of the Lord's work at the present time. The work in the Southern States should have help at once. The Washington Sanitarium should have means to complete its structure already under process of erection, and to equip and furnish it. The Review and Herald Company lost heavily at the time of its fire in Battle Creek. The Pacific Press lost its entire plant, with all its stock of books and material for printing. It is also greatly in need of help.

Identifying His People with Himself.

Our God is a mighty Deliverer, and has thus proved Himself to be many times in the past. His plan for helping His work on earth is thru His people. His plan to help these interests in a financial way is to put it into the hearts of the people to give of the means He has placed in their hands. His Spirit, "the still, small voice," will speak to your heart to give for their relief, as He has prospered you, when you hear of the straightened circumstances of these institutions and departments in His work. "Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it." "Quench not the Spirit."

The spirit of liberality will come upon God's people. One man living in California just sent five hundred dollars to the California Conference office to be applied on the one hundred and fifty thousand dollar fund. Both large and small amounts of money will be gladly received and greatly appreciated.

Much has already been said in reference to the financial need of the various interests involved in the $150,000 call, so I will not dwell upon them in this article, only to say that the Pacific Press people are still confined to the enlarged bicycle shed for their factory; which is, to say the least, very unsuitable and unsatisfactory during the rainy weather for the past several weeks. However, the new building is now enclosed. It is in its appearance and reality an ideal, modest factory. There is not, to my mind, the least semblance of show. It was planned and constructed with the one thought only in mind—service for God in extending to all the world His last generation message. I am sure you would be pleased with its simplicity if you could see it.

The press is a great factor in the hand of God for disseminating light and truth. Let each one help all he can, and the work of God will soon triumph gloriously.

If you have a preference, state plainly where you desire your gift to apply, and it will be so placed, otherwise, it will be divided pro rata among the various interests mentioned in the $150,000 call.

H. W. COTTRELL.