Southern California Camp-Meeting and Conference
By George A. Irwin
THIS meeting was held at San Diego, August 4-14. San Diego, a city of fifty thousand inhabitants, is located on a beautiful land-locked bay in the extreme southern part of the State, less than a dozen miles from the Mexican border. Because of its mild and equable climate, it has become one of the principal tourist-centers for which Southern California is noted. Preceding the camp-meeting, a successful tent-meeting was held in the city by Elders C. E. Ford and E. J. Hibbard. This resulted in a number of accessions to the church, and prepared the way for the excellent outside interest that was a prominent feature of the camp-meeting. Three hundred tents were pitched, and it was estimated that fifteen hundred of our people, all told, were in attendance. Notwithstanding there was much business to attend to, because of conference proceedings and institutional reports, there was from the first a good spiritual interest, which deepened until the close. The last Sabbath of the meeting was a day of special victory, fully three hundred persons coming forward to seek the Lord. Among this number were some who in former years occupied prominent positions in the work, but for some time had not been obeying the truth. The conference reports revealed gratifying gains in nearly all branches of the work. The tithe received during the past conference year amounted to $41,993, an increase over the preceding year of $5,326.46, or an average per capita of $16.56. A second tithe, amounting to $9,418, was also received. Offerings for missions amounted to $14,141. A total of $21,587 was raised for work outside the limits of the conference. Altogether there was raised $86,397, or $34.08 per capita. Three new churches, with an aggregate membership of ninety-six, were admitted to the conference. In all, 431 persons were added during the year, making the present membership 2,750. Three new church buildings and one mission home were built during the year. The annual report of the Loma Linda Sanitarium and the College of Medical Evangelists showed a total net gain, after making due allowance for bad debts and depreciation on buildings, furnishings, etc., of $4,006. The patronage for the year was the largest by far since the opening of the institution. Following the report from Loma Linda, an appeal was made for funds to assist in the erection of the new buildings for the accommodation of the medical college, with the following result: $298 in cash; $3,860 in straight pledges; and $3,900 in conditional pledges, contingent on the sale of property. To this amount should be added $3,000 that was raised a few days previously by the Loma Linda church. This shows that the Southern California brethren sense the responsibility resting upon them to bear a large share of the expense in building up and maintaining this important institution. The manager of the Paradise Valley Sanitarium reported a prosperous year. As the result of an increased patronage and careful management, the balance-sheet of this institution showed a net gain of $2,000. While the general financial condition of the Glendale Sanitarium has been improving of late, and is better than the preceding year, its balance-sheet showed a small deficit in the year's operation. The report of the Fernando Academy showed that institution to be in good financial condition, its assets being $28,000, with liabilities of only $1,000. The receipts for the past year exceeded the expenses by $184. This school has come to be an important adjunct to the work of the conference, educating and training young people for service in the Lord's work. The Sabbath-school collections for foreign missions during the meeting amounted to $826 in cash, together with six gold watches, twenty-three rings, five bracelets, and five brooches. An offering for a fund to assist worthy students to attend Fernando Academy amounted to $394 in cash and pledges. Brother Miller's appeal for help in providing literature for the blind resulted in an offering from the congregation of $229. By vote of the delegates, $300 from the conference funds was added to the offering. The collections taken during the meeting for camp-meeting expenses amounted to $287. Ministerial credentials were renewed to twenty persons; and three young men—E. M. Adams, A. S. Booth, and Dr. H. J. Hoare—were ordained and given credentials. Five persons received ministerial license, and twenty others received missionary credentials. Thirty-three persons were baptized the last day of the meeting.17 Elder E. E. Andross was unanimously re-elected president of the conference, with the following persons associated with him as members of the executive committee: J. A. Burden, C. E. Ford, E. J. Hibbard, H. G. Lucas, H. W. Lindsay, and J. W. Mc Cord. It was planned to make a simultaneous effort, soon, in all the churches, to raise the Southern California quota of the $300,000 Fund, and also for the sale of "Ministry of Healing." Elders J. N. Loughborough, J. O. Corliss, and the writer were the laborers from outside the conference. The talks given by Elder Loughborough on the rise and progress of the message were highly appreciated, and did much to strengthen the faith of the people in the certain and speedy triumph of the faith held by the pioneers in this message. The book sales, all told, amounted to over $2,000. A strong tent company was left at San Diego to follow up the interest. Taken as a whole, the Southern California camp-meeting was a success, and will, I trust, be the beginning of spiritual growth, missionary zeal, and self-sacrifice on the part of all the churches.