p. 445 | Australasia

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jul 9, 1901

Australasia.

The following summary of the progress of the cause in Australasia during the past year, is gleaned from the report of Edith M. Graham, Secretary and Treasurer of the Australasian Union Conference:—

The church-membership has increased during the past year, by 117 members, and now stands at 2,111. This, however, does not fully represent the number of Sabbath-keepers, as at the time the last reports were received, those who had accepted the truth as a result of the camp-meetings had not joined any church.

Eight churches have been organized, and seventeen Sabbath-schools added. The Sabbath-school membership has increased by four hundred and fifty-three pupils.

Small companies of believers have sprung up in various parts of the field. These are located in Spring Valley, Bunbury, Capel, and Geraldton, West Australia; Gawler and Terowie, South Australia; Lismore, New South Wales; Upper Huon, Tasmania; Bundaberg, Queensland.

Camp-meetings have been held in Brisbane, Queensland; Lambton, New South Wales; Ovingham, South Australia; Bendigo, Victoria; Christchurch, New Zealand; and Launceston, Tasmania. With the exception of the one in Brisbane, these have all been followed with tent-meetings.

During the Launceston camp-meeting, Tasmania (which had been worked as a mission field) was organized into a Conference. There are now six Conferences in Australasia. West Australia still remains a mission field, its membership not being strong enough to carry the work in its territory.

There have been, on an average, seventy canvassers in the field, during the past year, devoting their entire time to the sale of our large books. The total value of their sales has been 16,381 pounds sterling ($79,611.66). Smaller books have been sold to the value of 1,702 pounds sterling ($8,271.72). The Bible Echo sales average 6,000 copies a week, and those of the Herald of Health 6,000 a month.

The Avondale school has progressed rapidly, with an ever-increasing attendance. The number of students who have entered the work of the Lord on leaving school, has been very high proportionately.

Church schools have been organized in North Fitzroy, Victoria; Newcastle and Stanmore, New South Wales; Brisbane, Queensland; and Hobart, Tasmania. They have all been successful, and others will be opened as soon as teachers can be prepared for them.

The medical work has met with some severe checks. Treatment rooms have been opened in Brisbane and Rockhampton, Queensland, but owing to a long drought and attendant circumstances, those in Brisbane have been closed.

The new building for the Sydney sanitarium is proceeding slowly, but steadily. The patronage at the Sydney sanitarium, Christchurch sanitarium, Avondale health retreat, and Newcastle bathrooms, is not as large as we desire to see it, but we trust that the Lord will give the needed success to these institutions. The Adelaide institute has steadily prospered.

The Helping Hand Mission for men, in Melbourne, has been put on a self-supporting basis, and is doing good work. It is well patronized all the time, notwithstanding the strictness of its rules.

The Bethany Home, Napier, New Zealand, is still carrying forward its work. The visible results are not great, but it is hoped that the seed sown may yet spring forth and bear fruit.

A forward step has been taken by all our Conferences in their determination to free themselves from debt. This has, to some extent, checked the aggressive work of the Conference, but it has been felt that we should not go beyond the providence of God, as indicated by the money placed in His treasury. We believe that the Lord will bless these united efforts to “owe no man anything.”

The Queensland Conference has had the additional burden of a severe drought, which has largely cut down its work, but signs of returning prosperity are observable in that field.

We have taken our first steps toward enlarging our borders, by devoting our Sabbath-school donations to the islands of the sea. So far they have been used wholly in the publication and distribution of literature in the native language. We have sent two workers to Rarotonga, and trust this may be but a beginning.

As we look over the work of this past year, we can but thank God that He has done so much through His servants. At the camp-meetings and tent-meetings many thousands of people have heard this warning message. Some have accepted it, others are considering it, and will accept when the question really comes to an open issue, and others have rejected it; but for all these our appointed work has been, to some extent, done.

At least twenty thousand families have received one of our large books, and many more a copy of one of our small books, or a periodical. Through the medical work many have heard of this truth who could not otherwise have been reached; and thus a large amount of seed has been sown. The harvest will be gathered later.