Appeals and Responses by A. G. Daniells

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Nov 11, 1902

Appeals and Responses

By A. G. Daniells

THE European General Conference held in London last May had not half finished its work when the delegates from America became thoroughly convinced that the great extent, the vast importance, and the pressing needs of that field ought to be set before our American brethren with greater emphasis than had ever been done. So, before the conference closed, all our movements were so planned that we might return to the States in time to attend the fall camp meetings, and tell our people about the European field.

We who have come back from that great field to tell what we heard and saw, have been so blessed in telling, and our people have been so blessed in hearing, and the European field is to be so blessed in receiving the hearty and generous contributions made by different conferences, that I have decided, in response to many earnest requests, to tell the facts to all the readers of the REVIEW.

When I landed in New York, Elder H. W. Cottrell, who had preceded me about ten days, was attending the Vermont camp meeting. Of his experience at that meeting he wrote as follows:—

At Vermont I presented the needs of the field in Europe, and it took hold of the people in a different way from anything I had ever seen presented. They wanted to help in that work, notwithstanding the fact that they are a very small body numerically, and weak financially. A wave went through the camp, leading them to select a worker, present him to the Mission Board, pay his traveling expenses to Great Britain, pay him permanent wages, and thus practically keep a worker in that field. This met the approval of all the people in the camp. Really the missionary spirit that took possession of them was marvelous.

After taking time for prayerful deliberation, Elder Wm. A. Westworth was selected for the British field, his traveling expenses to the field and his wages in the field to be met by the Vermont Conference. Brother Westworth and family sailed for England, October 22. Vermont’s contribution is one of its best public laborers, and not less than six hundred and seventy dollars. May God bless Vermont by raising up a good laborer to take Brother Westworth’s place, and by increasing the tithe of the conference.

On arriving in America I found that the Wisconsin camp meeting was just closing, and as I could not reach the ground, I telegraphed the president of the conference, asking if the conference could not do something for Scotland. This telegram was read to the people, and seven hundred dollars was raised in donations and pledges by those present. In addition to this, a resolution was passed authorizing the conference committee to appropriate as much of its funds to the European field during the coming year as they might think best. Wisconsin is already sending quite an amount of its tithe to needy fields abroad, and gives assurance of further help.

Soon after returning to America, I received a hearty invitation to attend the Iowa camp meeting. I greatly enjoyed the privilege of placing before the brethren the situation in Europe as we found it. It seemed to me that the interest in foreign fields manifested on this camp ground exceeded anything I had ever met before. Brother and Sister Wilbur were on the grounds, ready to leave for China, but the Mission Board was not prepared to advance the means to take them. This became known in one of the public meetings, and a request was made for $350 to pay their way. In a few minutes $1,000 was raised in cash and pledges. This was enough to pay their transportation and a year’s wages. Brother and Sister Wilbur were sent to the land in which their hearts had been centered for a long time. If all has gone well, they are now with Brother and Sister Anderson in Hongkong.

In addition to the preceding contribution, the conference voted to appropriate $2,000 of its tithe to the European field. It also voted to let seven of its workers go to that field. Three have already gone, and the conference has paid their traveling expenses to London. In addition to this, $300 was pledged—a part of which has been paid—for the establishment of medical treatment rooms in London. Thus, Iowa’s contribution during this meeting was $3,500 in money and at least five consecrated workers to foreign fields.

The next meeting I had the privilege of attending was in Nebraska. Here the interest in foreign mission fields rose to a high pitch. There were several hundred young people at this meeting who had come there from different States to enter Union College, which was to open immediately after the close of the meeting. I was granted the privilege of giving at least one talk each day on the European mission field. Before the second Sabbath of the meeting had arrived, the conference had voted to appropriate $2,350 of its tithe to the Scandinavian Union Conference, and $1,000 had been raised in gifts and pledges for the medical work in that field. Sabbath was a day of consecration to foreign missions. About 300 young men and women definitely and deliberately consecrated their lives to the service of God for all time in any part of the world to which the Lord might call them. Nearly 200 of these young people have forwarded their names and addresses to the Mission Board for use in their efforts to secure workers in response to the earnest calls that are continually coming in from the many fields.

Nebraska’s contribution at this meeting was $3,350 in money and four workers to foreign fields,—two to Great Britain, one to France, and one to Natal, South Africa.

