The Montana Camp Meeting by Frederick Griggs

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jul 13, 1916

The Montana Camp Meeting

By Frederick Griggs

THE Montana camp meeting was held June 8-18, near the fairgrounds on the outskirts of Bozeman. There was an abundance of grass and good water, and the weather in general was fair, so that the physical conditions of the meeting were quite all to be desired.

Bozeman is situated in one of the most fertile valleys of the West, and our school, the Mount Ellis Academy, is about five miles from the city. One day during the meeting all in the camp made a visit to the school.

The Montana Conference is not a large one, as it has only about 700 members, and so the meeting, while very representative of the churches, was small when compared with the meetings of the Upper Columbia and Western Oregon Conferences. But in spiritual uplift it was not behind those of its sister conferences of the North Pacific Union.

Elder U. Bender, who has been president for the past three years, has responded to a call to work in Africa, and Elder G. F. Watson, who for the past six years has been president of the Southwestern Union Conference, was elected to succeed him. The work of the Montana Conference has prospered under the labors of Elder Bender, and a spirit of courage, harmony, and advancement possesses the ministry and the churches, judging from their delegates. Elder Watson is entering upon his work with large hopes and with courage for an aggressive campaign of soul-winning.

Much was said during the conference about the home missionary work as an important means of giving life to the churches and increasing their membership. Each feature of our work, such as the educational, religious liberty, and Sabbath school, received its due share of consideration. About twenty were baptized the last day of the meeting, which was a large number considering the attendance at the meeting.

The conference is in a prosperous condition financially. It is considerably in advance of its goal on the Twenty-cent-a-week Fund, and provisions have been made whereby the full amount for the year, together with an excess with which it is planned to remove the indebtedness resting upon the academy, shall be raised before Dec. 3, 1916. Nearly $1,000 was raised in a few minutes for academy repairs and general expense.

This meeting concludes the present series for the North Pacific Union. The Western Washington Conference will hold its meeting in August. It has been my privilege to be present at all these meetings, and I have never attended better ones. The outside interest at all these places has been especially good, particularly at the southern Idaho meeting, held at Boise, the capital of the State. At the request of many interested citizens of the place the large tent was repitched in a most favorable location directly after the camp meeting. Hundreds of people from the city were in attendance each night. The work of the North Pacific Union is in an encouraging condition, both spiritually and financially. FREDERICK GRIGGS.