Southwestern Union Conference
By C. N. Woodward
THE third biennial session of the Southwestern Union Conference was held in the new church building at Keene, Tex., February 1-11. It was in many respects the most important meeting held thus far by this union conference, and in many ways the most encouraging. Fourteen meetings of the conference were held, at which considerable business was transacted. Reports were presented from the union conference, each of the three State conferences, the Keene Academy, and the two sanitariums in this territory. Every one of these reports showed decided gains and advancement. The membership of the union conference has increased from less than 3,000 when it was organized four years ago, to 4,025 at the present time. The tithe of the union has increased from $20,300 in 1902 to $32,763 in 1905. This enabled the conference to support a force of eighty-three laborers of all classes on their pay-rolls, and besides this donate about three thousand dollars to the support of four laborers in fields outside of this union conference. Besides carrying on the work in the home fields in a vigorous way, there has been seven thousand dollars contributed to the general work of the denomination in missions, which shows that our people here have the completion of the whole message in view, and are willing to push out with their means into the regions beyond. During the past year there have been sixty-two canvassers engaged in the sale of our literature, and they have disposed of $25,150 worth of books and other printed matter. The new branch of the Southern Publishing Association now located at Fort Worth, Tex., makes it much easier to handle this part of the work, and the future for it looks flattering. Another feature of the union conference work which seemed to give the delegates considerable satisfaction was the progress made in opening up the work for the colored people. There are now six quite thoroughly organized churches among the colored people, from which a tithe of a little over four hundred dollars was received last year. One church building has been erected for them, and a good building for the industrial school at Devall Bluff, Ark. Credentials were granted to three persons, ministerial licenses to three others, and missionary licenses to five. Of all these laborers five were colored, and will spend their time among that race. Elders G. A. Irwin, E. T. Russell, and G. F. Haffner were the general laborers of the present; Elder A. O. Tait, associate editor of The Signs of the Times, was also present. Most of the preaching was done by these brethren, assisted at times by our own laborers, and their work was very acceptable, and was much appreciated by all. A spirit of love and harmony prevailed, both in the business sessions and in the other services as well. Nearly every worker in the union conference was present, and at the close of the meeting all returned to their fields of labor full of courage to push the work with vigor. Elder Clarence Santee was unanimously chosen president of the union conference for the coming two years. He is now the president of the Texas Conference, which position he will retain until the Texas camp-meeting in August. Nearly all the other officers were re-elected, and but few changes were made in the executive committee and various boards under the union conference control.