The Kansas camp meeting was the next on my list. Although there were not so many young people here as in Nebraska, yet the interest manifested in missionary topics seemed to be equally as great as in Nebraska. As I presented the different features of the European field, and felt the warm, hearty response of the brethren and sisters present, I was deeply impressed with the fact that God has in this cause a faithful, loyal body of believers. Last year the Kansas Conference sent three of its best workers to South America, and has been helping to support them. When the needs of the European field were mirrored before them, they most heartily voted to appropriate $4,000 of their tithe to that field. They also voted to send three of their workers to Great Britain, and to raise $350 for their traveling expenses and support. Two earnest young men have already gone. The gift of Kansas on this occasion was two young men and $4,180.

From Kansas I went to the Northern California Conference. The State camp meeting was held at Fresno. It did not take long to discover that the missionary spirit was running high in this conference. During the past year, the president and the executive committee have been working toward the point of making a large contribution to the distant, needy fields, and the call for help was quickly responded to by a resolution of three parts:—

FIRST.—That $5,000 of the tithe in hand be appropriated to mission fields.

SECOND.—That 13 1-3 per cent of the tithe of the coming year be set apart for foreign missions. On the basis of last year’s receipts, this will amount to $4,800.

THIRD.—This item in the resolution provided that the conference pay the traveling expenses and wages of all the conference laborers that the Mission Board should see fit to place in foreign lands.

With this generous offer before us, we gave an invitation to all in the camp who felt impressed to offer themselves for service in “the regions beyond” to hand in their names. Thirty-seven responded. These were called together by the conference committee, and given an opportunity to state their convictions. After several days of careful deliberation, nineteen persons were selected from those who handed in their names, and were recommended to go abroad. These, with the wives of those who are married, will make a company of twenty-seven persons. Their traveling expenses will amount to $1,170, and the wages, as estimated, to about $5,729. The contribution of California to foreign fields

made at the Fresno meeting is $17,299 and nineteen consecrated workers. Nor is this all. When it was stated on the Camp ground that the North England Conference was in need of a new tent, steps were immediately taken to provide it by the raising of $200. Nor is this all. Over $100 was raised for the work in the Southern field.

This appears like a great contribution; but it is not the amount of money, nor the number of workers that makes it really great. California is perhaps as well able to make this offering as Vermont is to give one laborer and his expenses. But the gift of California was very great; for it was the gift of love. The brethren were more than pleased to see so large an amount of money set apart for countries they had never visited. The laborers were eager to part with old associates, and go to strange lands. Fathers and mothers who had cared for their children from infancy, and whose hearts were made glad as they looked upon their grown-up, consecrated sons and daughters, rejoiced to lay them upon the altar of service for perishing humanity in the uttermost parts of the earth. It was the beautiful spirit of devotion to the cause of God that made California’s contribution truly great.

Since returning from California, I have received a letter from Elder Flaiz, of Minnesota, who was one of the delegates to Europe, from which I take the liberty to make the following quotation:—

We have held two meetings in Minnesota,—one in the northern part and one in the southern part of the State. The attendance was not large, but we enjoyed much of the blessing of the Lord. Each meeting was made a missionary gathering. I spent five hours in talking on the demands of the fields in other regions during the northern meeting, and seven hours during the southern. In the northern meeting we secured $1,400, in cash and good pledges, besides some stock, the proceeds of which, when sold, were to be added to this fund. We secured about $800 in the South. On the Sabbath, instead of a special revival effort, we talked on missions, and then called on those who wished to consecrate themselves to the foreign fields, in case they were called by the Mission Board, to come forward. About thirty responded. Many of them needed a preparation. We then called on men of means to take an interest in some of these persons, and send them to school, that they might receive the needed training.

The total contribution made by the conferences in their camp meetings since our return from Europe amounts to $32,199 and twenty-nine regular laborers.

We believe that this marks an epoch in the history of the denomination. A new order of things has surely set in. For the first time in all our history, a conference has set apart a regular per cent of its tithe for the support of laborers in foreign lands. We believe that this is the right basis for the support of laborers in mission fields, and we have confidence that in the near future this plan will be adopted by the denomination. This will establish a basis of support for our missions that will be regular and certain, and lead to a more rapid extension of our work.

And now, having given a brief account of the responses made by the conferences visited, I will, in future numbers of the REVIEW, place before its readers some of the open doors and Macedonian calls in distant lands.

A. G. DANIELLS.