Western New York Conference Proceedings by Delight M. Landon

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Oct 24, 1907

Western New York Conference Proceedings

By Delight M. Landon

The first annual meeting of the Western New York Conference was held in connection with the tent-meeting at Rochester, N. Y., Aug. 29 to Sept. 9, 1907.

The first meeting was called to order by the president, Elder H. W. Carr, and was largely taken up in the appointment of the usual committees.

At a subsequent meeting, the president gave a brief report of the year's work. In many respects, more had been accomplished than during the previous year, when the New York Conference was undivided. The book sales for the last nine months of the present year were nearly double those of the undivided conference. Activity in selling papers was an encouraging feature of the work. Buffalo Sanitarium has enjoyed its most prosperous experience during the past year. The Tunesassa School has been successful in its first year's experience, and looks forward to a prosperous future. Two young men have entered the ministry, and the workers in every department are encouraged.

On account of the division it was necessary to create a large tent fund. This has not been raised as fully as we had hoped.

The following resolutions were passed, after consideration:—

“1. Resolved, That we recognize with gratitude the guiding, protecting care of God in the prosperity which has attended our conference work during the year that is now closing, and that we pledge ourselves to renewed faithfulness for the coming year.”

“2. Resolved, That we do all we can to carry on a progressive campaign in the canvassing work, (a) each church doing everything in its power to furnish at least one canvasser, (b) and all our workers, including canvassers, doing all in their power to encourage other persons to take up the work, (c) institutes being held at convenient times, and donations of food and cash being called for to help carry them forward.”

It was voted that our Sabbath-schools

be encouraged to adopt the plan of turning over the regular Sabbath-school collections to the Mission Board, and to furnish supplies for their own schools by other contributions.

The supervision of our church-schools is to be vested in the conference committee in connection with the local board. Church elders, ministers, and other workers were urgently recommended to present to our young people the claims of God upon them, and encourage them to enter the Tunesassa School or South Lancaster Academy. The conference pledges its moral support to all the young men and women of the Western New York Conference in preparing themselves for the Lord's work, and recommends to all our young people in need of an education, the scholarship plan as offered by our schools and tract society.

A resolution was passed calling the attention of all our young people to the chapter in “Ministry of Healing,” “The False and the True in Education,” and encouraging them to pledge themselves to avoid harmful reading.

Steps are to be taken at once for opening the way in homes for the care of any who may be in need of homes, and such arrangements are to be made as will enable all to share in this work.

At this meeting the people pledged themselves to greater faithfulness than ever before in the matter of scattering our missionary papers. Signs, Liberty, Watchman, Life and Health, and also our tracts and books, that the coming year might show more accomplished than during any previous year of our work.

Property is to be purchased at Gowanda for the establishment of a sanitarium, which is to become an integral part of the conference.

Donations were called for at this meeting, and are to be taken at other meetings, to pay present obligations on the Tunesassa School, and to complete the projects now under way at that place.

As the treasurer reported that our portion of the $150 000 fund had already been received, a song of jubilee was sung.

Officers for the coming year were elected as follows: President, H. W. Carr; Vice-President, J. W. Raymond; other members of the Executive Committee, F. H. Hicks, F. E. Kriley, E. T. Breitsman; Secretary and Treasurer of the Conference and Tract and Missionary Society, Delight M. Landon; Field Missionary Secretary, Allen Manry; Sabbath-school and Young People's Missionary Volunteer Department, Mrs. Alta Carr; Educational Secretary, R. B. Clapp; Religious Liberty Secretary, T. B. Westbrook; Medical Missionary Secretary, A. R. Satterlee, M. D.; Atlantic Union Conference delegates, H. W. Carr, E. T. Breitsman, A. R. Satterlee.

Ministerial credentials were given to H. W. Carr, J. W. Raymond, C. Meleen, F. Peabody; ministerial license was granted to T. B. Westbrook, R. B. Clapp, F. H. Hicks, B. E. Fisk. Missionary licenses were given to Mrs. Eva Jenks, Miss Effa Gilbert, E. A. Manry, Mrs. R. B. Clapp, Mrs. Helen M. Miller, Delight M. Landon, Mrs. Alta Carr.

As a result of the tent effort preceding the camp-meeting, fifteen honest souls embraced the truth. Twenty-eight were baptized at the close of the camp-meeting, a goodly number of these being promising young people.

All joined in a unanimous vote of thanks to the city of Rochester for the free use of the grounds for the meeting; also to the five daily papers of the city for notices and generous space allowed in their columns and the favorable mention of the services.

DELIGHT M. LANDON, Secretary.