CITY MISSIONS by S. N. Haskell

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Tuesday, December 23, 1884

FromThe Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, Vol. 61, No. 51

CITY MISSIONS.

By S. N. Haskell

THE subject of city missions at the present time is a live question. How the attention of the tens of thousands of people in our large cities can be most successfully called to the subject of present truth with our present limited resources, is a question of importance. All Conferences contain large cities, in which might be used to advantage all of their means and ministerial force, but this would not be wise. Our strength would then be too much concentrated in one direction. The labor should be more equally distributed throughout the Conferences. The Saviour did not confine his labors to Jerusalem, but extended them throughout all Judea, and even to the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon. But how far is it best to carry our city mission work? How much talent and means shall we invest in it? Our present emergency demands wise generalship in the distribution of laborers and means, so as to accomplish the greatest amount of good possible.

The cities which border on the coast, having a large shipping interest, are most important, and should be entered first. Not a vessel should touch American shores without bearing away with it the truth of God. The cities second in importance are the railroad centers, from which, by the aid of tract distributors and other means, thousands of the traveling public can have their attention called to present truth. Every large depot in such cities should be supplied with tract distributors, more or less, and proper persons should have the care of them.

Reading-rooms connected with our city missions are an important auxiliary, but if simply advertised as reading-rooms they will not prove a success. Persons laboring in cities as canvassers, colporters, etc., should have some place to which they can invite people to read, where they can find works on particular subjects. A card, also, bearing the address of the mission-rooms, and advertising free religious reading, gives character to the work, and a standing as city missionaries to those who engage in it. By this means they can gain access to many families when doors would otherwise be closed to them, and they are relieved of the appearance of peddlers, cranks, or other irresponsible or fanatical persons. Those visiting the reading-rooms will principally be persons who come by special invitation, because they are interested in the kind of reading kept there. It is not necessary that these reading-rooms should be in the most central and expensive part of the city, but they should be in the locality where the canvassers and colporters are at work, and also where religious meetings can be held once or twice a week. It is not always necessary to open mission rooms upon entering a city, and in some cities it may never be best to incur this expense. Neither is it necessary, under ordinary circumstances, to take ministers from the field, and place them in charge of city missionary work. A few canvassers and colporters, if no more than one or two,—more would be better,—can enter a city and commence to labor in an economical manner, with our periodicals, “Sunshine at Home,” or other publications. This will afford them an opportunity to find families with whom they can hold evening Bible-readings. Thus they can effectually present the truth at a very little expense. The interest awakened will indicate in what direction and to what extent the work in that place should be enlarged. In some cities, where the work has been carried on in this quiet manner week after week, most marvelous results have been seen.

We would think it unwise for any State Conference to select its best ministers from the field, where they may be able to raise up church after church, and place them in cities where the work can principally be carried on by a different class of laborers at a less expense. Experience has shown that our publications can be sold in the cities. In one of our eastern cities, where there are five laborers, including a boy of eleven years, the number of “Sunshine” sold averages from ten to fifteen copies per day. This aids largely in paying the expenses of the mission. But it may be said that this offer is a special one. So it is; but if all of our Conferences and tract societies would take advantage of every special offer, such as is now made on “Sunshine” and the Signs, it would be a great financial help to them, besides accomplishing a great amount of good in the spread of the truth.

We should never become stale or stereotyped in our methods of labor. Truth is progressive, and from time to time the voice of God is heard, through his people, saying, “Go forward.” At such times there should be a hearty response from our people everywhere.

In some of our large city missions our periodicals are sold on board of boats, in other public places, and also delivered at houses. Tracts and books are also sold to a greater or less extent. Whatever is received in this way, contributes so much toward the support of the mission. In Liverpool, San Francisco, Boston, and Baltimore, our periodicals have been sold to quite an extent. The work will of necessity move slower in the city than in the country.

In no city where a camp-meeting was held during the past summer should the work be discontinued. Impressions made at that time should be followed up with personal labor,—colporter work, Bible-readings, etc. If this is done, the camp-meeting next year at the same place will bring far greater results than were seen last year.

We feel anxious that the expenses incurred in the city mission work shall not be such as to bring discouragement to the brethren. Make this work a study. If those in charge of city missions will do this, the expenses will in some instances be less than they were last year. We hope that before 1885 closes, the standard of truth will be raised in every prominent city within the bounds of our Conferences. S. N. HASKELL.