Litt Church Mims' 
Sazzitz 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Vol.. 31 �
JUNE, 1944 �
No. 6 
Of/ IIIIIf 111t011p11t1111111111p41p4111411111111111111111111111111111111f 1111141111111111111111111111141101t1141111111tlllllglpltpf1,1111111111011,1111ftilliellieffleffttillteltifilt 
Haste Not! Rest Not! 
WITHOUT haste! without rest! 
Bind the motto to thy breast; 
Bear it with thee as a spell; 
Storm or sunshine, guard it well! 
Haste not! Let no thoughtless deed 
Mar for aye the spirit's speed! 
Ponder well, and know the right; 
Onward then, with all thy might! 
Haste not! Years can ne'er atone 
For one reckless action done. 
Rest not! Life is sweeping by; 
Go and dare, before you die; 
Something mighty and sublime 
Leave behind to conquer time! 
Haste not! rest not! calmly wait; 
Meekly bear the storms of fate! 
Duty be thy polar guide—
Do the right whate'er betide! 
—J. W. von Goethe. 
Published by the Review and Herald Publishing Associat'on, at Takoma Park, Washington 12, D. C., U. S. A. Entered as second-class 
matter, Jan. 20, 1914, at the post office at Washington, D. C., under the Act of Congress of March 3, 1879. One year. $1,25. 
2 �
The Church Officers' Gazette �
June, 1944 
 
 
 
 
 
YOUNG PEOPLE'S DEPARTMENT 
of Missionary Volunteers 
NOTES TO OFFICERS 
Missionary Volunteer Crusaders' 
Bible Course 
1
1 HE Missionary Volunteer Crusad-
ers' Corps represents an onward, 
progressive movement. , The mem-
' berm of the corps have banded 
th mselves together for a specific purpose 
— hat of bringing about the conversion 
of many of their young friends and neigh-
bors. In order to enable them to accom-
plish this objective a course of study has 
been adopted, known as the Missionary 
Volunteer Crusaders' Bible Course. This 
course comprises twenty-eight subjects, 
and printed lessons are provided, not 
only for the personal use and study of 
the members of the corps, but also for 
use in working for other young people. 
It is suggested that these printed lessons 
be distributed to those who may be in-
terested, and that they be used as a guide 
when giving Bible readings. 
Missionary Volunteer Crusaders' Films 
covering the same field of subjects are 
also available. These are used with the 
S. V. E. tri-purpose projector and have 
proved to be a great help to our young 
people in giving Bible studies. 
The printed lessons may be obtained 
from your Book and Bible House. The 
films should be ordered direct from the 
Mayse Studio, P. 0. Box 25, San Diego, 
California. 
The goal for the North American Di-
vision is twenty thousand Missionary 
Volunteers enrolled as members •of the 
Crusaders' Corps in 1944. The members 
of your society should be in this group. 
Why not present the matter for further 
enrollments at your next meeting? 
C. LESTER BOND. 
Don't Give Up the Juniors 
IT is quite generally recognized that 
the Juniors comprise a most productive 
field in soul winning. Working with them 
' is interesting, exciting, and, challenging 
to the real leader. We have been guilty 
in too many places of letting the work 
for them lag during the summer. This 
should not be. We cannot afford to neg-
lect so great a work. 
One church, last summer, was so deeply 
in earnest about this matter, that it 
employed the senior church school teacher 
as a full-time J. M. V. leader through-
out the summer. This leader organ-
ized parents into his program. They 
taught classes once or twice a week in 
•such subjects as woodcraft, radio, pho-
tography, cooking, electricity, eamperaft, 
etc. The leader supervised recreation on 
certain evenings. They carried on a real 
organization with occasional hikes and 
cycling trips. Each parent was glad to 
pay the fee of $1 to help carry on the 
project. Some Juniors, of course, earned 
their own fees. 
Most of our J. M. V. societies are con-
ducted in connection with church schools. 
In order to make it possible for this im-
portant organization to carry on during 
the summer vacation months, the church 
should snake proper provision for its lead-
ership. This can be done by electing as-
sociate superintendents who will work in 
counsel with the church school teacher 
and prepare to assume full responsibility 
at the close of school. 
Every church should have a board of 
counselors of from three to five members. 
They should be adults or Senior Mission-
ary Volunteers, who by interest and con-
viction aro competent to assist the leaders 
in fostering the Progressive Class work, 
Vocational Honor endeavor, recreational 
plans, and other J. M. V. features. 
The summer months constitute an op-
portune time for the church to show a 
loving interest in its youth. Let us en-
deavor through all these avenues to win 
and to hold them for the Master. 
E. W. DUNBAR. 
Leader—Weigh These Summer 
Suggestions 
IP the weather conditions and the loca-
tion permit, many of your summer meet-
ings might well be held outdoors. Use a 
spot where the group can sit on a hillside, 
by a lake, under a large tree, or in some-
one's attractive back yard. 
Because of the difficulty of providing 
musical instruments outdoors, choose 
your selections for their familiarity and 
because they can be sung easily, A solo-
ist or quartet might be called upon for 
some special work. 
Some societies have found success in 
combining certain features, such as serv-
ice band work, youth problem discussions, 
etc., with their social gatherings after the 
Sabbath. 
More informal meetings are better in 
the summer. An atmosphere of close 
comradeship will do much to loosen 
tongues and warm hearts. 
PUBLICITY: 
1. Announcements. See that your M. V. 
program is announced in the church serv-
ice or the church bulletin. Have young 
people give the announcements if agree-
able to your pastor or elder. Don't let it 
become merely a routine "We invite all 
young people to the M. V. meeting this 
afternoon at 2:30." Arouse interest by 
teasers. Read some statement or question 
that attracts attention. 
2. Personal invitations. Have a fel-
lowship committee, a lookout committee, 
or a switchboard crew to get in touch 
with all irregular members and strangers, 
and bring them to meetings. Give each 
member the name of at least one person 
to visit. 
3. Cards, letters, and leaflets. Send out 
attractive announcements and follow 
these up with a second card. 
4. Bulletin board. Make one for your 
meeting room if you do not have it al-
ready. Then make the most of it! Use 
posters, conference M. V. bulletins, mis-
sion news, schedules of topics, newspaper 
clippings, snapshots, etc. Appoint a bul-
letin-board operator. Do not use a bulle-
tin board unless you make it attractive 
and keep it up to date. 
E. W. DUNBAR. 
The Character Classics 
Tut wide-awake devotional secretary 
of your society will faithfully, regularly, 
and interestingly promote from week to 
week the reading of the Character Clas-
sics. Brief, original, thought-provoking 
questions and statements on the course 
will help sustain a constant interest. 
Statements of appreciation from those 
participating will also arouse and main-
tain a more general interest. 
Keep your members supplied with the 
schedule, M. V. Leaflet 25-I, which can 
be obtained through your Book and Bible 
House. �
E. W. DUNBAR. 
Quiz 
For the Social Secretary 
Do you know what recreations can re-
lieve the tensions of today? 
Do you know not only how to bring 
folks together, but how to bind them to-
gether in fellowship? 
Do you know how to make leisure time 
a constructive part of personal and social 
experience? 
Do you know why your society should 
have an adequate program of recreation? 
Do you know what is an adequate pro-
gram of recreation? 
Do you know how recreation can build 
wholesome attitudes and ideals? 
Do you know how recreation can fos-
ter skills and techniques in your society? 
Do you know how and what recrea-
tional hobbies can enrich the lives of 
your members? 
Do you know how recreation may ex-
tend friendship circles? 
Do you know that your society is 
taking its share of the responsibility for 
cultivating in the lives of its members 
finer interests in arts and crafts, and bet-
ter and more adequate methods of em-
ploying leisure? 
Do you know how to fill recreational 
hours with meaningful activities? 
Do you know how to make recreation 
re-creative? 
Vol. 31, No. 6 �
The Church Officers' Gazette �
3 
Do you know how to maintain the 
proper balance between relaxation and 
stimulation? 
Do you know that Recreational Plans 
has been prepared especially for you, and 
that chapters 4, 10, 11, and 12 will help 
you particularly in making plans for your 
society's summer recreation? 
Do you know that you may order this 
book through your Book and Bible House 
for $2.25? �
M. W. AL 
Safety Rules for a Successful 
Society Program 
If You Want to March Forward 
1. Do have a young people's society that 
is meeting a real need. 
2. Do have a well-defined purpose and 
objective. 
3. Do have an interest throughout the 
year in enrolling new members. 
4. Do have a good system of checking 
absentees. (Assign people to call, send out 
cards. telephone.) 
5. Do have well-defined duties for officers. 
6. Do plan surprises and features for your 
members. (Hobby night, nature night, typi-
cal home Bible study, forum discussions, 
quizzes, servicemen's honor night, mother 
and father nights, exchange nights with 
other M. V. Societies, etc.) 
7. Do endeavor to use all your young 
people as frequently as possible. 
8. Do sovietizing. 
9. Pick out service projects keyed to the 
times, promote them faithfully for a few 
months. then change. 
10. Do plan your topics weeks in advance. 
11. Do make people welcome. 
12. Do encourage members to attend the 
regular service of the church. 
13. Do create a spirit of reverence during 
the meeting. 
14. Do provide a good variety of recrea-
tional activities. 
If You Don't Want to Bog Down 
1. DON'T try to operate a society without 
regular executive committee meetings. 
2. Don't try to keep a project or service 
band after it has outlived its need. 
3. Don't let your organization become 
merely a social or literary group. Young 
people are really more interested in a vital 
purpose. 
4. Don't be discouraged if attendance is 
small. Stand by for better days. 
5. Don't have a complicated organization. 
Keep it simple and workable. 
6. Don't be afraid to put younger mem-
bers into positions of responsibility. 
7. Don't fail to clear all your general 
plans with your pastor, or elder, or society 
sponsor. You need his help and co-opera-
tion, 
8. Don't just talk together, work together. 
9. Don't try to undertake too many activ-
ities. Concentrate on important issues. 
10. Don't ask people to participate in a 
meeting without at least two weeks' notice. 
11. Don't fail to invite new members to 
other activities of the church. 
12. Don't let your devotional service be-
come a mere routine of the same hymns, 
prayers, and benediction. 
13. Don't confine your service program to 
tile giving away of a few baskets at Thanks-
giving and Christmas. 
14. Don't forget your real source of 
power. 
Vitality 
OFTEN if the vitality of a society runs 
low it is well to consider ono's resources. 
It is a good suggestion to study the Mis-
sionary Volunteer Pledge—what it means 
to live it. Study the purpose of the so-
ciety and of each band in it. Go over the 
membership list and ask each member to 
renew his pledge of loyalty. Make sure 
that they all understand it. 
Take up the bands. Revise their mein 
(flease turn to page 9) 
June 3 
Same Time, Same Station 
BY JEWEL A. HATCHER 
Order of Service 
SONG: "Still, Still With Thee," No 320 in 
the Chapels Hymnal. 
SCRIFTURE : 1 Kings 19:11, 12: 
PRAYER. 
ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REFoRTS. 
OFFERTORY. 
SPECIAL MUSIC. 
INTRODUCTGry :' "lming IA" 
TALK : "Atmospheric Conditions." 
TALK: "The instrument" 
TALK : "The Operator—vou." 
SONG: "I Love to Steal Awhile Away," No. 
317. 
BENEDICTION. 
Note to Leaders 
This program when well prepared should 
furnish a new impetus in the middle of the 
year to the Missionary Volunteer devotional 
features. The leader will give the intro-
duction, "Tuning In." and the other three 
talks may be presented by members of the 
society. 
Tuning In 
HAvE you been wondering why 1 Kings 
19:11, 12 was chosen as the scripture for 
our program? Let us read it again and 
perhaps you will decide why. (Read 
text.) Here in this nineteenth chapter 
is the story of the prophet Elijah "tuning 
in" to God. The next time you turn your 
radio dial for a station, just stop and 
think of the three main obstacles in the 
way of a clear reception. First, there are 
the unfavorable atmospheric conditions, 
which might cause a message to sound 
like a thunderstorm approaching or a 
thousand freight cars setting their brakes. 
The second is the imperfect instrument; 
and third, an uninformed operator. These 
obstacles are found also in our spiritual 
life, in our attempts to keep tuned to 
God. 
Elijah had to make several adjust-
ments before he succeeded in hearing - 
God. You will remember that God spoke 
to Elijah on Mount Horeb shortly after 
he had stood so victoriously before the 
idolatrous priests on Carmel. Elijah had 
fled from his post of duty, fled to the 
wilderness because of the threats of Jeze-
bel to take his life, and in keen disap-
pointment and utter discouragement, he 
had requested that he might, die. 
(Please read Prophets and Kings, page 
164, pars. 3, 4 and page 165.) 
In these awful days in which we are 
privileged to live, as never before We 
shall find need to lay claim to these prom-
ises of God. Like Elijah, we may have 
to make several adjustments—the static 
(Jezebel's threats) may be terrific, the 
instrument weak, and the operator afraid. 
Like Elijah, we won't find God over sta-
tion CYC (cyclone). Neither will we find 
God broadcasting from station EQAK 
(earthquake) or station FIRE. Elijah's 
fourth attempt was successful, and with 
the other stations tuned out and the static 
reduced, he as able to hear that still 
small voice. 
At this meeting we are going to discuss 
in radio terms these three obstacles to 
tuning in to God—atmospheric condi-
tions, the instrument, and the operator—
to see how they can be overcome and 
thus help us to be able to tune in each 
day, same time, same station, for that 
help and guidance that each one of us 
needs hour by hour. 
Atmospheric Conditions 
ONE day at noon a salesman called to 
see a man at his'place of business. "He 
is in, but you cannot see him for twenty 
minutes," he was told. The salesman 
urged that his card should be sent to him, 
for it was important. The clerk replied, 
"I cannot do it; come with me." He led 
the salesman through the basement till 
they were beneath the sidewalk of 
Broadway. He bade him look down a 
long corridor, at the other end of which 
he saw his friend upon his knees, The 
dim light revealed an open Bible upon a 
chair before him. The clerk then said, 
"He spends thirty minutes of the noon 
hour there each day, and there is not a 
man in the house who would dare to in-
terrupt him." 
This man sought and found the favor-
able atmospheric conditions for receiving 
God's messages to him—a place away 
from the hustle and bustle of his busi-
ness, where undisturbed each day at the 
same time he listened to God. 
Jesus gave us one law of life when He 
said, "Render therefore unto Caesar the 
things which are Caesar's," and another 
law of life, just as important, when He 
taught, "When thou prayest, enter into 
thy closet, and when thou bast shut thy 
door, pray to thy Father which is in 
secret; and thy Father which seeth in 
secret shall reward thee openly." Just 
as surely as no state can exist without 
taxes, no Christian life can exist without 
quiet and seclusion in the holiest of all 
relations, communion with God. 
The Instrument 
THE Christian youth uses God's "wire-
less"—prayer and the Bible—the sending 
and the receiving—in his communion with 
his Lord. 
"Prayer is the key in the hand of faith 
to unlock heaven's storehouse." Where 
have you found a more perfect instru-
ment? It requires no tubes, no aerial, no 
electric current, no loud-speaker. It can 
be used any time, any place, in any cir-
cumstance. 
GOD:HEARS PRAYER 
Ir radio's slim fingers can pluck a melody 
from night—and toss it over a continent or 
sea ; 
If the petaled white notes of a violin 
Are blown across the mountains or the city's 
din ; 
SEAIOR MUMS 
4 �
The Church Officers' Gazette 
If songs, like crimson roses, are culled from 
thin blue air— 
Why should mortals wonder if God hears 
prayer? 
—Ethel Romig 
The ways of listening to God's Word 
are several for the Missionary Volunteer. 
You know the Bible Year plan. It has 
been followed for many years by many 
young people, and there are variations of 
this plan. Remember the Bible high-
ways—doetilnal and character highways, 
nature's scenic highway, civilization and 
curiosity highways, the highways of love, 
redemption, repentance, purity, faith, and 
victory/ 
Let's be reminded, too, of the Morning 
Watch—that quiet hour in the morning 
when you meet God and read His special 
message for you for that day. Of course, 
you have heard and read about the Char-
acter Classics, the four-year devotional 
reading plan, combining the Bible and 
the Spirit of prophecy. It is distinctly a 
timely idea for us, and we shall be richly 
rewarded in following it. The first year, 
Year I, "From Manger to Majesty," 
calls for the reading of the four Gospels 
and The Desire of Ages. A schedule of 
this year's reading is given in M. V. 
Leaflet 25-I, which also outlines the re- 
quiremente for the other years. In this 
schedule you read the episode or parable 
in the Word and then in the Spirit of 
prophecy.. ThliCk" about it, won't you/ 
and decide to listen in—every day, same 
time; same station! 
Lisran IN 
Gon has a "wireless" to everywhere. 
We call it the "Word of God" and "Prayer. 
 
And everyone may daily win 
God's choicest gifts by listening in. 
First you must shut out every sound 
From the busy world which throngs around, 
For Vanity Fair makes a deafening din 
On purpose to hinder listening in, 
The devil will use his utmost power 
To stop you from having this quiet hour, 
For well be knows that safety from sin 
Comes always and only from listening in. 
_Author Unknown. 
The Operator—You 
A CLEAR reception on your radio de-
pends much upon the operator and his 
knowledge of how to operate a radio. It 
is, of course, simple indeed to learn the 
how. 
So in the Christian life, it is not diffi-
cult to make connection with God when 
you learn the how. You will find that 
He will hear and answer if we have faith, 
if we pray according to His will, if we 
have a forgiving spirit, if we are un-
selfish, if we do not cherish sin, and if 
we keep His commandments. 
This true story illustrates that only 
when we do our level best can we ask for 
help and have faith to believe that we 
Shall get it. 
A father was passing the bathroom, 
and the door was a bit open; he heard a 
steadily repeated, "0 Lori, make me 
pass; 0 Lord, make me pass," accom-
panied by a very peculiar swish at each 
petition. Quietly he opened the door a 
little more. There in the tub sat his 
young son, slapping the wet washcloth 
first over one shoulder and then the other, 
and each time imploring that he be made 
to pass. It was certainly funny to his 
dad, for he knew perfectly well that if 
the lad had studied and prepared him-
self for the coming examination there 
would be no such thing going on. We 
have no right to try to place on God the 
responsibility for our own lack of honest 
effort. We may far better honor God by 
making the best use of the abilities with 
which we are blessed. 
The object of our lives—the revelation 
of Christ through us to the world—is 
achieved through listening to God. 
Pi 98 
Joint Senior and Junior Topic 
June 10 
John Byington 
BY DIARY E. LAMSON 
Notes to Officers 
This material on the life and experiences 
of the first president' of the General Confer-
ence Is presented herewith in one article. 
Since it is to be used by the Seniors and the 
.Tuniors, we shall leave to you its division 
into talks. Various events might be told by 
different persons. 
John Byington was a quiet man, not given 
to oratory and public display. hut he filled 
his niche, and the Lord greatly blessed him 
to the end of his eighty-eight years 
John Byington 
JOHN and Catharine Byington had been 
perplexed and troubled for many weeks. 
Later the whole community in St. Law-
rence County, Nov York, had been deeply 
stirred by the lectures delivered by Wil-
liam Miller, the great second advent 
leader. Some of the neighbors had de-
clared their belief in the Miller message, 
that the- end of the world would come 
October 22, 1844, but the lectures' had 
closed without any publicly declared de-
cision on the part of the Byingtons. 
And now the day had almost arrived. 
Tomorrow would be the twenty-second of 
October when the messenger had said 
Jesus would come in the clouds of heaven. 
Were they ready for such an event, or had 
unbelief ruined their chances of salvation? 
No, it was not unbelief, neither was it 
fear of ridicule that had made them hesi-
tate. Mr. Byington was a cautious man, 
slow to accept new theories; but once con-
vinced he was as firm as a rock. He had 
made a thorough study of the prophecies. 
There were points that he did not under-
stand, but he had put his full trust in 
God and would leave the outcome to Him. 
The Byington young folks were greatly 
stirred over the event prophesied. There 
had been during that month a very un-
usual display of the northern lights, 
which especially impressed them, and 
they thought of little else. Ten-year-old. 
Martha felt sure that Jesus might come 
sometime soon. 
When the family awakened on that 
twenty-second of October, they went 
about their daily duties as usual. "Oc-
cupy-till I come" were the words in the 
parable as quoted by their father. Mar-
tha, the most active and helpful of the 
girls, was sent out to the garden during 
the morning to pick green corn for dinner. 
June, 1944 
It had been an unusual fall with no frost, 
and the late sweet corn stood tall and 
green. Martha—as she told the story 
long years afterward—stood there well 
hidden by the foliage; she looked up 
through the tall stalks and gave the sky 
a careful search for some sign of the 
great event which she fully believed 
would come before the day ended. But 
there was not a rift in the clouds. The 
heavens were as "gray as her mother's 
shawl"—this was her own description. 
She picked her corn and walked thought-
fully into the house. There was father 
sitting in. his chair tilted against the 
wainscoting—so deeply absorbed in his 
thoughts that he did not notice her at all. 
She went on with her household duties, 
and thus the hours passed quietly away 
that great eventful day. 
Not until the day had drawn to a close 
did this godly family realize how fully 
they had expected Jesus to come. Their 
disappointment was keen, but although 
they could not yet understand why this 
experience had come, they hold fast their 
faith in God. 
