p. 19 | West Michigan Annual Conference

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D. C. · Feb 8, 1906

West Michigan Annual Conference

By George W. Morse; George W. Amadon

THE fourth annual session of the West Michigan Conference of Seventh-day Adventists was held at Otsego, Mich., Jan. 18-22, 1906. Of the seventy-five churches and five thousand believers that compose the conference, forty-six of the churches were represented by delegates, the total number of delegates in attendance being two hundred and forty.

Very prominent among the circumstances that gave an auspicious opening to the conference was the cordial hospitality and hearty welcome given the delegates by the citizens of the place, irrespective of creed or denomination. All united with the people of our own faith residing there in freely and bountifully caring for those in attendance. The congregations being larger than could be accommodated in our own church, the other churches—Congregational, Baptist, and Methodist—were freely offered. Nearly all the services were held in the Congregational church. On Friday evening they were held in the Baptist church, and on Sunday evening—the last of the conference—in the Methodist church, that being the largest church edifice in the place.

At all preaching services, also many of the business sessions, the attendance was nearly equal to the seating capacity of the churches. On the first evening of the conference an address of welcome in behalf of the citizens of the place was given by Dr. Milton Chase, a prominent resident. This was responded to by Elder G. C. Tenney. On Sunday evening the pastor of the Methodist church, Rev. H. D. Skinner, gave an address of welcome in behalf of the churches of the city, which was responded to by Elder M. N. Campbell.

In his opening address the president of the conference, Elder A. G. Haughey, gave, among others, the following items of interest:—

Total number of employees of the conference for 1905, ninety-eight; namely, fifteen ordained ministers, seven licensed ministers, nineteen missionary workers, twenty workers without license, twenty-seven teachers, ten colporteurs. Two general meetings were held during the year—the spring council of workers and

the conference camp-meeting. Thirteen series of tent-meetings were held in the conference. There were eighty-three Sabbath-schools, twenty-two church-schools, and ten Young People's Societies during the past year. Total enrolment in church-schools, four hundred and fifty-eight. There are fourteen church-school buildings and forty-eight church buildings in the conference. During the year the evangelical workers held upward of seven thousand public meetings, and visited fourteen thousand seven hundred and four families. Total tithes received by the treasurer during the year, $32,729.31, which is $5,000 more than was received the previous year. The missionary offerings amounted to $3,649.92. The tithes per capita for 1904 were $5.85, and for 1905, $7.47. The book sales for 1905 showed an increase of sixty per cent over those of 1904. Two new churches were admitted to the conference, namely, Sturgis and Bloomingdale. A company of Holland believers was raised up at Olive Center. The Medical Department of the conference work has made good progress, maintaining two physicians and four nurses at the close of the year.

The business sessions passed off very expeditiously, and with a marked degree of unanimity. A Religious Liberty Department was created, and measures were adopted for active and efficient work. In all other departments—evangelical, educational, medical, colportage, and Young People's Societies—measures were adopted for the extension of the work to the best advantage possible.

Among the recommendations of a general nature that were adopted may be mentioned the following: A cash donation of twenty-five hundred dollars to the Mission Board of the General Conference; an appropriation of five hundred dollars to the work in India, of one hundred dollars to support native workers in Central Africa, and of one thousand dollars to the General Conference, with the request that it supply pastoral help for the Battle Creek church to that extent; that we continue to support Miss Elizabeth McHugh in South Carolina for the year 1906; that our aged ministers locate at convenient points in the several districts of the conference where they can have comfortable homes, and take supervision of the church work in those districts; that the headquarters of the conference be moved from Otsego to Berrien Springs; and for placing the Cedar Lake school in a more advantageous position for doing increased and effective service.

All sessions of the conference were marked by deep spiritual earnestness and devotion. The public discourses were given by Elders A. G. Haughey, N. W. Kauble, and W. D. Parkhurst, and were in every sense of the word practical and appropriate to the occasion.

The newly elected officers of the conference are as follows: President, A. G. Haughey; Vice-President, M. N. Campbell; Secretary and Treasurer, E. A. Merriam; Assistant Secretary and Treasurer, Miss Jennie Nelson; Educational Secretary, Clifford Russell; Sabbath-school Secretary, Miss Margaret Haughey; Missionary Secretary, E. A. Merriam; Field Secretary, George Mattson; Religious Liberty Secretary, S. D. Hartwell; Auditor, W. H. Edwards; Superintendent of Medical Department, L. J. Otis, M. D.; Executive Committee, A. G. Haughey, M. N. Campbell, S. M. Butler, W. H. Heckman, B. F. Kneeland.

Elder W. D. Parkhurst, who has been an acceptable laborer in this conference for several years, has been called to the presidency of the Southern Illinois Conference.

Credentials were renewed to eleven ordained ministers, and three young ministers were ordained and given credentials; six were granted ministerial license, and twenty-three missionary license. The closing session of the conference was held on Monday morning, and after adjournment the workers held a council to consider the distribution of labor and arrangements for the work.

The outlook for the future in this conference is very encouraging, and there is abundant reason for expecting a material and satisfactory advance in the work in all departments for the current year.

G. W. MORSE, G. W. AMADON.