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SOME INTERESTING LETTERS

QUARTERLY REPORTS DESIRED

DEAR BROTHER RUSSELL:—

We take this opportunity of advising you of the progress of the evangelistic services the Cleveland, O., class is engaged in.

We have held four meetings in Chardon; the first had an attendance of thirty, and this with opposition from a political meeting held in the church; the number at our service exceeded the church service. The next Sunday there were thirty persons present again, the third Sunday fifteen, and the fourth Sunday ten. An immense amount of literature was taken, and the ten seemed to be interested enough to form a class. They are now reading the first volume. It was thought advisable that they thus continue for a short time, when organization will be taken into consideration.

Upon receipt of a letter in a roundabout way from Lorain, twelve consecrated children of God who had left the Salvation Army, because of methods of which they could not approve, were formed into a class, and are meeting regularly every Sunday. Some sixteen volumes having been purchased since their first meeting. We are furnishing a leader every Sunday.

On July 24 we held a public meeting in Clyde, O., at the direction of the Bellevue Ecclesia, where about fifty were present. The Bellevue friends have been very zealous this summer, and no doubt their efforts are showing some fruit. We have in view two or three one-day meetings, after which we again purpose holding three or four meetings in towns where the expenditures will justify the efforts.

We would appreciate any suggestions from you that you might see fit to make. We are anxious for all the service that we can undertake.

Yours in Service,

INTERNATIONAL BIBLE STUDENTS OF CLEVELAND.

IN REPLY

DEAR BRETHREN:—

I accept the above as a Quarterly Report. It is excellent. The classes which have a surplus of energy and talent surely do well to employ it thus in nearby places. May the Lord’s blessing continue richly with you as a class and individually, and upon your labors in the “harvest” field.

I take this opportunity to request Quarterly Reports from all the classes which have elected me their Pastor. To fulfil the pastoral office I must look specially after the interests of these classes—even though I know not how I can really do more for them than I now endeavor to do for all.

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DEAR BROTHER RUSSELL:—

I feel impelled to write you a word of encouragement and endorsement. In WATCH TOWER issue of Sept. 15 there is an article captioned, “Is the reading of SCRIPTURE STUDIES Bible study?” which I read with great pleasure; and in it I note your defense of the Bible and your humility and meekness. My answer to the question would be “Yes, the reading of SCRIPTURE STUDIES is Bible study, for who of us ever understood the Old or New Testament till we, by God’s goodness, through your loving, zealous and Christlike effort, came in contact with these STUDIES?”

Those of us who were trained for the ministry studied everything and anything but the Bible. What some of us did, at best, was to memorize as much of the good Book as we could, but neither bishops, nor D.D.’s, nor B.D.’s, nor any other understood the Book, and consequently could not help the weaker ones.

You have spoken the truth; for I remember when I served “Ism,” I honestly came to the conclusion that I was unfit to be in that position as a teacher of God’s Word when I was practically

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unable to give a clear, definite and reasonable answer to one of the members of the congregation who asked a Biblical question; and in substance I said, “I will stop any endeavor to teach others until I know what I believe, what to teach and how to teach it.” And it was not many days after this decision that our Father apprehended me through these STUDIES, and I apprehended his Truth.

God bless you! War a good warfare, be courageous and may the blessings in Numbers 6:24-26 be yours until the end of your pilgrimage.

I am yours fraternally, J. J. HARRIS.

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DEAR BRETHREN:—

By an oversight, or rather by a misunderstanding as to who should send in the request for Pilgrim service, we have not been having the calls we expected, and did not know where the trouble was till your letter to us of Sept. 3. Then we found that one Brother who was to send in the request did not so understand it, and this we learned when the class met. Most assuredly we want a Pilgrim Brother every time we can get him, and we want you to plan for us a two-days’ visit also each time. This we have always had, and want the same if you can let us have so much of service without in any way taking service from some other class. We shall gladly have Brother Hall with us. He was with us on one other occasion for two days, and we greatly enjoyed his visit. Our class is growing in the knowledge of the Truth daily, and we want every help we can get.

Yours in our dear Redeemer, CHAS. BOAZ, M.D.

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DEAR BROTHER RUSSELL:—

Greetings from the Church at Lancaster to you, our beloved Pastor, through whom the Lord has called and made us to sit down at his table and through whom he has served us with “meat in due season.”

We rejoice with you in the increased light that is shining so brightly on the various features of the Divine Plan (the sin-offering, the covenants, etc.). We have been led and fed, nourished and cherished of the Lord by the precious truths which he has brought to us through you, his servant, until we are caused to exclaim with Brother Paul, “Oh the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, … for who hath known the mind of the Lord or who has been his counsellor?”

We also recognize with you the evil day in which we are living and the increased powers of evil in various directions, and herewith send the names of those who have sufficiently realized this to make the Vow their own unto the Lord. And as was suggested by you, that all the names of those in the Lancaster class who have taken the Vow be sent to you together, we take this opportunity to do so. Those having previously sent in their names are listed separately.

We earnestly request to be remembered at the throne of heavenly grace that we might faithfully keep both the spirit and the letter of the Vow until we are all brought face to face with him who died for us and bought us with his own precious blood.

Yours in the love and service of our King,

SIGNED BY FORTY-FIVE.

IN REPLY

BELOVED IN THE LORD:—

I acknowledge your letter of the 16th inst., and assure you that its words of love and fellowship in our dear Lord are highly appreciated and fully reciprocated.

I am also refreshed through this token of your confidence, prizing the approval of the fellow-members in the Body next to that of the gracious heavenly Father and our dear Lord himself.

I note, with gratification, that so many of the Lancaster Class have, in acknowledgment of all the benefits which they have received from the Lord, paid their vows to him in the presence of all the people. It is surely strengthening to note the names of the twenty-five friends who have more recently paid their vows to the Lord, in addition to the twenty who did so earlier and who previously notified us.

May each of us be more and more diligent to hold our “Head” purely; that we may grow more and more into him and at his revelation be given a seat with him on his throne.

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— October 1, 1910 —