Council of the General Conference Committee by Arthur G. Daniells; William A. Spicer

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · May 12, 1903

Council of the General Conference Committee

By Arthur G. Daniells; William A. Spicer

Shortly after the close of the General Conference, the Executive Committee met in Battle Creek for the transaction of necessary business. Much of the work was routine and administrative business. The following actions taken will be of general interest:—

GENERAL CONFERENCE HEADQUARTERS

That we favor locating the headquarters of the General Conference in the vicinity of New York City.

That the following-named persons act as a committee to select the location, and remove the headquarters of the General Conference: A. G. Daniells, W. W. Prescott, I. H. Evans, S. N. Haskell, H. W. Cottrell, S. N. Curtiss, J. E. Jayne, W. A. Spicer, and such union conference presidents in the United States as are not named in this list.

EDUCATIONAL DEPARTMENT

That the educational department shall consist of fifteen members, and that any four members of the department, including the chairman or secretary, shall be empowered to transact such executive business as is in harmony with plans outlined by the department.

The following-named persons were elected as the departmental committee on education: L. A. Hoopes (chairman), Frederick Griggs, (secretary), M. E. Cady, W. W. Prescott, W. A. Spicer, Fannie M. Dickerson, E. A. Sutherland, J. E. Tenney, M. Bessie De Graw, C. C. Lewis, Dr. E. L. Eggleston, B. E. Huffman, E. W. Catlin, H. A. Washburn, and the corresponding secretary of the Sabbath-school Department (Mrs. L. Flora Plummer).

SABBATH-SCHOOL AND YOUNG PEOPLE'S DEPARTMENT

That the department as heretofore constituted be requested to continue the work until the transfer of the headquarters to the East, when the department may be reorganized.

That the Sabbath-school Department be located in conjunction with the General Conference headquarters.

That Luther Warren be made a member of the Sabbath-school Department, to give special attention to the Young People's work.

RELIGIOUS LIBERTY DEPARTMENT

That the Religious Liberty Departmental Committee consist of the following-named persons: A. T. Jones (chairman), D. W. Reavis (secretary), Allen Moon, W. A. Colcord, R. C. Porter, C. P. Bollman, John Bradley, J. S. Washburn.

That at general camp-meetings men be selected to present the religious liberty situation.

That the Departmental Committee use all union conference and local agencies in the carrying on of its work.

That funds for the carrying on of the religious liberty work be raised by special appeals at the camp-meetings, and by special calls when necessary.

MISSION FINANCE

Whereas, Large sums of money will be required to carry on our evangelical work the coming year; and,—

Whereas, The General Conference must secure this money from month to month or our laborers will suffer; therefore,—

We recommend,—

1. That every Seventh-day Adventist church be urged to systematically take up the ten-cent-a-week plan, and faithfully see that each church pays an average of ten cents a week per capita.

2. That each conference be requested to pay the entire second conference tithe into the treasury of the General Conference for mission work.

3. That special donations for missions be taken up at all large gatherings.

4. That we request all our union and State conference papers to open their columns to the General Conference for working up the funds for mission work.

Whereas, The custom is now established of paying our workers monthly; and,—

Whereas, The General Conference will be compelled to make remittances from month to month to the various fields; therefore,—

Resolved,—

1. That all donations of tithe and offerings to the mission work be sent to the union conference treasurers monthly.

2. That each union conference is hereby urged to instruct its treasurer to use all diligence in collecting all funds, whether special or otherwise, and forward the same monthly to the treasury of the General Conference.

3. That all conferences supporting workers in mission fields are requested to send the remittances for such support monthly to the General Conference treasury.

That all money raised at camp-meetings for any of the mission fields shall be sent through the local conference to the General Conference treasury, and applied on appropriations.

That the officers of union and State conferences be agents to instruct and inform the people as to the needs of the fields, and to solicit funds to apply on these appropriations, and that the General Conference office shall place in the hands of these officials any facts and information available, which will be of assistance to them.

That in future the General Conference shall not hold itself responsible for the payment of return fares of missionaries who have not been recalled by official action of the committee or its executive officers.

MISSIONARY ACRE FUND

That we approve of the following resolution passed by the International Training-school Association, which has charge of the Missionary Acre Fund: “That the denomination inaugurate a missionary-acre-planting day, and that the General Conference Committee ask the union conferences and the local conferences to recommend a missionary-acre-planting day as an annual occurrence , in which every church is expected to participate, and those not owning farms be asked to give the income of three days’ work; and that a reading for the Sabbath preceding the day be arranged for by the Medical Missionary Board.”

“CHRIST'S OBJECT LESSONS”

That the burden of completing the campaign for the sale of “Christ’s Object Lessons” be referred to the union conferences.

DISTRIBUTION OF LABOR

That Elder N. P. Nelson, of Nebraska, be recommended for the presidency of the Southwestern Union Conference.

That Elder Andrew Nelson, of Manitoba, be recommended to make Texas his field of labor, if arrangements can be made.

That Elias Zarub be recommended to return to his home field, Syria, and unite with the work there.

That we accede to the urgent call from South Africa, inviting Elder I. J. Hankins and his wife to return to that field.

That we favor the request of the German Union Conference that Brethren Enns and Wentland, of College View, be recommended to make Germany their field of labor.

That, in response to the request of the German Union Conference, Dr. C. Pampaian and his brother be recommended to work under the German Union Conference, probably in the Trans-Caucasus.

That we grant the request of the European General Conference Committee that Elder A. G. Daniells attend the early summer meetings in Europe.

That Dr. David Paulson be invited to attend the summer meetings in Europe.

That Fred Robert be recommended to connect with the work in France.

That Dr. A. M. Vollmer, of West Superior, Wis., be invited to go to Samoa.

A. G. DANIELLS, Chairman.

W. A. SPICER, Secretary.