During the 1890’s, Ellen White wrote multiple appeals to members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church to engage in evangelistic efforts in the South. The first of these messages, entitled ‘Our Duty to the Colored People, ‘ was published as a leaflet in 1891. It was this leaflet that inspired James Edson White (Ellen White’s son) to build a missionary boat called The Morning Star from which he launched an evangelistic and educational work in the South. The boat, which White lived on, also served as a chapel, printing office, and classroom.
Meanwhile, Mrs. White continued writing about needs in the South. Between 1895 and 1896, while she was living in Australia, Mrs. White penned ten additional articles about the needs in the Southern United States. All this time, James Edson White forged ahead with his missionary work to the South. Part of the work Elder White did was to recruit additional missionaries to come and work in this very special field of labor.
In 1898, Elder White compiled the letters Ellen White had written into a small book called ‘The Southern Work.’ In 1901, additional letters added to an expanded edition of ‘The Southern Work.’
When the letters making up ‘The Southern Work’ were first written, the task of bringing the gospel to the South had been sadly neglected. Only 25-30 years had passed since the abolition of slavery, and the situation of many of our brothers and sisters there was deplorable.
In response to these letters, decided efforts were made by the Adventist Church to bring the Good News of the gospel to their African American brothers and sisters in the South. Those efforts were met with much success, to the point where it was stated, in 1966, that the proportion of African American Adventists as part of the general population was greater than the proportion among Caucasians.
Though written more than a hundred years ago, the counsels in these historic letters remain instructive today. More than that, they remind us that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ, and one in the Spirit.
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