John Byington was not a man to be 
baffled by disappointments. He had ex-
perienced many of them. From the time 
of his birth in Hinesburg, Vermont, Octo-
ber 8, 1798, he had not been strong and 
robust like other children. As a boy he 
could not attend school regularly, and at 
twenty he was somewhat of an invalid, 
unable to do a day's work. He owned his 
own horse and carriage, and, hoping that 
a change in environment might do him 
good, he drove to New Haven, Connecti-
cut, where he had relatives, and could have 
better medical care. He remained for 
several years and was married there. 
About the year 1828, his health improved, 
and he and his wife decided to leave New 
Haven and start out for themselves. 
They drove to Potsdam, New York, and 
soon afterward bought a near-by farm. 
This was where their seven children were 
born and grew up. 
The Byingtons were deeply religious. 
At the time of the disappointment in 
1844 he was a circuit rider in the Metho-
dist Church, preaching to various congre-
gations as often as his health and his 
farm work would permit. He had deep-
seated convictions and was not a man to 
be blown about by every wind of doc-
trine; but a seemingly unimportant inci-
dent in his church was the beginning of 
a train of circumstances which affected 
the whole afterlife of this devout family. 
One night during a revival in his 
home church, a man rose, and with the 
characteristic frankness and earnestness 
of his time, asked those present if they 
did not think their tobacco and their tea 
were a tax on their holiness. This speech 
astonished Mr. Byington, but it caused 
him to think seriously. He read carefully 
some pamphlets that the man gave him, 
and soon accepted all they taught of the 
principles of health reform. He was sur-
prised indeed to realize how quickly this 
change in his habits of living brought 
about a marked improvement in his 
health. 
It was not long after this experience 
that John Byington passed through the 
most severe test of his life. The Advent- 
Vol. 31, No. 6 �
The Church Officers' Gazette �
5 
ist who had used those health principles 
as an "entering wedge," now presented 
the seventh-day Sabbath question to him. 
He felt that he could not desert the Wes-
leyan Methodists and perhaps throw 
them into confusion. He loved peace and 
hated controversy. This Adventist be-
longed to a small, unpopular group, an 
offshoot from the Millerites. He felt that 
the change was too much a leap in the 
dark; and he prayed most earnestly and 
begged for guidance. 
If Mr. Byington had a favorite among 
his seven children, it was Teresa, his 
youngest daughter. Sweet and thought-
ful and deeply spiritual, she was a great 
comfort to her father during those days 
of mental anguish. It was a terrible 
blow to him that just when he was in 
the deepest perplexity concerning his re-
ligious convictions she should become 
violently ill and die after a week's sick-
ness. She was buried on the Sabbath 
day, and it seemed to him that as he laid 
his loved one away to rest he heard a 
voice saying to him, "The seventh day is 
the Sabbath of the Lord thy God." He 
decided then and there to obey the voice 
he had heard. Immediately he identified 
himself with that small group who were 
later to be recognized as the founders of 
the Seventh-day Adventist Church. His 
wife was in full sympathy with him. 
When once his decision was made, he 
threw all his energies into the advance-
ment of the new faith, studying deeply 
into the new doctrines, so that he might 
be ready to teach them to others. Ere-
long Elder and Mrs. James White visited 
their home, and a vision that Mrs. White 
had while there fully established the By-
ingtons in their belief concerning the 
Spirit of prophecy. Thereafter the 
Whites were frequent and welcome visi-
tors. So much in earnest was this farmer-
preacher that soon a little church of fif-
teen members was organized 'at Buck's 
Bridge, and with it a flourishing Sabbath 
school was held each week to instruct the 
lambs of the flock. For three years these 
services were held in the Byingtou home. 
By that time the membership had grown 
so rapidly that a church building was 
erected, the first to be dedicated in the 
Seventh-day Advenist denomination. 
While John Byington was busy build-
ing up a strong church at Buck's Bridge, 
various phases of the work among the 
Remnant, as Adventists liked to call 
themselves, were being strengthened and 
enlarged. The Review and Herald, though 
several times moved from one place to 
another, was constantly increasing in size 
and circulation. Tt had been published 
for some time in Rochester, New York, 
but about the time the Byingtons em-
braced the Sabbath, believers over in 
Michigan made generous offers.of a per-
manent home for this growing periodical. 
The change was made, taking to Battle 
Creek 'a number of earnest young work-
ers including Fletcher, John Byington's 
oldest son. 
Scattered through Michigan were many 
little companies of disappointed but sin-
cere and devoted Adventists. Elder and 
Mrs. White were endeavoring, in addition 
to their heavy responsibilities in Battle 
Creek, to visit all these companies and 
give them instruction concerning the Sab-
bath and other points of our message. In 
this they were assisted by Joseph Dates, 
John Andrews, J. N. Loughborough, and 
others of the few ministers who had ac-
cepted the beliefs of the third angel's 
message. 
Some Adventists opposed the work be-
ing established by these pioneers, and 
everywhere Elder and Mrs. White went, 
they found enemies sowing seeds of dis-
cord. This was a very difficult situation, 
especially since both of them had worked 
so strenuously that their health was being 
undermined. While' they were praying 
earnestly over this condition, John By-
ington's name came forcibly to their 
minds. They had found him to be coura-
geous, loyal, unafraid, thoroughly conse-
crated, and well-grounded in the message. 
They immediately wrote to him, asking 
that he come at once to Michigan and 
visit the various companies of believers 
who so much heeded help. 
When the letter reached the Byingtons, 
there was at once an earnest family coun-
cil. It was decided that mother should 
melanin at home to look after the family 
affairs and that father should go at once 
to answer this urgent call. It was further 
decided that Martha, the daughter upon 
whom he had learned to lean heavily, 
should go with him, for even yet he was 
not too robust physically, and Martha—
strong, resourceful, and energetic—would 
see that he did not overtax his strength 
and would shield him as much as possible 
from undue hardships of the trip. They 
went with horse and buggy, traveling over 
an unblazed trail, trusting the Lord to 
guide them on this long western trip. 
Driving to Lake Ontario twenty miles 
away, a good day's journey, they crossed 
the lake by boat, taking their horse and 
carriage with them: Then they went on 
to Buffalo, crossing the lake to Toledo, 
and drove from there over plank roads to 
Battle Creek, stopping to visit with the 
different families of Adventists along the 
way. 
As this earnest, consecrated man of 
God stood in the midst of these small 
wavering companies—tall, calm, digni-
fied, with sharp, deep-set eyes that seemed 
to pierce to their •innermost souls—he 
spoke with a quiet assurance that brought 
peace to their hearts. He did not thee--
vizor but told the story of the loadings of 
the Spirit of God in his own heart. He 
told of his own personal contacts with 
Elder and Mrs. White. He described 
Mrs. White in vision and spoke convinc 
ingly and authoritatively of the message 
of hope which she was bringing to them 
all. The Holy Spirit brought peace and 
harmony to his hearers, 'and they became 
convinced that 'they were following in 
safe paths. 
After visiting a number of these Ad-
ventist companies in southern Michigan, 
Martha and her father drove on to Battle 
Creek. It had been a long, hard journey 
in spite of their many stopovers. Ar-
ningements were made for Martha to 
help out in the Review office and live in 
Elder White's home. This lightened 
somewhat the heavy burdens of their 
household while her father continued his 
trips among the Michigan churches. 
What had been regarded as only a tem-
porary absence from the New York home- 
stead developed into a permanent change 
of residence for the family. About the 
year 1857, acting, on the advice of James 
White, Elder Byington moved his family 
to Michigan, settling first in the southern 
part of the State and later moving to a 
farm in Newton, near Battle Creek. He 
continued to spend much time among the 
Michigan believers, giving them valuable 
instruction and keeping them in close 
touch with the swiftly developing steps 
toward a permanent organization of the 
new denomination. His children had now 
established homes of their own. Martha 
in 1860 married George Amadon, who 
came to Battle Creek with the Review in 
1855 and remained a valued member of 
the staff until the fire in 1903. They es-
tablished their home near the office, and 
together they lived a life of usefulness 
for the cause. She lived to be nearly 103 
years old. 
The publishing work in Battle Creek 
and the evangelistic work of the ministry 
were growing so rapidly .that it became 
evident that some form of organization 
must be effected at once despite the fact 
that many of the Remnant still opposed 
any efforts in that 'direction. During 
those days Elder Byington was frequently 
called into counsel with Elder White and 
others as they laid broad plans for the 
future. When the name Seventh-day 
Adventists was chosen in 1860, when 
Michigan companies were organized into 
churches and then united into a State 
conference in 1861, Elder Byington lent 
all his influence toward perfecting these 
important steps. 
When the time came for the organiza-
tion of the General Conference of Sev-
enth-day Adventists and James White 
declined to act as its president, it was 
not strange that the next choice should 
fall upon John Byington. He had come 
to his sixty-fifth year since 1798—the 
time "of the end." Of this coincidence 
he frequently spoke. He worked untir-
ingly during his two years in that office, 
doing everything in his power to establish 
the now denomination on a firm footing. 
James White became General Confer-
ence president in 1865, and. Father By-
ington gladly retired to his quiet farm 
home and to his visiting among his be-
loved churches once more. 
In his everyday life he was a man of 
fen, words, well chosen. He had a deep 
regard for the opinions of those with 
whom he worked. He loved peace and 
harmony but never sacrificed principle or 
shirked duty, to obtain them. He was an 
ardent advocate of the health principles 
as developed among Seventh-day Ad-
ventists, for he felt that a long life filled 
with rich experiences in the things of 
God had come to him because of a strict 
adherence to those principles. God did 
wonderfully bless and prosper His faith-
ful servant, for in spite of a frail body 
in boyhood and early manhood, lie lived to 
be nearly eighty-nine years old, dying 
January 7, 1881. 
One evening--he was then quite old 
and feeble, yet able to be about—he 
felt too poorly to go to prayer meeting, 
and sent instead to the leader a brief 
6 �
The Church Officers' Gazette �
June, 194,4 
note for the young people saying: "Tell 
them, oh, tell them to leave the, world 
and take Jesus as their Saviour." 
June 17 
Healthful Living 
BY LOUIS A. HANSEN 
Healthful Living 
A HUNDRED years should be a long 
enough time to test thoroughly any part 
of our message and movement. A cen-
tenary retrospect of our teaching re-
garding healthful living ought to tell 
whether it is worthy of its place among 
us, for, mind you, health, teaching had 
its beginning with us at the very first of 
our origin as a people: The first Sev-
enth-day Adventist was "a man of tem-
perance and health reform. 
As generally understood, Joseph Bates 
was the first man under the third angel's 
message to connect the seventh-day Sab-
bath and its observance with the doc-
trine of the second coming of Christ. He 
was in the advent movement that met the 
disappointment of 1844. While confused 
and perplexed with others, he sought for 
the true explanation and meaning of 
that movement and the disappointment. 
. By earnestly praying for light and dili-
gently searching the Scriptures, he came 
to a clear view of the message of the 
third angel. He began at once to keep 
the seventh-day Sabbath. 
For years Joseph Bates had been an ar-
dent temperance advocate. At the age 
of 29, in 1821, he resolved never again 
to drink spirituous liquor. A year later 
be stopped using wine. In 1823 he quit 
using tobacco. In 1824 he discarded ale, 
porter, beer, and cider. In 1827 he, or-
ganized the Fairhaven Temperance So-
ciety, which he and his associates thought 
was the first temperance society in this 
country. In fad, it followed but a year 
the organization of the American Tem-
perance Society in Boston. 
After retiring from the sea in 1828, 
Captain Bates went still further in re-
form. By observation of the effects of 
the use of tea and coffee, and by personal 
conviction, lie added these to the list of 
things he could not consistently use, In 
1839 lie heard and accepted the advent 
message and gave himself fully to its 
proclamation. He saw the relation of 
temperate physical living to a proper 
spiritual preparation for Christ's second 
coming, and his own convictions led him, 
in 1843, tq a resolution to eat no more 
meat. Soon he ceased using butter, 
grease, cheese, pies, and rich cakes. 
It was in 1845 that the seventh-day 
Sabbath truth was accepted by Joseph 
Bates. Other fundamental doctrines fol-
lowed fast in his practice and,proelama-
tion. 'When, in 184G, he united with 
James and Ellen White in preaching the 
advent and Sabbath message, he insist-
ently urged abstinence from all stimu-
lants and narcotics. While he did not 
publicly preach the particulars of diet 
reform he had accepted, he personally ob-
served them. When asked about them he 
gave his reasons. 
We can readily believe that when the 
time came to announce to the world the 
second advent, God chose the human in-
struments for doing so. That the one 
thus chosen was a man of temperate liv-
ing was just as important as it Was that 
John the Baptist, the forerunner of the 
first advent, should be an abstemious 
man. In either instance it was not that 
the one chosen just happened to be in-
terested in physical reform, regardless of 
his call to lead in a spiritual reformation. 
Rather, the right kind of physical living 
was a necessary qualification to the spir-
itual calling, and God led in the proper 
preparation of the man he called. 
This association of the physical and 
the spiritual, manifested in the birth of 
the advent movement, was to prevail 
throughout its existence. And so it is 
that health reform has, run parallel with 
the spiritual side of our work during its 
entire history. There cannot be a true 
spiritual movement that does not include 
the physical. The whole gospel compre-
hends the whole man and this whole gos-
pel is to be given by the whole church to 
the whole world. 
The advent movement began taking 
definite form about 1844 to 1855. At 
that time there were individuals and even 
organizations giving attention to health-
ful living. Gross ignorance of health, 
hygiene, sanitation, and dietetics had 
long prevailed. Dense darkness had sur-
rounded the practice of medicine. But 
now light was shining, and here and there 
men and women were breaking away from 
old practices and methods. Temperance, 
medical reforms, and improved hygiene 
were developing among others outside of 
the small groups of advent believers. But 
it was to these believers that God in a 
special manner committed the broad and 
advanced truth of healthful living. They 
were made the custodians of the full mes-
sage of health reform. 
It was on May 21, 1863, at Battle 
Creek, Michigan, that Seventh-day Ad-
ventists organized the General Confer-
ence. Less than two weeks after ad-
journment on June 6, 1863, at Otsego, 
Michigan, there was given to Mrs. E. G. 
White a vision in which the great subject 
of health reform was, opened to her. 
Principles of health preservation far in 
advance of then accepted scientific knowl-
edge were presented. The development 
of health knowledge among the best of 
authorities from then to now has but cor-
roborated the principles then given us. 
In this presentation to Mrs. White 
there was particularly made clear the re-
lation of physical wholeness and spiritual 
holiness. Health of body was shown to 
be closely related to spiritual health. The 
care of the health was given as a first 
duty, and a religious duty at that. While 
others, as has been stated, were teaching 
certain reforms in health and hygiene, 
this special revelation of health truth 
laid the foundation of health reform as a 
part of the third angel's message.' 
This setting of health teaching placed 
proper physical living as an essential part 
of preparation .for Christ's coming. Tt 
made temperance in all things and eating 
and drinking to the glory of God a part 
of the Christian's program of living. It 
made health reform a part of present 
truth, to be received with the blessing of 
God or to be rejected at one's peril. It 
was not an afterthought or appendix to 
the third angel's message. The health 
message thus entrusted to us as a people 
has not been withdrawn; there has been 
no change in its fundamentals. 
It may be well to state that while an 
interest was being awakened among a 
number of medical teachers in questions 
of reform, Mrs. E. G. White or her hus-
band, James White, did not obtain views 
of health from those teachers or from 
any publication or institution. Tt was 
not until after Mrs. White had written 
out fully the vision as presented to her 
at Otsego, Michigan, and had prepared 
the manuscript for six articles for How 
to Rive, that she read any of the popular 
works on hygiene. Though much of the 
teaching of these publications ran parallel 
with the instruction she had received in 
vision, her instruction came directly in a 
vision given her of God and intended for 
the special edification of those who ac-
knowledged His spiritual message. We 
can well believe that at the same time He 
was blessing the world with rays of light 
that would prepare people for receiving 
the full orb of enlightenment. 
A second vision on this subject was 
given Mrs. E. G. White in Rochester, 
New York, December 25, 1865, setting 
forth further the important bearing of 
regard for right physical living to full 
spiritual development. In this connection 
appears the statement that the health re-
form "is a part of the third angel's mes-
sage and as closely related to it as the 
arm and hand with the body,'' a state-
ment often afterward repeated. 
In, the spring of 1866, following four 
years of civil war with its trying condi-
tions, the leaders of our work faced a 
very serious situation. Sickness and even 
death were taking heavy toll from their 
ranks, holding back the progress of the 
advent movement. The General Confer-
ence Committee set apart four days as a 
season of fasting and prayer. A few 
days after this solemn season of seeking 
God, the third annual session of the Gen-
eral Conference convened. 
At this meeting Mrs. White related 
what was shown her in vision, in Roches-
ter. She earnestly exhorted believers to 
place higher value on health instruction. 
Ministers were urged to make it a definite 
part of their teaching. A very great work 
in health lines was predicted. An ear-
nest call was made for an institution 
where sick, believers could TECC11/0 ap-
proved care. A rising vote of the audi-
ence accepted the counsel given. 
This same year of 1866 saw the first 
issue of, our first health journal, Health 
Reformer, and the opening of our first 
sanitarium, the Western Health Reform 
Institute. This was the beginning of a 
work in health publication and the con-
duct of sanitariums, hospitals, dispen-
saries, 'and treatment rooms that has 
grown to world-wide magnitude. What 
we see today, after a hundred years of 
growth, is more than can be given in this 
short backward view. It is a witness of 
the stability and value of that which was 
committed to us in the beginning of our 
movement. 
Vol. 31, No. 6 �
• �
The Church Officers �
7 
How shall we today benefit from what 
has gone before? Does the Heaven built 
groundwork and the attending blessing 
of God through the century make our 
health message of any meaning today? 
What Healthful Living Means 
IT is easy to think of health matters as 
belonging only to tho physical, such as 
good food for body building; water for 
cleansing; air to supply oxygen; rest for 
recreation; sleep for recuperation; and 
clothing for warmth. Wo may think of 
health care or neglect as a matter of mere 
physical gain or loss. We may even be 
willing to run the risk of illness, for the 
sake of indulging appetite, thinking that 
is all there is to it. 
Health is not a matter of the body 
only or of physical interest alone. It has 
much to do with religion. Indeed the re-
lation of the physical and the spiritual is 
so close that ono cannot really be con-
sidered as separate front the other. What 
affects one affects the other. Wo cannot 
live iu one direction physically and in 
another spiritually. 
We might put it this way: man cannot 
he divided, giving the physical part to the 
care of the doctor, the mental to the 
teacher, and the spiritual to the preacher. 
Man must be dealt with as a whole, by 
the physician, the educator, and the spir-
itual adviser. And we must ourselves 
deal with our being as a unit. 
Man was created a perfect being with 
an organism suited to his existence. His 
heart, circulatory system, lungs, stomach, 
and digestive tract, and all other organs 
were made for perfect functioning under 
the normal conditions offered on this 
earth. At the same time God provided 
air, food, water, sunshine, exercise, rest, 
and sleep perfectly suited to man's needs. 
All the means of health preservation, 
within and without, were assured. God 
has not changed either the mechanism of 
man's being or the essentials of its proper 
maintenance. The same original laws of 
health still hold with the same results of 
their observance. 
The real purpose of man's creation is 
seen in such statements as, "Ye are the 
temple of God," "Your body is the tom 
pie of the Holy Ghost," and "Glorify God 
in your body, and in rur spirit, which 
are God's." The physical being is thus 
definitely designed to represent God and 
to serve Him. What higher incentive for 
properly caring for that body? Add to 
this the warning, "If any man defile ("de-
stroy," margin) the temple of God, him 
shall God destroy; for the temple of God 
is holy, which temple ye are," and we see 
something of the value that God places 
upon our bodies. 
There is nothing figurative about this; 
it is all as real as God can put It in man's 
language. So, too, it is an actual reality 
that the secret of godliness, or Godlike-
ness, is that Christ shall possess the body, 
with all its . physical faculties, for His 
use and service. It is repeatedly stated 
that Christ is to dwell in us if we aro to 
live out the Christ character. The very 
mystery of godliness "Is Christ in you, the 
hope of glory." Col. 1:27. 
We cannot make it too physically ht-
end when we say with Paul, "The life 
which I now live in the flesh I live by 
the faith of the Son of God." That 
means these physical members of ours— 
hands, feet, mouth, tongue, eyes, and ears 
—are to be used by Him. What other 
members have we for Him to use? Where 
else could Ho dwell in as than in this, 
the only body we possess? 
This, then, ties up most intimately the 
physical acts of eating, drinking, work. 
big, playing, reading, talking, hearing, 
and seeing with our spiritual life. In 
other words, our living is our life, as lived 
in this material body of ours, hero on 
earth, in our everyday practices. The 
spiritual life is not some unreal, dreamy 
sort of existence, aside from this mortal 
body of ours; it is a life lived out in 
this very real being of ours, wherever we 
may be and whatever we do. 
Let us here quote a paragraph that 
says much. "The body is the only Inc. 
dium through which the mind and the 
soul are developed for the upbuilding of 
character. Hence it is that the adversary 
of souls directs his temptations to the en-
feebling and degrading of the physical 
powers. His success here means the sur-
render to evil of the whole being. The 
tendencies of our physical nature, unless 
under the dominion of a higher power, 
will surely work ruin and death."—Mtn. 
