SEVENTH DAY ADVENTISTS.

Taranaki Daily News, 16 January 1922, Page 5

SEVENTH DAY ADVENTISTS.

SUNDAY’S PROCEEDINGS. On Sunday afternoon, to a large congregation, in which was numbered a good sprinkling of visitors. Pastor W. J. Westerman presented the subject: “A remarkable fulfilment of Bible prophecy in New Plymouth.” In opening, the speaker pointed out that it was Christ’s practice to keep to the Scriptures, and present to the people what was written. It was shown that the Adventist movement was rapidly fulfilling the predictions of Rev. 14, 6-14, a few statistics being supplied in evidence of this statement. The movement took its rise about 1846. It then had 100 adherents, and 3 workers. In 1920 the denomination employed 6955 evangelistic workers, comprising 1*23 languages. They operated 1500 foreign missions on 350 mission stations. Jn 1840 their literature consisted of a sixpenny tract. If the tracts that have been published since were laid side Ey side, they would encircle the earth eight 1 times, and they would make a pile 15 'mTtes _.high. Their primary "numbered in 1920, 928, with an enrolment of 23,481, with nearly 40,000 others training for work. Their medical work included 46 sanitoriums. and treatment rooms, employing 144 doctors and 2000 purses. - In the matter of finances,"’ theAustralasian Union conference spent in 1919 £64,000, which works out at £8 16s 9d per capita. The North New Zealand conference in 1921 paid into foreign missions £4. 3s 4d per capita, total gifts £P 5s 5d per capita; sabbath school offerings for foreign missions £1353; young people’s offerings £204 to foreign missions. Besides this, the North New Zealand Conference donated £9501 to home missions work. On the camp ground £llOO was asked for foreign mission work, . and £1025 was contributed in response. The tot a.* tithe for the whole denomination for 1920 was £2.251:720. The total offerings for foreign missions was £650,000. On Sunday night in the preaching puyilion at the camp ground, Pastor J. W. Kent presented the subject: “Why I am a Seventh Day Adventist.” The speaker drew a picture *of the unrest of the world at the present time and seated that men had compassed the world seeking peace and rest, but had not found it. He himself had sought it and found it in Christ in embracing Adventism, as this people keep close to Christ. They were not a sentimental people who said Lord! Lord! but did not the things of Christ. By be-

coming a Seventh Day Adventist he obtained an enlarged view of Christ. In illustrating the identical seventh day the speaker pointed out that it was not narrow minded to keep to the exact words of Christ’s commandments any more than it was narrow mindedness if some one placed £25 in the seventh drawer and the individual to whom it was given declined to go to any other drawer to obtain it. The identical day, it was shown, is no other than Saturday, the Disciples resting dn the Sabbath day according to the commandment Luke 23 —56 after the preparation day. which was shown to bo Friday. It was pointed out that this day marked the first Sabbath in the new dispensation. and that the keeping of it received God's commendation; it was “according to the commandment.'’ An overflowing congregation of deeply interested listeners faced the speaker.