A Visit to the Atlantic Union
By G. B. Thompson
I RECENTLY enjoyed the privilege of spending a little time in the Atlantic Union, and was much encouraged at the evidence of growth seen in the work. I spent a day with the Massachusetts Conference Committee. The headquarters of this conference are now located in Tremont Temple, Boston, one of the most central and accessible places in this great center of population. Elder Allen Moon is carrying on an aggressive work, seeking to develop churches in the cities, of which there are many. The great need everywhere is for strong young men of deep piety and consecration who will enter the ministry and become efficient in the winning of souls to Christ. The Melrose sanitarium is enjoying a splendid patronage. An excellent spirit pervades the entire institution, and it was a great privilege as well as a blessing to mingle with the large family gathered in this institution. While I was here, a plan to increase the mission offerings was placed before the family. The plan is indorsed by the union, and consists in asking those who are financially able, to pledge to foreign missions one or more dollars a week; or if not able to give so much, fifty or twenty-five cents a week. Pledges are taken for any sum above twenty cents a week. This plan we believe to be a most excellent one, in that it places before those who are financially able a goal of more than twenty cents a week. These pledges are paid into the Sabbath school, or through any other regular church channel. I believe this plan will be attended with excellent results. The sanitarium family responded most heartily, and a sum equal to almost fifty dollars a week was pledged by those connected with the institution, or about twenty-five hundred dollars for the entire year. I spent one Sabbath with the students and church at South Lancaster. The Lord is greatly blessing the South Lancaster Academy. The attendance is the largest this year of any in the history of the institution. A splendid class of Christian students is gathered in this school, from which a strong force of workers should go forth into the field as laborers. We hope many of them will become strong ministers of the word. The academy family also entered heartily into the dollar-a-week plan, and pledged an amount about equal to that of the sanitarium family. February 23-28 the annual session of the Greater New York Conference was held, the meetings being in the Central Baptist Church in Brooklyn. This church, which has been leased for several years at a reasonable rental, affords a most excellent place to meet. The main auditorium will seat about one thousand persons. On Sabbath this was entirely filled. Elders R. D. Quinn, K. C. Russell, and G. B. Starr, Dr. D. H. Kress, Profs. B. F. Machlan, C. L. Benson, and W. W. Prescott, Mrs. G. B. Starr, and the writer were present during some portion of the session, and shared with the local workers in the burdens and blessings of the meeting. The business of the conference was marked with unity and the blessing of the Lord. Elder J. L. McElhany, who has rendered faithful and efficient service as president, having accepted a call to the Pacific Union Conference, Elder J. E. Jayne was unanimously elected president. Elder Jayne is familiar with the needs and perplexities of this great metropolis. He was present at the meeting, and enters upon his work with the confidence and support of all the people and the workers, and hopefully and courageously takes up the responsibilities he is asked to carry. The reports rendered at the meeting indicated progress during the past year. We believe the present year has in store even greater blessings, and a more abundant ingathering of souls. It is a great work to carry this message to the millions of all nationalities gathered in this conference. Only God can make it possible. Let all remember the work and workers here in their prayers.