The Chesapeake Camp Meeting
By B. G. Wilkinson
THE annual camp meeting of the Chesapeake Conference was held in Hamilton Avenue Grove, Baltimore, Md., June 24 to July 4. The camp was situated in a pleasant grove, easily accessible from the city. The attendance from the outside was good, especially the last Sunday night, when our audience was unusually large for the Chesapeake Conference. This little conference, which three or four years ago was having a hard struggle, has been gradually coming up. In 1914 there were 127 baptisms, and 165 new members were added to the church. The tithe in 1913 was $10,078.71, while in 1914 the tithe was $12,464.64, making an increase of over $2,000. The offerings to missions in 1913 were $3,350, while in 1914 they were $5,448, making an increase of over $2,000. The Lord also blessed in the raising up of new churches and the erection of church buildings. During 1914 there were four churches dedicated in this conference. Many new faces were seen at the camp meeting this year. The number of Adventists present reached as high as 350. On the last Sabbath afternoon the question was asked, “How many of those present are attending a camp meeting for the first time?” Over forty arose to signify that this was the first camp meeting they had ever attended. The blessings of God were felt throughout the sessions of the meeting. The Spirit of God witnessed to the presentation of the word, and many gave their hearts to Christ for the first time. A great spiritual revival swept over the camp the last Sabbath, in which quite a number took their stand for the truth, and many back-sliders were reclaimed. There was a splendid response also in the matter of finances. On June 1 the conference was behind a little over $1,300 on the Twenty-cent-a-week Fund. However, the response of the brethren to a call for foreign mission offerings was so liberal that about $1,500 was raised in cash and pledges, thus bringing the conference even with the Twenty-cent-a-week Fund for the first six months of 1915. So marked was the blessing of God on the meeting that all present felt sure the camp meeting would be a great help and strength to the conference the coming year. The meeting being near Washington, several of the General Conference brethren went over at different times, thus furnishing general work in connection with the union help. Elder M. C. Kirkendall, who has just arrived to labor in the Chesapeake Conference, was elected president for the ensuing year.