Reports From Union Conference Presidents
By F. M. W.
One very encouraging feature of the Loma Linda council was the interesting reports rendered by the union conference presidents. Some of these were written, and we present them here quite fully. Others were reported verbally, and we are dependent for their reproduction on brief stenographic notes. They will be read, we are sure, with interest:— Atlantic Union Conference
The following report was made by R. D. Quinn:— During the past two years the work in the Atlantic Union Conference has made splendid progress. At the close of the last union conference session a strong spiritual work was started in all the conferences throughout the union. This resulted first of all in genuine revivals in all the places where these special efforts were held. These revivals were followed by greater activity in the home missionary work, and by a reformation on the health reform principles. Many of our people bought full sets of the Testimonies, and began to read them and practice the instruction they contain. The work in the old State of Maine was greatly revived, so that the Maine Conference today is leading the whole world in practically all lines of our work. The Portland church in one year raised its entire indebtedness of $8,000, and while this was being done, it more than doubled its membership, and raised for that year forty-two cents a member for each week of the year, more than double the entire amount required for missions. This year Maine is making a still better record, having raised its full quota for missions for the entire year in less than nine months. What is said of Maine can be said in a large degree of all the conferences in the union. We have a splendid leadership, and a loyal people upon whom we can depend. We trust that the membership of the union will be found to have increased by more than sixteen hundred additions for the biennial period. The following comparative report shows the splendid gains the union has made in its book sales, tithe, and mission offerings. On the Twenty-cent-a-week Fund, during the first nine months of 1914, we received $21,638.73; and for the first nine months of 1915, $49,449.91, or a gain of $28,188.82; the amount raised above quota was $5,060.11, or twenty-two and one-fourth cents a week per member. The tithe for the last nine months has increased $20,000 above that of the same length of time in 1914. The Lord is blessing our colporteur work, as the following figures will show: During the first nine months of 1914 the sales were $32,541.96. During the same period of 1915 we have $49,735.13, a gain of $17,193.17, or about sixty-five per cent. Each local conference is manned with a field agent and a tract society secretary, and the outlook appears good for a healthy growth in this department of the work. C. W. Flaiz gave the following report:— The territory of the North Pacific Union Conference is made up of Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska. It is divided into six conferences and one mission field. The present membership is 9,306. This is a gain of 1,663 for the year 1914 and thus far in 1915, or a gain of 80 persons for each month, or of two and two-thirds persons each day. We have 213 churches, 29 unorganized companies, 43 ordained and 11 licensed ministers, 11 Bible workers, and 66 colporteurs. Our literature sales for the year 1914, exclusive of magazines and periodicals, were $52,250. And for the first ten months of 1915 they amounted to $45,146. The financial conditions in the Northwest have not been so favorable to our work since the beginning of the war. Mills employing many of our people were closed down or operated on a reduced schedule. The dairying and fruit industries have been almost paralyzed7 Those of our people in the wheat and stock belts have done unusually well financially; few of our brethren, however, live in these sections. Yet our tithe receipts have been increased from $127,124 in 1913 to $130,664 in 1914, and the indications are that we shall exceed this latter sum considerably for the year 1915. Our Sabbath school offerings for the year 1913 were $24,000; for 1914, $28,665. The offerings to foreign missions for 1913 were $49,968; for 1914, $54,527. The offerings to home mission work for 1913 were $26,280; for 1914, $31,453. The total offerings to home and foreign missions for 1913 were $76,248; and for 1914, $85,980. This makes the total amount of contributions and tithe for 1913, $203,372; for 1914, $216,644; a gain of $13,272. The average membership for the two years was 8,158. In 1913 we had 52 young people's societies; in 1914, 57; with a membership in 1913 of 1,065, and the next year, 1,214. The contributions to missions from our young people in 1913 were $422; in 1914, $1,723. The union conference owns and controls only two institutions,—the Portland Sanitarium and the Walla Walla College. Several of the local conferences are operating intermediate schools, and the Upper Columbia Conference has the Walla Walla Sanitarium. It has been our constant effort to operate these institutions within their incomes. The Portland Sanitarium has substantially reduced