1912 – Northfield

Back to Early Camp Meetings

Dates:       June 6 – 16, 1912
Location:  Central Park, Northfield, Rice Co., MN
Find it today:    Map
The camp: From I-35, take the exit for Highway 19 and travel east into Northfield. After you cross the Cannon River, if you take the second left onto Division Street you can you can pass the First National Bank of Northfield where the citizens of Northfield stood their ground against Jesse James and his gang in their robbery of the bank. The Northfield Historical Society is located next to that bank and has an interesting museum. After passing the bank and museum, turn right on East 4th Street and travel three blocks where you will see Central Park on the left.
The baptisms: Camp meeting baptisms were conducted in the Cannon River. There is a lovely riverside walking area in Bridge Square at the intersection of East 4th Street and Water Street S. on the east side of the bridge – see Bridge Square Map.
The depot: The railroad depot where many attendees of camp meeting arrived has recently been restored.  Find out more about visiting the depot at http://www.northfielddepot.org/

THE MINNESOTA CAMP-MEETING – The fifty-first annual session of the Minnesota Conference was held at Northfield, Minn., June 6-16. The brethren were fortunate in procuring the beautiful, shady city park in which to locate their camp. The large tent was pitched by the side of an artificial fountain in the center of the grounds, while the family tents were scattered through the park among the elms and maples. Many remarked that it was the most beautiful camp-ground they had ever seen.

About 750 of our own people were in attendance at the meeting. Aside from laborers of the conference, there were present Elder Charles Thompson, president of the Northern Union; Prof. W. W. Ruble; Prof. E. L. Benson, of Union College; Elders O. A. Olsen, L. H. Christian, and S. Mortensen; Brethren F. E. Painter, C. A. Pedicord, and S. N. Curtiss; and the writer.

Meetings were conducted regularly each day in the English, German, and Scandinavian languages. Brethren Ruble and Benson had charge of the young people’s meetings.

There was a good attendance from the city at the evening meetings, and the Lord gave great freedom to Elders Bernstein and Thompson, who carried the burden of these services.

The reports from the different departments of work in the conference showed good progress. The Sabbath-school secretary reported 83 Sabbath-schools, 59 Home Department schools, with a total membership of 2,070. During the year the Sabbath-schools gave to missions $3,843.86. This is $1,000 more than was given in 1909. Their aim for 1912 is a thousand dollars a quarter. During the first quarter they passed the thousand-dollar mark by over $80.

There were about 240 young people on the ground, and their interest in the meetings, especially the early morning meetings, showed that they came to the camp-meeting for the purpose of getting out of it all they could. Thirty of these young persons were baptized at the close of the meeting, a large number of whom made their start in the Christian life at this time.

There was a good response when the call was made for funds to help the work. Four thousand dollars was raised in cash and pledges for home and foreign work.

The delegates present manifested a keen interest in the business meetings of the conference, and each item presented was passed unanimously. Elder G. W. Wells, of North Carolina, was elected conference president, and Brother S. E. Jackson vice-president. The other officers of the conference remain about the same as they were.

The counsels and instruction of Elder Olsen had the good old-fashioned ring, and were much appreciated by the brethren and sisters on the ground.

The meetings held in the interests of the colporteur work revealed a deep interest among the brethren in this work. Two public meetings were held in the large tent at the eleven o’clock hour to consider this phase of the work, and meetings were held daily with those who were especially interested. Those present manifested a strong determination to push forward this branch of the work more vigorously than ever before, not only during the summer months, but during the twelve months of the year.

The last day of the meeting forty candidates were baptized in the Cannon River.

N. Z. Town – Review and Herald, July 18, 1912

Literature Sales at the Minnesota Camp-Meeting

UPON arrival at the camp-ground in Minnesota, one’s attention was first attracted by the splendid array of literature in the book-tent, which stood just at the entrance of the grounds. Brother H. R. Gay, the tract society secretary, and his associates spared no pains in their efforts to make a display of books and magazines that would be attractive. The accompanying cut gives a partial view of this display.

One of the special features of the sales was a combination offer of several of our large books at a reduced price, which enabled our people to get eleven dollars’ worth of books, retail value, for five dollars. This combination offer was advertised from the desk in the large tent, and a number of those present availed themselves of it.

The total sales of literature during the camp-meeting amounted to $1,025, a gain of about $200 over the previous year. It was good to see our brethren and sisters taking home quantities of literature to circulate among their friends and neighbors. May the blessing of God attend this seed sowing.

Review and Herald, August 8, 1912, 17.

Mr. and Mrs. A. N. Kinsman and Mrs. Ida Alderson and Rollin went to Northfield to attend the Seventh Day Adventist camp meeting returning Monday. They went by auto.

Mr. and Mrs. Calvin Kinsman will go to Northfield by auto today to attend the S. D. Adventist camp meeting.

Mr. and Mrs. C. Rosenthal, Grace Rosenthal and Alice Gibbs went to Northfield Friday to attend the S. D. Adventist camp meeting.

Mower County Transcript, June 12, 1912

CONFERENCE CLOSES SUNDAY.

Adventist State Meeting Closes Tomorrow Night.

The Seventh Day Adventist camp meeting now in session at the city park, closes tomorrow night. All the tents and camp supplies owned by the state conference are in use and extra supplies have been obtained in the city. From the 6 o’clock early morning praise service to the evening preaching service, the hours have been taken up with the consideration of the various phases of the world-wide work. The meetings most largely attended by the residents of Northfield are the evening services, all of which aim to be practical and spiritual. A baptismal service will take place at the close of the meeting.

