Riverside Sanitarium
I AM sending word to all our col-
ored churches in the conference in
regard to our sanitartum. It is hardly
necessary for ime to state anything
about the real necessity of such ah
institution, and the repeated testi:
mony that there should be such an
institution for the colored people of
our denomination.
Now that it has been made possible
for us to have one, I am calling upon
the entire constituency to do your
part in raising your share for the
establishment and equipment of the
Riverside Sanitarium. The believers
in this conference have been asked to
donate one thousand dollars, and this
can be done if each member will give
82 or more. This small amount is
within the reach of all.
Let those who can not give the
ready cash get out into the field and
sell forty copies of the Message mag-
azine, or sixteen of the crisis books
at 25 cents each, and you will realize
the required amount. Let none say,
“I can not help.” Those who can
give more than $2 let them do so.
I know of one or two who have pledged
$25 and are already paying it. Let
us all put forth a united effort and
raise this required amount before the
Harvest Ingathering Campaign starts.
J. G. DASENT, Secretary,
Colored Department.
News Notes .
The Mira, Louisiana, church is mak-
ing definite plans to have a school
this year for their children. We also
have a request for a home school at
Harrison, Arkansas.
A. F. Ruf recently spent a Sabbath
with the church at El Dorado. We
have a nice group of believers there.
The Little Rock church is planning
to give the school room a new coat
of paint and refinish the teachers’
rooms.
From Bonnerdale comes the encour-
aging word that the new teacherage
is just about ready to occupy. We
understand this is a nice building
and a credit to our work.
“Activity should be the expression
—in part at least—of the inner and
growing experience, but not a sub-
stitute for it.” ~~ -
Home Missionary Topic August 22, Organizing for the Harvest Ingathering.
Jr ue—————— »
THE RECORD
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OKLAHOMA CONFERENCE
J. J. Reiswig, Yresident
L. R. Alexander, Secretary
217 N. W. 7th, Oklahoma City
ED re Ft me mmm 3
Heart Preparation for
Attendance at Campmeeting
ONCE more the Lord has permitted
us to plan for another antiual gath-
ering of His people. We do not know
whether we shall have another one
of these yearly feasts, for in many
parts of the world field they are not
cermitted to have these gatherings
nor to enjoy the association of those
of like faith.
What this convocation will mean
to you depends upon the heart prep-
aration you are making before you
arrive upon the grounds. On this
point the Lord has given the follow-
ing admonition.
“I have been shown that some of
our campmeetings are far from be-
ing what the Lord designed they
should be. The people come unpre-
pared for the visitation of God's Holy
Spirit. .
“While preparing for the meeting,
each individual should closely and
critically examine his own heart be-
fore God. If there have been un-
rleasant feelings, discord, or strife
in families, it should be one of the
first acts of preparation to confess
these faults one to another and pray
with and for one another. Humble
yourselves before God, and make an
earnest effort to empty the soul
temple of all rubbish-—all envyings,
all jealousies, all suspicions, all fault-
findings. .
“The Lord speaks; enter into your
closet, and in silence commune with
your own heart; listen to the voice
of truth and conscience. Nothing
will give such clear views of self
as secret prayer. He who seeth in
secret and knoweth all things, will
enlighten your understanding
and
answer your petitions. Plain, simple
duties that must not be neglected will
open before you. Make a covenant
with God to yield yourselves and all
yours powers to His service. Do not
carry this undone work to the camp-
meeting. If it is not done at home
your own soul will suffer, and others
will be greatly injured by your cold-
ness, your stupor, your spiritual
lethargy.
uality.
be
“Here is a work for families to
engage in before coming up to our
holy convocations. Let the prepara-
tion for eating and dressing be a
secondary matter, but let deep heart-
searching commence at home. Pray
three times a day, and like Jacob, be
importunate. At home is the place
to find Jesus; then take Him with
you to the meeting, and how precious
will be the hours you spend there.
But hew can you expect to “feel the -
presence of the Lord and see his power
displayed, when the individual work
of preparation for that
neglected?
“For your soul’s sake, for Christ's
sake, and for the sake of others, work
at home. Pray as you are not accus-
tomed to pray. Let the heart break
before God. Set your house in order.
Prepare your children for the occa-
sion. Teach them that it is not of so
msch consequence that they appear
with fine clothes as that they appear
before God with clean hands and pure
Fearts. Remove every obstacle that
may have been in their way-—all
differences that may have existed
between themselves, or between you
and them. By so doing you will in-
vite the Lord’s presence into your
homes, and holy angels will attend
you as you go up to the meeting, and
their light and presence will press
time is
‘back the darkness of evil angels. .
“The same work of humiliation
and heart-searching should "also go
on in the church, so that all differ-
ences and alienations among brethren
may be laid aside before appearing
before the Lord at these annual gath-
erings. Set about this work in earnest,
and rest not until it is accomplished;
for if you come up to the meeting
with your doubts, your murmurings,
your disputings, you bring evil angels
into the camp, and carry darkness
wherever you go. . . .
“Would that I could impress upon
ministers and people the necessity
of a deeper work of grace in the
heart, and more thorough preparation
to enter into the spirit and labor of
our campmeetings, that they may re-
ceive the greatest possible benefit from
these meetings.
These yearly gather-
ings may be seasons of special blessing,
or they may be great injury to sp.r.t-
Which shall they be to you,
dear reader? It remains for each
to decide for himself.” Testimonies,