Western Canadian Meetings
By O. A. OLSEN
The Saskatchewan Camp Meeting
This meeting was held at Regina, June 25 to July 5. Seventy-five tents composed the camp, and nearly four hundred of our people were in attendance. While this is the youngest of the Western Canadian Union conferences, it is very rapidly coming to the front. The past year was a prosperous one in every department of the work. The blessing of the Lord attended the laborers, and a goodly number were added to the truth. During 1913 three new churches were received, increasing the membership by 123, and the total number of believers by 204. The tithe had a gain of $2,958.23, and the offerings of $2,072.18. The total tithes and offerings per capita were $49.08. All this gives evidence of a prosperous and growing work. This conference is taking a very active interest in the home missionary work; and experience has shown that every church and conference doing that will experience encouraging growth and development in all branches of its work. The business proceedings of the conference were most harmonious. Elder A. C. Gilbert was reelected president for the coming year, and few changes were made in other officers. The laborers present were the same as at the Alberta meeting, with the exception that Elder C. Leer came to take the place of Elder Riffel in the German work. Daily services were held in English, German, Servian, Roumanian, and Russian. Scandinavian meetings were also held frequently. By this the reader gets an idea that several nationalities are represented in this field; but these are by no means all. Canada, like the United States, has a very mixed population, representing nearly all nations in the world. The question of a conference school was given much consideration at this time. One year ago the conference instructed its executive committee to be on the lookout for a favorable location for such a school, and report its findings to the conference this year. This instruction the committee followed, and presented to the conference assembled quite a number of sites and propositions. These were all most carefully considered by a large representative committee chosen by the conference, and North Battleford was selected as the location offering the largest number of advantages for the school. Five thousand two hundred and twenty-nine dollars was subscribed in cash and pledges. This, with $1,296 on hand, gives them $6,525 to start the school enterprise. Their decided purpose is to proceed only as they have cash on hand to meet the outlays. They will do well to hold strictly to this plan. We were glad to find this conference ahead on the Twenty-cent-a-week Fund, and their purpose is to keep their lead. Why should not more conferences do the same? The spiritual interest in the meetings was very good. The preaching was close and searching, and heartily received. On the last Sabbath of the meeting we had a special refreshing. Some took their stand for the Lord, and nearly all present renewed their covenant with God. It was a most impressive occasion, and will long be remembered by many. A special feature of the meeting was the children's missionary program given on Sunday morning. It was very interesting and instructive, and had an excellent effect on the congregation. There were parents present who confessed their faults in not giving their children more encouragement in missionary effort. Much credit is due their conference Sabbath-school secretary for her excellent work for the children. The Manitoba Camp Meeting
In company with Elder H. S. Shaw and others, we left Regina on Sunday afternoon for the Manitoba meeting at Morden, where we arrived Monday noon. We found the camp very pleasantly located in a shady park on the outskirts of the town. The meeting, having begun the week before, was under full headway, in charge of Elder E. M. Chapman, the president, and his coworkers. While the Manitoba Conference is the oldest in the Western Canadian Union, it is still the smallest in number of believers. Various internal conditions have hindered the progress of the message. We hope that unity and hearty cooperation may prevail, that the work may advance more rapidly, to the joy and encouragement of all. This camp was composed of thirty-eight tents, and about one hundred and fifty of our people attended the meeting. Morden is located almost in the extreme south of the province, in a German community where we have a large German church; hence the Germans formed fully two thirds of our people assembled. The blessing of the Lord attended our meetings, and our people seemed much encouraged, and heartily responded in renewal of consecration to God and his service. Elder Chapman was reelected president of the conference. May the Lord greatly bless the work in that great province during the coming year. Eight candidates were baptized at the meeting, and some others will be baptized at their home churches. The conference voted to raise $1,500 to be divided between mission and home work. Of this amount $800 was given in cash and pledges at the meeting. This was good, considering the small number present, and showed a readiness on the part of the people to support the work. This conference has been somewhat backward in the home missionary work. We hope there will be a decided change in this respect, as this would prove a great blessing, and give a new impetus16to the progress of the work in both the churches and the conference. With this meeting ends the series of five camp meetings in the Western Canadian Union. In company with Elder Shaw I have attended them all. The blessing of the Lord has been with us, giving us much freedom in preaching and in giving Bible studies, which have been of a heart-searching nature. In every place the message has met a most hearty response. Personally I have greatly enjoyed the tour, and my associations with Elder Shaw and other laborers have been most pleasant and profitable. The Western Canadian field is a most promising one, with a devoted and consecrated corps of workers and a faithful church membership. Great results are in store. There is also a large foreign element of many nationalities to whom the truth must be taken, both by literature and by the living preacher. May the good work be hastened on its march.
O. A. OLSEN.