p. 13 | Southern California by William C. White

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Sep 28, 1911

Southern California

By William C. White

The annual conference and camp-meeting of the Southern California Conference was held August 7-20, in Long Beach, one of the most prosperous of the beautiful seaside cities that are growing up near Los Angeles. The first four days of the meeting were devoted chiefly to conference business. There were 160 delegates in attendance, representing forty-seven churches. The membership of the conference is about three thousand.

Conference business was handled rapidly, and with a hearty good will that showed that the brethren were familiar with the needs of the field at home and abroad, and were of one heart and one mind regarding their duty to give a hearty support to those who are carrying the gospel message far and near.

Among the first resolutions adopted were two relating to the support of foreign missions. During the year just closed, this conference had raised over twenty-seven thousand dollars for work outside of its borders, including eighteen thousand dollars sent to Washington for General Conference work, and nine thousand sent to Mountain View for the union conference. By the resolutions adopted regarding the regular payment of fifteen per cent of its tithe to the General Conference, and the raising of missionary contributions to a weekly average of fifteen cents a member, the conference undertakes to furnish ten thousand dollars a year additional to the foreign work.

In harmony with recommendations adopted at the Fresno meeting last February, the conference annexed new territory as follows: “That part of Santa Barbara County lying north of the Santa Ynez Mountains, Inyo and Mono counties in California, also Esmeralda, Nye, Lincoln, and Clark counties in Nevada.” This new territory of sixty thousand square miles is a little larger than the State of Illinois. Its population is not large, and is found mostly in a few mining towns. It will be expensive territory to care for, and was accepted because there is a natural connection between these counties and the Southern California Conference. The principal avenues of trade and travel lead to Los Angeles.

Another advance step was the decision to take over the Paradise Valley Sanitarium. It was thought to be for the best interests of this sanitarium that it should be owned by the conference, and as a satisfactory agreement had been arrived at between the conference committee and those who have been holding the institution for the conference ever since its establishment seven years ago, and in view of the fact that this sanitarium is doing a good work for the sick, and is paying, in addition to its expenses, from four to five thousand dollars a year on its indebtedness, and it was voted heartily that it should become the property of the conference association.

Another important advance move was outlined in a resolution providing for the establishment in Los Angeles of a missionary training-center, where the workers in ministerial, Bible teaching, and medical missionary lines may work unitedly, each helping the others.

Elder E. E. Andross was again elected president of the conference. His associates on the executive committee are J. A. Burden, H. G. Lucas, F. W. Paap, J. W. McCord, A. G. Christiansen, and C. E. Ford.

The president’s address brought out many interesting facts regarding the year’s work. Fourteen ministers and licensed preachers have been constantly engaged in field work, also sixteen Bible workers. Tent-meetings were held in eleven places. Two hundred eighty-six were baptized and received into church fellowship. Eight new churches were organized. Meeting-houses were built in Orange, Pomona, Brawley, Eden Vale, Gardena, and Garden Grove; and a chapel for the German believers is being erected at Escondido.

During the year, books, tracts, and periodicals had been sold to the value of fifteen thousand dollars.

Institutional Work

At the Fernando Academy, there has been a large attendance. The enrolment in the academic grades was 120, and in the church-school 80. The school home, which has room for 100 students and teachers, was full at the close of the year. During the year the academy purchased a large school building, moved it onto the school grounds, and fitted it up for a boys’ dormitory and normal building. This cost $5,000.

The three sanitariums reported busy and prosperous times. Altogether, they have averaged from 120 to 130 patients during the summer, and from 200 to 220 during the winter. Each is increasing its capacity so as to accommodate a larger number of patients next winter.

To those who have sacrificed to help in the establishment of these sanitariums, and to those who have carried responsibilities in them when the burdens seemed overwhelming, it was very cheering to hear their reports of financial prosperity, as shown below:— Glendale Sanitarium, net gain. $ 3,774.40 Paradise Valley ............ 5,217.00 Loma Linda ................ 5,795.41 Total .................... 14,786.81 Los Angeles treatment-rooms,     loss ...................... 1,874.10 Total net gain .......... $12,912.71

At the close of the camp-meeting, the conference secured for its future headquarters and for city treatment-rooms, on a long-time lease, the second, third, and fourth stories of a building forty by

one hundred twenty feet, on Fifth Street, next to the large Auditorium, and overlooking a beautiful park. This change in location will give more room to the conference and tract society offices, and will provide for the enlargement of the work of the city treatment-rooms.

