Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1900-07-18
REV: JOHN LAKE,
..e OF LOUISVILLE, ] i KY.
Writes of His Coming to Edge
field and About Y. NJ. %. a.
Work, and Its Proposed
Rejuvenescence i'm
Our County.

would employ your valuable Col
ums in saying a few words to the the
citizens of Edge6eld County re-
garding a work thatis of infinite
Importance to them, especially al
it had its origin among them
You will pardon me if if it oe'
comes necessary to be q llttle llt
personal and to refer frequently
to incidents that seemed very
insignificant at the time thai
they occurred. About fourteen
years ago the first attempt at
Young Mems Christian Assocla
ton work resulted in an organ1za'
tion in Edgefeld village. Thougf
of short duration, it was of grea'
benefit to many young men, as
myself can testify. Two years
later this same work was re-organiz'
ed, and in 1890 it began to reach
out into different portions Of the
county, 80 that when the first
County Convention was held, II
February, 1891, there were five
branches. All Edgefeld ls famil.
lar with the fact that from thai
day to this there have been little
groups of poung men in various
portions of the county who have
maintained their organization
held regular meetings for prayer
and Bible study, and accomplished
a work in the several communities
which only eternity can unfold
Only three days ago | received q
letter from young man in the
Philippines, who tells me, to my
surprise, that he was converted IN
one of these little meetings in Edge
field county, and that he and his
comrades have recently organized
a Young Mems Christian Associa-
tion in his company, beyond the
seas. he says that he has resolved
to preach the Gospel of Christ. If
this alone had resulted from all
the work that was done, who can
estimate its importance? But this
is not all. A young man who was
raised in the northern portion of
the State was employed for o time
as assistant county secretary in
Edgefeld county, and there first
learned to love the county work.
He is now giving bis entire time to
the county secretaryship o. the
Young MEMS Christian Associa-
tions of Hopkins county, KY.
Many of your readers know him,
Mr. Howard Cald we'll. That county
has already four organizations. A
convention was held last Novem-
ber, a committee of splendid busi-
ness men was placed in charge of
the work, and about $1,000 was
raised in less than two weeks for
the prosecution of this work
throughout the year.
Last week a county convention
was held in Muhlenberg county,
KY. Six points in the county were
represented by about fifty splen-
did young men and business meh
and pastors. A work similar to
the Hopkins county work was
launched, a representative county
committee was appointed, and in
less than week 5000 of the $1,000
needed for the years work was
pledged, three men giving $1OO
each. Our own Tom Lanham, who,
like Caldwell, had served SO faith
fully as a secretary of the. Edge
field county committee. was anan-
imously called to prosecute the
work in the second organized
county in Kentucky. Thus you
see that in less than year, two OF
the young men who received their
training in your own county work
have become the two pioneers in
tho county work in Kentucky. Let
me add that Kentucky, Illinois
and Minnesota have each secre.
tary of the State committee who
gives his entire time to the develop
ment of this county work within
his own State, and that the Inter
national committee is now making
provision for its extension through
out the country. Under the au'
spices of this International. com
mittee it will be my privilege tt
spend month in Edge6eld coun
ty, beginning Saturday, July ID
This is in response to the invita-
ton of the South Carolina com
mittee, and of the workers in Edge
fold county. take il upon nv