Wry of Healing, p. 110. 
After thirty years of earnest labor 
Paul had to say, "1 keep under my body, 
and bring it into subjection: lest that by 
any means, when I have preached to 
others, I myself should be a castaway." 
Cor. 9:27: No less today, perhaps even 
more, should we heed the caution to bring 
bodily desires under control of the higher 
aims. 
We need not wonder that God made 
known to ancient Israel, early in their 
Land of Promise pilgrimage, the laws of 
healthful living. The laws of hygiene 
and sanitation given through Moses are 
still the standard. 
Neither should we marvel that God 
early made known to His people of today, 
in their preparation for the heavenly 
Canaan, the laws of healthful living. The 
health principles thus given us are the 
best of today's health teaching. They 
are exactly suited to our needs for the 
time in which we live and to the purposes 
for which we should live. They offer the 
highest standard of living, both for phys. 
Mal welfare and for spiritual attainment. 
Our health principles are broad enough 
to permit the practice of everything es-
sential to physical well-being and restric-
tive enough to forbid indulgences recog-
nized by most authorities as harmful. 
Let us review them: 
I. The control of appetite and pas-
sions; self-control instead of self-indul-
genet 
2. The use of wholesome and nourish-
ing foods, containing the necessary food 
elements in proper proportion. 
3. Abstinence from the use of alcohol 
and tobacco, tea and coffee, irritating 
spices and condiments; and restriction in 
the use of flesh meats and rich and highly 
seasoned foods. 
4. Simplicity in variety and amount, 
and in the scientific combination and 
preparation of foods. 
5. Proper clothing of the body as re-
lated to warmth, protection, simplicity, 
and modesty, avoiding constrictions and 
improperly adjusted weights. 
6. Abstinence from the use of poison-
ous drugs; above all, avoiding the pat-
ent-medicine habit. An intelligent ap• 
plication of the principles of rational 
treatment, as represented in the proper 
use of water, air, food, electricity, mas-
sage, and other natural physiological 
stimuli mid therapeutics. 
7. Strict cleanliness of person and 
premises. 
S. Proper and sufficient hours of sleep 
and relaxation. 
9. Proper and sufficient ventilation of 
churches, schools, dwelling houses, and 
especially of sleeping rooms. 
10. Activity in the warfare against 
contagious and infectious diseases, and 
against flies, mosquitoes, and all other 
disease-carrying insects. 
A sensible list, is it not—readily ac-
cepted by people who think only of their 
physical welfare and who live for this 
world alone? 
"Every man that striveth for the mas-
tery is temperate in all things. Now 
they [who seek a prize] do it to obtain a 
corruptible crown; but we an interrupt/ 
ble." 1 Cor. 9:25. 
11( 
June 24 
Keeping Fit Through 
Recreation 
BY IV. A. HOWE. 
Order of Service 
Orman SONG: "Open My Byes. That I MaY 
See," No, 18.5, In Gospel in Song. 
Murat 
SIMISMARY'S IMPORT. 
0/MARINO AND MISSIONARY REPORTS. 
SPECIAL Music or Soso: "I Would Be Like 
Jesus," No. 188. 
SUPRRINTRNMINT'S RRNARKS. 
TALK: 'Recreation. What It Is and What 
It Is Not." 
Svairosiom : "Objectives of Recreation." 
Taut: "Tests of Recreation." 
Discussion: "Recreational Pursuits for 
Seventh-day Adventist Young People." 
Soso: "Confidence," No. 82. 
Ilsxmnievion. 
Leader's Remarks 
Bacon months have witnessed a rebirth 
of interest In physical Blass and the things 
which contribute to good health. Groups of 
all kinds, from boys arid girls in the grade 
schools sod summer camps to men and 
women in the large defense Industries, are 
spending time and effort on a long-range 
program designed to improve the health of 
the people on the home front. 
'that physical fitness should be a part of 
the gospel may seem absurd to sonic. HOW-
ever, God has ever made provision for the 
health of His people. Sonic of the earliest 
recorded rules of living are the rigid rake 
of health and sanitation given the children 
of Israel. It Is worthy of note that Paul 
also gave us the basis for our message of 
health reform and physical fitness. He car 
ned this physical titans into glory all its 
own, as he Identified such practice with 
divinity. Read Pours words in 1 Corin-
thians 3:16, 17: 6:19. 20. 
Today, we speak of keeping fit In different 
A 
To be more specc. we shall 
discuss keeping flt through recreation. 're 
properly understand each other. we begin 
by defining terms. Recreation is the term 
we :wed to understand. What recreation Is 
and what it Is not will be the subject of the 
first talk. 
8 �
The Church. Officers' Gazette �
June, 1944 
Recreation, What It Is and 
What It Is Not 
RECREATION is, according to Webster's 
dictionary, "refreshment of body or mind 
after toil or weariness, or- an occupation 
that diverts." Prom Messages to Young 
People, page 362, we quote Mrs. White: 
"Recreation, when true to its name, 
re-creation, tends to strengthen and build 
up. Calling us aside from our ordinary 
cares and occupations, it affords refresh-
ment of mind and body, and thus enables 
us to return with new vigor to the earnest 
work of life." 
Recreation is one of the necessities of 
life. It is truly the source of healthful' 
restoration of body and mind. It may be 
defined in these words: to create anew, 
to give fresh life, to revive, to reanimate. 
Recreation is not amusement. The 
word "amusement" is made up of the 
word "muse," which means to meditate, 
ponder, consider, and a prefix, the nega-
tive "a." Therefore, the word "amuse" 
means to distract, bewilder, entertain, di-
vert, beguile, delude. 
Recreation is not just doing nothing or 
maintaining a mental vacuum, It is not 
solely excitement. It is necessary to 
maintain physical fitness. It is not leisure 
time. It is not attendance at commer-
cialized sports or games. It is not escape 
from reality. It is not an enemy of the 
soul. (See Christ's Object Lessons, page 
53, first paragraph.) It is not exhaust-
ing physically. It is not entertainment. 
Recreation may be entertaining, but cer-
tainly it is not limited to entertainment. 
Objectives of Recreation 
FIRST SPEAKER: "To restore and re-
fresh those who are tired and worn." 
Only as recreation serves this purpose 
can it be worthy the name. I believe that 
when Jesus uttered the words, "I am come 
that they might have life, and that they 
might have it more abundantly," He in-
cluded in this statement the matter of 
recreation. If anyone would realize to 
the full Jesus' meaning of the abundant 
life, he must break this term into specif-
ics, each of which contributes its part. 
Recreation is indeed a necessary part of 
the abundant life. In view of this fact 
then, we must see recreation accomplish-
ing the restoration to the individual of 
the things his other daily activities have 
deprived him of or at least given him no 
time or opportunity to do. In this way 
it can be said recreation must supplement 
the workaday life with elements necessary 
for abundant living. Of course, this pre-
supposes the individual has some urges 
toward expression rather than being just 
too lazy to want to do anything other 
than the irreducible minimum of required 
effort, either physical or mental. 
This refreshing and restoring for the 
abundant life must include wholesome ac-
tivities for physical, mental, and social 
development in a wholesome environment 
appropriate to the individual's develop-
mental needs. If after considering these 
things, the recreation under consideration 
makes a contribution to the life of the in-
dividual, then it is fulfilling its purpose. 
A second objective of recreation is "to 
find within one's recreation opportunities 
to express oneself through creative arts." 
Many times it is difficult to discover the 
desires of some persons because they are 
so completely submerged by what they 
have been accustomed to doing. For ex-
ample, there is the practically universal 
desire to sing. Most people find little or 
no opportunity to participate in any mu-
sical activity in their regular routine of 
living. It is during the recreational hours 
that the individual shyness or hesitancy 
to be heard is lessened and he finds him-
self joining the group as he "breaks forth 
into glorious song." This is often a sur-
prise to himself as well as to his neigh-
bors. Such singing is at its best on 
camping trips or excursions to the woods 
where participation is free and voluntary. 
Other means of self-expression along 
the lines of music and art will stabilize 
the character and make the individual 
less dependent on commercialized enter-
tainment with its varying degrees of 
quality. In short, recreation must afford 
opportunities for self-expression manu-
ally or otherwise—in music, art, or craft. 
SECOND SPEAKER: "To develop appre-
ciation for sports and games for the 
sheer joy and pleasure the participants 
derive from them." Here it is necessary 
to discover the subtle distinction between 
playing the game for the pleasure to be 
derived from it and playing a game for 
the sole pleasure of defeating an oppo-
nent. If the latter is true, the effect can-
not even be classified as recreation. The 
proper motive for games and sports for 
recreational purposes should be the pleas-
ure derived from playing the game. 
Whatever the sport or game it must 
build up the individual physically. Rec-
reation must never be exhausting physi-
cally. While one must never be over-
worked in recreation, he should be sure 
that his chosen recreation is sufficiently 
challenging to hold his interest. 
Another objective is to choose a type of 
recreation that meets the individual's 
needs, considering his particular occupa-
tion. The person whose activities have 
been dominantly inside work should wel-
come the opportunity for recreation in 
the out-of-doors. Those whose work ac-
tivities' are largely mental should enjoy 
the advantages of physical recreation. 
These suggestions are based upon the 
theory that a person's activities should 
be "balanced." So, stating it in a differ-
ent manner, our recreation should provide 
pleasant and wholesome opportunities for 
the. individual to obtain and preserve 
this "balance." Proper balance in the 
harmonizing of recreation and occupation 
tends to make for the fullest of abundant 
living along with mental and ,physical 
health and vigor. 
THIRD SPEAKER: One objective of rec-
reation, that is likely to be obscured by 
more commanding and attention-demand-
ing objectives, is the importance of pro-
viding for rest in the recreational life of 
the individual. Everyone needs that mo-
ment of repose or contemplation which he 
can call his own. The little child needs 
his afternoon nap. The older person 
needs the experiences that can come to 
him only when he is alone in activity or 
in quiescence. In this recreational set- 
ting there is the Morning Watch hour. 
He should never forget Jesus coming 
from His season alone with God, with 
His face lighted up and shining and Him-
self refreshed. In these busy times there 
is real danger that this form of recrea-
tion will be lost or will atrophy through 
disuse. I might add that the principal 
reason for this danger is the present ex-
cessive emphasis upon excitement and 
group action and competition. 
The recreation chosen should develop a 
sense of good sportsmanship and fair 
play. Too many have ignored this essen-
tial. Abundant living requires the ability 
to live with people. This calls for a prac-
tice of the golden rule as expressed by 
Jesus. If our choice of recreation serves 
to destroy or fails to further develop the 
practical application of this teaching of 
Jesus, we must make another choice. 
Tests for Recreation 
Let us be very practical about this mat-
ter of recreation. I suggest that we list 
some tests to apply to recreation. (The 
Spirit of prophecy references are given for 
the sake of the one making this talk. They 
need not be used when giving it.) 
1. Can I ask God's blessing upon it? 
MYP 386, 398; GC 622. 
2. Does it make me less inclined to Pray 
and read God's Word? Does it draw me 
nearer to Christ? 511P 364, 391, 409; 
CT 544, 
3, Does it make resistance to temptation 
easter or harder for me? 
4. Does engaging in it trouble my con-
science? MYP 38a, 386; 5T 120. 
5. Does engaging in it refresh and 
strengthen me physically, mentally, and 
morally? Or does It weary and weaken me? 
MYP 379, 385, 393; Ed. 210. 
0. Does it better qualify me to perform 
life's daily duties? CT 336, 354. 
7. Does it tend to infatuate and to con-
sume time and result in no profit? MYP 
373, 379; CT 350. 
8. Does it tend toward self-gratification 
and intemperance? Or does it encourage 
integrity and self-control? SIYP 412, 416; 
Ed. 206. 
9. Does It tend toward pride of dress, 
frivolity, foolishness, and vulgarity? Or 
does It tend toward refinement, virtue, and 
purity? HIP 382; CT 339, 340, 367. 
10. Does it lead me to a love of domina-
tion or to brutality? Or does it tend toward 
courtesy and generosity, and increase respect 
for manhood and womanhood? Ed 210; 
HIP 420, 421. 
11. Does it take me into C the wrong crowd? 
HIP 404, 409, 411, 412; T 224, 257. 
12. Does It tend to lead me on to some 
greater evil? MYP 379, 392; CT 334, 347, 
349 ; Ed. 213. 
Key to Spirit of Prophecy References 
CT �
Counsels to Teachers 
Ed. 
Education 
GC �
The Great Controversy 
HIP Messages to Young People 
ST �
Testimonies, Volume V 
Recreational Pursuits for Seventh-
day Adventist Young People 
THE leader, or perhaps the pastor, will 
obviously lead out in this discussion, Care 
should betaken to choose a suitable chair-
man. It would be well to do considerable to 
encourage suggestions from the group. The 
partial list below is purely suggestive, but 
it may help in prompting some to be ready 
with a suggestion. "Priming the pump" .is 
always a safe way to ensure a good discus-
sion. Classify the groups for whom the 
recreation is to be planned. 
I, FAMILY (where there are children). 
e. A workshop with tools and equipment 
for creative work 
h. Trips to lake or woods. 
II. CHURCH. 
a. Outings. 
b. Receptions. 
C. Fa rewell 5, 
The Church Officers' Gazette �
9 
Vol. 31, No. 6 
III. SENIOR YouTii. 
a. Master Comrade work and Vocatitmal 
Honor -projects. 
b. Nature club excursions. 
r. Hiking and bicycling excursions. 
d. Camps. 
e. Society baud work. 
f. Young People's Forum. 
g. Study groups—Medical Cadet Corps, 
first aid, home nursing. 
IV. JUNIORS. 
a. Progressive Class work. 
b. Camps. 
c. Nature and hiking clubs. 
4. Society band work. 
e. ilobbles—airplanes, radio, leaves. 
butterflies, coins, stamps, etc. 
NOTES TO OFFICERS 
Vitality 
(Continued from page 8) 
bership liars. See that every member 
joins one of the bands. Discuss briefly 
in the executive committee the work of 
each band, with the band leader present, 
and urge faithfulness in working and in 
reporting experiences. Ask each mem-
ber to make it his slogan to "Help Some-
body Today." That slogan will solve 
many problems. 
But when the tide is once turned, the 
executive committee must keep before 
their eyes a high ideal for their society. 
They must determine to make it indis-
pensable to the members, to the church, 
and to the community. It is said of the 
Epworth League that "it must create a 
demand for itself and its products or it 
will go down." The same is true of the 
Missionary Volunteer Society, and the 
executive committee can and must create 
this demand for their society and for the 
good that it can do. Once there was no 
demand for anthracite coal; the first 
miner could not sell it, but now people 
pay big prices for it. When a society 
proves in its service that it fills a great 
need, every church will make room for 
it, and every community will welcome it. 
As officers, magnify your office by see-
ing how much work, instead of how little, 
you can do. Obtain helpful suggestions 
from the conference Missionary Volun-
teer secretary, from other societies, from 
your own church officers, and from par-
ents. Then if you add to all this the 
grace of continuance, and keep on in the 
spirit of the Master, your society will not 
fail. It will succeed, and because its 
members daily "live to bless others," it 
will become indispensable to the com- 
munity. �
E. W. DUNBAR. 
Illustration—Trapped! 
A 1305ToN shoplifter was caught in a 
comical way. He stole a muff in a depart-
ment store, and ran with it to the esca-
lators; but instead of boarding the escalator 
going down, in haste he took the ascending 
stairway. He tried hard to run down, but 
was confronted by the ascending passengers, 
while all the time the merciless steps were 
rising. Finally, in spite of his frantic ef-
forts, he was borne back to the head of the 
stairs again, where he found a policeman 
awaiting him. 
This is just a picture of the difficult ways 
of sinners. They try to escape with their 
booty, but they find all the ways of provi-
dence running against them. Everything 
conspires to their discovery. "Be sure your 
sin will find you out." "We shall all stand 
before the judgment seat of Christ.'' 
Be sure of this : If ye sin, the entire uni-
verse will become an escalator, going the 
wrong way!—fines R. Wells. 
June 3 
Devotional Habits 
BY EDNA EDEBURN 
Order of Service 
Sono : "I Need Jesus," No. 14, M. �
Songs. 
ScRipmpiel: Psalms 1. 
PRArim. 
REPORTS. 
OFFERItair. 
SONG: "In the Service of the King," No. 82. 
Synrosium ; "Watering the Spiritual Life." 
TALK : "Preparedness." 
Sono "I'll Be a Voice," No. 40. 
BENEDICTION. 
Watering the Spiritual Life 
(Non—This symposium can be given by 
seven persons or adjusted to more or less as 
the case may be. If your society is a large 
one the exercises may take the form of a 
council. If your society is small the parts 
could lie previously assigned to members and 
be given as talks. from the floor. The leader 
of the symposium would be the one sponsor-
ing the religious activities in the society, or 
perhaps the regular J. M. V. superintend-
ent.) 
SUPERINTENDENT: Our meeting today 
is to discuss devotional habits as a means 
of deepening the spiritual life. We are 
entering what is termed the "summer 
slump," and it is so important just now 
to stimulate interest in our devotional 
habits. An exchange of ideas is always 
helpful, and I feel, we need the inspira- 
tion that will come from this sort of dis-
cussion. James, how do you think we 
should plan our time to secure the most 
opportunity for prayer and personal 
study? 
JAMES: Your question reminds me of 
a little story I heard about John Erskine 
and his piano teaches'. The teacher asked 
John how much practicing he was doing. 
"Three or four hours a day," he answered. 
"Do you practice in long stretches?" asked 
the teacher. John said, "I try to." 
"Well, don't!" exclaimed the teacher. 
"When you grow up, time won't come in 
long stretches. Practice in minutes, 
whenever you can find them—five or ten 
before school, after lunch, between 
chores. Spread the practice through the 
day, and piano playing will become a part 
of your life." Now that does seem like 
good advice, doesn't it? Here a little 
and there a little, and if we actually look 
to God a little at a time, it will soon be-
come a habit worth having. We will turn 
to Him as naturally as the sunflower 
turns to the sun all day. That's just the 
way God wants us to be—companions in- 
deed. 
SUPERINTENDENT: I think you have the 
right idea about using the odd moments. 
Ethel, what can you say about the Morn-
ing Watch? I see you always carry your 
calendar in your Bible, and I know you 
must be faithful in this line. 
ETHEL: Well, to my mind, that is the 
first and most important thing in the 
morning. That's why it is listed first in 
our Junior M. V. Law. When we actually 
keep it as we should, we shall not dare to 
start the day without the help that we 
know comes from it. It is like sending 
our roots down for their nourishment for 
the day. Then �
like this quotation I 
found recently: ',God has given us our 
intellectual and moral powers; but to a 
great extent every person is the architect 
of his own character. Every day the 
structure is going up." And that surely 
sounds as if each person is responsible 
for the kind of structure he is building. 
SUPERINTENDENT: Some may have the 
mistaken idea that Christians do not have 
temptations to meet. Should our motive 
be that we shall be safe from tempta- 
tions? 
RALPH: No, the devil will continue to 
tempt those whom lie sees in prayer and 
Bible study and in Christian ministry, un-
til he has either won or lost them. The 
active Christian is the one who is 
tempted the most, because Satan is trying 
hard to keep him on his side. In The 
Desire of Ages, page 71, I read: "He 
[Christ] was subject to all the conflicts 
which we have to meet, that He might be 
an example to us in childhood, youth, and 
manhood. . . . From His earliest years 
Jesus was guarded by heavenly angels, 
yet His life was one long struggle against 
the powers of darkness." 
SUPERINTENDENT: I like this little 
poem by Whittier on the Bible. Would 
you like to hear it? 
Ant: Yes. 
SUPERINTENDENT (reads): 
"We search the world for truth, we cull 
The good, the pure, the beautiful. 
From graven stone and written scroll. 
From the old flower fields of the soul, 
And, weary seekers of the best. 
We come back, laden from our quest, 
To find that all the sages said 
Is in the Book our mother read." 
A short time ago a survey was con-
ducted in New York City among some 
140 Christian laymen. This revealed that 
the large majority received more spiritual 
help from the Bible, devotional literature, 
and prayer, than from listening to ser- 
mons or participating in worship services. 
This only proves that our spiritual prog-
ress can be measured by the effort we put 
into it ourselves, not by what others im-
part. You know we get more good out of 
preparing a talk than by listening to 
someone else's production. Now isn't 
that the truth? 
MARY: That's why, if we study a thing 
out for ourselves, it is ours, and no one 
can take it from us. 
SUPERINTENDENT: That's just right, 
Mary. I've been hearing so much lately 
about the great awakening in the hearts 
of all peoples in Bible reading and 
prayer. It seems as if the world is ripen- 
ing for just this sort of thing. 
ETHEL: You know, we have always 
been told that God would call to our 
minds the scriptures we had learned, at 
the time we need them. This must have 
JUNIOR MEETINGS 
10 �
The Church Officers' Gazette �
June, 1944 
been true of that soldier standing in the 
foxhole awaiting he knew not what, re-
peating over and over the twenty-third 
psalm. This may have been all he knew, 
and if it was, it was a consolation; and 
besides, it was seed sown in good soil. 
His buddy in the foxhole heard the words. 
After the battle he went to his chaplain, 
repeated what he could remember of it, 
and said he wanted to learn the whole 
passage. The chaplain gladly gave him 
a Bible and later saw him eagerly reading 
it and memorizing passages for himself. 
