In the summer of 1941 a young colporteur trudged along the dusty roads of South Dakota, praying that his next contact might be one that would result in a soul saved for eternity. He was perplexed as he walked. The district pastor was so busy with other things that he did not have time to talk with him, or visit any of the interested people he had met. Some were definitely concerned about the Sabbath truth. It seemed that there might be a greater degree of cooperation between the two workers. I know how that young man felt, for I was that colporteur.
The servant of the Lord has passed on to us timely counsel regarding the coordination that should exist between the various phases of the work. "If Christians were to act in concert, moving forward as one, under the direction of one Power, for the accomplishment of one purpose, they would move the world."—Testimonies, vol. 9, p. 221.
Believing that it would pay rich dividends in souls saved, our evangelistic group decided in a recent effort to coordinate the work in public and radio evangelism with the work of the colporteur evangelist. The results proved most gratifying.
In laying plans for a recent campaign, we secured the names and addresses of all who had purchased our literature in the city in which the meetings were to be held. Rose Nelson, the colporteur, carefully kept a list of names and other helpful information. We sent special invitations to these individuals, and were happy for the number who attended the meetings. After we had our last baptism' in that city we checked to find out how many of the converts had purchased our literature prior to the meetings, and, found that everyone had done so. And then we asked ourselves this question: "How many would have been baptized had it not been for the faithful work of the colporteur evangelist?"
We found that by coordinating our efforts a greater impression was made on the minds of the public, and the citizens of that community realized that our program was not the fly-by-night type.
Occasionally we would "plug" for Bible Readings or The Great Controversy by remarking during the sermon, "If ever you have the opportunity to secure this masterpiece, do so, regardless of the sacrifice you'd have to make."
When mention was made of these books, confidence in the publishing-evangelists' program was widened in many cases, for many in attendance had purchased the books and were studying them.
Large business firms pay millions of dollars for the names of individuals who are most likely to be interested in the products they advertise. Ought we not to appreciate receiving the names of those who have already manifested a degree of interest in Bible study by purchasing our literature?
Undoubtedly we will have far greater results in our soul-winning work if we coordinate our efforts. A coordinated program will prove materially helpful. The public evangelist will help the literature evangelist to sell more books, and the colporteur will help the evangelist to bring more souls across the line.
