Iowa Conference Proceedings by Mrs. Flora V. Dorcas

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Aug 1, 1907

Iowa Conference Proceedings

By Mrs. Flora V. Dorcas

The forty-fourth annual session of the Iowa Conference of Seventh-day Adventists convened on the camp-ground at Des Moines, May 31 to June 9, 1907. The meetings were excellent. The interest and brotherly kindness shown in the discussions was inspiring.

The following recommendations were given among those adopted:—

Whereas, The good hand of the Lord has been with us as a conference during the past year in blessings, both spiritual and temporal; therefore,—

1. Resolved, That we express our gratitude to God for his manifold mercies, and pledge ourselves anew to the solemn work of heralding the third angel’s message to the people residing within our borders.

Whereas, The recent General Conference Council held at Gland, Switzerland, recommended that the Iowa Conference be transferred from the Central Union to the Northern Union Conference; therefore,—

2. Resolved, That we request the Central Union Conference to release the Iowa Conference from its membership, and respectfully request admission to the Northern Union Conference.

Whereas, The spirit of prophecy has laid decided emphasis upon the importance of the health and temperance work; therefore,—

3. Resolved, That a medical secretary be chosen by this conference who shall devote as much as possible of his time to the work of organizing and building up this work in our churches.

Whereas, The establishment of church-schools is in accordance with the expressed will of God, it is equally true that he has a plan for the proper financial maintenance of these schools superior to the present very unsatisfactory arrangement which fails to adequately provide for our educational needs; and,—

Whereas, The Lord anciently required of his people the second tithe to be used for religious purposes for which the first tithe could not be used; and,—

Whereas, The plan of paying a second tithe has been placed on record in the Holy Scriptures with other things for our learning; therefore,—

4. Resolved, That our people adopt the practise of laying aside a second tithe, one third of which they shall retain for local church expenses, the rest to be forwarded to the conference treasury to constitute a fund from which our church-school teachers shall be paid.

Whereas, During the year just passed there has again been a very substantial increase in our tithe; therefore,—

5. Resolved, That we appropriate from the tithe fund the sum of five thousand dollars to be used in mission work in foreign fields as the General Conference may direct.

Whereas, There is a very large population of foreigners in Iowa, who need the light of the third angel’s message; therefore,—

6. Resolved, That we put forth a special effort during the coming year to place our foreign publications in the hands of these people.

7. Resolved, That we urge upon all our people the necessity of establishing church-schools where their children may receive an education which will meet the mind of God.

8. Resolved, That we put forth a vigorous effort to give the book “Ministry of Healing” a wide circulation during the coming year, both among our own people and also among those not of our faith.

Whereas, The journal Life and Health fills a long-felt need in our ranks,—

9. Resolved, That we recommend every Sabbath-keeping family to subscribe for this valuable magazine, and to do what they can to secure subscriptions for it among those outside the church.

10. Resolved, (1) That we recommend our workers and church officers everywhere, to urge upon church-members and isolated ones the importance of earnest daily study of the Sabbath-school lessons; (2) that Sabbath-school officers and teachers study diligently the instruction given in “Testimonies on Sabbath-school Work,” and (3) that we give the Sabbath School Worker our hearty support, and pledge ourselves to work untiringly to have it in every school in the State; (4) that we study the needs of the mission fields, give liberally in our Sabbath-schools, devote the entire amount to needy fields, and pay for our supplies by special collections; (5) that we encourage the circulation of the Youth’s Instructor among the children and young people in our State.

Whereas, A subtle influence in favor of religious legislation is fast gaining headway in almost every community; and,—

Whereas, Our people are in nowise prepared to meet the issues soon to confront us; therefore,—

11. Resolved, That our churches be recommended to appoint a religious liberty secretary to make a special study of religious liberty, and to lead our people in their work along this line.

12. Resolved, That when Iowa shall have been admitted into the Northern Union Conference, we invite the Northern Union Conference committee and the States of Dakota and Minnesota to co-operate with us in establishing a new union sanitarium in Des Moines or in the northern part of the State.

Credentials were granted to L. F. Starr, N. C. Bergersen, E. G. Olsen, J. C. Clemens, G. R. Hawkins, T. Godfrey, A. A. Meyer. Ministerial license was given to Floyd Bralliar, A. V. Rhoads, Emma Hawkins, O. M. Kittle, A. F. Ferguson, J. T. Spriggs, A. B. Cotton, J. F. Piper, C. V. Starr, E. Rosenwold, Minnie Syp, R. E. Burke, Wm. Andress, E. W. Wolfe, Edgar Swap; missionary license to J. W. Dorcas, C. Juhl, Mrs. Flora V. Dorcas, Katie Earle, W. E. Perrin, Margaret Young, Blanche Spriggs, F. J. Wilbur, S. B. Kephart, H. F. Meeker, Anna Camp, H. F. Neuman, J. F. Simon, Alfred Johnson, Geo. Juhl, Lucian Scott, Nora B. Pines, John Myhre, C. W. Hollingsworth, Louis Hansen, L. P. Syp, W. H. Cox, Laura Buck, J. W. McComas; and church-school teachers’ certificate to Essie Ferguson, Minnie Wolford, Bessie Scism, Bessie Stanfield, Nellie Countryman, Ida Brown, Hattie Brown, Emma Curtis, Edith Ruckman, Ren Hoen, Emily Stanfield. Other names were referred to the committee.

The following officers were elected: President, L. F. Starr; Conference Committee,

N. C. Bergersen, J. C. Clemens, J. W. Dorcas, C. Juhl, L. C. Christofferson, O. M. Kittle; Secretary, Mrs. Flora V. Dorcas; Treasurer, C. W. Larson; Tract Society Secretary, C. W. Larson; Assistant Tract Society Secretary, Mrs. Lillie Larson; Field Missionary Secretary, C. W. Hollingsworth; Young People’s Secretary, F. J. Wilbur; Sabbath-school Secretary, Mrs. Flora V. Dorcas; Religious Liberty Secretary, W. E. Perrin; Educational Secretary, Floyd Bralliar; Trustees of Seventh-day Adventist Association, L. F. Starr, N. C. Bergersen, C. Juhl, C. W. Larson, W. E. Perrin, Jacob Shively, J. N. Whitney. The final report of the nominating committee was presented in a recommendation “that the selecting of medical secretary and of assistants in the other departments where needed be left to the conference committee.”

Mrs. Flora V. Dorcas.