SYLVIA: I read a touching incident the 
other day of a soldier on Guadalcanal 
who wrote to his mother and asked her to 
read the same chapter every day that he 
was reading—nine thousand miles away, 
I think I have the clipping in my pocket. 
Here it is: "Out here I have time to think 
about the deeper things of the spiritual 
life.. . . Back home we went to church 
once in a while; but the fact is that the 
church and the Bible meant very little to 
us as a real power in our lives. . . . But 
I have been reading my New Testament, 
which the chaplain gave me from the 
American Bible Society, and it has caused 
me to think very seriously about my soul 
and the future. I am writing 'you, 
Mother, to ask that you read with me a 
chapter from the New Testament each 
day. I have read through the book of 
Matthew and will soon begin to read 
1VIark. This ie my plan: Beginning about 
the middle of the month, you and father 
will read the first chapter of Mark, and 
I will read the first chapter 'way across 
the other side of the world. Each day 
we'll read the next chapter, and I will 
feel that somehow we are united, sort of 
joining invisible hands; and I know that 
if I come back the church will mean more 
to us than ever in our lives." 
SUPERINTENDENT: Aren't those inter-
esting experiences? This meeting would 
not be complete without a word about 
Sgt. Johnny Bartek and his Testament. 
Mary, do you think he just happened to 
have that Testament with him? 
MARY: No, he was accustomed to 
reading the Bible at home, and to at-
tending church, although he says he was 
not deeply religious. I am sure it was 
because of this that he had the Testament 
with him. And, too, because of his faith 
in what the Bible meant to him, he, then 
a private, was brave enough to take out 
his Bible and read it on the sixth day 
afloat on the raft. "Captain Ricken-
backer and the others seemed relieved 
when I started to read, and I know I 
was," he said. Each day of those strenu-
ous days on the raft, in the South Pacific, 
he read his Testament. He says this: 
"Without the Bible we might have given 
up. But every so often )ve'd run across 
a passage that would force hope back into 
us like a dry sponge in a basin of water. 
I'm glad that plane fell—it took a lot of 
nonsense out of my life." 
SUPERINTENDENT: Do you think our 
personal religious experience has any re-
lation to our reverence for the house of 
God 
RALPH: Yes, it is bound to have. If 
we in our personal devotions reverence 
God, we shall naturally have the same 
reverence for Him in our churches. For 
He has, promised that where two or three 
are gathered, He is there. Then No. 6 
of our Junior Law says, "Walk softly in 
the sanctuary." 
SUPERINTENDENT: Hazel, how can we 
best demonstrate to others our spiritual 
activities? 
HAZEL: By helping others we are dem- 
onstrating that wo are followers of Him 
who "went about doing good." In fact, 
that seems about the only way to grow 
spiritually—by imparting to others. And 
to have anything to give, we must have 
a daily supply ourselves. This all comes 
back to the point that we need our Morn-
ing Watch the first thing; then we should 
have the habit of calling on God in 
prayer during the day as we need Him. 
The more we do this, the more we feel 
that companionship with Him. 
JAMES: I guess that last item of our 
Junior Law fits right in here—"Go on 
God's errands"; then the one above it, 
"Keep a song in my heart." That, too, 
is a good way to-show that we are happy 
in the Lord. The folks who outlined this 
Junior Law surely knew what they were 
doing. 
SUPERINTENDENT: James, do you still 
have that poem entitled "Opportunities 
for Today"? 
JAMES: Yes, I do. Shall I read it? 
SUPERINTENDENT: Please do. It is so 
fitting. 
JAMES (reads) : 
OPPORTUNITIES FOR TODAY 
There are many opportunities 
Along life's busy way; 
And many importunities 
We're meeting every day 
There are many little kindnesses 
And cheery words to say: 
But because of our activities 
We let them slip away. 
Let us plan to be more thoughtful, 
And drive the cares away 
Let us plan to be more careful 
Of what we do and say ; 
Let us plan to be more prayerful. 
 
Along life's busy way 
Let us plan to be more cheerful, 
And watch and help and pray. 
—Bertha Stottlemyer. 
SUPERINTENDENT: Then there is a poem 
I gave to someone else called "The 
Empty Prayer." Unless we, follow up 
our prayers with actions, they mean 
nothing. Who has that poem? 
HAZEL: I have it. I'll read it. (reads) 
TEM BM= PRAYER 
I knelt to pray when day was done, 
And prayed, "0 Lord, bless everyone; 
"Lift from each saddened heart the pain, 
And let the sick be well again." 
And then I woke another day 
And carelessly went on my way. 
The whole day long I did not try 
To wipe a' tear from any eye; 
I did not try to share the load 
Of any brother on my road, 
I did not even go to see 
The sick man just next door to me. 
I prayed, "0 Lord, bless everyone!' 
But as I prayed, Into my ear 
There came a voice that whispered clear: 
"Pause, hypocrite, 'before you pray; 
Whom have you tried to bless today? 
 
"God's sweetest blessings always go 
By hands that serve IIim here below." 
And then I hid my face and cried, 
"Forgive me, God, for I have lied; 
"Let me but see another day, 
And I will live the way I pray." 
—Author Unknown. 
SUPERINTENDENT: Well, my friends, 
our time is nearly up, but I have enjoyed 
this immensely. I feel so encouraged 
now in promoting our religious activities 
during this "summer slump" that we 
rather anticipated would come, but which 
I doubt now we shall have at all. There 
is another part in our program today, I 
am told; so we must adjourn at once. 
Preparedness 
THERE'S a reason why the tree growing 
on a windy mountain slope is more rug-
ged than the one in the valley. It has 
more to fight against. There's a reason 
why its roots dig deeper into the earth. 
The foundation must be deep enough and 
strong enough to keep the tree upright. 
As the harsh winds blow and the rain 
and sleet strike the tender branches, they 
become stronger and more rugged. When 
winter comes they are ready to brace 
against anything that might come. This, 
because their roots have dug deep into 
the soil for good nourishment. They have 
prepared the tree for its rugged outdoor 
life. 
So it is with the Christian life. The 
roots may be likened to one's daily Chris-
tian experience. If they strike deep 
enough into the ground of faith and serv-
ice, the seemingly difficult trials will not 
overcome the Christian. A daily Chris-
tian experience means a constant growth 
in 'character. Only this can prepare a 
Christian for the future. We have the 
remarkable experience of Daniel, who 
prepared himself for the work God had 
for him to do. He rose to almost the 
highest position any man could on the 
earth, and was used of God as a faithful 
witness. But this was only because he 
prepared himself for it. 
The story is told of Engineer Williams 
who for many years ran his engine over 
the same stretch of track. After round-
ing a curve in the road, half a mile 
ahead he could see a bridge over a 
stream. One night he got to thinking 
what might happen if suddenly he 
rounded the curve and saw the bridge 
gone. So he planned just what he should 
do in an emergency: He would move one 
lever to shut off the steam, and another 
to throw on tho brakes. Each, night as 
he came to this place in the road he went 
over in his mind just what he would do 
to safeguard the passengers in case the 
bridge was gone. One night it happened. 
The bridge was gone. Melting snows 
from the mountainside had washed it 
away. But Engineer Williams knew just 
what to do, and he didn't lose any time 
thinking about it. He automatically did 
what he had planned to do many weeks 
before. The huge mass of iron and steel 
came to a stop just before the danger 
point was reached. 
So in our Christian life. We can form 
habits that will cause us to turn to God 
and receive help, because we are in the 
habit of doing so. 
Vol. 31, No. 6 �
The Church Officers' Gazette �
11 
June 10 
John Byington 
(Joint Senior and Junior Topic) 
(Bee page 4) 
June 17 
Keep a Level Eye 
BY ARCHA 0. DART 
Order of Service 
SONG: "Can the World See Jesus in You?" 
No. 34 in M. Y. Songs. 
PRAYER. 
REPORTS. 
OFFERING. 
Sox° "Would I Be Called a Christian?" 
No. 45, 
TALK : "The Wages of Sin." 
Pont "Myself." 
SPECIAL MUSIC. 
BIBLE EXERCISE: "A Sin God Especially 
Hates." 
SENTENCE PRAYERS by Juniors, asking God 
to have complete control over their 
thoughts. 
SONG "I Would Be True," No. 58. 
BENEDICTION Psalms 19:14, �
•: 
Notes to Superintendents 
Pure water is life-giving and beautiful. 
Our parks are ornamented with Streams and 
bubbling fountains. Great mills and elec-
tric cars receive their power from a water-
fall Every living creature must have pure 
water to live. But polluted, filthy water is 
a carrier of disease and death and is dis-
gusting to the beholder. 
The real object of studying this topic 
today is to help Junior boys and girls to be 
clean in their thinking. If their thinking 
is clean, their actions will be clean, for as 
a man "thinketh in his heart, so is he." 
A very little dirt in a valuable watch will 
cause it to stop running, but the mind is 
even more delicate than the hest watch 
made. We must keep our mind clean if it 
is to do good clean thinking fbr us. The 
boy or girl who Is honest, truthful, and 
pure has a clean mind. He is able to look 
the world in the face. He has a level eye. 
The Wages of Sin 
Fon days Mabel, who kept house for 
Mrs. Spradling, had been busy getting 
ready to entertain Flora Belle, Mrs. 
Spradling's niece. As long as Mabel kept 
a level eye on her work, she was happy; 
but the day before Flora Belle arrived, 
Mabel's countenance fell. And this is 
how it happened. Instead of thinking 
how fortunate she was to have such a 
lovely home where she was treated as a 
member of the family, a comfortable, 
cozy room, good food to eat, and liberal 
pay each week, she began thinking about 
the things she didn't have that Flora 
Belle had. 
"Why should Flora Belle have more 
than I?" Mabel thought. "I am just as 
good as she, it, and she lives in a beauti-
ful home with servants to do all the work, 
and I have to work for a living." 
Mabel was beginning to do a little cov- 
eting, -Wasn't she �
She became jealous 
even to the extent that she had unkind 
thoughts toward Flora Belle, who was en-
tirely unknown to her. When at last 
Mabel met Flora Belle and found what 
a sweet, kind girl she really was, Mabel 
felt ashamed of the ugly thoughts she 
had had in her mind against her. But 
she did not dismiss her feeling entirely. 
She still wanted what Flora Belle had. 
Early the next morning, when Mrs. 
Spradling came to Mabel's room and told 
her that Flora Belle was ill and was to 
be taken to the hospital, Mabel again 
felt ashamed of herself. But when she 
went to Flora Belle's room to hang up 
her clothes, as Mrs. Spradling had asked 
her to do, those old covetous thoughts 
again came into her mind. When she 
opened the traveling bag and found on 
top a lovely evening gown, she wanted it. 
"Oh," sighed Mabel, "if I only had a 
dress like that how beautiful I would 
be!" Instead of turning a deaf ear to 
the tempter and fleeing from the spot, 
Mabel took the dress in her hand, then 
held it up to her and gazed in the full-
length mirror. "I believe I shall—no, I 
can't do that. This dress does not be-
long to me," Mabel was saying to her-
self. "But it certainly wouldn't hurt a 
thing for me to try it on; that isn't steal-
ing." 
And so Mabel put on the evening gown. 
As she stood before the mirror twisting, 
turning, and posing, another thought sug-
gested itself, "Why not wear this dress 
to the social tomorrow night? Really you 
haven't a thing that you can wear, and 
Flora Belle will never know. There surely 
can't be any harm in just 'borrowing' 
this for a party." Mabel made herself 
believe that it would be quite all right 
for her 'to wear the lovely gown to the 
party, and she hid it where she could 
slip it out the next day, But somehow 
Mabel did not get as much happiness out 
of wearing that dress as she thought she 
would, in spite of the fact that every girl 
told her how beautiful her new dress was. 
Whether Mabel was nervous or whether 
it just happened—when the refreshments 
were served that night Mabel upset the 
glass of punch right in her lap. Now 
what was she to do? What could she do? 
By this time Mabel had Listened so many 
times to the tempter that it was easy to 
listen once mole. This is what the 
tempter said, "You can't return the dress 
now. It is ruined. You had better not 
mention it to a soul. Flora Belle is 
wealthy. She has lots and lots of pretty 
dresses and will never miss this one. 
Since she is ill, it would be best not to 
worry her with it. Better take this dress 
to your own room and forget the whole 
affair." 
And this is exactly what Mabel did. 
But the matter was not yet settled. It 
Proved that Flora Belle's illness was scar-
let fever and that she had worn this same 
evening gown very recently. A few days 
after the party Mabel came down with 
scarlet fever too. For several days her 
fever raged high. But there was one text 
that kept ringing through her ears, "The 
wages of sin is death." She had taken 
Flora Belle's dress and that was sin and 
from that same dress she had caught 
scarlet fever. If she should die she 
knew she would be eternally lost. 
But Mabel did not die. As soon as she 
was well and had made everything right 
with Mrs. Spradling and Flora Belle, she 
promised the Lord that never again 
would she take anything that did not be-
long to her. 
Myself 
I HAVE to live with myself, and so 
I want to be fit for myself to know ; 
I want to be able as days go by 
Always to look myself straight in the eye; 
I don't want to stand with the setting sun 
And hate myself for the things I've done. 
I don't want to keep on a closet shelf 
A lot of secrete about myself, 
And fool myself as I come and go 
Into thinking that nobody else will know 
The kind of a man I really am; 
I don't want to dress myself up in sham. 
I want to go out with my head erect, 
I want to deserve all men's respect; 
But here in the struggle for fame and pelf, 
I want to be able to like myself. 
I don't want to think as I come and go 
That I'm bluster and bluff and empty show. 
I never can hide myself from me, 
I see what others may never see, 
I know what others may never know. 
I never can fool myself—and so, 
Whatever happens, I want to be 
Sell-respecting and conscience free. 
—.Nagar A. Guest. 
A Sin God Especially Hates 
TODAY the world is in great confusion. 
Things are' turned upside down. Take 
lying, for example. Many people today 
think it is smart or cute to be able to 
deceive, to tell something that is not cor- 
rect and "get by" with it. Others regard 
lying and deceiving as,the ordinary pro- 
cedure, not worthy of anyone's attention. 
Is it not good to know that although 
man becomes confused and bewildered in 
his thinking, God never does? We can 
turn to His Word and find for ourselves 
what is right and what is wrong. - 
1. How does God regard lying? Prov. 
12:22. Webster says "abomination" is 
"the feeling of extreme disgust and hat-
red; abhorrence; detestation; loathing." 
If this is the way God feels about lying, 
do you think He will allow a liar to live 
with Him forever? 
 
2. What is one of the special sins that 
God hates? Prov, 6:16-19. How many 
times is deception referred to in this list! 
3. When we tell a falsehood, whom are 
we like? John 8:44. It would be well 
for us to remember this teXt the next 
time we are tempted to deny something 
we have done. 
4. Does a person tell a lie to cover up 
good deeds or bad ones/ Gen. 4:9; 
37:32; 2 Kings 5:25; Acts 5:1-10. 
5. Does it pay to cover up our sins? 
Prov. 28:13. 
6. What is the ninth commandment? 
Ex. 20:16. 
7. At the end of the world when the 
deeds of all are tried, where will the liars 
be? Rev. 21:8; 22:15, A coward is one 
who is afraid. Sin makes us afraid. 
8. What is one characteristic of those 
who are ready for heaven when the Lord 
comes! Rev. 14:5. 
9. Repeat together Matthew 5:8. 
44 4S 
ONE of the first lessons a child needs to 
learn Is the lesson of obedience. Before he 
is old enough to reason, he may be taught 
to obey. By gentle, persistent effort, the 
habit should be established.—Education, p. 
287. 
9f If 
AIARRIAGli affects the afterlife both in 
this world and in the world to come.—
Messages to Young People, p, 435. 
12 �
The. Church Officers' Gazette 
June 24 
Keeping Fit Through 
Recreation 
BY NORA M. DucKMAN 
Order of Service 
SONG : "Yield Not to Temptation," No. 46 in 
Al. V., Bongs. 
SCRIPTURE READING. 
DRIVER. 
ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REPORTS. 
OFFERTORY. 
SPECIAL MUSIC. 
TALK : "What Is Recreation ?" 
DIAbBouE : "Now We Know." 
CLOSING SONG: "True-Hearted, Whole- 
Hearted," No. 51. 
BENEDICTION. 
Notes to Superintendents 
The purpose of this program is to empha-
size the importance of keeping our bodies 
healthy and of learning tile proper means 
of obtaining recreation. The arrangement 
of the material makes it possible for a large 
number of the Juniors to take part. If 
you have the opportunity, go over the entire 
program before presenting it to the society 
as a whole, and see that each Junior knows 
and understands his part. 
The first talk, "What Is Recreation?" 
may be given by the teacher or leader or 
by one of the older Juniors. 
Scripture Reading 
By sin Juniors 
FIRST JUNIOR: Our bodies are the tem-
ples in which God lives. 1 Cor. 6:19, 20. 
SECOND JUNIOR: A high purpose should 
control our habits. 1 Cor. 10:31. 
Timm JUNIOR: The use of alcohol 
makes it impossible to have strong 
bodies. Prov. 23:29-32. 
FOURTH JUNIOR: A peaceful life makes 
a healthy body. 1 Peter 3:10-13. 
FIFTH armies: All Juniors should ob-
serve the laws of health. 1 Cor. 3:16, 17. 
SIXTH JUNIOR: Paul tells us that in 
everything we do we should be temperate. 
1 Cor. 9:25-27. 
What Is Recreation? 
BEFORE we discuss the best methods 
for keeping fit through recreation we 
should consider just what real recreation 
is and how wo may use it to the best 
advantage, The dictionary says, "Recre-
ation is a refreshment of strength and 
spirits after toil; diversion, or a mode of 
play." 
All of us become tired by our work or 
studies and feel the need of something 
different to do. This does not mean that 
we haile to be wild and to dissipate in 
order to have fun. Having a good time 
is doing what one ought to do when it 
ought to be done, and doing it in the 
best possible manner. It means that all 
recreation shall have a purpose. The 
right kind of play and fun sends us back 
to work more ready for it than ever. 
"There is a distinction between recrea-
tion and amusement. Recreation, when 
true to its name, re-creation, tends to 
strengthen and build up. Calling us aside 
from our ordinary cares and occupations, 
it affords refreshment for mind and body, 
and thus enables us to return with new 
vigor to the' earnest work of life. Amuse- 
ment, on the other hand, is sought for the 
sake of pleasure, and is often carried to 
excess; it absorbs the energies that are 
required for useful work, and thus proves 
a hindrance to life's true success."—Ed-
/section., p. 207. 
If our work tires us physically we 
should find a hobby or means of recrea-
tion that rests us physically but allows 
us to use our mental powers, and vice 
versa. 
Time spent in pleasant recreation is 
neither sinful nor wasteful. "Recreation 
is needful to those who are engaged in 
physical labor, and is still more essential 
for those whose labor is principally men-
tal. It is not essential to our salvation, 
nor for the glory of God, to keep the 
mind laboring constantly and excessively, 
even upon religious themes."—Counsels 
on Health, p. 195. 
Recreation then includes any activity 
that tends to restore what has been lost 
in the regular activities of life. It is re-
storative activity. 
In order that we may judge the activi-
ties that we choose for our recreation, we 
should follow certain principles or a gen-
eral standard. Our recreation should: 
1. Give lasting pleasure and real joy. 
This will be true if the "evening's enter-
tainment is such that it will bear the 
morning's reflection." 
2. Promote good health. Our recrea-
tions should minister to all-round phys-
ical, mental and spiritual health. To 
Make this possible there should be a 
balance between strenuous and quiet ac-
tivities, adptation to age, strength, sex, 
and abilities of those who participate. 
3. Promote creative expression. 
Our 
recreations should be of such a nature 
that through them we have an opportu-
nity to express our real selves and de-
velop the finer qualities. 
4. Increase skill. Things which require 
a little time to learn and in which we can 
develop skill are usually the most satis-
factory. 
5. Conform to true Christian principles. 
Each one should determine in his heart: 
"I will participate in only that which 
Heaven can approve." 
Now We Know 
NOTE._The scene is the home of the 
Junior M. V. leader. Mrs. Brown. She has 
invited a number of the Juniors to attend 
a discussion of some of the problems which 
have come up in their church school. The 
results are to be presented to their J. M. V. 
Society. Have a number of chairs. A black-
board would be excellent, but if one is not 
available use a large sheet of paper to list 
items. Have a lamp, table, etc. to give the 
Platform a homey appearance. to one or 
two hobby exhibits such as flower arrang-
ing, minerals, etc. 
CHARACTERS: MPS. Brown (Junior super-
intendent), Beth, James, June, Jack, and 
Barbara. Juniors enter together and Mrs. 
Brown greets them at the door. She chats 
with them a few moments, and then they 
start examining the hobby exhibits. Have 
her explain them a little. She seats them 
and starts talking. 
MRS. BROWN: I'm glad you are all 
here. I think we really accomplished 
something last week, don't you? We all 
had a chance to give our opinions about 
the movies, and I think all of you went 
home with a clear idea that the theater 
is no place for Seventh-day Adventist 
June, 1944 
Junior boys and girls, or older ones for 
that matter. If you remember, just at 
the close of our meeting Jack asked about 
playing football. I told him we would 
discuss it this week. 
JACK: Well, I like to play it, but my 
mother says I shouldn't, but she doesn't 
tell me why. I want to be big and strong 
and healthy, and nearly all football play-
ers are big fellows. 