Seventh Day Adventists have had an organized existence for only about sixty years. Their work has grown in spite of great obstacles, till there is now scarcely a country, either civilized or savage, where their workers are not proclaiming the gospel of Christ. They are operating eighty sanitariums and hospitals in various countries, where the sick are treated and missionary physicians and nurses are trained. They have eighty-three colleges, academies and intermediate schools. More than 18,000 children and young people are receiving a Christian education in these colleges and schools.

Their twenty-seven denominational publishing houses printed and sold last year more than $1,500,000 worth of literature bearing the message of the second coming of Christ, printed in sixty-five of the leading languages of the world. Last year they spent over $2,000,000 and employed more than 4,000 evangelistic workers in their efforts to carry the gospel of Christ to every nation on the globe.

The following is the program for the remaining sessions of the conference:  Saturday, 8:00 p. m. Subject, “Shaken Trees,” (prophetic). Speaker, Evangelist Stemple White. Sunday 11:00 a. m. Subject, “The Work of Grace.” Speaker, Evangelist Charles Thompson. 8:00 p. m. Closing address, Subject, “Our Paradise Home.” Speaker, Evangelist O. O. Bernstein.

At the conference session held on Monday morning, the following state officers were unanimously elected for the coming year: President, G. W. Wells, of South Carolina; vice president, S. E. Jackson of Minneapolis; secretary, Artha Zoller of Minneapolis; treasurer, H. R. Gay of Minneapolis; members of the executive committee, G. W. Wells, S. E. Jackson, A. Mead, A. V. Olson, A. W. KuehL Carl Swenson, Stemple White.

The Northfield News, June 15, 1912

Adventist Conference to End Camp Meeting

Fifty-first Annual Session Closes With Address by Evangelist Bernstein.
Northfield to See Striking of Scores of Tents and Large Pavilion.
Three Minneapolitans Are Named in List of State Officers.

STATE OFFICERS ELECTED.
President — G. W. Wells of North Carolina.
Vice president — S. E. Jackson of Minneapolis.
Secretary — Arthur Zoller of Minneapolis.
Treasurer — H. R. Guy of Minneapolis.
Members of the executive committee – G. W. Wells, S. E. Jackson, Andrew Mead, A. V. Olson, A. W. Kuehl. Carl Swenson and Stemple White.

Northfield, Minn., June 16.—The fifty-first annual camp meeting of the Seventh Day Adventist conference of Minnesota which has been in session in the city park for ten days, closes tonight when Evangelist O. O. Bernstein of New York city speaks in the large pavilion on “Our Lost Paradise Home,” or “The Long Lost Eden Restored.”

Beside the 130 small tents erected for the delegates assembled from all parts of the state, and the large 70×110 pavilion for the English services, other pavilions were erected for meetings in the Norwegian and German languages, and for the young people and children. Not only have all the state conference camp supplies been in use, and much other paraphernalia obtained from the city, but many delegates have been cared for by hospitable residents of the city.

One place of peculiar interest has been the book exhibit which represented the Minnesota Tract society, located at 336 Lake street east, Minneapolis, the headquarters of the State Conference of Seventh Day Adventists. Hundreds of dollars worth of Bibles, denominational books, pamphlets, tracts and periodicals were sold.

Among the Speakers
Many strong Christian workers have been present. Speakers from abroad were O. A. Olson and O. O. Bernstein of New York city, Charles Thompson and L. H. Christian of Minneapolis, E. Mortenson of Chicago, C. L. Benson of Lincoln, Neb.; N. Z. Town of Washington, D. C.; and S. N. Curtis of Kansas City.

A baptismal service takes place today at the close of the camp meeting.

The Adventists are missionaries, and their work is all a development of the missionary idea. They number about one hundred thousand members, scattered all over the world; have 2,500 churches united into 100 conferences, which again are grouped into 21 union conferences, composing the head organization, or general conference.

The missionary work of this people is divided into departments. The Foreign Mission department, for instance, looks after all the mission fields, with a working force of more than 500 missionaries, located in 60 different lands.

Printed Matter Put Out
The Publishing department owns 27 printing plants, occupying 37 buildings; with a total force of more than 500 workers. These plants turn out over one million dollars worth of printed matter yearly, in 54 different languages.

The Educational department operates 13 colleges, 32 academies, and 20 or more intermediate schools, besides several hundred primary schools, employing more than 900 teachers, who have charge of more than 8,000 pupils.

The Medical Missionary department controls nearly 90 medical institutions, employing over 1,600 hundred physicians, nurses and helpers.

In addition there are several special departments, as for instance, the Religious Liberty department, which furnishes literature on this subject, and arranges for lectures and other forms of meetings to present the principles of liberty which they advocate. In support of these various kinds of missionary work the Seventh Day Adventists contribute, yearly, in tithes and voluntary offerings something like $2,000,000.

What Adventists Believe
The Adventists believe that the church of today can fulfill her mission only by the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ; that it cannot be done by ignoring existing evils; nor by entering the arena of politics to force by law an outward semblance of righteousness, while the heart is corrupt, but that personal religion, rather than political power, is the crying need of the hour.

A number of aggressive evangelistic efforts will be put forth in the cities of Minnesota the coming summer, and Evangelist O. O. Bernstein of New York city, in association with other strong Christian workers, will conduct a big series of gospel meetings in Minneapolis.

Minneapolis Tribune, June 16, 1912

F. Douglas and daughter Nettie, are still in attendance at the Adventist camp meeting at Northfield. Report says that Mrs. Krippner, of Deerfield, is also there.

The People’s Press (Owatonna), June 21, 1912

Vote of Thanks. – Resolved, That we express our thanks to the mayor and his council, the commercial club, the school board, the papers, and the citizens of Northfield for their kindness in granting us the use of their beautiful park, and for many other courtesies and privileges for our camp meeting. The above is a copy of the resolution passed at the Adventist conference.

The Northfield News, June 29, 1912