It is God’s design that our people should locate outside the cities, and from these outposts warn the cities, and raise in them memorials for God.—Review & Herald, April 14, 1903
More and more, as wickedness increases in the great cities, we shall have to work them from outpost centers. This is the way Enoch labored in the days before the flood, when wickedness was rife in every populous community, and when violence was in the land.—Review and Herald, Sept. 27, 1906
Lifestyle Center
Those who plan to establish sanitariums should reason from cause to effect. They should lay their plans with a deep insight into the necessities of a medical institution. One of the first necessities is a site out of the city, in a retired place, where the institution can be surrounded by grounds that can be beautified with flowers and shrubs and trees.—Review and Herald, Aug. 11, 1904
There should be sanitariums near all our large cities.—Medical Ministry, p. 324
In every city there are men and women who would go to a sanitarium were it near at hand, who would not be able to go to one a long way off.—Medical Ministry, p. 325
The sanitariums established in the future are not to be immense, expensive buildings. Small local sanitariums are to be established in connection with our schools.—Medical Ministry, p. 156
Great light has been shining upon us, but how little of this light we reflect to the world! Heavenly angels are waiting for human beings to co-operate with them in the practical carrying out of the principles of truth. It is through the agency of our sanitariums and kindred enterprises that much of this work is to be done. These institutions are to be God’s memorials, where His healing power can reach all classes, high and low, rich and poor. Every dollar invested in them for Christ’s sake will bring blessings both to the giver and to suffering humanity—Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 7, p.58
Training
Agriculture is the ABC of industrial education. Let the erection of the buildings for the school and the sanitarium be an education to the students.—Manuscript Releases, Vol. 2, p. 74
Schools are to be established away from the cities, where the youth can learn to cultivate the soil and thus help to make themselves and the school self-supporting. In connection with these schools all the different lines of work, whether agricultural or mechanical, that the situation of the place will warrant are to be developed.—Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 7, p.231
Food Factory
From the record of the Lord’s miracles in providing wine at the wedding feast and in feeding the multitude, we may learn a lesson of the highest importance. The health-food business is one of the Lord’s own instrumentalities to supply a necessity. The heavenly Provider of all foods will not leave His people in ignorance in regard to the preparation of the best foods for all times and occasions.—Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 7, p.114
The products of each locality are to be studied and carefully investigated, to see if they cannot be combined in such a way as to simplify the production of foods and lessen the cost of manufacture and transportation. Let all do their best under the Lord’s supervision to accomplish this. There are many expensive articles of food that the genius of man can combine; and yet there is no real need of using the most expensive preparations.—Health Food Ministry, p. 54
The knowledge of methods for the manufacture of health foods, which God gave to His people as a means of helping to sustain His cause… should not be borrowed or stolen from those who, by its management, are endeavoring to build up and advance the cause.—Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 7, p.129
Publishing House
Our publishing work was established by the direction of God and under His special supervision. It was designed to accomplish a specific purpose. Seventh-day Adventists have been chosen by God as a peculiar people, separate from the world. By the great cleaver of truth He has cut them out from the quarry of the world and brought them into connection with Himself. He has made them His representatives and has called them to be ambassadors for Him in the last work of salvation. The greatest wealth of truth ever entrusted to mortals, the most solemn and fearful warnings ever sent by God to man, have been committed to them to be given to the world; and in the accomplishment of this work our publishing houses are among the most effective agencies.
These institutions are to stand as witnesses for God, teachers of righteousness to the people. From them truth is to go forth as a lamp that burneth. Like a great light in a lighthouse on a dangerous coast, they are constantly to send forth beams of light into the darkness of the world, to warn men of the dangers that threaten them with destruction.
