Ellen G. White: The Progressive Years: 1862-1876 (vol. 2)

Meetings at Bushnell

That Friday afternoon, July 19, James and Ellen White left with their team for Bushnell to attend weekend meetings for which an appointment had been made through a notice on the back page of the Review published on Tuesday, July 16. Neither had ever been to Bushnell, but the elder of the Greenville church, A. W. Maynard, and the elder of the Orleans church, S. H. King, had suggested a grove meeting at Bushnell, where there was a struggling group of believers. The notice read in part: 2BIO 189.1

Grove Meeting. Providence permitting, there will be a grove meeting at Bushnell, Michigan, at the usual hours of meeting on Sabbath and First-day, July 20 and 21. A general gathering is expected from those within a day's ride.... 2BIO 189.2

The best grove nearest to the water should be selected and well seated. As this young church is small, those coming must come nearly prepared to take care of themselves.—Ibid., July 16, 1867 2BIO 189.3

As the dwindling company of discouraged Sabbathkeepers at Bushnell had met the previous Sabbath morning, July 13, only seven were present, and they had decided to hold no more meetings (The Signs of the Times, August 29, 1878). But the notice in the Review led them to get word around for at least one more meeting, the next Sabbath, and proper preparations were made in a suitable nearby grove. James and Ellen White, who drove over on Friday afternoon, were entertained at the Stephen Alchin home at Bushnell. Sabbath morning, as they drove to the grove, they found about sixty believers on the grounds, twenty of them from Bushnell. The others were from Greenville and Orleans. 2BIO 189.4

While driving to the grove Sunday morning, James White remarked that likely he would preach to the trees and probably twenty-five persons. To their surprise, they found no less than 125 attentive listeners. The meeting was a great success. The Bushnell members, taking courage, asked James and Ellen White to return for meetings the next Sabbath and Sunday (The Review and Herald, July 30, 1867). 2BIO 189.5