Western Canadian Union Conference by George A. Irwin

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Mar 31, 1910

Western Canadian Union Conference

By George A. Irwin

This conference was held at Lacombe, March 4-16. Owing to landslides and washouts, some of the delegates and visiting brethren from abroad were late in arriving; but the meeting began on time. A carefully prepared and well-arranged program had been sent out some time prior to the beginning of the meeting, so that each one who was to take part knew from the very first what he was expected to do. This added materially not only to the interests of the meeting, but to its practical utility. The three conferences and one mission field composing the union were each represented with a full corps of delegates. Besides these, there were several brethren present who were not delegates, making, in all, over forty persons in attendance, not to mention the brethren who live in and about Lacombe.

The president's report was an interesting document. It reviewed the work in the field prior to the organization of the union conference in October, 1907, and carried the work along from that time until the beginning of this first biennial term. At the time of the organization of the union an appropriation of $7,500 from the General Conference was considered necessary in order to carry on their work. In 1909 the appropriation was reduced to $6,000, and for 1910 they

asked for only $2,500. If the work is attended with the same degree of prosperity as heretofore, it is the opinion of the president, Elder H. S. Shaw, that when this latter appropriation is exhausted, the conference will then be self-supporting.

It was further stated in the president's report, that while the union had received $6,000 on appropriation from the General Conference for 1909, it had returned to the General Conference, in the form of donations, more than that amount.

This Western Canadian Union Conference is certainly an interesting one when viewed from the standpoint of the third angel's message, inasmuch as it contains in its population representatives of almost every nationality. The country is rapidly filling up with a thrifty, industrious class of people. Railroads are being built to open up the territory that has hitherto been unentered, or inaccessible, because of its great distance from the lines of travel. Farming and stock-raising are the principal industries, although mining, lumbering, fruit raising, and other industries are carried forward.

The brethren in this field early appreciated the advantages of education; so that even before the territory was organized into a union conference, each of the three local conferences had started and was maintaining an intermediate school. The school in Alberta is the most prosperous at the present time. This school was moved the past year from Leduc to Lacombe, where a good-sized school building has been erected on land owned conjointly by the school and sanitarium. The school has an enrolment at present of eighty. The school in the Manitoba Conference was not opened the past year, owing to a misunderstanding between the management and the one they had employed to conduct the school. There has been some talk of Manitoba and Saskatchewan uniting and establishing a school for the two provinces. If this is carried out, the Manitoba school property will be sold later. The attendance at the British Columbia school has not been so large as upon former occasions; but the brethren having charge of the work there are hopeful that in the near future there will be a good attendance.

At present no sanitarium work is being carried forward in the union. For three or four years Brother Frank Hommel, with a corps of workers, operated treatment-rooms in a rented building in the city of Edmonton, the capital of Alberta. He built up quite a reputation and practise. The building, however, was finally sold to the Young Men's Christian Association, and this threw them out of a place. Anticipating this, land had been purchased at Lacombe for a sanitarium in connection with the school. Since the closing of the health work in Edmonton, Brother Hommel has been devoting his time to the sale of 'Ministry of Healing,' and the raising of means to erect a new building at Lacombe. Work on this building will be begun as soon as spring fairly opens. So it is expected that before another winter comes, both the school and sanitarium work will be in full operation in the beautiful valley in which the growing town of Lacombe is located.

A gain of one hundred forty-seven in the membership of the union conference was reported. The total sale of books and literature during the biennial period amounted to $35,478.32, being an average sale per capita of $19.76. Eleven and three-fourths cents per capita was reported on the ten-cent-a-week plan for the two years, the average for 1909 being fifteen and three-fourths cents. The total amount paid by the conference during the two years in tithes amounted to $35,153.95; the total offerings amounted to $11,441.83, making a grand total in tithes and offerings of $46,595.78. The tithe per capita for 1908 was $19.30, and for 1909, $24.50. This shows a healthy increase in the payment of tithes.

The probabilities are that at the coming camp-meeting to be held, the Saskatchewan mission field will be organized into a conference, as it is reported as being self-supporting. If this is done, then the union will consist simply of four organized local conferences.

The religious liberty paper, the Dominion Sentinel, has been a great help to the work in the Canadian field, and is already receiving attention at the hands of the Sunday law advocates, inasmuch as they are beginning to realize that it is a potent factor in opposing their plans.

It was also voted to start a union conference paper as a medium of communication between the union conference office and the States, and a medium also by which the presidents can keep in touch with the churches and isolated brethren in their respective fields.

A book men's and missionary convention was carried along simultaneously with the regular conference work, the afternoons being devoted entirely to this branch of the work. Brethren H. H. Hall, from the Pacific Press, and A. J. S. Bourdeau, from the General Conference, with local talent, led out in this work. Missionary agents were appointed for each of the fields, and plans were laid for a vigorous campaign the coming biennial term with our literature.

Elder Shaw was unanimously re-elected president of the union conference, with Elder C. A. Burman vice-president. The brethren all seem of good courage in the work. The sermons and instruction during the conference were all of a practical nature, calculated to build up and establish our brethren in the faith. Elder A. J. Breed, vice-president of the North Pacific Union Conference, accompanied me to the meeting, and rendered valuable assistance both in the preaching and in committee and other work.

Inasmuch as it was my privilege to represent the General Conference in the organization of this union conference, I was very grateful for the privilege of being present at this their first biennial meeting, and to note the progress that had attended the work as a result of the organization. If the same self-sacrificing spirit continues in the Western Canadian Union Conference that has characterized it up to the present time, there is no question but that the work in this field will rapidly increase, and in the very near future it will take its place along with the other strong union conferences. My prayer is that God may give wisdom to those chosen as officers of this conference, and bless the efforts that are put forth by them and the other laborers throughout the field, so that there will be a rapid increase in all parts of this conference during the next period.

G. A. IRWIN.