MRS. BROWN: We'll try to help you. 
Suppose we take up our discussion from 
the health angle. It seems to me that 
since everyone is health-conscious, we 
ought to discuss recreations that will pro- 
mote good health. Let's make a list of 
all the things we like to do and then go 
over them and discuss their good and bad 
points, whether they really help to keep 
us fit or whether they tend to ruin our 
health. We'll cross out the ones we feel 
don't help us. Then when we present our 
topic to the society, we'll have something 
tangible to give them. Would you like 
that? 
ALL: Yes, we want to know how to 
have the right kind of fun and be healthy 
too. 
Mfts. BsowN: All right, suppose we 
list football first. Now give me some 
others quickly and I'll write them down. 
BARBARA: Skating. 
JUNE: Reading. 
JACK: Swimming. 
BETH: How about sewing? Is that 
recreation? I like it anyway. 
MRS. BROWN: Yes, indeed. 
JAMES: Nature study. 
JuNE: Checkers. 
JACK: Music. 
MRS. BROWN: That is fine. I see you 
have been thinking of a variety of things. 
Now a few more. 
JUNE: Hiking. 
Jacic: Baseball. 
BARBARA: Gardening. 
JAMES: How about stamp collecting? 
You should see all the stamps I have. I 
could spend hours putting them in the 
books. 
MRS. BROWN: I wonder whether we 
have enough for now? If we discuss all 
of these we'll do well. 
Here is the complete list as Airs. Brown 
wrote them clown. 
Football �
Checkers 
Skating (roller and ice) Stamm Collecting 
Reading �
Music 
Swimming �
Hiking 
Sewing �
Baseball 
Nature Study �Gardening 
Neau.---The one in charge of this program 
should look up references in the Spirit of 
prophecy and the Bible in order to guide the 
discussion. Discuss the merits of music and 
the results of improper music. Many of the 
items listed are both good and bad. depend-
ing upon circumstances and environment. 
For instance, skating can be and Is a won-
derful exercise and recreation in the out-of-
doors or on proper rinks, but it Is most un-
healthful in a smoke-filled, Jazz-filled public 
rink. 
"THE best way to double a preacher's 
power is to double his congregation. Try 
this on your preacher." 
"RBLIGION is like a bicycle; when it 
stops going it falls over. Let's keep ours 
going." 
Vol. 31, No. 6 �
The Church Officers' Gazette �
13 
* Home Missionary Department * 
THE OTHER SIDE OF INGATHERING 
A Call to Service 
Tuzus's a world-wide call to service; 
God is calling you and me, 
Saying, "Hasten to the harvest, 
Lest the sheaves ungathered be." 
'there's no time to faint or falter, 
For the day Is nearly done, 
And the harvest will be ended 
At the setting of the sun. 
Let no light go out in darkness, 
Let no banner trail the dust, 
Let no weapon God has given 
Lie in idleness to rust; 
For the time is short for gleaning: 
Not a moment must be lost; 
If the hours are spent In idling, 
'Twill be done at fearful cost. 
Hasten, then before the battle 
Grows so fierce we cannot find 
Where the precious grain is lying, 
And some sheaves are left behind. 
—Mrs. C. H. Ban'. 
The Bright Side of Ingathering 
BY V. G. ANDERSON 
esident, North Pacific Union COB (create 
I
F Ingathering time were just an oc-
casion for raising money, many 
would become discouraged. For a 
little while look with me at the other side 
of Ingathering—that is, the side that 
brings us real courage. 
If Ingathering were carried on prop-
erly and follow-up work done, we would 
have more experiences that would en-
courage and spur us on to do even more 
than ever before in the Ingathering pro-
gram. It has been my privilege to have 
members with outstretched bands come up 
the aisle after a service at camp meeting 
and say, "I am a Seventh-day Adventist 
today because someone came to my home 
with an Ingathering paper." 
One of our ministers states that right 
after Ingathering last year he conducted 
a consecration service in one of our 
churches. The first one to stand on her 
feet was a lady who said, "I am happy 
to be the first one to testify for my Lord 
today. I am rejoicing in the Sabbath 
truth, but I find that there are many 
things that I have yet to learn. I am 
not a member of this church, though I 
hope to be soon. The keeping of the Sab-
bath has brought me many blessings al-
ready." At that she sat down. 
The minister then asked this woman 
how she happened to learn of the true 
church. She said, "Last fall a young man 
called at my home and left a paper entitled 
The Ingathering, and asked me for a con-
tribution to the world-wide work of Sev-
enth-day Adventists. I gave him a small 
offering, and he went his way. I studied 
the paper through and then wrote to the 
publishing house for some more litera-
ture. To my surprise, my name was put 
on the mailing list for a paper called the 
Signs of the Times. I have studied that 
every week very carefully. This is the 
first time that I have had the opportunity 
of hearing a sermon preached` by a Sev-
enth-day Adventist minister. In fact, it 
is the first time I have been to church in 
five years. I am happy that this young 
man called at my home with the Ingather-
ing paper." 
A few months later that new Seventh-
day Adventist was baptized. 
Really, the soul-winning side is the 
bright side of Ingathering. The person 
who wins one soul to Chrfst in his life-
time has not lived in vain. These are the 
experiences that tell for eternity, and 
which are worth more than the donations 
we receive. 
Recently one of our members told of 
Suggestive Program for Sabbath 
Service 
June 3, 1944 
OPENING SONG: "0 Where Am the Reap- 
ers!" No. 620 in Church Hymnal. 
SCRIPTURE LESSON: Luke 8:5-15. 
PRAYER. 
SONG: "Let Every Lamp Be Burning," 
No. 183. 
READING: "The Other Side of Ingather-
ing," by V. G. Anderson. 
READING: "The Ingathering Follow-up 
Audience," by Grace D. Mace. 
READING: "The Soul-Winning Side of In- 
gathering," by R. G. Strickland. 
CLOSING SONG: "The Coming King Is at 
the Door," No. 546. 
BENEDICTION, 
soliciting for Ingathering in a business 
district and receiving a donation from a 
merchant. The merchant said that the 
Bible was a closed book, not to be under-
stood by any but the priests. After being 
tactfully asked whether he would like to 
have a study on the book of Daniel in his 
home, he gave consent. The merchant 
and his wife became so interested during 
the first study that they asked questions 
for hours. After two months of Bible 
study the merchant closed his store on 
Sabbath. Both the merchant and his 
wife were baptized. 
Be then began to study with his neigh-
bors, and won fourteen individuals to the 
truth. These have all been baptized and 
joined the church. The man is now an 
elder in the Seventh-day Adventist 
Church. How thankful we should be that 
we reach individnals like this while out 
gathering funds for missions. 
A group of church members went, to a 
near-by village to do Ingathering. Hn 
one of the homes a man manifested inter-
est and said he was seeking for light. 
His name was given to the elder of the 
church. The elder called at his home, ar-
ranged for Bible studies, and this man 
was soon a baptized Seventh-day Advent-
ist and has given large offerings to help 
finish the work. 
In one section of the conference where 
an interest had been created, we sent a 
Bible instructor to spend two weeks bind-
ing off the interest. On a Sabbath after-
noon we baptized eight adults. On the 
way home I said to the church elder, 
"How did these persons come into the 
truth without an evangelistic effort?" He 
then told me that he personally had con-
ducted meetings every Sunday for nearly 
a year, and these new members were the 
fruits of his labor. I then recalled the 
following story that this church elder had 
told me some time before. 
While a group of Seyenth-day Advent-
ists were soliciting in a little railroad-
junction town, the wife of this man had 
been solicited for an offering. She told 
them that she was unable to give, but she 
had a real burden to see something done 
in that community for the young people. 
14 �
The Church Officers' Gazette �
June, 1944 
The Seventh-day Adventist solicitor im-
mediately saw an opening and said, "We 
will be glad to join you in conducting a 
Sunday school, and will come out next 
Sunday if you can got the schoolhouse." 
The next Sunday they were on hand to 
organize this Sunday school, and elected 
this Catholic woman superintendent. Im-
mediately the question arose as to what 
they should study from. The Seventh-
day Adventists immediately suggested the 
Sabbath School Lesson Quarterly, the 
Youth's Instructor, and the Little Friend. 
The next week the Catholic woman was 
the Sunday school superintendent and the 
Seventh-day Adventist women were the 
teachers of the classes. After a few 
weeks passed the superintendent said, 
"These lesson quarterlies are dated for 
Saturday, but we are having our meetings 
on Sunday. Why is that?" Tactfully 
the Seventh-day Adventist said, "I would 
1)e glad to give you Bible studies." 
THE starting off of any, great adventure 
is attended' by much enthusiasm on the 
part of promoters and contestants. The 
goal ris clearly in view, and at a given 
signal all are ready to spring into action. 
The same situation applies in the annual 
Ingathering campaign. During the spe-
cific time of the campaign Seventh-day 
Adventists think and talk of little else 
but completing the task made reaching the 
goal. Under the blessing of God, the 
earnest efforts of the church members are 
crowned with success, and with shouts of 
joy and praise the victory is announced 
from church to church, from conference 
to conference, and from union to union. 
Then the General Conference Home Mis-
sionary Department sends out the final 
word of great things accomplished. 
All this is as it should be. But there is 
another side of the annual Ingathering 
campaign which must not be lost sight of. 
Stop a moment to consider the millions 
of homes visited and the personal con-
tacts made. Sometimes it seems easy to 
overlook the magnitude of the Ingather-
ing movement as it covers North America 
alone, to say nothing of the great work 
so faithfully and successfully carried on 
in different parts of the world. 
The number of truth-filled magazines 
printed and circulated through personal 
effort in one year's campaign throughout 
North America, gives some idea of the 
This church elder with whom I was rid-
ing home from the baptism told me that 
lie was playing poker down in the boxcar 
with the railroad men while his wife was 
receiving Bible studies from the Seventh-
day Adventists. In a few months his 
wife joined the Seventh-day Adventist 
Church, and he said there was such a 
change in her life that he decided to take 
the studies also. When I visited that 
church the man who had played poker in 
the boxcar was the church elder; he had 
won these eight adults to the message, 
and his wife was the Sabbath school su-
perintendent. 
Do you want an experience in the things 
of God that will really thrill you? Do 
something in actual service for Him. 
Make this year's Ingathering the" banner 
year because of your soul-winning experi-
ences. Many people are anxious to talk 
about the future life and the conditions 
of the world today. 
ammunition provided for the Ingathering 
army. A few such figures are as follows: 
Copies 
Ingathering Watchman �
 2,532,600 
Canadian edition �
 124,373 
Singing band leaflets �
 1,965,100 
Message ( colored constituency) �
303,250 
Chinese �
. . ............. �
30,000 
Spanish 
�
44,000 
Ukrainian 
�
12,000 
Icelandic 
�
2,000 
French �
 16,000 
Bohemian 
�
7,100 
Croatian 
�
'8,000 
Danish-Norwegian 
�
12,250 
Finnish 
�
7,500 
German 
�
45,000 
Greek �
 14,000 
Hungarian �
 12,500 
Italian �
 40,000 
Lithuanian 
�
4,000 
Russian 
�
9,800 
Serbian 
�
4,100 
Slovakian �
 12,700 
Swedish �
 24,000 
Polish �
 20,000 
Portuguese �
 11,700 
Rumanian 
�
5,500 
Yiddish �
 51,000 
Yiddish-English 
�
70,000 
After we have placed nearly six million 
copies of the Ingathering publication in 
the hands of the people, and gathered in 
well over a million dollars from the public 
for the advancement of the work of God, 
what then? May we consider our duty 
fully covered, and rest content until time 
for another visitation? By no means is 
such a course justifiable. 
At the close of every Ingathering cam-
paign we are faced by a widely scattered 
follow-up audience, composed of judg-
ment-bound souls with whom contacts 
have been made, who express a desire to 
know more about the Bible and the work 
of Seventh-day Adventists in taking the 
gospel to all the world. This audience 
ranges from 5,000 to 10,000 each year. 
In homes of wealth, in business offices, in 
shops and factories, in apartments, in 
cottages or tents, these thousands of peo-
ple wait for some further voice from 
God's messengers to tell them the mean-
ing of the events occurring in the world, 
and to show them the way of eternal life. 
Shall we permit this unusual audience to 
wait in vain because of our procrastina-
tion, forgetfulness, or neglect? Each In-
gathering worker bears an individual re-
sponsibility to this follow-up audience. 
Each year something like five hundred 
persons are found scattered over the 
country, now rejoicing in the truths of 
the third angel's message, whose first 
contact came through the Ingathering 
work. It is, of course, impossible to make 
an accurate report of the number of peo-
ple won to the truth by this means, as 
results are irregular and often years roll 
by before first impressions crystallize into 
conviction and obedience to truth. But 
we must never forget that the annual In-
gathering campaign is a soul-saving cam-
paign. Was it not Carey, the pioneer 
missionary to India, who said that it was 
his business to preach the gospel, but 
that he cobbled shoes to pay expenses? So 
the Ingathering must ever be regarded as 
primarily a soul-winning agency, while 
funds are solicited to meet expenses, both 
at home and abroad. 
The avenues for reaching this Ingath-
ering follow-up audience are varied, and 
have often been emphasized. The per-
sonal visitor, in the person of evangelist, 
pastor, or church worker, should always 
be first to address this audience, where it 
is possible to do so, The printed page, 
in the form of periodicals, tracts, and 
small books, is perhaps the most widely 
used and effective agency in caring for 
such an audience. Bible studies with in-
dividuals are another avenue for reaching 
these waiting people. 
There is also another phase of fol-
low-up work, and that is in keeping in 
touch with persons who have manifested 
a degree of interest in our missions work 
to the extent of a generous contribution, 
although they may not have expressed a 
desire for spiritual help. There are 
many business firms and individuals who 
give us large amounts, and it is a cour-
tesy due them to let them know in a very 
definite way that' their co-operation is 
appreciated, and to keep them informed 
as to the progress of our work. This 
The Ingathering Follow-up Audience 
GRACE D. MACE 
Vol. 31, No. 6 �
The Church Officers' Gazette �
15 
tends to establish confidence and prepares 
the way for the next Ingathering 
The plan of presenting these special con-
tributors with a copy of a small book, 
accompanied by a personal letter, has 
been found very effective, and is to be 
recommended. R. J. Christian, home mis-
sionary secretary of the Atlantic Union, 
refers to the plan as follows: 
"For some time we have felt that we 
ought, to make definite plans to follow up 
persons who give large amounts to our 
Ingathering work. And when we say 
'large amounts' we do not refer to gifts 
of thousands or hundreds of dollars 
alone, but include lesser amounts, per-
haps from $25 up. We took the matter 
up with our conference committee, and it 
was decided to use the Crisis Series book 
entitled Belief and Work of Seventh-day 
Adventists. We used hundreds of these 
books, and the results in, establishing con-
fidence and interest in our work were very 
satisfactory. We decided to follow the 
same plan for follow-up in 1944, and 
have selected another book entitled Prove 
AU Things. This book carries a forceful 
message. We have secured a very special 
price from the publishers on quantity or-
ders, and we plan to use thousands of 
copies. We have taken into consideration 
the foreign popUlation within our terri-
tory, and have asked the publishers to 
print the book in eight, languages—Pol-
ish, German, Italian, Swedish, etc. We 
plan to use 100,000 of these foreign-lan-
guage books, in addition to the many 
thousands in English. We are living in 
a day when we must do something out of 
the ordinary to get results. I believe 
that these Ingathering follow-up books 
should be used to such an extent that 
more than one edition will be required. 
The announcement of a third, fourth, or 
fifth edition makes an impression on the 
public mind, and I believe we should 
capitalize on this. One of the big fea-
tures of the phenomenal sale of Wendell 
Willkie's book One World was the numer-
ous editions called for. People like to 
read what others are reading. When we 
think of the millions of people all about 
us, the money in circulation, and the op-
portunities we have at this time, we cer-
tainly ought to be doing a great deal 
more than we are doing. In the Atlantic 
Union we believe in the plan of giving a 
large circulation to at least one outstand-
ing Crisis book each year, and to see that 
all Ingathering donors receive a copy 
with a letter of appreciation." 
J. F. Knipschild, home missionary sec-
retary in Bermuda, has tried the book 
follow-up plan and finds that it pays. 
The special issue at stake in Bermuda 
was the establishment of a Seventh-day 
Adventist church school, which is a part 
of the educational features established 
through the Ingathering funds. He re-
lates the experience as follows: 
"In Bermuda there are no private or 
religious schools, and when I applied to 
the chairman of the board of education, 
asking that Seventh-day Adventists be 
allowed to establish their own school, I 
was informed that there was no possibil-
ity of having such a request granted. I 
sent a petition to the board of directors 
of education and mailed a copy of Belief 
and Work of Seventh-day Adventists to 
the chairman of the board. Soon the 
chairman asked me to furnish him with 
ten copies of the book, to plaee in the 
hands of the members of the board. He 
said, 'We are considering your request. 
We are not sure what will be done, but 
we hope to have a favorable decision 
soon.' There was one very influential man 
on the board of education who was de- 
THE conspicuous side of Ingathering 
is measured in dollars and cents—the 
financial goal reached. 
The easy side of Ingathering is the 
money side. With prosperity supplying 
a big surplus of cash for so many, Min-
ute Man goals are easily attainable by 
everyone who wills to gather funds for 
God. 
The Ingathering goal reached quickest 
is the cash goal. Churches that are will-
ing to work may conclude their money 
raising part of Ingathering in a very 
few days. 
But there is another side of Ingather-
ing—a side that is even more important 
than the money side, good and necessary 
as that is—a side that many (so often neg-
lect; that is, soul winning at home. 
Every dollar raised is dedicated to soul 
winning, but while the funds raised carry 
on mightily for God in needy places over-
seas, Ingathering workers are sent forth 
to make diligent search at home for those 
souls whom they may lead to Christ 
through faithful service. 
Ingathering is a twofold program: (1) 
To raise funds for foreign missions. (2) 
To discover and develop interests while 
working as missionaries at home. It is 
not possible to do all our soul winning 
by proxy, through raising money that will 
cidedly opposed to a church school; not 
because he was opposed to Seventh-day 
Adventists, but because he was against 
all religions schools. After waiting four 
months, I received word that the board 
had voted to grant our request. I am 
sure that the book Belief and Work had 
much to do with securing a favorable de-
cision, and I believe that this book will 
make friends for Ingathering and for all 
branches of our work." 
Some conferences prefer the plan of 
providing a year's subscription to Signs 
of the Times or the Liberty magazine for 
generous donors. Whatever plan is de-
cided upon should be put into operation 
promptly, before the influence of the In-
gathering contact has been lost. A quick 
response to duty is a divine requirement. 
"The Lord demands that in His servants 
shall be found a spirit that is quick to 
feel the value of souls, quick to discern 
the duties to be done, quick to respond to 
the obligations that the Lord lays upon 
them."—Testimonies, Vol. IX, p., 123. 
pay others who make actual personal eon.' 
tacts. We ourselves are expected to lead 
some lost one to Christ.) 
Ingathering furnishes abundant oppor-
tunities for this soulful ministry. In 
many homes people who await truth will 
discover themselves to the one who solicits 
funds for missions. In such a case the 
worker not only ought ,to take the con-
tribution , offered, but should also secure 
the donor's name and address. It then 
becomes the solicitor's solemn obligation 
to see that the person is led step by step 
into the light of present truth and a 
deeper love for heavenly things. 
Contributions are secured in very brief 
periods, but to win a soul the worker must 
continue regular contacts with the inter-
ested giver of an Ingathering offering. 
Tact, with prayer and, patience, mixed 
with love, will convey God's message in 
such a sweet, appealing way that souls 
will be led to Christ. 
The two-sided Ingathering goal is; 
(1) Raise enough funds to support the 
Lord's missions for one minute. (2) 
Find-and follow up one soul for Christ. 
Our Ingathering program must become 
not only the wonderful money-raising suc-
cess that it is, but also an equally profit-
able means by which to find and win 
souls fo• Christ. Soul winning is our 
The Soul-Winning Side of Ingathering 
R. G. STRICKLAND ` 
16 �
The Church Officers' Gazette �
June, 1944 
Won by a Colporteur 
[We are sure the readers of the GA-
ZETTE remember F. A. Stahl, one of our 
pioneer missionaries to South America, 
especially among the Indian tribes of the 
Amazon. Elder Stahl has had a remark-
able experience. The Spirit of the Lord 
touched his heart while he was still a 
young man. After he was converted he 
gave his heart and his life to this cause.] 
WHEN I was in my early twenties, 
while living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a 
colporteur came to our home one evening, 
leaving with me a Bible and other good 
books. I shall never forget his very first 
words as he stepped into our home, "You 
ought not to use tobacco." He then 
quoted 1 Corinthians 3:16, 17: "Know 
ye not that ye are the temple of God, and 
that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 
If any man defile the temple of God, him 
shall God destroy; for the temple of God 
is holy, which temple ye are." I was as-
tonished and not a little perturbed, for I 
had never heard anything like that be-
fore. However, a few days afterward I 
gathered up' all my smoking parapher-
nalia—from my highly colored clay pipe 
to my gold-mounted briar—and destroyed 
them. 
