p. 17 | Pacific Union Conference by Elmer E. Andross

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Oct 26, 1916

Pacific Union Conference

By Elmer E. Andross

The Pacific Union Conference, whose territory covers the States of California, Arizona, Nevada, and Utah, and also western Colorado, made encouraging progress during the first six months of this year, as is shown by the statistical reports, and by word received from our laborers in the field. During this period 523 persons were baptized, and 112 others united with the church on profession of faith. These additions brought our total membership for the Union up to 12,362 on June 30, 1916.

Many of our people in this Union are paying on pledges, made some time ago, to lift our educational institutions out of debt; but this has not prevented an increase over 1915 in the various offerings. While our brethren and sisters in this field contributed mission offerings to the amount of $9,011.58 during the first six months of 1915, they gave $11,206.66 during the same period of 1916. The Sabbath school contributions amounted to $20,387 for the first half of 1915, and to $23,709.67 for the first half of the present year. Home mission contributions jumped from $3,898.12 to $9,095.90, and the tithe increased from $85,465.75 to $98,795.07, these figures being for the first six months of the two years, respectively. The increase in the sales of books and periodicals was about $10,000, the sales for the first six months of 1915 having been $33,795.39, and for the first six months of this year, $43,351.81. The number of our Sabbath schools has been increased from 209 to 252, and our churches from 169 to 197. Our force of laborers has increased from 255 to 278.

Late last fall, Utah and western Colorado were united to form the Inter-Mountain Conference. The first annual meeting and encampment of the united field was held in Salt Lake City in August. Our brethren in the field seem pleased with the new arrangement, which makes the administration of the work in western Colorado easier, and in that way strengthens the work in Utah.

This section, although in two States, lies west of the Continental Divide.

The camp meeting season in this Union Conference, which began May 25, with the encampment in Hanford, Cal., was a most blessed one. We feel that our people have been drawn nearer to the Lord as a result of the summer's meetings, that they have been helped to lay aside those things which hinder spiritual growth, and that they are willing to labor for the salvation of souls as the Lord may direct. One evidence of this was the earnestness with which our people coöperated on camp meeting field days in visiting homes, distributing announcements, and inviting the public to attend the meetings. Camp meetings were held at Hanford, Oakland, Stockton, San Fernando, Napa, and San Diego, Cal.; at Fallon, Nev.; Salt Lake City, Utah; Dolores, Colo.; and at Phoenix, Ariz.

Elders I. H. Evans, G. B. Thompson, A. O. Tait, and G. W. Reaser, Drs. P. T. Magan and A. W. Truman, Prof. M. E. Cady, and Brother Ernest Lloyd rendered efficient help at our camp meetings this season. Returning and departing missionaries also gave excellent help, among these being Elders R. C. Porter and R. F. Cottrell, who sailed from San Francisco August 1, on the steamship “China.” Dr. Riley Russell gave valuable assistance at the Napa and San Diego meetings.

The missionary department of the work was ably represented throughout the camp meeting season by Brother Ernest Lloyd. Brother Lloyd, after spending a year at Pacific Union College, taking special work, resumed his work as missionary secretary in the Union Conference last May. He spent that month in the interest of the magazine work, organizing magazine bands among the students of Pacific Union College, Lodi Academy, San Fernando Academy, and Loma Linda Sanitarium. As a result, fifty-two of our lady students obtained an experience in selling magazines, and more than a score continued their work throughout the summer.

During the camp meetings the nine-o'clock hour was given to the home missionary and book work. The circulation of the Signs of the Times weekly, our message-filled tracts, and our small books, such as “Armageddon,” “The World's Crisis,” and “The Vatican and the War,” received special attention. Of these books, from 1,000 to 3,000 were sold at each camp meeting, our people agreeing to dispose of them to their neighbors and friends.

