General Meetings in South and North Dakota
By R. A. Underwood
RECENTLY I spent some time in South Dakota, attending general meetings. At Beresford a church building was dedicated. A church of sixteen members was organized at Woonsocket, and a church building was dedicated. This is the place where the camp-meeting was held last season. These buildings were dedicated free from debt. A general meeting was held at Bristol. I also spent about one week at Artesian, with Brother C. M. Clark, where a new company of Sabbath-keepers had been raised up the past summer. Here a good church building is nearly finished, which will be dedicated in the spring, when a church will be organized. Elder C. A. Burman and other laborers of the South Dakota Conference were with me at all these meetings, and took an active part in them. These were seasons of rich blessing and much encouragement to all in attendance. I spent the week of prayer with the church at Minneapolis, Minn. This was a precious season. The annual meeting of the delegates of the North Dakota Conference was held in our academy at Harvey, December 27-31. The school suspended its regular work during this time, and teachers, students, and delegates enjoyed the meetings of the conference together. Many said that this was the best conference they had ever attended. It was a season of refreshing. The business was done with dispatch, and much time was given to Bible study. Brethren J. C. Kunkel and J. S. James and the writer were the only laborers present from outside the conference. The Bible studies and the business of the conference were nearly all translated from the English into the German language. Elder J. G. Walker was unanimously re-elected president of the conference. As a result of faithful labor on the part of ministers, and the Bible studies on the tithing subject in the Sabbath-school lessons, the past season the tithe of the conference had largely increased. The conference treasurer reported having received $10,884.72 in tithe during the past year. This was an increase of $5.13 a member over the amount paid the previous year, making $14.63 per capita for the last year. The conference voted to donate one thousand dollars of its surplus tithe to the General Conference for the work in foreign fields. It was also voted to donate fourteen dollars a week for the support of a German laborer in the city of Philadelphia. This was gladly done by the delegates. At the closing meeting Brethren E. H. Huntley and Christian Sulzle were set apart to the work of the gospel ministry by ordination. All felt that the conference was a success, and that it was a real blessing to the school. At the close of the conference, in company with Elder Lars Neilson I visited the Scandinavian church at Kenmare. Although our stay was not long, the meeting was greatly appreciated by this dear people, who felt to renew their covenant with God, and to move forward to the kingdom. In company with Elders Walker and Neilson and others I attended a general meeting with the Germans at New Home. This church has a membership of about eighty. Our meetings began Friday evening and continued three days. Considerable time was spent in institute work, such topics as the Sabbath-school, Health and Temperance, and Missionary Work receiving special attention. This church has a large number of children and youth. They have a church-school with forty-one students in attendance. The brethren felt much encouraged, and regarded the meetings as a great blessing to all.