The publications sent forth from our printing houses are to prepare a people to meet God. Throughout the world they are to do the same work that was done by John the Baptist for the Jewish nation. By startling messages of warning, God’s prophet awakened men from worldly dreaming. Through him God called backsliding Israel to repentance. By his presentation of truth he exposed popular delusions. In contrast with the false theories of his time, truth in his teaching stood forth as an eternal certainty. “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” was John’s message. Matthew 3:2. This same message, through the publications from our printing houses, is to be given to the world today. —Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 7, p.138-139
Agriculture
Wise plans are to be laid for the cultivation of the land. The students are to be given a practical education in agriculture. This education will be of inestimable value to them in their future work. Thorough work is to be done in cultivating the land, and from this the students are to learn how necessary it is to do thorough work in cultivating the garden of the heart—The Review and Herald, Sept. 1, 1904
There is need of intelligence and educated ability to devise the best methods in farming, in building, and in every other department, that the worker may not labor in vain.—Fundamentals of Christian Education, p. 315
The work in the cities is the essential work for this time, and is now to be taken hold of in faith. When the cities are worked as God would have them, the result will be the setting in operation of a mighty movement such as we have not yet witnessed. May the Lord give wisdom to our brethren that they may know how to carry forward the work in harmony with His will. With mighty power the cry is to be sounded in our large centers of population: “Behold, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet Him.”—Medical Ministry, p. 331
Churches
We have come to a time when every member of the church should take hold of medical missionary work. The world is a lazar house filled with victims of both physical and spiritual disease. Everywhere people are perishing for lack of a knowledge of the truths that have been committed to us. The members of the church are in need of an awakening, that they may realize their responsibility to impart these truths.—Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 7, p. 62
This work is the work the churches have left undone, and they cannot prosper until they have taken hold of this work in the cities, in highways, and in hedges.—Home Missionary, Nov. 1, 1897
Get the young men and women in the churches to work. Combine medical missionary work with the proclamation of the third angel’s message. Make regular, organized efforts to lift the church members out of the dead level in which they have been for years. Send out into the churches workers who will live the principles of health reform. Let those be sent who can see the necessity of self-denial in appetite, or they will be a snare to the church. See if the breath of life will not then come into our churches.—Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 6, p.267
House to House
Of equal importance with public effort is house-to-house work in the homes of the people.—Gospel Workers, p. 364
For years I have been shown that house-to-house labor is the work that will make the preaching of the Word a success.—Evangelism, p. 433
In almost every community there are large numbers who do not attend any religious service. If they are reached by the gospel it must be carried to their homes.—Medical Ministry, p. 246
By personal labor reach those around you. Become acquainted with them. Preaching will not do the work that needs to be done. Angels of God attend you to the dwellings of those you visit. This work cannot be done by proxy. Money lent or given will not accomplish it. Sermons will not do it. By visiting the people, talking, praying, sympathizing with them, you will win hearts.—Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 9, p.41
Treatment Rooms
In every city where health reform is presented to the people there should be a limited ministry of the benefits of practical health reform, and a place provided where the sick may be treated for common ailments. The building may not be all that could be desired, but it may be fitted up to give treatment in simple lines. This simple work will prove a blessing. A good physician, who understands the simple means we used in our first practice of health reform, has done wonders even in our camp meetings. This work has always proved a blessing. If carried on under the labors of physicians and nurses, such work has given a practical sermon on health reform.
All who have had the light on health reform are to put their intelligence into practical use, and will thus remove prejudice against health reform. To furnish conveniences for the wise treatment of common ailments will be blessed of God, and do far more good than merely teaching without practicing. The backsliding of some upon this question is the result of a careless indifference to sound principles. After a camp meeting this work should be followed up by establishing a place for the practice of this branch of the work. This will be an agency for reaching the higher classes.—Manuscript Releases, Vol. 20, p. 354
In every city where we have a church there is need of a place where treatments can be given. Among the homes of our church members there are few that afford room and facilities for the proper care of the sick. A place should be provided where treatment may be given for common ailments. The building might be inelegant and even rude, but it should be furnished with facilities for giving simple treatments.—Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 6, p.113
Restaurants
The one aim and object of [restaurant] work was to be the conversion of souls.—Manuscript Releases, Vol. 8, p. 175
Wherever medical missionary work is carried on in our large cities, cooking schools should be held; and wherever a strong educational missionary work is in progress, a hygienic restaurant of some sort should be established.—Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 7, p.55
Hygienic restaurants are to be established in the cities, and by them the message of temperance is to be proclaimed. Arrangements should be made to hold meetings in connection with our restaurants. Whenever possible, let a room be provided where the patrons can be invited to lectures on the science of health and Christian temperance, where they can receive instruction on the preparation of wholesome food and on other important subjects. In these meetings there should be prayer and singing and talks, not only on health and temperance topics, but also on other appropriate Bible subjects. As the people are taught how to preserve physical health, many opportunities will be found to sow the seeds of the gospel of the kingdom.—Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 7, p.115
These establishments [restaurants and treatment rooms] will serve as feeders to the sanitariums located in the country.—Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 7, p.60
