Arizona Conference by H. W. Cottrell

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jan 30, 1908

Arizona Conference

By H. W. Cottrell

The Arizona conference held at Phoenix, closed Jan. 5, 1908. The churches were well represented by their delegates, together with a goodly number of visiting brethren.

The services during the day were devoted principally to the transaction of conference business, and the evening periods to preaching. By special invitation of one or two persons there were more than forty of the principal men and women of the city present at one of the evening services. They were much pleased with what they saw and heard, and I trust profited also.

The Lord was with us in all our services, so this series of meetings was like an oasis in the desert to these children of God. The conference laborers were all in attendance, and were of good courage in their work. There has been an increase of fifty in church-membership during the conference year of nine months, but about the same number are reported as having moved out of Arizona to other parts; leaving the conference membership about the same as before. The larger portion of the increase in membership are Mexicans.

Elder H. G. Thurston was again elected president of the conference, and Mrs. M. T. Poston secretary and treasurer. The conference executive committee remain about the same as last year. Two additional workers were added to the list of employees. At an early date we greatly desire to place in this field more workers,—the best qualified workers we can supply, that is, the conference may soon become self-supporting, and that the money the union conference is now appropriating to these smaller conferences, may, instead, find its way into the darker regions beyond.

They are doing all they can to develop the church-school work in a strong, healthful manner. They have a well-qualified teacher and an excellent school at Phoenix.

Good work was accomplished for a time by the canvassers in the book work, but when the financial stringency came on and the great collapse in the market price of copper, the book sales were greatly affected in this territory. We hope this section of the country will ere-long recover from this condition, but if not, we must rise up in greater faith, and with added zeal and vigor for the Lord, continue the work of placing the truth contained in the printed page in the homes of the people until the Lord of the harvest shall say it is enough.

H. W. COTTRELL.