its liabilities. In addition to this, nearly $12,000 has been spent in installing a laundry, and heating and lighting facilities—improvements imposed by the city. The plant is in far better condition now than it was a few years ago. The Walla Walla College has proved a great blessing to the young people of the Northwest, many of whom have been sent to the foreign fields. The college is enjoying the largest patronage of its history. The increased attendance is largely to be found in the college departments. M. N. Campbell reported as follows for this union:— In our field we have about 1,100 members, and within our territory is a population of 5,500,000. Two million of these are French, living mostly in Quebec. In this province, Romanism is the prevailing religion, and receives special favor and protection from the government. We have as yet only two small churches among the French. We are encouraged to believe, however, that God will work mightily for us as we endeavor to present the truths of the third angel's message to those of this nationality. In our union we have a force of twelve ordained ministers and eight licentiates, besides eight carrying missionary credentials—a total of twenty-eight. The tithe has shown a slight gain this year, in spite of the unfavorable financial conditions brought about by the European war. For three years past our union has reached its full quota of mission offerings, and we are working hard to reach it again this year. We have two educational institutions—the union training school at Oshawa, and an intermediate school at Williamsdale , Nova Scotia. The attendance at each of these is in excess of last year. We conducted nine tent efforts this year and one hall effort. Meetings were held in one place especially for the Indians, and a company of believers was raised up. Among the number are Indians of prominence in the tribe. The number of converts reported since our last council is 116; five new churches have been organized. The canvassing work has been very successful, fully fifty per cent better than last year. At Oshawa we have a small publishing house, and have recently installed a cylinder press and other facilities for carrying forward our publishing work. The brethren of the Eastern Canadian Union are courageous and united, and stand shoulder to shoulder with you for the finishing of the work of God in this generation. Charles Thompson, the president of this union, reported the following interesting items:— During the year 1914 and the nine months of 1915, we have baptized 1,145 believers, have organized 19 churches, and have built, or purchased from others, 15 meetinghouses. There has been paid in tithe during 1914, $131,234.56; during nine months of 1915, $113,000; total, $244,234.56. The offerings in 1914 amounted to $67,568.32, in nine months of 1915 to $45,430.36, or a total of $112,998.68. Besides these, $3,000 on other funds has been paid into the mission treasury. In 1914 our book and periodical sales amounted to $63,341.16, in nine months of 1915 to $65,457.70, a total of $128,798.86. We have paid the $10,000 of Union College debt assumed by the Northern Union Conference. The Iowa Sanitarium is now self-supporting. North Dakota has erected a conference headquarters building and a dormitory at Sheyenne River Academy. We are working to the end of wiping out the reproach of debt, and are conducting our business strictly on a cash basis. We are endeavoring to keep our departments fully manned, and are in sympathy with the plan of placing home missionary secretaries in the union and in local conferences, as fast as suitable persons can be secured to take leadership in the same. We are thankful for what the Lord has done for us in the Northern Union, and we feel encouraged to press the work as enthusiastically as the demands of the times require. L. H. Christian reported the following items for his union:— The membership of the Lake Union is now 11,981. We believe this to be as large a membership as this union ever had. While a large number moved away some years ago, so that our constituency in Michigan is reduced, others have come into the faith. We baptized 1,012 in 1914, and during the first three quarters of this year our baptisms numbered 1,202. Some have spoken of the work in this union as practically finished. This is a great mistake. Over thirty counties in one conference have never yet been visited by our ministers. Even in the old fields in Michigan, many are yet desirous of hearing this message. We have three large sanitariums and nine advanced schools. The patronage of the sanitariums has been excellent the past year. All the schools have a larger attendance than last year. The enrollment at Emmanuel Missionary College, at the Swedish Seminary, and at seven academies, approximates 845. We have over 120 church schools. During 1914 we raised $30,000 more on the Twenty-cent-a-week Fund than in 1913. In the first ten months of 1915 we have raised $12,500 more on this fund than during the same time last year. We are working hard to reach our full quota. The tithe in 1914 was $201,000, or a little more than $7,000 over that of 1913. There has