I then began reading that instructive 
book Patriarchs and Prophets, which 
gave me an insight into the purposes of 
God, and quite largely removed the preju-
dice which I had held toward the Bible 
Christ. It deepens their spirituality and 
by so doing Makes the church whore they 
serve mighty, under God, in its power for 
evangelism. Such congregations grow in 
numbers; their loyalty to God is felt in 
far-off foreign lands, because increasing 
numbers are giving regular mission offer-
ings, and home missionary workers, 
through this other side of Ingathering, 
are steadily winning new recruits who, 
catching the fire of evangelism, in turn 
devote themselves to soulful ministry for 
missionary success at home and abroad. 
The objectives of Ingathering are dual: 
(1) Support world missions by raising 
at least enough to keep the foreign pro-
gram going for one minute. (2) Find 
one interested soul and develop that in-
terest. 
_ God help us to do this bigger work—
INGATHERING for Him. 
because of the unhappy experience of m 
childhood, when my stepfather, a cruel 
and violent man, cursed and beat me al 
most daily, with the Bible in his hand 
The Bible to me at this time was a book 
to be feared. When I was ten years of 
age I ran away from home, and always 
after this I had associated the Bible with 
these bitter experiences. One day as I 
was about to push the Bible to one side, 
I took it up and went into my room. 
There I 'knelt and asked God, the author, 
to give me a love for His Word, the 
Bible, and to give me understanding in 
it. I arose from my knees and, taking 
the Bible, I began to read the most won-
derful Book in all the world, for thus it 
became to me from that time forth. 
Years after, when working among the 
wild Indian tribes in the Amazon for-
ests, I taught these people from the Bible 
and saw thousands changed from savage, 
murderous beings into kind, courteous 
children of God. No other book could 
have done this. Yes, there is power in 
God's Word. 
Prom time to time my friend the col-
porteur came to see me. He saw to it 
that some kind and consecrated persons 
gave us instruction from the Bible. I 
had always believed that Sunday was the 
true Sabbath, but I found that God's 
Word teaches that the seventh day is the 
Sabbath of the Lo•d, and I decided to 
obey this command. The owner of the 
large factory where I was employed as 
foreman flatly refused to grant my re-
quest to have the Sabbath off, and he with 
others made every effort to discourage 
me. For months I walked the streets 
looking fOr any kind of work. The win-
ter was a severe one. Our coal gave out; 
we wore our overcoats in our home and 
lived on bread and canned fruit. The 
landlord, a professed infidel, demanded 
his rent. My wife had also accepted the 
truth of the third angel's message; 
through all these trials she was brave and 
cheerful, and never complained. 
After four months I secured work with 
a builder, to carry mortar and brick to 
the second floor, but after three weeks 
my shoulders became so sore that I was 
obliged to stop work. I then secured 
work, at good wages, in a large bicycle 
shop, with the Sabbath off. However, 
from week to week we were put off with-
out receiving our pay, and at the begin-
ning of the ninth week I found that the 
company had gone bankrupt. As I stood 
there with hundreds of men milling 
around the factory, the foreman elbowed 
his way through the crowd. As he passed 
me he said in a low distinct voice, "Come 
to my house tomorrow." When I did so, 
he handed me something tied in a hand-
kerchief, saying, "Take this, and when I 
get work in the stove works I will send 
for you." I found every dollar of my 
wages for the eight weeks in that hand-
kerchief. I have never met the man 
since, and have often wondered how it 
could be that he paid me. I was greatly 
impressed with the thought that the Lord 
wonderfully cares for His obedient chil-
dren, for this was truly a miracle. Since 
that time I have experienced many mir-
acles. 
This man's mention of the stove works 
gave me the idea to try there for work. 
When the superintendent of the first one 
I went to heard that I wanted the Sab-
bath off, he told me to return the follow-
ing week. I was finally given work in a 
far corner of the basement, on an old, 
worn-out machine, at very low wages—
only eighty cents to a dollar for ten 
hours' work. The foreman and other men 
were far from friendly. They set the 
clock back on Friday so that I would be 
late getting ready for the Sabbath, In 
fact, they were the hardest and toughest 
men I had ever worked with, and were 
continually fighting and cursing. But I 
bore it all patiently and kindly, and 
many times I was able to help them with 
their work and also with good counsel. 
After working in this place for six 
months I told my wife that I had better 
chief objective. It is souls for whom our 
Saviour gave His life that must stir 
each loyal worker to action. 
Raising money is necessary and good. 
' May we gather it in increasing amounts, 
but while we do this let us also employ 
ourselves diligently in the winning of 
souls. 
This other phase of our goal calls for 
much prayer, for many visits, for system-
atic Bible studies, and labor over weeks 
of time ere the soul who has been apart 
from the Master is brought back to the 
fold; but its joys are great, and the re-
ward is magnificent. "They that be wise 
shall shine as the brightness of the firma-
ment; and they that turn many .to right-
eousness as the stars forever and ever." 
Dan. 12:3. 
This other side of Ingathering greatly 
strengthens those who work diligently for 
How the Message Came to Me 
* Missionary Leadership �
3 
Vol. 31, No. 6 �
The Church Officers' Gazette �
17 
quit, to which she replied, "God knows all 
about this." The second day after this 
the foreman told me that his brother was 
leaving and I was to take his machine. 
From the first I made six or seven dollars 
a day, and we were soon able to pay off 
our indebtedness and to contribute money 
for our mission work, 
Some time after this we received a let-
ter from R. T. Dowsett, secretary-treas-
urer of the Wisconsin Conference, invit-
ing us to prepare for foreign mission 
work. Several years after we finished 
our course at the Battle Creek Sanitarium, 
A Message on Reporting 
"A good report maketh the bones fat." 
PrOV. 15:30. 
I FEEL with increasing intensity the 
need for stressing the importance of re-
porting. God is a God of order. He 
wants His church on earth thoroughly or-
ganized "like an army"; He does not 
want it to be allowed to run in confusion 
like a mob. Organization requires order 
and system. A reporting system is essen-
tial for the efficient conduct of any or-
ganization or institution. In heaven we 
know that God takes time to number the 
stars in their courses; and on earth He 
numbers the hairs of our heads, for Jesus 
said so. Job tells us that He counts our 
steps, and David implies that God bottles 
up our tears and numbers them, and then 
asks, "Are they not in Thy book?" Ps. 
56:8. Think of the divine record of every 
tear. We know that Jesus said, "I say 
unto you, That every idle word that men 
shall speak, they shall give account 
thereof in the day of judgment." Matt. 
12:36. Think of such a record—"every 
idle word." Thus if God numbers every 
star, every hair, every tear, and every 
word, and if every deed of hive and 
every prayer is thus recorded on those 
"imperishable tablets" wherein are "no 
omissions" and "no mistakes," then this 
very fact of God's interest in details 
should make every servant of His con-
scious of the need for diligence in every 
department of the Lord's work. 
One time Michelangelo, the master 
sculptor, was severely criticized for spend-
ing three weeks working on a small mus-
cle on the neck of a statue. His friends 
said he was "wasting his time on trifles." 
The greater master turned and said, 
we were invited by the General Confer-
ence to make South America our field of 
labor. During the twenty-nine years we 
worked in that country, we had the priv-
ilege of seeing thousands accept this 
blessed message, many of them coming 
from the wild tribes of the Amazon. 
Truly, they were miracles of grace. 
As the years have come and gone, the 
message has become more precious to us, 
and now in the homeland we still have the 
privilege of actively serving in the 
blessed work of bringing this saving mes- 
sage to needy souls. �
F. A. STAHL. 
"Recollect that trifles make perfection, 
and perfection is no trifle!" 
As pastors, missionary leaders, and sec-
retaries, yes, even as church members, we 
must emphasize this systematic and de-
tailed principle of reporting because God 
is interested in it, and we should be in-
terested in what God is interested in. 
But there is a reason why we must be in-
terested. We are the spiritual doctors 
of the church. Consider the analogy. 
Study the work of our doctors. A doctor 
does not consider it a waste of time to 
prepare a ease history for every patient 
He takes time to take the pulse—which 
means he counts the heartbeats. He 
checks the temperature. He may make 
many tests. He may send many speci-
mens to the laboratory. He cheeks the 
respiratory system, the circulatory sys-
tem, the digestive system. He may take 
some X-ray pictures. He studies the eat-
ing habits, the breathing habits, the 
sleeping habits, and the working habits 
of the patient. Furthermore, a careful 
record of all important information con-
nected with the ease is kept in the file. 
That information is valuable and may be 
referred to often. The doetor obtains all 
this information because he wants to 
know the condition of his patient! 
Spiritual leaders in the church should 
be just as interested in the condition of 
the church and every member thereof. 
We are the ones who are responsible for 
taking the case history of the members 
of the church. We, too, must count the 
heartbeats; we, too, want to know the 
temperature of the church. We, too, need 
thermometers. We, too, need informa-
tion. , And we must be able to suggest a 
program and a plan for every member of 
the church. We want a healthy church 
and not a weak, anemic one. We must 
watch for every evidence of growth and 
progress. We want to see the manifesta-
tions of love and zeal and life in the 
church of the living God. And when the 
heartbeats are low and the altar fires are 
turning to ashes, the spiritual doctors 
must know what to do. 
This is not child's play in which we are 
engaged. This is a serious business of 
building up the body of Christ into the 
strength of Christian manhood and wom-
anhood. We must be specialists who not 
only know the condition of the church, 
but who know what to do when we get 
these statistical facts in hand. It is not 
enough to get the information. We must 
know what medicine to administer when 
our case history is prepared. We must 
be "men of understanding, who know the 
times and who know what Israel ought 
to do." 
I do not feel that my office is being 
cluttered with these records, or my files 
filled with rubbish, for all these reports 
aro parts of my case history. And how 
it thrills me whenever I see new signs of 
life and activity, new evidences of growth 
and progress, new proof of Christian zeal 
which the monthly reports of progress in-
dicate. Yes, God knew what He was say-
ing when He recorded in the blessed Book 
that "a good report maketh the bones 
fat." The Spirit of prophecy reaffirms 
this in the following statement: 
"Every act of love, every word of kind-
ness, every prayer in behalf of the suf-
fering and oppressed is reported before 
the eternal throne, and placed on heaven's 
imperishable record. 
"A report is borne to heaven of every 
successful' efforton our part to dispel the 
darkness and to spread abroad the knowl-
edge of Christ. As the deed is recounted 
before the Father, joy thrills through all 
the heavenly host."—Christian Service, p. 
I am impressed with the foregoing 
statement and seriously ask: Would there 
not be more joy thrilling through the 
earthly hosts of the Lord if more of these 
blessed missionary experiences were re-
counted before the church? If a good 
home missionary report thrills all heaven, 
why should it not thrill the church on 
earth/ We are still in the outer court 
of earth, but that is all the more reason 
why we should be interested in these spir-
itual victories. One good experience of 
victory may encourage a hundred others. 
And the powerful influences exerted go 
on affecting others as the influence of one 
18 �
The Church Officers' Gazette �
June, 1944 
small stone dropped in the lake sends out 
circles to the farthermost shores. One of 
the tragedies, however, is this: There are 
too many omissions and mistakes—too 
many who neglect to report. We are told 
in the Spirit of prophecy to "remember 
the, record kept on high,—that book in 
which there are no omissions, no mis-
takes, and out of which they will be 
judged. There every neglected opportu-
nity to do service for God is recorded; 
and there, too, every deed of faith and 
love is held in everlasting remembrance." 
—Prophets and King; p. 639. 
As Christian soldiers, we should stand 
loyally behind the approved denomina-
tional method of individual reporting. 
This method has been tried and tested 
for half a century or more on earth, but 
God has always used this method in 
heaven. Angels are faithful in reporting. 
It is part of their service. And it is part 
of ours as well. The Word of God, tells 
us to "provoke" "one another" "to good 
works." Heb. 10:24. According to Web-
ster, the word "provoke means "to call 
forth; to summon, to move; to arouse; 
as, to provoke one to action." Then, 
"provoke" really means to promote mis-
sionary work—a wonderful home mission-
ary text and message. Let our reports 
really promote and provoke one another 
to good works, to arouse, to summon to 
action. Yes, we have been told to "let 
the gospel message ring through our 
churches, summoning them to universal 
action."—Testimonies, 'Vol. VII, p. 14. 
Then, "they will no longer stand still in 
impotency, pointing to what they cannot 
do. Putting on the armor of heaven, 
they will go forth to the warfare, willing 
to do and dare for God, knowing that His 
omnipotence will supply their need."—
Ibid. 
We have a message for the church and 
the world, and we must be more vocal 
and more faithful in proclaiming God's 
last message of mercy to this needy 
world. We are members of God's great 
army. We must be loyal soldiers. But 
remember, "The soul that does not im-
part will perish." The reporting system 
lets us know who is imparting. "Where 
there is no active labor for others, love 
wanes, and faith grows dim."—The De-
sire of Ages, p. 825. Reporting reveals 
this activity. We want 100 per cent re-
porting membership in the army of the 
Lord. Let us be loyal soldiers. 
"Angels are commissioned to be our 
helpers. They are passing between earth 
and heaven, bearing upward the record of 
the doings of the •children of men."—
Christian Service' p. 222. 
A MOB OR AN ARMY—WHICH? 
The church of our God is an army--
Not a mob but an army of light, 
Marching forth in a world that is stormy, 
Well prepared—organized for the fight. 
Confusion soon reigns without order, 
In a mob with no leader to guide. 
And a mob does not need a recorder, 
And all Its mistakes it can hide. 
In a mob no reporting is needed, 
For no one's responsible there. 
In an army the leader is heeded, 
And each soldier must do his share. 
The task of an army is serious, 
And discipline brings it to fame. 
Now, brethren, don't think us delirious, 
For suggesting the church is the same. 
AllaSI A. ESTEB. 
4,91 
Tact and Common Sense 
IT is a tragic truth that many a per-
sonal worker with a flaming heart and a 
prepared mind has failed in his mission 
for lack of the variable factor which we 
call common sense, or good judgment, or 
tact, or taste. One who is vitally inter-
ested in winning others for Christ and the 
church will be willing to abide by certain 
time-tested suggestions: 
Beware of using the same method with 
every person! Because of the different 
background, experience, education, and 
personality of individuals, each person 
may require a different approach. We 
must try our methods accordingly. 
Beware of undue pressure! There is a 
certain respect that the inner life of an-
other deserves. Our end will not often 
be accomplished by charging in bluntly, 
Souls Won by Two Young 
Canvassers 
In one of the cities in old India there 
lived an elderly couple. Although their 
physical eyesight was defective, their 
spiritual eyes were open to further light 
and their hearts hungry for a clearer un-
derstanding of the Word. 
One day two young men came to the 
home of this man and his wife, They 
were kindly received and invited into the 
home to partake of the meal waiting on 
the table. Who could these youth be, 
from where had they come, what had 
brought them to the door? These ques-
tions ran through the minds of these eld-
erly people. It was not long, however, 
before they learned that the young men 
had come from one of the hill schools 
and were spending their vacation in earn- 
unmindful of the courtesy due the other 
person. In most cases, a high-pressure at-
tack will not be so effective as a warm 
and friendly siege in which we demon-
strate a constant attitude of sincere in-
terest. 
Beware of self-righteousness! We aro 
not saints calling sinners to repentance. 
We, too, are sinners, but sinners filled 
with a desire to rise above our sin, and 
anxious to invite others to join in our 
climb. Our attitude is not to be so much 
that of showing as that of sharing. 
Don't argue! One who is given to ar-
guing with you generally becomes all the 
more convinced of the correctness of his 
own point of view. Ours is the method of 
attraction and persuasion. When there 
is doubt that any good can come out of 
the church, we don't argue the point; we 
simply say, "Come and see." 
Don't become embittered! We demon-
strate the sincerity of our convictions by 
an unruffled spirit in the face of slights 
and slurring remarks. 
Don't criticize another church! It sel-
dom hurts the other church, and it will 
hurt yours. Never throw mud! The in-
evitable result is that you get your own 
hands dirty. 
Remember at all times that we are 
striving to fulfill the office assigned to us 
when Jesus said, "Ye shall be My wit-
nesses." We have a glorious task. We 
must be equal to it. Are you ready? 
Let's begin nowt—The Religious Digest. 
Mg funds to defray their expenses in 
school the following year. They had 
brought with them an interesting monthly 
magazine entitled The Oriental Watch-
man, which was filled with helpful read-
ing matter, published in Poona by a peo-
ple named Seventh-day Adventists, 
This information immediately aroused 
the keenest interest in. the minds of our 
friends. What did these lads know about 
the Bible? Could they make certain 
portions of it clearer to them? They 
were hungry for further light and had 
been earnestly praying and seeking. The 
result, as you can readily grasp, was a 
Bible study. Many other studies, which 
often ran into a late hour, followed this 
one. Neighbors were invited into the 
home and before long the entire commu-
nity was mightily stirred. 
* News From Soul Winners * 
VoL 31, No. 6 �
The Church Officers' Gazette �
19 
When they had finished their territory, 
the time came for the canvassers to leave 
the city. They were earnestly requested 
to remain and thus give opportunity for 
further studies. If they would but stay 
they were welcome to come into the home 
and live, and no charge would be made 
for board. Two weeks were thus spent 
in daily searching the Scriptures. Faith-
fully were the doctrines of the third an-
gel's message given to earnest seekers and 
listeners. 
Toward the close of the two weeks the 
younger of the two men came down with 
high fever and was too ill to leave. The 
daughter-in-law of our friends, a trained 
nurse, kindly took the case in hand and, 
through her skillful care, brought com-
plete recovery to the patient. During the 
illness many an earnest conversation took 
place, and Bible studies were given. 
As a result of this faithful work a Sab-
bath school was organized and we have 
had the joy of seeing these two elderly 
people take their stand for the Lord and 
become members of the remnant church. 
Great peace and joy fill their hearts and 
minds, and they are faithful witnesses in 
their home town. We look forward to 
the time when a full-time worker can 
go to this city and care for the interest 
created. 
"We are nearing the close of this earth's 
history. We have before us a great work, 
—the closing work of giving the last 
warning message to a sinful world."—
Testimonies, Vol. VII, p. 270. 
T. E. SANDBERG, 
Northwest India Union Miss ton, 
New Delhi India. 
Those workers left the house rather 
hastily, and departed promptly from the 
town where they had expected to do mis-
sionary work. 
It so happebed that one of our lay sis-
ters from a church about five miles dis-
tant had visited this place and had 
spoken of the truth while there. She had 
also left some tracts. On hearing of the 
woman with the disabled hand, she went 
immediately to this town again, and on 
arriving at the home of the suffering 
woman she was greeted with these words: 
"I know that you have brought with 
you the medicine to heal my hand. You 
may treat it now." 
So our sister had an opportunity to 
speak to the unfortunate woman while 
the water was being heated for the treat-
ments. This was all done in the utmost 
faith that the Lord would extend His 
healing power and bring relief to the 
woman. The next day this trusting 
woman awoke with a healthy hand. 
On seeing this miracle, our sister called 
for additional help from the brethren of 
her church in El Llano, so as to take ad-
vantage of the great interest now awaken-
ened in this new locality. The brethren 
answered her call, not just two or three 
of them, but thirty-five in all, some riding 
horses and some going on foot. They 
went to the town where the woman had 
been healed, and preached the truth, dis-
tributed large numbers of tracts, and 
when they departed, left a great interest 
in the work of our organization. 
They returned again later, to give fur-
ther studies, and it so happened that on 
the occasion of one of their visits the 
people of the town were celebrating a 
wedding, with the mayor of the district 
in attendance. Many were intoxicated, 
and some tried to make trouble for our 
brethren, but the mayor stopped them, 
saying, "Don't make fun of these citizens, 
for they do not speak or teach anything 
bad, but only the truth. I should be very 
glad if all that lived in my district and 
around my home were Seventh-day Ad-
ventists. These people are honest. They 
do not steal or smoke or get drunk or 
make any trouble in the community. I 
declare that in all my time as mayor of 
this place not one of them has ever been 
thrown into the jail or reprimanded for 
the least thing. 
"Therefore, as long as I am in office 
they shall have my complete confidence, 
and I shall give them every privilege to 
teach and to talk with the people, so that 
the people of my district may come out 
of their state of ignorance and learn bet-
ter ways." 
Surely this is a good report of our 
workers of the laymen's movement in 
Mexico. Truly they are going about do-
ing good, and we should continue to pray 
for them, that their influence may be 
used of God for the salvation of many 
precious souls—H. A. B. Robinson in In-
ter-American. Division Messenger. 
9V 94 
Do Your Bit 
"Foe the want of a nail the shoe was lost, 
For the want of a shoe the horse was lost, 
For the want of a horse the rider was lost, 
For the want of a rider the battle was lost, 
For the want of a battle the kingdom was 
lost, 
And all through the want of a horseshoe 
Weekly Church Missionary Services 
93 
93 
Healing a Withered Hand 
"Tr you are the true followers of 
Christ and are going about doing good, 
as He did, then cure this sick hand of 
mine," said a certain woman to the lay 
missionaries of a Protestant church, who 
were making visits in that section and 
preaching the keeping of Sunday 9 the 
Sabbath day. 
"We do no healing," reported these lay 
workers. "We are just preaching the 
gospel and telling all to keep Sunday as 
a holy day of worship." 
The sick woman then answered, "If 
you do not know how to heal, then you 
may leave my house, for you are all false 
preachers. I have hoard that the true 
gospel workers know how to heal the sick, 
like the Seventh-day Adventists, who live 
in El Llano." 