By Thursday afternoon the greater part of the conference business was completed, and by Friday evening the four hundred tents in the large camp were occupied by about fifteen hundred people.

The weather throughout the next nine days was exceptionally fine. Light clouds and ocean breezes tempered the August weather so that there was but little suffering from the heat.

Both Sabbaths were occasions of great solemnity. The mammoth tent was filled at the four principal services, and meetings were held for the Germans and the Mexicans in other tents. During the forenoon of each Sabbath, revival and consecration meetings were conducted by Elders E. E. Andross and G. A. Irwin, assisted by Elders E. W. Farnsworth and J. O. Corliss. The people responded freely. A large number came forward for prayers, and many testified of their determination to live more consecrated lives.

On each Sabbath afternoon, and three times during the week, Sister E. G. White spoke to large congregations, on Consecration, Home Religion, Growth in Grace, and kindred subjects. Her last discourse, in which she spoke an hour, was one of special clearness and power.

The Sunday congregations were very large, and the evening meetings were attended by two or three hundred of the townpeople. On the last Sunday fifty-six were baptized.

A very interesting feature of the meeting was a series of studies conducted by Elder Andross on the Sanctuary and Its Ministration. During the past year some who were formerly engaged in the ministry, but who are now antagonistic to our organized work, have conducted a campaign tending to unsettle faith in the message. A pamphlet containing so-called “new light” regarding the ministry in the heavenly sanctuary has been quite freely circulated among the church-members. This series of studies by Elder Andross bearing on the questions at issue, was well attended and followed with much interest. From the treasure-house of truth were brought forth an array of evidences, new and old, which confirmed the people in the conviction that the pillars supporting the platform of truth on which the remnant church stands, are sure and solid. As many desire to have these studies for careful perusal, Elder Andross has been requested to prepare them for publication. No doubt a pamphlet containing these studies will soon be printed.

In the early morning meetings Elder Farnsworth conducted a very profitable series of studies on Prayer and the Holy Spirit. Elder J. N. Loughborough gave several discourses on Last-Day Tokens. Elder Corliss presented in a very clear and forceful way the perils that menace our religious liberty, and the necessity of active effort on our part to make plain to the people the real questions at issue.

Elder A. J. Haysmer spoke of the progress of the Negro Department, and of the needs of that branch of our work. In response to this, over five thousand dollars was contributed to the work for the colored people.

About the middle of the week, Elder Irwin told the story of the Friedensau conference, and of the reports that were brought to that meeting by representative men regarding the open doors, and the calls from many lands for men and women to bring the light of present truth. At the close of his address, our people made gifts and pledges to the foreign mission work, amounting to $10,860. The two Sabbath-school offerings added $900 to the foreign mission funds.

At the evening and afternoon meetings, clear and powerful discourses on various vital truths were given by Elders W. M. Healey, J. H. Behrens, M. H. St. John, J. W. McCord, and C. E. Ford, and by others.

Regular meetings were held daily for the Germans, by Elder Valentine Leer. The Mexican brethren held several meetings each day, and were addressed by thirty different speakers. Brother J. F. Blunt and Prof. G. W. Caviness and one or two others spoke to them in Spanish; others through an interpreter.

In the young people’s meetings very encouraging reports were given of the work done by this department during the year. The thirty young people’s societies in the conference have a membership of 850. During the year they have engaged in many lines of activity. One of the most interesting of their undertakings was the distribution of 19,550 copies of the Temperance number of the Youth’s Instructor. This opened the way for many talks on temperance to the students in the public schools. It also led to meetings in shops, and to many avenues of temperance work.

A spirit of willing service was manifested in the meetings where missionary literature was offered for sale. At one meeting an assortment of small books suitable for lending was offered at one dollar a package. Eighty of these were taken, also eighty one-dollar tract packages. Seventeen five-dollar tract packages were purchased for the tent companies. At another meeting, 250 copies of “Story of Daniel” were taken, and at another, large numbers of bound volumes of “Testimonies for the Church.” Altogether, the book sales during the camp-meeting amounted to $1,887.54.

After the camp-meeting a tent was pitched in another part of the city, and Elders Paap and St. John were appointed to follow up the good interest awakened by the camp-meeting.

W. C. WHITE.