Seldom has a revival in Johnston County closed at the height of such interest as was manifested in the Ham-Ramsay meeting here Sunday night. The crowd was larger than at any time except the night when Mr. Ham preached to the colored people, and fully a hundred people went to the inquiry room when the invitation was given. Mr. Ham’s farewell message was from the text: “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?”, the stress being made upon the latter part of the text—“so great a salvation.”
It was a great service. Several of the ministers of the town made talks telling of their appreciation and thankfulness for the work done in this community. Rev. S.J. Betts of Raleigh, who has been a regular attendant during the entire four weeks, sang a solo that was appropriate to the occasion. At the close of the service, Mr. Ham and Mr. Ramsay bade a number of their new friends goodbye, for they left on a night train for anchorage, Ky., the home of the Evangelist, where they will begin another revival Wednesday night. Mr. Sheets, who has been the faithful pianist since Mr. Rodgers went to Anchorage to prepare for the meeting there, returned to his home in Fayetteville.
The revival has been well attended from start to finish, and when the meetings closed every financial obligation had been met, and a worthy free will offering was given to the preacher. The expense of the four weeks evangelistic campaign was around $1,800 and about $1,400 was presented Mr. Ham. Contributions varying from one penny to a check for $300, the largest individual contribution that has been given Mr. Ham in North Carolina, paid the bills. The choir gave Mr. Ramsay, the singer, a check for $50 as a token of appreciation. Mr. Ham carries on an extensive work besides his preaching, the expenses of which totals something like $30,000. He uses all above his living expenses for the work of educating worthy young men for the ministry, missionaries in the foreign field and other similar causes.
The contributions were free will offerings and the donors feel amply repaid in the good done in this community. At least a thousand persons reconsecrated their lives to God or trusted Him for the first time during the campaign. There were about 500 new converts. Plans are being made to carry on the evangelistic work. Federations among both men and women have been formed. The men expect to perfect their organization at an early date, probably this morning at the men’s prayer meeting.
A large number of women, representing almost every church in Smithfield, met Monday morning and made partial organization of an interdenominational federation, similar to the foundation of men which has done such good work during the past several months. The object is to assist in carrying on the work which was so strikingly begun by Mr. Ham. A meeting was called for tonight, in the Presbyterian church, which the promoters hope will be attended by the women members of all the churches in Smithfield and the surrounding country. It was decided that the federation will do its work with as little organization as possible, that its efforts will be spontaneous under the direction of the Holy Spirit. No money will be handled by the organization at all, and its work will be wholly of a spiritual nature. The following officers were elected: President Mr. D.H. Holmes; Secretary Miss Mattie Pou; Vice-Presidents Mrs. R.H. Alford, Mrs. N.L. Perkins, Mrs. H.L. Skinner, Mrs. Ralph Talton and Mrs. Clifton Measley. The meeting will come to order tonight at 7:45 in the Presbyterian church and will close in time for the meeting which has been called at the Baptist church.
From the front page of The Smithfield Herald, Tuesday morning, July 7, 1925
newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn92073982/1925-07-07/ed-1/seq-1/
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