Elder Reaser has given attention to various financial interests in the Union field, assisting in the collection of the pledges on the $150,000 educational fund, and in other ways. His work has been well done, and is greatly appreciated. He has visited the various camp meetings during the season, and given assistance wherever possible.

Prof. M. E. Cady, our educational and young people's secretary, has fostered the interests of the church schools, academies, and the college. Prof. C. W. Irwin, president of Pacific Union College, attended most of the camp meetings, taking part in educational symposiums, and giving all information possible to prospective students. He was assisted in this work by Profs. G. W. Rine,

M. W. Newton, and H. A. Washburn. Prof. H. G. Lucas, principal of San Fernando Academy, represented that institution at the San Fernando and San Diego camp meetings, and Elder W. P. Dayton attended the Stockton camp meeting in the interest of Lodi Academy.

Our college and our academies have each had a good opening this year. The college has a larger enrolment than ever before. The new college building is in process of erection, but it is understood that work is being done only as fast as money is in hand to complete it. The building will cost, when finished, about $25,000. It is expected that it will be under roof and weather-boarding before the winter rains begin. Repairs and improvements, made also at the San Fernando and Lodi Academies during the vacation, are proving of great benefit.

Our sanitariums at St. Helena, Glendale, and Loma Linda report a splendid patronage. A new concrete building has just been completed at the St. Helena Sanitarium, at a cost of $25,000, this entire sum having been met from the earnings of the institution, so that the new structure will be dedicated free from debt. The new building is being used for offices of physicians, and for the ladies' and gentlemen's treatment-rooms. Paradise Valley Sanitarium suffered in patronage as a result of the floods of last winter, which cut off all railway connection between the institution and the outside world for about two months. Of late, needed improvements have been made, and a better patronage is hoped for.

More than sixty-five tent and hall efforts have been held in the Union Conference since the first of the year. Our faithful ministers, Bible workers, and lay members have coöperated to make each of these a success. From eight to twelve of these meetings are still in progress at this date, September 25. In the Central California Conference, fourteen efforts have been held this year, including those now in progress. Ten efforts were held in the Southern California Conference, ten in Northern California, six in the Northwestern California field, five in the California Conference, seven in Arizona, five in the Inter-Mountain Conference, and four in Nevada.

The colporteur work has made good progress under the leadership of Brother F. E. Painter. From time to time, the canvassers have reported orders amounting to $100 a week. Exceptionally large sales have been made by Elder F. De-Witt Gautereau, who sold among the mining camps of Nevada $640 worth of books in one week.

Thousands of persons have learned of our work through the newspapers since the first of the year. Brother F. A. Coffin, who is in charge of the press bureau in this Union Conference, reports that between January 1 and September 1 not less that 821 articles appeared in the secular newspapers, occupying 284 columns of solid type. These articles covered many phases of our progress and of the message for this time.

Several changes have been made among our Union Conference workers. Brother Claude Conard, who gave the Union efficient service as secretary-treasurer and auditor, has for some time had a burden to reënter the educational work, having had experience as a teacher in former years. He has, therefore, given up his work in the Union Conference, and taken charge of the commercial department at the Pacific Union College. Brother B. M. Emerson, formerly secretary-treasurer of the Southern California Conference, has succeeded Brother Conard.

Another change was that made in the case of the religious liberty secretary. Elder W. F. Martin, who acted in this capacity the first half of the year, felt that with his burdens as president of the Southeastern California Conference he should not be able to continue to carry the additional responsibility of the religious liberty work.

For the rapid growth of the work, the prosperity of our institutions, and the unity of spirit on the part of our workers, we praise God. Much remains to be done. Thousands throughout the field, and especially in our large cities, are not yet, we believe, adequately warned of the dangers before us; and yet on every hand we see tokens that the work soon must be finished. With our conference presidents, our department secretaries, our ministers and Bible workers, as well as our institutional laborers, faithfully following the Lord's guidance, and with all our lay members at work for the salvation of the unsaved, we believe our part will be finished on time.

E. E. ANDROSS.