also been some growth in our book work. During 1914 the literature sales in our union totaled $90,000; during the first ten months of this year, $109,000. The increase over the first ten months of last year was $30,000. Our goal for the year is $120,000. In closing, I wish to refer to the Battle Creek church. Before the removal of our denominational headquarters to Washington, D. C., this church at one time numbered 2,250. Now its membership is about 500. But the church is yet strong and loyal, and is growing in spiritual power. The tithe in 1914 was $13,000, and the mission offerings were over the full twenty cents a week a member. The brethren there have set an even higher goal for 1915. We thank the Lord for his many mercies, and we desire to be faithful in every good work. E. E. Andross, in reporting for the Pacific Union, said:— The number of baptisms in this union have been as follows: In 1913, 691; in 1914, 869; for the first nine months of 1915, 1,081; a total of 2,641, with a net increase in church membership for this period of 2,426. The tithe during 1913 was $184,000; during 1914, $186,000. There are now 171 churches, an increase of 28. There are in the union four sanitariums and three educational institutions. With the exception of one year, our Pacific Union College has reported a net gain in its operations at the close of its fiscal year. We have endeavored to reorganize our educational work to some degree. We have reason to be very grateful for the change that has taken place. We have about 500 students in our schools, from the ninth to the sixteenth grade. The indebtedness of our schools is being cared for. We are endeavoring to raise a fund of $150,000 to pay off our liabilities and to properly equip our schools. The campaign for raising this fund began June 1, 1914. We have raised to the present time $30,000 in cash, and $108,000 in pledges. We lack only $12,000 of securing the entire amount, and we believe we shall have it by the end of this year. In addition, we have secured quite an amount in land that has been deeded to us, which is not included in the $108,000 pledges. We have also received some annuities, which are not included in the amount stated. Notwithstanding the effort we have made to raise this fund, we have not ceased our evangelistic work; for we have baptized during this time 1,950 persons. When we began this effort, we said that if necessary8we would put our whole strength to the raising of this money. We believed that the obligation of indebtedness weighed so heavily upon us that it would pay us to put our whole energies into the effort to raise the amount rather than to see our schools fail. This has interfered in some degree with our efforts to raise our quota on the Twenty-cent-a-week Fund, but I am glad to tell you that we stand better on that fund today than we did a year ago at this time. We have not realized any decrease in the spirituality of our people, but, on the contrary, we believe that there has been a very decided increase. This is largely due to the conditions existing in the world at this time, making it very favorable for aggressive spiritual work. S. E. Wight reported for this union:— The Southern Union has a population of about nine million, about forty per cent of whom are colored. Much of the work being carried forward is done by the printed page. There are in the union a total of 148 workers. In spite of the difficult financial situation in the South, during 1914 we sold over $57,000 worth of our publications. From 1912 to 1914 the increase in membership was 288, but during the first nine months of 1915 the net gain has been 119. We now have a membership of 2,954, of whom 967 are colored. The Lord has gone out before us in a marked way. We have eighteen church schools, eight of which are for colored pupils. We also have fourteen rural schools. We have an intermediate school at Hazel, Ky., with 35 or 40 students. The school has sixty acres of land, and is free from indebtedness. Ours is a good field, and God is with us. O. Montgomery reported for the Southeastern Union:— The workers and people in the Southeastern Union Conference are of good courage in the Lord. Our conferences are not strong, and our laborers are few; but they are men of God, men through whom the Lord has seen fit to work. Last year 399 persons were baptized. For the first nine months of 1915 we have been able to win 455 converts. Last year our tithe was approximately $40,000. This is an average of $14.48 per capita. During the past year and nine months we have added to the conference fifteen new churches and fourteen new church buildings. We have endeavored to arouse the home missionary spirit throughout the field, making it a strong part of our camp meeting campaign. Our goal has been, “Every man, woman, and child actively working for God in the campaign for souls.” One church that has carried forward an active soul-winning campaign has, without the assistance of any minister, increased its membership from six to sixty. We have one sanitarium in our union, which is doing well financially. During the biennial period of 1911-12 our literature sales were $91,000; during 