June 3 
BIBLE SERVICE TRAINING, 
SCHOOL 
Key Thought for Leaders: "The presenta-
tion of Christ in the family, by. the ?Reside, 
and in small gatherings in primate houses, 
is often molt successful in winning souls to 
Jesus than ere sermons delivered in the 
open air, to the cooing throng, or even in 
halls or charches."—Gospel Workers, P. Wk. 
As the work progresses, various phases of 
It develop. One very important line of 
work is that of giving Bible readings in the 
homes of the people. also cottage meetings 
including two or more families. The mes-
senger of God has given us a picture of 
thousands of our people going from house 
to house with their Bibles open. and thou-
sands of people accepting the truth as a 
result. 
however. this work demands a degree of 
training, especially for consecrated laymen 
who accept the truth after their school or 
college days have ended. These have no 
had the privilege of Bible courses in ou 
schools, and not being too well acquaintet 
with our doctrines, are unable to presen 
them clearly to seekers for truth. It was 
particularly for these people that the Bible 
Service Training School course was organ 
ised. 
This course consists of ten lessons on the 
art of giving Bible studies, and also three 
lessons on denominational history, or thir-
teen lessons of one and one-half hours' dura-
tion each. In the course of the studies the 
student is expected to give at least five 
studies in families that he has interested 
in the truth as taught by Seventh-day Ad-
ventists. The Bible and the book How to 
Giie Bible Readings are all the textbooks 
required. The course may be taken as a 
grotto in class or by individuals. Exam-
ination papers, are furnished by the depart-
ment, and all who make a passing grade 
are presented with an appropriate certifi-
cate. Your conference home missionary sec-
retary will be happy to go into details and 
help you get started. 
The hour has struck when nanny of our 
Seventh-day Board 
Adventist Mission 
Gratefully acknowledges your con-
tribution to assist in carrying on our 
world-wide program of Health. pAu-
cation, and Evangelism. Your Invest-
ment for the welfare of humanity 
will work for you twenty-fols hours 
of every day and yield la �
divi- 
dends In happiness and retie of hu-
man suffering. 
With sincere appreciation. WIC 
THANK YOU. 
W. W. Nelson. Treasurer, 
MISSION BOARD, 
Takoma Park, Washington. D. C. 
Name of Cont. Pres. or Irma. 
20 �
The Church Officer? Gazette �
'June, 1944 
people should be actively engaged in this 
work. the end of lime Is upon us. and 
much remains to he done. God has placed 
In our hatpin the last message of mercy for 
a distracted world. When that message Is 
given, then shall the end come. We are 
nearer that point than many believe. and 
as believers In our Lord's return, we should 
be up and busy in the King's service. We 
have come to the kingdom for such a time 
ea this, and we believe that 1044 should 
see a revival to the study of the doctrines 
expounded by the pioneers lb 1844. Thou-
sands will be active. Are you among them? 
Mahon ill:VIM. 
June 10 
INGATRERING PROGRESS 
Key Thnu"ht for Leaders: "Vigilance and 
fidelity have been required of Christ's fol-
lowers in every age; but now that we are 
standing upon the very verge of the eternal 
/coed, . . . we must double our diligence. 
everyone Is to do to theyitro utmost of his 
ability."—Testimonies, VOI. V, p. 
We have now reached the end of the fifth 
week In the official time schedule of the 
1944 ingathering campaign. Where do we 
stand, Individually and as a church? This 
is the day when "we must look our work 
fairly in the face", and if It should be 
found that we are lagging behind and have 
not kept up toschedule. we should bbeeagin 
Immediately to "advance as fast as pose le 
In aggressive warfare." 
Let us take another look at our goal 
chart and see how much of the dark world 
remains to be covered with the gospel light 
as provided by the members of our church. 
Perhaps at the time of this service the rec-
ord on the chart does not reveal the amounts 
gathered in during the past week, which will 
be added before the morning preaching serv• 
Ice: but every church should now have 
reached at least 80 per cent of its goal. and 
Possibly 00 per cent when the current In-
gathering amounts are added, leaving only 
in per rent to be brought In by the close 
of the campaign next -Sabbath. If every 
member has reached and surpassed the In-
dividual goal today, the full church goal is 
assured. and even a generous overflow will 
be available. 
In many churches. possibly In the ma• 
Jerky. the full amount will have been 
reached by this time: and what a satisfac-
tion it will be to look at the ingathering 
goal chart and know that we have done our 
Part in this glorious work which embraces 
every member. 
We trust that when the 
111.14 Ingathering campaign Is brought to a 
close. it will not leave behind any regrets 
becaues of procrastination and failure to 
meet full individual requirement. 
During the past live weeks thousands of 
logathering contacts have been made, reach. 
lag Into every city. town. village. nook, and 
hamlet of our nation. Many persons will 
have expressed a desire for spiritual help. 
and all 'such eases call for further immedi-
ate contact Of the right nature. Special 
literature should be sent to some of these 
people, Bible studies arranged 
minted with 
others should be made acquainted with the 
Voice of Prophecy message In weekly pro-
gram. and still others should be invited and 
persuaded to attend evangelistic meetings, 
where such are held in the vicinity. Some 
may be sick and in need of temporal help. 
Bring the names and addresses of all 
these persons next Sabbath and torn them 
over to the church missionary secretary for 
the proper follow-up attention. Remember 
that next Sabbath Is Ingathering Victory 
Day throughout North America, and also 
the time for listing thousands of names of 
persons met during the campaign—not only 
those from whom we may 'have received a 
sum of money for the Lord's work, but also 
those to whom we owe a special resPonsi-
lenity for letting the 1410 of truth shine 
through whatever channel may be indicated. 
Juno 17 
FOLLOW-UP WORK 
Key Thoughtfor Leaders: "Goof has need 
of wise men and women Ina will labor ear-
nestly to acoomplish the work committed to 
them . . Some will sow, and some will 
reap the harvest of the seed sown. Let 
everyone dO Isis best to Improve his talents, 
that God may use him either as a sower or 
as a reaper.'—Gospel Workers, p. 410. 
lyrethousands of seeds of truth scattered 
by the annual Ingatherers must not be left 
to Ile dormant in the humatk heart. There 
must be cultivation of the soil into which 
the seed has been placed. This cultivation 
of spiritual soil involves earnest prayer, the 
personal touch, and the Ilfogiving prop-
erties of the Holy Spirit. Just as the 
farmer would be considered shiftless and a 
failure If he gave no attention to the culti-
vation of his crops. so the Ingathering 
worker who makes no provision to care for 
the special requests or needs of those per-
sons met in the Ingathering effort. oven 
though he may scatter seed broadcast and 
bring In large Mutodal returns. will be 
considered negligent and a failure. Ile will 
tail to reap the spiritual harvest which Is 
due him. 
There are various successful methods of 
Ingathering follow-up, to which special at-
tention is called, as follows: 
I. To all donors who have contributed a 
generous offering—perhaps $5 or more-
there should ,be mailed a card expressing 
appreciation and thanks for the cooperation 
given. A very neat card has been prepared 
by the General Conference Home Missionary 
Department for this purpose, which reads as 
follows: 
These cards are furnished with plain en-
velopes and may be obtained through local 
conference home missionary secretaries 
without charge. 
2. Present each donor with a small book 
—usually one of the Crisis Series, carefully 
selected. with an appropriate follow-up meg 
sage. 
3. Send to all persons who manifest any 
degree of interest In spiritual things, liter.-
tore .which best -meets the need. A sub- 
The Promise 
wines I Huger et Ilfe's crossroads, 
Wondering how to choose we way. 
clear above the worlds confusion 
I can hear my Mister say, 
"Follow his In pathways lowly 
Where the needy wait for thee-. 
lie who walks the road of service 
walks-in fellowship with Me." 
Oft I claim the precious promise 
U'llen the-road seems long and ?rear, 
When temptation waits to here 
When beset by doubt and fear: 
But the voice of Jesus cheers me. 
Whattuier my need may be: 
"lie who walks the road of service 
Find, abundant. life in Me." 
So I walk the road of service, 
Finding Joy in every day, 
Helping others find the Master 
%Vito will guide them all the way. 
When at last I reach the road's end, 
And my Master I shall see. 
Lord, I'll claim Thy precious promise 
And find endless life in Thee. 
—Author Unknown. 
seriptIon to Present Truth, or Signs of the 
times; or possibly the Liberty magazine and 
one of the health magazines. accompanied 
by a personal word, Is excellent follow.up 
material. 
0. Make appointment for Bible study and 
see that each study Is given by a qualified 
teacher. 
6. Personal calls to Invite to evangelistic 
services. to render help in time of sickness 
or distress, etc. 
Other methods will. of course. present 
themselves to the Ingathering solicitor. It 
is expected that a careful and accurate rec-
ord will be made during the time of solicits. 
Mon. all records to be placed In the hands 
of the faithful church missionary leader and 
secretary, who will plan for the proper 
method of follow-up and assign the work to 
proper persons. As this Is the last week of 
the 1049 Ingatherinq campaign in North 
America. it Is hoped that names and ad-
dresses will be railed for and arrangements 
made for prompt follow-up attention. 
June 24 
MISSIONARY EXPERIENCES 
Kcy 7'hought for Leaders: "In your 
church and neighborhood missionary Work, 
let your light shine forth Pt such Weer, 
steady toys that no matt can stand tip in 
the ludfintent and sag 'Who did you not 
toll me about this truth? Why did you root 
core for my soul?' "—B. G. White, Mg 5, 
dated June Z, 1914. 
When wo speak of Ingathering we usually 
speak of the money �
Red. In fact, many 
think almost entirely in terms of money 
that Is gathered in. But why should we not 
think of It more as an ingathering of souls, 
for the money received Is sent to the mis-
sion fields, where It le multiplied a hun-
dredfold In the winning of souls: at the 
same time the literature given out and tho 
personal contacts made In the homeland 
hare resulted in many accepting this mes-
sage. 
When the !pothering work was in Its ib' 
fancy the messenger of the Lord wrote: 
"To all who are about to take up special 
missionary work with the paper prepared 
for use In the Harvest Ingathering cam• 
Deign. I would ally: &Angela in your ef-
forts: live under the guidance of the Holy 
Spirit... . Search diligently tor perishing 
souls. Ob. think of the yenning desire 
Christ has to bring to His fold again these 
who have gone astray ! Watch for souls as 
they that must give nit account."—thud. 
A few years ago. when starting the In-
gathering work in Korea. one of our mis-
sionaries and a Korean brother called on a 
druggist for a donation. Since thle man 
had never read the Bible. they lent him a 
copy. lie became interested and asked 
questions. They went back to study the 
Bible with him late into the night. After 
they lend finished work in his village end 
had gone to another town, be followed them 
and requested more Illble studies. As a re. 
salt he became a Seventh-day Adventist. 
sold out his business, turned his money over 
wtootikheam
miessn
ionh.isanodwnpreppesored
pit for missionary 
During an Ingathering campaign one of 
our workers found a Spanish woman keep-
ing the Sabbath. At this time she did not 
know of our church. and when she was told 
that there were many Adventists in the 
city where she was living she' was very 
happy. This Spanish woman told our worker 
that she was shown Ina dream that the 
se
th‘e-enpothintd.ay is the Sabbath. 
Thls period should be used for relating 
experiences gained through Ingathering con-
tacts. Have the experiences short and to 
01 I2 
A (71ORTAIn preacher whose sermons con-
verted many souls. received a revelation 
from God that it 'was not his sermons or 
works by all means, but the prayers of en 
illiterate lay brother who sat on the pulpit 
steps pleading for the success of the sermon. 
It may be so with us in the all-revealing 
day. We may believe. alter laboring tong 
mid wearily. that all honor belongs to an-
other builder whose prayers were gold. sil-
ver, and precious stones, while our sermon-
ising. being apart from prayer, Is but hay 
and stubble.—C. 11. Spurgeon. 
Vol. 31, No. 6 �
The Church Officers' Gazette �
21, 
* �
Department of Education 
Featuring Home and Parent Education in the 
Hame and School Association and the Christian Home Council 
• 
Vacation Days! 
Ova regular Home and School Association 
meetinks are at an end for another school 
Year. The record of progress has been 
made. but as long as we have life we can 
always look forward to further advance. 
Have the reports of this year's Home Edu-
cation study groups been sent in to your con-
ference educational superintendent? These 
should receive attention now. Some Chris-
tian Home Council groups may wish to con-
tinue their study program through the sum-
mer, but please remember the reports now. 
June brings us vacation days, when again 
Parents and children are more closely asso-
ciated than is possible during school 
months. This is also the month when we 
pay special tribute to our fathers. This 
year finds many of them far from home, do-
ing their part to preserve our freedom. As 
we pause to honor them, shall we not re-
solve to do a better job of carrying on here 
at home? 
And to the mothers (and other workers) 
who are concerned with teen-age problems. 
I call attention to the excellent handling of 
present-day situations in the article, "A 
Mother Answers a Morals 5-0-S," by Gladys 
Denny Shultz, in Better Homes and Gardens 
for March, 1944. 
"So Speak Ye" 
It has just been my privilege to attend 
the annual meeting of the Child Study As-
sociation, and I have come away with sev-
eral oft-repeated statements ringing in my 
ears: The home is still recognized to be the 
most potent, vital factor in determining the 
trend of a child's life ; there is a definite 
connection between a child's early environ-
ment and training and his later actions; 
the unconscious influence of the habitual at-
titudes of parents and all adults has a defi-
nite effect on the attitudes and conduct of 
children. 
For these and, other reasons one of the 
speakers declared that "parenthood must be 
taken out of the category of the unskilled 
trades." Is it asking too much of parents 
that they know as much about the care and 
training of their children as they do about 
the care and upkeep of the family car, or 
about what it takes to grow a successful 
Victory garden and preserve its produce for 
winter consumption, 
Dr. Joseph Fort Newton, noted clergyman 
and columnist, stated in 79 me for February 
7, 1944: "Fear is the worst enemy of hu-
man beings. . the fear arising from sensi-
tivity, manufactured hobgoblins, the fear of 
losing a Job, of losing a home, of insecure 
old age." 
Voicing these same sentiments, Dr. Alice 
V. Kelliher stated at the meeting of the 
Child Study Association that fear works 
havoc by attacking the individual at one 
point or another, and might be likened to a 
sickness which produces prejudice. We see 
it all around us today. Doctor Kelliher 
listed these fears as causing this sickness 
of prejudice : 
1. The fear that grows out of isolation 
or segregation. 
2. The fear of being rejected because one 
does not belong to the group. 
3. The fear of our own Impulses that are 
released in mob spirit and riot. 
4. The fear of economic insecurity. 
5. The fear of loss of dominance of one's 
own group. 
As parents it is possible fOr us to do a 
great deal in combating and overcoming 
these fears and prejudices. Children imi-
tate; and parents' words and attitudes are 
often too accurately reproduced In their 
children. As adults our conversation is 
often careless or loose. We tell things that 
are not according to fact: uncomplimentary 
titles are applied to individuals; raised eye-
brows, a knowing nod, or a slight punch may 
Indicate a certain reaction. Practically 
nothing at all, but the child's keen eyes 
and ears have seen and heard ; the impres-
sion is made, the seed is sown in the fertile 
soil of his heart and mind. And such sow-
ing bears fruit! 
According to Mrs. Sidonie It. Greenberg, 
of the Child Study Association, children do 
not just spring into the world at the age 
of five, all trained for the future. Rather, 
they enter as helpless babes, entirely de-
pendent upon their parents.' When we study 
plants, we note very carefully their native 
habitat and the conditions necessary to de-
sirable growth. Should we pay less atten-
tion to the native habitat of our children? 
The summer vacation is really the par-
ents' laboratory period for cultivating the 
"garden of the child's heart." As we live 
with our children day by day, sharing in 
their joy's and sorrows, let us remember this 
instruction : 
"Parents, in the training of your children, 
study the lessons that God has given in na-
ture. If you would train a pink, or rose, 
or lily, how would you do it? Ask the gar-
dener by what process he makes every 
branch and leaf to flourish so beautifully, 
and to develop in symmetry and loveliness. 
He will tell you that it was by. no rude 
touch, no violent effort ; for this would only 
break the delicate stems. It was by little 
attentions often repeated. He moistened 
the soil, and protected the growing plants 
from the fierce blasts and from the scorch-
ing sun, and God caused them to flourish 
and to blossom into loveliness. In dealing 
with your children, follow the method of the 
gardener. By gentle tenches, by loving min-
istrations, seek to fashion their characters 
after the pattern 'of the character of Christ." 
—The Desire of Ages, pp. 515, 516. 
Our country today is engaged in a terrific 
struggle to preserve democracy. Have we 
considered where democracy begins, and 
what is our individual part In it: United 
action is needed on the part of the home, the 
church, the school, and society in general. 
Shall we not do our individual part? "So 
speak ye and so do" as to have no fear of 
your cbildren's imitation. As Christian par-
ents, may our "speech he alway with grace." 
Let us not be guilty of disseminating fear 
or creating prejudice because of failure to 
"set a watch" over our lips. 
FricamEcE K. REBOR. 
"Jr mothers would pray more for their 
children before they are born, they would 
have to worry less afterward." 
Why One Boy Left the Farm 
I 
minim my dad, his farm, his plow, 
Because my calf became his caw 
I left my dad—'twas wrong of course, 
Because my colt became his horse. 
I left my dad to sow and reap 
Because my lamb became, his sheep. 
The garden truck I had to grow 
Was his to sell and mine to hoe. 
Why Another Didn't 
\Vim Dad and me It's half and half : 
The cow I own was once his calf; 
No town for mine, I will not bolt, 
Because my horse was once his colt. 
I'm going to stick right where I am 
Because my sheep was once his lamb ; 
I'll stay with Dad—he gets my vote 
Because my hog was once his shoat; 
It's fifty-fifty with Dad and me, 
A profit-sharing company. 
—L. B. Werner. 
"Tomorrow's Another Day!" 
BY LOUISE PRICE BELL 
IT seemed as if much bad gone wrong 
that day! As a guest in my friend's home 
I had been a silent, and,at times amused, 
onlooker. Bobby, the five-year-old, had 
painted the neighbor's back fence with 
dabs of red paint found in the garage, 
eaten two of the cook's fresh cup-cakes, 
and emptied his daddy's bait pail. 
I had listened carefully as his young 
mother explained that the fence belonged 
to Miss Rust—not to him—and that be-
cause it belonged to someone else Bobby 
would have to get the paint off somehow. 
It might even mean that he'd have to 
use his allowance money for white paint 
to paint over his daubs! T had felt 
sorry when Bobby had to go without des-
sert—because he had taken more than 
his share from the kitchen table—and I 
had been obliged to struggle hard not to 
help the little shaver pick up the bait and 
replace it in the pail. 
But I wisely kept out of the affairs of 
the day and realized that Madge was giv-
ing her small son- practical lessons in 
property rights and restitution. There 
was very little scolding, but the day bad 
seemed full of unhappy events for Bobby. 
It was bedtime, and as I watched 
Madge tuck her rosy-cheeked baby into 
bed, I heard him say, "I've been awfully 
naughty today, Mommy; but never you 
mind"—here he pulled her down for a 
kiss—"tomorrow's another day!" 
She agreed; we said good night and 
left the room. Then I spoke of his re-
mark, and the happy expression of his 
face as he made it. 
"It's a sort of code with us," she ex-
plained. "Sometimes when the young-
sters get into mischief and everything 
looks unpleasant and discouraging, they 
might go to sleep with the unhappy events 
of the day on their minds. That would 
not be good for them. So early in their 
lives I have tried to make each of them 
feel that what is done is past and gone, 
night brings peace and quiet, and the 
next day means a fresh elate." 
A grand idea, I thought, for adults as 
well as children. Why carry over the 
worries, fears, inharmonious happenings 
into another day? Arid if that idea is 
firmly , inculcated in small children's 
minds, I believe it has a strong psycho-
logical effect upon them later in life, as 
well as in their childhood. They learn. 
that we all make mistakes, but if we do 
our best to rectify them, we can go to 
sleep with the comforting feeling that 
"tomorrow's another day," and another 
day means opportunity to try harder, to 
make fewer mistakes, and to win more 
victories.—The 
National Kindergarten. 
Association. 
22 �
The Church Officers' Gazette �
June, 1944 
Storytelling in the Home 
BY DOROTHY WHITE CHRISTIAN 
STORYTELLING is the oldeSt and most 
important of arts. God made us to en-
joy stories, and set His seal of approval 
on the art by being the first storyteller 
and by putting into His Book many, 
many stories. About one half of the 
Bible is in story form, and that half is 
the best known and most often read. 
Stories are important because of their 
great influence. They stimulate us to 
emulate the characters in the story. They 
appeal to the emotions, which are levers 
that move us to action. They are a high-
way to the heart of the world. They ap-
peal to us in such a' way that they are 
easy to remember. 
In our school a number of years ago 
was the son of the man who gave to our 
pioneer among the Indians, Brother 
Stahl, the money to establish the Broken 
Stone Mission. This boy was only seven 
years old, but every night he repeated to 
his mother the story of the day's Bible 
lesson: a story of the second advent, or 
of the signs of Christ's coming or the 
events that would follow, or maybe a 
story from the life of Mrs. White or some 
Bible character, or perchance a mission 
story. In wonder and delight that mother 
listened to him as he repeated the story, 
realizing that deep and good impressions 
were made. I repeat, the story is an easy 
and happy form by which children re-
ceive facts and ideas and ideals. 
