Letter from Osmond Shaw, 12 April 1841
Tunstall
Eldr G A Smith & Woodruff
Dear Bros
I take pen to inform you of some of the occ-
urances that have happened since you left us A spirit
of increased active exertion begins to manifest itself
among the officers of the Church in these districts All
are or at least seam to be considering the best ways of
of applying their exertions laying out schemes for the
carrying forth of the fullness of the Everlasting Gospel
into the Hamlets Villages &c so thickly scattered over this
tract of country. purporting to carry the same into greater
exertion as soon as the we^a^ther grows somewhat warmer
saying "well storm their camps this summer" and make
them that if they will not received this Gospel that at
least they shall not hardly dare to deny it's Truth" The
Lord hath graciously pleased to cause more confidence
and Faith to rest among ^us^ together with more unity or at
least I can say this is the case with myself & speak
from what I observe among my Brethren. The cry has
been now these Mericans [Americans] are going it will all fall to nothing
but these are not my expectations & I believe not my Brens
But among this their has been disagreeable cases that
have lately occured one of which was before the council
on the 10 th concerning separating the terms Christ & Jesus
makeing the divine to be Christ and the human Jesus the
hearing of this subject took some time but was ultimately
concluded ^carried^ by the officers that this subject be dropped entirely
or at least that no attempts be made to separate the two terms
in the way before mentioned there has^v^e been several ordinations
to the differant offices and under the hands of Messrs Cordon & Simpson
also a number of baptisms (upwards of thirty) since you left
and the work seems progressing stedily in great power &
is true that is and allways will be untill the Church be
perfect some efforts and every week part watched in
order to make some divission and seems Dear Bro[s] as
this would prove to be but the beginging of such things