1913-14 they were $99,000. We are of good courage throughout the field. We have as loyal, faithful, earnest, and true-hearted people in the South as can be found anywhere. G. F. Watson reported for the South-western Union:— The total membership of our union at the close of 1914 was 4,662; at the present time it is 4,746. We have had 1,263 accessions during 1914 and the first nine months of 1915. Our school work is onward. We are selling “Christ's Object Lessons” to assist in this work. H. S. Shaw reported for this union:— When the Western Canadian Union was organized during the latter part of 1907, there were 777 church members; at the close of 1914 there were 1,845 members and 63 churches. The tithe last year amounted to $45,500; the mission offerings to $16,500. We have 525 students in our schools. Book sales last year came to $34,500. During 1913 there were baptized 214; in 1914, 252; for the first nine months of 1915, 459. We are of good courage. Although facing difficulties, our victories during the past year were greater than ever before, and the spirit of sacrifice on the part of our people is unparalleled. B. G. Wilkinson reported for the Columbia Union:— This union, with 21,000,000 inhabitants, is the largest union of the North American Division. Within its territory are found fourteen cities of over 100,000 inhabitants. In fact, one third of all the cities in North America of over 25,000 population are found here. Everywhere, this past year, our tents have been filled with earnest seekers after truth. Our camp meetings have been marked by sweeping revivals and have terminated in numerous baptisms. The work of the Spirit of God has been seen in many ways. For the first nine months of 1915, reports already declare an increase of 1,100 members. We hope that the total increase for 1915 will be from 1,500 to 2,000. Our tithe for the biennial period ending Dec. 31, 1912, was $226,920.89, while for the period ending Dec. 31, 1914, it was $274,287.08, an increase of $47,357.19. Already for the first three quarters of 1915, our tithe shows an increase of $11,000 over the same period of 1914. The last two years brought success to conferences which had not hitherto succeeded in securing the annual total allotted to them on the Twenty-cent-a-week Fund. For the preceding biennial period, the amount raised on the Twenty-cent-a-week Fund was $79,690.50, while for the period just terminating it was $132,552.58, or an increase of $52,902.08. Already for the year 1915, this fund shows for the first nine months a gain of $5,604.69. For a number of years the union has struggled hard, raising debts and coming to the relief of the institutions within its border. It is only within the past year that we can run up the bright flag of victory. Mount Vernon Academy, which a few years ago staggered under a debt of $33,000, now has a white stone set in the corner of the building, which sets forth, good and clear, “1915, Free from debt!” The union institutional indebtedness of 1912 was $45,440, while today it stands at $9,000. This is not all due to the returns from the Twenty-cent-a-week Fund. The work was already well begun before returns from this came in. Different plans had previously been inaugurated, but had been laid aside later, to join in a general plan. All over the union the brethren took hold heartily. The changing of Mount Vernon from a college to an academy was promptly met by thorough efforts to keep up the enrollment, so that the year following witnessed no dropping off in attendance. The new college at Washington has gone steadily forward with a most encouraging increase of enrollment. In all lines of department work, we note a prosperity which gives us new heart to push forward these endeavors in greater effort. In the distribution of our literature, our canvassers in all the conferences of the union have met with ever-increasing success. For 1913 the total sales within the union amounted to $80,616.76, while for 1914 they rose to $86,675.27, a gain in the one year of $6,058.51. That those selling our literature are not working with decreased faith in 1915, may be seen in the fact that whereas the gain of 1914 over 1913 is $6,058.51, the gain for the first nine months of 1915 over the same period in 1914 is $8,634.43. Never before was there such a turning of the youth within our borders to the service of God. The educational secretary reports a 33 1-3 per cent growth in the number of our church schools. Many are the young people who are striving to secure an education which will equip them for service. They are pressing into the colporteur work, into the nurses' courses in our different training centers, especially into the Washington Sanitarium. This institution, with its main building at Takoma Park and its dispensary in the city, is doing an excellent work in helping our young people while giving them a training for the work. These union conference reports were of great interest and encouragement to the delegates present at the council, and we feel certain that the readers of the REVIEW will join us in thankfulness to God for his signal blessing on the work here in the home field. F. M. W.