Vol. 37, No. 4
one’s own heart for the reception of God's
Spirit.
To be successful in Ingathering, as in any
other phase of the work, one must draw
near to God. “Nothing is more needed in
our work than the practical results of com-
munion with God. . . . Communion with
God will ennoble the character and the life.
Men will take knowledge of us, as of the
first disciples, that we have been with Jesus.
This will impart to the worker a power that
nothing else can give, Of this power he
must not allow himself to be deprived.” —
Gospel Workers, p. 510. “Pray and work”
must be the motto of the successful In-
gather.
This past year approximately one half
million dollars was gathered in the Pacific
Union to help in the foreign and home mis-
sion program, and we feel that this was
largely made possible through the efforts of
a consecrated people communing and work-
ing with thelr God.
Many have reported praying with and for
those they contacted. The results have been
seen in larger donations, as well as interest
in our beliefs and attendance ar Sabbath
services. Prayers that bring tears of repent-
ance to those solicited bring also a desire to
know God.
What a wonderful plan Ingathering is—
an opportunity to rearch for the souls of
men and enlist them to help us advance the
work of God in all the world! Did you
pray with those you visited last year? If not,
try ir this year and receive a twofold bless-
ing as you help 10 advance His cause among
all peoples.
—C. IL. BAUER.
Organizing for a Speedy
Campaign
“Time is short, and our forces must be
organized to do a larger work.” —Test-
monies, Yol. 9, p. 27. Bvery successful pro-
ject must be well organized. This was
brought strikingly to our attention during
World War II, when armies worked out in
derail every minute procedure. Especially
was this true in the Normandy invasion of
the continent. Thorough advance prepara-
tion assured its success.
A lawyer before going to court spends
hours and days in preparation. He would
nor think of waiting until time for court
10 convene to organize his case. Likewise, a
church cannot wait until Ingathering field
day ro organize the members and the terri-
tory. “Those who have leading places in the
church should give mote thought to their
plans for conducting the work. They should
arrange matters so that every member of the
church shall have a part to act.”—Christian
Service, p. 62.
When building a lean-to we ger a few
poles and a little lumber together and put a
THE CHURCH OFFICERS GAZETTE
few men to work. In a short time the struc-
ture is finished. When building a large,
beautiful structure, however, we spend hours
of work in preparation, dig a solid founda-
tion, and secure the many materials. The
beautiful mansion is soon completed with a
large crew of men following the blueprints.
Why not make definite plans for the largest
and greatest Ingathering crusade your church
has ever launched?
Plans, of course, will vary according to the
size of the congregation and the location of
the community, A short campaign with
everyone working is much more successful
than an extended one with only a few mem-
bers working. Any church activity is meant
for all and not just the few—such as the
elder or the church officers.
There are various types of organizations.
In larger churches the most successful way
has been to organize into bands. In many
cases leaders may be the Sabbath-school
teachers. The pastor, elder, and missionary
leader should work out all details with the
band leaders—such as territory to be worked
and plans for coverage. “The formation of
small companies as a basis of Christian
effort has been presented to me by One who
cannot err. —Testimonies, Vol. 7, pp. 21,
22. All those who are qualified to call on
Notes to Leaders
If the service that launches the Ingather-
ing campaign is to be a success, it must
fepresent a harmonious balancing of in-
spiration, instruction, and organization. As-
sign the various readings far enough ahead
that adequate preparation can be made by
those participating, Try to include persons
of various age levels. One of the readings
may be given by a young person; the brief
essay “Wanted, A Worker” might be given
by a Junior. Tty to create the feeling that
Ingathering is a church project. Some splen-
did organizational plans are given in “Or-
ganizing for a Speedy Campaign” by Don
R. Rees.
Fifteen minutes or more may profitably
be spent in a recital of good Ingathering
experiences by church members, If desired,
some good experiences may be gleaned from
various articles in the general material in-
cluded in the Home Missionary section of
this month’s GAZETTE. Plan these ahead,
rather than calling for volunteers and run-
ning the risk of things slowing down be-
cause of people's hesitancy to speak.
Enthusiasm is essential throughout the
service. Stress the importance of all swing-
ing into action for a quick campaign. There
is inspiration for the individual member
in the knowledge that the rest of the church
is warking hard, too. A word of good cheer
from each band leader is in order if time
petmits.
21
business * organizations may be placed in
one or more groups. The residential terri-
tory may be divided and given to other
groups. The Juniors may have a goal. The
young people may work in the singing
bands. When the campaign is presented to
the entire church, the organization will be
fully understood by the band leaders. It is
possible to raise the entire goal in one week
if every member of the church has been
properly fitted into the wheel of organi.
zation,
Smaller churches, of course, will not need
so many groups or so much detail in organi-
zation. In any case, those who call on the
business’ firms should know what they are
going to say and how they will meet objec-
tions. Everybody should know the canvass
well and be thoroughly acquainted with the
content of the Ingatheting paper. A good
preparation removes the fear of meeting the
public. Smile and thank even those people
who turn you down. It is said that an ancient
king of Persia demanded the death penalty
for all those who came into his presence
without a smile. Times have changed, but
the productivity of a cheerful face is still
with us. It is hard to resist the positive force
of a smiling face.
Carol singing and singing bands in large
and small churches are very effective. In the
smaller churches where there are not enough
members to have a singing band, a public
address system with loud speakers on the
top of the car may be used featuring sacred
recordings, Even with a band of three this
can be done. One can drive and operate the
machine while the others solicit each side
of the street. However, if you have more
solicitors, several can work on each side of
the street very efficiently. In the Kansas Con-
ference last year we carried on this program
in every district. The major part of our in-
crease was obtained by the singing band
method,
Those who are aged and cannot get out
can write letters. Many members receive
hundreds of dollars every year through the
mail.
Make covering the territory a goal. Two
ministers who thought they had finished the
entire territory noticed across the tracks a
little house that had been missed. One sug-
gested to the other that they call at this
home. They received a $5 donation.
In another church the minister appealed
to every member to participate in some way.
Everyone except a nurse indicated his will
ingness to respond. She was too busy, she
thought, to take part. The minister called
on her personally and suggested that she
should take as a personal goal $500. She
accepted the challenge. In three weeks she
had called on all the doctors, nurses, and
wealthy patients that she knew; and she
turned in $500,