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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D. C. · Jul 13, 1905

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 82, No. 28.

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South Dakota Conference

By C. A. Burman; N. M. Jorgensen

The twenty-sixth annual session of the South Dakota Conference of Seventh-day Adventists was held in connection with the camp-meeting at Woonsocket, S. D., June 8-18, 1905.
The first meeting was called June 8, at 11 A. M., with the president, Elder Burman, in the chair. After seating the delegates, it was voted to elect an advisory committee of nineteen to nominate the standing committees. These were taken from the conference committee, church elders, and the laborers. One church was admitted to the conference.
In the afternoon the president read his annual address, the keynote of which was praise to God for his blessings and for his guiding hand. Health and strength had been given to the laborers, and success had attended the work all over the State. Due mention was made of the different departments. During the year 1904, $11,568.52 tithe had been received. Of this $2,347.78 had been sent out of the State.
The report of the tract society showed that $5,410.90 worth of books had been sold during the year. Fourteen canvassers had been at work during a part of the year.
There are thirty-five Sabbath-schools, and twenty-one family schools, with a total membership of about one thousand. These had donated $807.30 to missions.
The report of the intermediate school showed that the debt had been reduced about one hundred dollars a month for the last fifteen months; there is still a debt of about two thousand dollars. About forty students attended the school the past winter.
Besides our own State laborers, this meeting was favored with the help of Elder R. A. Underwood, Elder J. W. Westphal, Elder K. C. Russell, Brother J. S. James, Dr. W. A. George, and Prof. P. E. Berthelson.
The following resolutions were passed:—
“Whereas, The Lord has greatly blessed in the past year by bringing into the truth many precious souls, and also blessed with an increase in the tithe; therefore,—
“1. Resolved, That we express our gratitude for these blessings by giving from the tithe fund twelve dollars a week toward the support of a laborer in the Korean field, for one year, and further, That the General Conference be invited to choose one laborer from our force to go to a foreign field, we continuing his support.
“Whereas, The General Conference has provided this people with a grand and soul-inspiring collection of spiritual songs; therefore,—
“2. Resolved, That we recommend the use of ‘Hymns and Tunes’ in all our general church and camp-meeting services.
“3. We recommend the adoption in all our churches of the plan for the weekly collection of tithes and offerings in the envelopes provided by the General Conference.
“4. We recommend that we unite heartily with the plan adopted by the General Conference to set aside the second Sabbath of each month for a missionary day in which to study the needs, progress, and opportunities of work in foreign fields.
“5. We urge that every church and isolated Sabbath-keeper assume the responsibility of supplying every family in their community with a complete set of the new Signs of the Times leaflets.
“6. We recommend that a three weeks’ institute for canvassers be held during the coming year, the time and place to be decided upon later by the conference committee.
“Whereas, The book ‘Ministry of Healing’ has been devoted to the medical missionary work; therefore,—
“7. We recommend that we co-operate with the General Conference in the circulation of the same for general and local medical missionary enterprises.
“Inasmuch as the educational committee of the General Conference divides school work in three divisions,—primary, intermediate, and collegiate,—and recognizes the work of each department as follows: primary, grades 1-7 inclusive; intermediate, 8-10 inclusive; and collegiate, 11-16 inclusive; therefore,—
“8. We recommend and urge that all suitable students under the eleventh grade and beyond the seventh be encouraged to attend Elk Point School.
“Whereas, The Lord has told us that we should seek for a higher standard of discipline in our schools, in harmony with the recommendations of the General Conference; therefore,—
“9. We recommend that the attention of the managers and teachers of our schools be hereby called to these important matters, and that they be urged to maintain a high standard of discipline and a pure moral atmosphere in all our schools, and to this end we urge the co-operation of the parents; and further,—
“10. We recommend that each student who presents himself for admission shall come recommended by his home church.
“Whereas, The Elk Point school buildings remain unfinished and repairs are needed,—
“11. We wish to call the attention of the conference to the situation: first, to the unfinished condition of the buildings; second, to the need of further improvements.
“Whereas, There is great need on the part of our people, and the world as well, of a more complete knowledge of the principles of healthful living; therefore,—
“12. We recommend that there be inaugurated a vigorous health and temperance educational campaign throughout the conference (a) by encouraging our physicians and nurses who are doing independent self-supporting missionary work, to make their work evangelical, and to be active in the circulation of our health and temperance literature; (b) by inviting all our ministers to heartily unite in this campaign by preaching more frequently on health and temperance subjects, and encouraging all our churches to engage in this work.
“13. Resolved, That we hereby express our gratitude to God for blessings received at this camp-meeting, by giving a liberal donation to the State tract fund; and further,—
“14. Resolved, That we hereby express our sincere thanks to the mayor, the city council, and the citizens of Woonsocket, for their hospitality and hearty co-operation, both morally and financially, in making our sojourn in their town a pleasant and agreeable one; and further,—
“15. Resolved, That we hereby express our appreciation of the favors rendered us by the newspapers of this city, and by the railroad officials of the State; and further,—
“16. Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be furnished the editors of papers published in Woonsocket.”
Credentials were granted to the following-named persons: C. A. Burman, E. G. Hayes, F. L. Perry, R. E. Harter, Conrad Reiswig, Valentine Leer, N. M. Jorgensen.
Ministerial licenses were given to J. W. Christian, N. B. Baldwin, C. M. Clark, W. A. Baker, N. J. Roulund, and missionary licenses to Bertha E. Jorgensen, Milla M. Johnson, Geo. W. Miller, Hannah Peterson, F. R. Isaac.
The officers for the ensuing year are as follows: President, C. A. Burman; Vice-President, E. G. Hayes; Secretary, N. M. Jorgensen; Treasurer, Geo. W. Miller; Business and Transportation Agent, C. M. Clark; Educational Secretary, J. W. Christian; Sabbath-school and Health and Temperance Secretary, Hannah Peterson; Recording Secretary, G. W. Miller; Assistant Secretary and German Secretary, F. R. Isaac; Corresponding Secretary, Leona Burman; Religious Liberty Secretary, E. G. Hayes; Conference Committee, C. A. Burman, E. G. Hayes, F. L. Perry, C. M. Clark, W. H. Twining, Conrad Reiswig, and Alfred Jensen.
Elk Point School: Manager, Wm. H. Twining; School Board, W. H. Twining, C. A. Burman, M. K. Thrall, J. W. Christian, Allen Cotes, Albert Tucker, and the principal.
Trustees of South Dakota Conference Association: A. N. Helligso, C. M. Clark, F. L. Perry, C. F. Betts, A. Jensen.
About seventy persons were baptized.
C. A. BURMAN, President, N. M. JORGENSEN, Secretary.