In Judges the second chapter and the 
seventh verse we read: "And the people 
served the Lord all the days of Joshua, 
and all the days of the elders that out-
lived Joshua, who had seen all the great 
works of the Lord, that He did for Is-
rael." We are likely to think, Wonder. 
ful! But see what God did for them. 
How could they be anything but true? 
Now read verse ten and the first part 
of verse twelve: "There arose another 
generation after them, which knew not 
the Lord, nor yet the works which He had 
done for Israel �
And they forsook 
the Lord God of their fathers." If loy-
alty to God came as the result of knowing 
the great works of the Lord, and lack of 
loyalty came as the result of the igno-
rance of the generation which knew not 
the works of the Lord, is there not a les-
son in this that we dare not ignore? The 
second generation did not have the privi-
lege of seeing the works of the Lord with 
their own physical eyes, but they should 
not have been denied the privilege of see-
ing them through the eyes of others. The 
mothers and fathers failed in their duty 
of storytelling. Seventh-day Adventist 
parents should not fail. The children 
should know the stories of God's provi-
dences and guidance in our early denom-
inational history, as well as Bible stories, 
that they too may "serve the Lord all the 
days of the elders" who have outlived 
our pioneers. 
Seventh-day Adventist history is rich is 
stories of God's providences. There is 
the story of the establishment of our 
sanitariums. Think of what Mrs. White 
told us about properties on the West Coast 
that could be bought for a fraction of 
their value. Think of the direct pointing 
to the Paradise Valley Sanitarium prop-
erty, which was finally secured for one 
fifth of its value because the original 
owners could not find water after, a short 
time' of operating. "But," said Mrs. 
White, "there is water there." Our peo-
ple purchased the property, drilled- for 
water, and found it. Paradise Valley 
Sanitarium is a monument to God's lead-
ing of this people. Shouldn't our chil-
dren know that story? 
Think of what has been done for our 
publishing work. In the early days of 
the establishment of one of our plants, 
the loss was $12,000 from the first year's 
operation. It had ' been built at the ur-
gent appeal of Mrs. White. Greatly 
troubled, the men in charge went to her, 
wishing to close it up. She said, "Study 
your methods." The second year the bal-
ance showed another loss of $12,000. 
Again they went to Mrs. White. Again 
she said, "Study your methods." Again 
the third year they had the same experi-
ence. In desperation they were deter-
mined to close the plant. But the same 
counsel obtained again"Study your 
methods." The fourth year showed a net 
gain of $30,000, balancing their three 
years' losses. Today that institution is 
one of our largest printing plants. Will 
such a story help to establish the 'chil-
dren's faith in God's leading of this peo-
ple? 
Think of our schools. Think of the 
providential establishment of our Aus-
tralian school. The Lord picked out the 
identical farm and marked it by three 
unmistakable signs. Against the advice 
of government experts that land was pur-
chased, against which Mrs. White said, 
"False witness has been borne." The 
first year that crops were planted, such 
an excellent harvest was obtained that 
the people met for special thanksgiving 
and called in the government expert, who 
said, "I cannot understand it." Don't 
you think our children ought to know 
that story? 
I repeat, one great source of stories 
for our children is found in the provi-
dential leadings of this people. Some of 
these will be found in such books as F. C. 
Gilbert's Divine Predictions, J. N. Lough-
borough's Great Second Advent Move-
ment, Ellen G. White's Early Writings 
and Life Sketches, A. W. Spalding's Pio-
neer Stories, W. A, Spicer's Pioneer Days, 
and others. 
Then there are personal stories that 
our children should know—stories of 
leaders who have been influenced at the 
right moment by the words of Mrs. White. 
I am reminded of a story told us by the 
late G. B. Starr regarding Elder Olsen, 
then president of the General Conference. 
Elder Olsen was sitting at the table in 
his dining room; his elbows were resting 
on the table, his head in his hands. He 
was discouraged. He had too much to 
do, and could not do his work well. So 
he turned his burdened heart to the Lord 
and said, "I am bringing back to you 
the presidency of the General Conference. 
I am not fitted for it. Another man can 
do the work better." After he had un-
burdened his heart he felt better and re-
tired for the night. 
Early next morning he went to the eon- 
ferenee office, where a letter was handed 
him, written by Mrs. White in Australia 
over a month before. In it Mrs. White 
said, "Dear Elder Olsen: I was shown 
you sitting in your dining room, at your 
table; your elbows were resting on the 
table, your head was in your hands. You 
were praying, and you said, `Dear Lord, 
I am bringing back to you the presidency 
of the General Conference. I am not 
fitted for it; another can do the work bet-
ter.' Now Brother Olsen," Mrs. White 
continued, "the Lord says, 'Who made 
you chairman of the sanitarium board? 
I did not. Who made you one of the 
leaders on the Review and Herald board? 
I did not. But I have made you the pres-
ident of the General Conference. Do the 
work that I have given you to do, and 
you will find that My yoke is easy and 
My burden is light.'" 
How can you account for such a letter/ 
Only one way: the Lord showed to Mrs. 
White, away over in Australia, a month 
before, what Elder Olsen was going to do 
in his home in Battle Creek. She wrote 
this out in a letter and sent it to him, in 
order that he might not give up the work 
that the Lord had given him to do. It 
arrived the morning after he had this 
experience. Could anyone but God have 
foreseen this? 
Then there is the story of Mrs. S. M. I. 
Henry, who was very ill at her home in 
the Middle West. She was scheduled to 
go to the West Coast to speak at a large 
W. C. T. U. gathering. She was so ill 
that her children felt she should not go 
on the trip. But she felt the Lord had 
called her. She stayed in bed on the train 
all the way across the continent, and felt 
better when she arrived. However, she 
was so frail that her hostess insisted on 
her going into a private home and not 
to a hotel. One of the wealthy ladies of 
the city opened her home, and Mrs. Henry 
was made very comfortable. The morn-
ing after she arrived she received a let-
ter from Mrs. White, written several 
weeks before, in Australia, with her name 
and address on the envelope. Not her 
home address, not the W. C. T. U. ad-
dress, but the address of the home where 
she was staying in that city, a home that 
would not have been opened to her if she 
bad not been ill. How did Mrs. White 
know that Mrs. Henry was going to stay 
at that home? No one had known it un-
til the day before. And yet the letter 
was written several weeks before. Isn't 
that a story you would like to have the 
children know, to help fasten in their 
minds the thought that God through His 
angels revealed to Mrs. White the things 
of the future? 
It seems to me that no one who believes 
absolutely the truthfulness of the Spirit 
of prophecy can ever leave this denom-
ination. And it seems to me further that 
we should not hesitate to impress upon 
our children and young people the stories 
that will bring this belief to their hearts, 
a belief that will serve as an anchor in 
times of stress. 
Another source of stories for oar chil-
dren is mission experiences. Elder Spic-
er's story of Celia, the little black girl 
who gave her all when she gave her ear-
rings, raised thousands of dollars for the 
The Church Officers' Gazette �
23 
Vol. 31, No. 6 
mission work of this denomination. And 
how many children have been inspired to 
be more true to their convictions by the 
story of the two little children in Czecho-
slovakia who refused to obey the man 
who took them after their mother's death, 
when he told them they must not keep the 
Sabbath. Though he punished them every 
Sabbath for their disobedience, yet he 
was finally won over and became an ar-
dent Seventh-day Adventist himself. Mis-
sion stories should not be confined to 
dramatic incidents only. Should they not 
rather be built upon the principle of trial 
and triumph, letting the hearers know 
that mission work is not just one grand 
lark or series of exciting adventures, but, 
like work anywhere else, is made suc-
cessful by building steadily, earnestly, 
thoughtfully, prayerfully, even routinely, 
day by day and year by year/ 
(To be continued tin August) 
Raising Boys Without Raising 
Voices 
BY DR. H. E. SHARP 
A FATHER tells how a little self-control 
and consideration on his part helped to 
establish a footing of camaraderie and 
voluntary co-operation between himself 
and his son. 
"One summer morning," he says, "when 
my son was fourteen, we were having a 
general housecleaning in preparation for 
entertaining some house guests. At the 
breakfast table we mapped out what each 
member of the family should do. One 
item on our son's list was cutting and 
trimming the front lawn. Ho made a 
good start, but after a while the hum-
ming of the mower faded and, looking 
out, I saw that a friend had come along, 
and he and my son were standing chat-
ting. My first impulse was to go out and 
give Herbert a straight-from-the-shoul-
der bawling out for letting us down, but 
a ten-minute cooling-off period made me 
decide to use ot1Mr tactics. Another boy 
had joined them by this time, and they 
were squatting on the lawn playing mum-
blety-peg. I went out and watched them 
for a minute, and then said, 'Herbert, 
this reminds me of two things.' Scarcely 
looking up, he asked: 
"'What are they, Dad?' 
"The first thing is that you fellows 
are not using a swell play we used when 
I was a kid,' and I got down on the lawn 
with them to show them the play, which 
they appreciated. 
"What's the other thing you are re-
minded of, Dad?' 
"'The other thing is something a very 
wise man by the name of Ben Franklin 
once said: "If you want a job half done, 
send a boy to do it; if you don't want it 
done at all, send two boys to do it!"' 
"The boys got the point immediately, 
and got up, laughing. My son went back 
to the lawn mower, and after he had fin-
ished a fine job he came into the house, 
put his arm over my shoulder and said, 
'Thanks, Dad, for not bawling me out 
before my pals. That was swell of you.'" 
—Parents' Magazine, February, 1944. 
Children in a Wartime Summer 
THE problem of American children in 
wartime involves, thank God, no such 
heartrending pictures and reports of ju-
venile suffering as come from fought-
over lands. Nevertheless, it is a great 
and serious problem. The responsibility 
for its solution rests partly with the gov-
ernment, schools, churches, and organized 
youth agencies; but very heavily upon 
American parents.. . So that children 
shall continue normal despite abnormal 
times, we must remember always that 
they are still children, with children's re-
actions, needs, inarticulate enthusiasms, 
and limitations.. . . We must help them 
to an understanding of the situation that 
confronts us all and of the increased 
duties it imposes; we must help them de-
velop self-reliance, resourcefulness, im-
agination. This will not benefit them 
alone. It will weld families and homes 
into stronger units of mutual interest, 
and build lasting foundations for com-
munity spirit, civic and social stability, 
and national pride, faith, and integrity. 
And what does this require in the way 
of practical parenthood? No cut and 
dried pattern or schedule, but a point of 
view, an attitude, a frame of mind sug-
gested by such questions as these: 
Do you spend, each day, at least fifteen 
minutes wholeheartedly with your child 
or children, teaching them things that 
will enrich their lives, strengthen their 
spirits, open the windows of their souls? 
Do you make sure that the family gets 
together often and does something, any-
thing, in which every member can take 
part? 
Do you, by example, demonstrate that 
home is a pleasant place of real co-opera-
tion; do you develop its possibilities as 
the best of all places in which to teach 
manners—the essence of which is thought-
fulness of others? 
Do you take a sincere, intelligent in-
terest in your children's schoolwork and 
out-of-school activities, and see that they 
have a place in which they ear study and 
pursue, their avocations undisturbed; a 
place of their own where they can keep 
and enjoy their own things? 
Do you scold them for failure to meet 
properly new and strange situations for 
which they have not been prepared? 
Have you shown them the fun and 
value of making and doing things with 
their hands—and do you emphasize the 
value of things in terms other than 
money? 
Do you give serious consideration to 
their questions, answer them as fairly 
and frankly as possible or, lacking, the 
answer, help them find it by means of 
books, experiment, research, observation? 
Do you strive to earn—not buy--their 
friendship and confidence; to win, rather 
than enforce, their respect? 
Do you build up in and around them a 
sense of family unity, pride in being a 
full partner and stockholder in its re-
sources and liabilities, its joys, sorrows, 
pleasures, and problems?—The American. 
Rome, July, 1943. 
SS It 
FLowxas are words which even a babe 
may understand.—Bishop Core. 
Father 
WHEN first I spoke the name, I did 
Not know how much it meant. 
I did not know the depths of love 
That in his heart were spent. 
I only knew that father's hand 
Was big and strong and kind; 
I knew that when his arms held me, 
No harm could ever find 
My hiding place secure. I liked 
To feel the strength he had, 
And know he'd spend it all because 
He loved his little lad. 
In boyhood's carefree days I found 
In dad my dearest chum. 
He understood the joys and cares 
That to a boy must come. 
In later years he taught me how 
To use a saw and plane. 
Whate'er I asked, he always knew 
And gladly did explain. 
He rode with me on coaster sleds 
And helped me build the toys 
That every boy needs most, but soon 
Forgets for other joys. 
Ile knew a boy would need a bike, 
And so he got me one 
And as I rode it every day 
I'm sure he shared the fun. 
But playing was not all he gave, 
For counsels, too, we had : 
He told me what a boy should be, 
And how to shun the bad. 
He showed me that true bravery was 
As much the shunning of 
What's wrong, as risking life for those 
Whom God has made us love. 
He told me how to walk the path 
That gives true pleasure here 
And leads us to the Promised Land, 
With those we hold most dear. 
He led me to appreciate 
The joys of helping those 
Who know not Christ, to see in Him 
The One who heals their woes. 
All this and very much besides 
bly father gave to me. 
'Tis now I see what he designed 
That I should try to be. 
No longer can I be a boy' 
A man's road lies ahead, 
But not alone I'll tread the path, 
For, "I go too," he said. 
Now man with man we walk along, 
And each day I see more 
Of what he really is, and what 
For me, these years, he bore. 
I've finished college now, but not 
Alone. For from my soul 
A tribute goes to dad, whose love 
Has led me to this goal. 
And love is still the strongest tie 
That binds our hearts in one 
For though a man, yet still I like 
To have him call me Son. 
Wilton Ashton. 
kf 
Tits Garden of-Eden was a representation 
of what God desired the whole earth to be-
come, and it was His purpose that, as the 
human family increased in numbers, they 
should establish other homes and schools 
like the one He had given.—Ediucation, 
P. Sr. 
4.S 
THE journey made three times a year to 
the annual feasts at Jerusalem, the -week's 
sojourn in booths during the Feast of Tab-
ernacles, were opportunities for outdoor rec-
reation and social life. These feasts were 
occasions of rejoicing, made sweeter and 
more tender by the hospitable welcome given 
to the stranger, the Levite, and the poor.—
IIIMSHig of Heated, P. 251. 
g"he Church Mare 
a titt 
24 �
The Church Officers' Gazette 
The Buddhist Priest's Earache 
NEAR one of our mission stations in 
Burma there stands on a hill a Buddhist 
monastery in which several priests live. 
While supposed to be the religious lead-
ers of the people, many times the Bud-
dhist priests are unscrupulous and dishon-
est, and sometimes participate in activities 
that make it necessary for the authorities 
to put them in prison. Not long ago a 
very serious rebellion tookplace in 
Burma, and it was found that this rebel-
lion was incited almost entirely by these 
evil priests. 
At this mission station there was a lit-
tle dispensary operated by the mission-
ary and his wife. One day one of the 
priests from the monastery, a notoriously 
evil man, came to the dispensary. One 
side of his head was very badly swollen, 
and it was apparent immediately to the 
missionary that something was wrong 
with his right ear. The missionary nurse 
proceeded to do all he could to relieve the 
terrible pain from which the priest was 
suffering. Fomentations were applied, 
and as it became possible soothing oil 
was poured into the painful ear. Those 
medical workers were real missionaries, 
and as the soothing oil was poured into 
one ear the story of Jesus was poured into 
the other ear. Day after day the priest 
came for his treatment, and it is sus-
pected that the missionaries prolonged 
the treatment more than was absolutely 
necessary, for the priest seemed to be 
showing an interest in what was being 
poured into the healthy ear as well as in 
what was being poured into the sick ear. 
Gradually the love of Jesus appealed 
to his heart, and before the course of 
treatments had been completed his heart 
had been tendered, and won to the Sav-
iour. Some months later this Buddhist 
priest was baptized into the advent faith. 
The baptism took place in a little pool of 
water standing near the village. A large 
crowd gathered to watch the ceremony. 
Among the crowd were many of the 
priests from the monastery on the hill. 
The service was a solemn one, but most 
solemn of all, and what created the great-
est impression upon the crowd present, 
was the statement made by this convert as 
he came from the water. He stood on 
the bank of the pool, and looking ear-
nestly toward the crowd, including those 
who had been his fellow priests, gave this 
testimony: "I have exchanged my priestly 
robes for the robes of Christ's righteous-
ness. I commend these same robes of my 
Saviour to you all." �
T. J. MICHAEL. 
Healing of Demon-Possessed 
Hindu Woman 
WE should always remember that al-
though He is not visible to us mortals in 
these days, Jesus still lives, and the same 
miracle-working power that was manifest 
in the days when He was on earth nearly 
two thousand years ago, attends His name 
today. A recent experience in one of our 
churches in Trivandrum, South India, has 
convinced us that there is, even in this 
twentieth century, wonder-working power 
in the name of Jesus. 
For fifteen years Mrs. Koaeheppy, a 
Hindu woman, had been tormented peri-
odically by an evil spirit. During these 
times of obsession she would become like 
an insane person, tearing her clothes and 
pulling her hair, and would viciously at-
tack oven her own husband and children. 
Several strong men were required to sub-
due her, for at such times she seemed to 
have superhuman strength. 
Her relatives had performed, according 
to their Hindu religion, many acts of 
penance in her behalf, often going on 
long pilgrimages and sacrificing scores of 
chickens in the hope of appeasing the 
evil spirit. They had spent large sums 
of money performing purification cere-
monies in the Hindu temples, and had 
liberally given of their fast-dwindling 
wealth to encourage the Hindu priests to 
repeat their mantras (ritualistic formu-
las) over her. But their charms and 
prayers were of no avail. She seemed to 
be in the very clutches of the evil one. 
One day the husband heard that the 
pastor of the Sabbath mission church at 
Karama, Trivandrum, had a charm that 
was more powerful than those used by 
the Hindu priests. That afternoon he 
and his wife went to visit the pastor. 
After patiently listening to their pa-
thetic story of devil possession, the pas-
tor informed them that he did not possess 
any secret formula or charm that would 
rid the woman of the evil spirit; but that 
if they were willing to attend a prayer 
service in the Christian church that night, 
he and the church members would pray 
for her; and if it were the Lord's will, 
the woman would be freed from the evil 
spirit. 
That evening a large group of believers 
came together for the usual midweek 
prayer meeting. When the meeting was 
over, the pastor explained that there 
would be special prayer for the Hindu 
woman who was possessed of an evil 
spirit. After a few prayers had been of-
fered, the evil spirit shook the woman 
with such severity that she fell to the 
floor in a swoon. The pastor thought it 
best to close the meeting for the night, 
and announced that they would Continue 
to pray for the stricken woman the fol-
lowing night. 
The next night scores of Hindus of all 
castes came to witness the second prayer 
meeting in the Christian Sabbath mission 
church. Word had gone from mouth to 
mouth that the Christians were going to 
pray to their Jesus in behalf of the Hindu 
woman. The Hindus said that since 
their gods had not been able to cast out 
the devil from the woman, surely the 
Christians' God could not do so either. 
Many of the Hindus came that night to 
see the Christians' God defeated; a few 
came out of curiosity. It was a contest 
between the powers of darkness and the 
powers of light, between the Hindu 
priests and the followers of the Son of 
God. 
A spirit of intense expectancy pervaded 
the church building as the meeting 
opened with song and the reading of a 
passage from the Scriptures, Then the 
Christians bowed in prayer while the 
Hindus stood gazing in utter disdain at 
the whole procedure. After several 
June, 1944 
church members had offered short pray-
ers, Pastor Jacob prayed. As he was 
praying, the evil spirit once again took 
possession of the woman, and she fell to 
the floor, yelling and screaming, pulling 
her hair, and tearing her clothes. Pastor 
Jacob continued praying this time, be-
lieving that God would answer his peti- 
tion and thereby glorify His name before 
scores of Hindu unbelievers. 
As the poor woman was writhing and 
twisting on the floor, her faith reached 
out and grasped the promise of deliver-
ance, and she cried out in an agonized 
voice, "Jesus, save me! Jesus, save me!" 
Almost instantly another voice, un-
earthly and devilish, crying in agony and 
pain, came frdm her lips, "I am burning 
in fire—burning, burning! Let me go, 
let me go!" 
At once the woman was quiet and 
peaceful. The wicked spirit had been 
driven from her. God had manifested 
His power before the unbelieving Hindus, 
and as the woman rose to her feet, they 
lifted their voices in praise to the Chris- 
tians' God, who could east out evil spirits. 
The powers of light had triumphed! 
Once more the name of Jesus had proved 
to be more powerful than all the charms 
and incantations of the Hindu priests. 
Today this woman, no longer tormented 
by an evil spirit, her husband, and many 
of the Hindus who witnessed this miracle 
of deliverance are members of our church 
in Trivandrum. 
There is power, wonder-working power, 
in the name of Jesus even today! 
T. J. MICHAEL. 
M 
TUN system of education instituted at the 
beginning of the world, was to be a model 
for man throughout all aftertime, �
. The 
Garden of Eden was the schoolroom, nature 
was the lesson book, the Creator Himself 
was the instructor, and the parents of the 
human family were the students.--Ilduc-a-
Gen, p. 20. 
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EDITOR �
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