The Southern Illinois Conference
By J. M. Rees
Report of the President at the Lake Union Conference
THE territory composing the conference of Illinois was divided in the fall of 1902, and in October following, the Southern Illinois Conference was organized by Elder S. H. Lane, its first president. The territory of this conference is that part of Illinois south of a line running east and west through the city of Peoria, taking in that city. We have a population in our territory of 1,878,149. As to the working of the conference, I can speak for only the past nine or ten months. On coming to the conference, I found twenty-five churches with a real membership of about four hundred. Two churches have been organized—one at Springfield and one at Farmington. About one half of the members of the Springfield church were colored, and in order that they might do better work and reach more of the colored people with the truth, we organized them into a separate church, the white people giving the colored people the church building. The members of the white church are now closing a contract for one for themselves. We have started the work in the Southern Illinois Conference with the motto, “Owe no man anything.” Our expenses have been heavy, having to buy almost a full set of small and large tents, which we are glad to report are paid for. We have also built a conference school building at DuQuoin, at a cost of fifteen hundred dollars. One successful term of school has been held in this building. STATISTICAL REPORT OF THE SOUTHERN ILLINOIS CONFERENCE FROM NOV. 1, 1902, TO MAY 1, 1904
Number of churches ............ 27
Membership .................... 550
Number in companies and isolated
Sabbath-keepers ............ 50
Total Sabbath-keepers .......... 600
Number of Sabbath-schools ...... 27
Membership ..................... 625
Number of church-schools ....... 3
Membership ..................... 45
Number of church buildings ..... 10
Total ministers given credentials ... 5
Licensed ministers ............. 1
Licensed Bible workers and workers ... 4
Canvassers ...................... 7
Total laborers .................. 17
Total tithe receipts ............ $7,604.39
Annual offerings to foreign
missions .................... 592.03
Weekly offerings to foreign
missions .................... 233.96
Miscellaneous offerings to foreign fields ... 115.08
Total Sabbath-school offerings ... 579.51
Sabbath-school offerings to foreign missions ... 310.24
Miscellaneous offerings to different funds (as Religious Liberty, Int. Pub. Assn., etc.) ... 221.74
Retail value of book sales ....... $7,088.07