The response of the field to the Battle Creek Autumn Council recommendation that revival meetings be held during this winter in our churches, has been most encouraging, in fact, almost unanimous. Many local conferences, and in some cases whole unions, have arranged for such meetings to be conducted in every church within their territory. In many instances this work was started soon after the close of the Council, and will continue until spring.
Surely this effort should prove to be a real boon to our churches, and ought to result in a great ingathering of souls. Years ago we were told by the Lord's messenger that there were many who were on the verge of the kingdom, only waiting to be gathered in. Many of these live in the vicinity of our churches. Some even live in our own homes or neighborhoods. There are the unsaved children, parents, brothers, sisters, or other relatives of our members. There are our neighbors who have long manifested some interest in the message, but who have not yielded to it. There are also those whose love has grown cold and who are now in a backslidden condition. It is high time that these friends and loved ones were gathered in, and these church revival meetings should go far toward accomplshing this task. And in all this our ministry must lead.
Already the fruitage is beginning to appear. Elder G. F. Eichman, president of the Texas Conference, sends the following interesting report, which is typical of many already received at the General Conference office:
In harmony with the recommendation of the Fall Council, we are asking all our workers to devote from ten days to three weeks between now and the first of the year to holding revival meetings in the various churches. We are endeavoring to reach three fourths of our churches with this kind of work between now and the first of the year. I believe this kind of program will be a great blessing to our people, and will mean a spiritual revival, which we so much
need. One of our workers recently conducted revival meetings for two weeks in one of our smaller churches, and as a result added seventeen to the church, fifteen by baptism and two by profession of faith. All these had been Ad-ventists once before, but had grown cold and indifferent. Six of the men have good jobs and promised to pay tithe. I believe this kind of work will bring more tithe into our treasury.
There is no question in my mind but that one of the ways to increase our income is to increase our membership and to encourage them to be faithful in tithe paying."
Surely such splendid results should encourage our workers to press on until every church has experienced the blessing of such an effort.
In the Lake Union, and no doubt in others also, the respective committees have so arranged the work of the departmental secretaries as to make it possible for them also to give some time to this work. In most instances they are going out in company with a local minister, and the two unite their efforts to build up the church and lead the members to become more active in all lines of missionary endeavor.
We trust that all who engage in this special work for our churches will set before our believers the absolute necessity of keeping the missionary spirit alive after the revival has closed. A revived church that remains in idleness thereafter will soon backslide. We must teach our people that they are saved to serve.
We should present definite plans whereby the church members can work for those about them. More than that, we should organize them for this task, and actually set them to work.
Neither should we fail to set before our churches the absolute necessity of every man's doing his full duty in this hour of solemn crisis in support of the work of God through the payment of tithes and offerings. We believe that if these matters are presented in their true light, these revivals should result, not only in an ingathering of thousands of souls, but a tremendous increase in funds for the prosecution of our appointed work both at home and abroad.
Washington, D. C.
