Southern California Camp-Meeting by G. W. Reaser

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Sep 27, 1906

Southern California Camp-Meeting

By G. W. Reaser

The general camp-meeting for southern California was held in the city of Los Angeles, according to appointment, August 16-26. The attendance was much larger than at any previous meeting held by our people in this conference. The last census of the Southern California Conference showed a membership of sixteen hundred and seven. By actual count there were thirteen hundred and seventy-four persons present in the Sabbath-school the last Sabbath of the meeting, and a conservative estimate of the total number of our people who were present during at least a portion of the camp-meeting was fifteen hundred.

The camp was well prepared when the people arrived, and the weather was ideal for tent life. The preaching of the definite message for this time was much appreciated by our people, and met with a hearty response.

The laborers from outside the conference were Elders S. N. Haskell, Geo. B. Thompson, H. W. Cottrell, W. C. White, and F. I. Richardson. Brethren W. H. Covell and H. H. Hall were also present a portion of the time, and gave attention to the book work.

Five new churches were organized in the conference during the year, with a total membership of about two hundred and fifty souls.

It was voted by the conference in session that southern California take immediate steps to establish a mission station in the State of Sinaloa, Mexico. A large number of our young people volunteered to consecrate their lives for missionary service, and to go wherever the Lord may lead. Six or more of these will soon be located in distant fields.

After a statement of our conference finances had been submitted, it was voted to place $5,000 of our surplus tithe in the hands of our Mission Board, to be used in establishing a mission station in Uganda, Central Africa, and a mountain station in India. We had previously given $2,000 of our first tithe to assist our people in central California, who suffered so severely from the earthquake, and $578.72 of our second tithe had previously been forwarded to the Mission Board. Besides these amounts, $4,594.86 in various offerings had been sent to fields outside of our conference, making a total of $12,173.58 given by our people in southern California through the channel of the conference, to carry the glad tidings of the soon coming of our King to the regions beyond. To the Pacific Union Conference was sent $4,846.26, making a grand total of $17,019.84.

The indebtedness of the various departments of our conference, including the conference proper, the Los Angeles Food Company, Fernando Academy, and the tract society, was reduced about twenty-eight thousand dollars during the year, besides keeping up all current expenses in these departments, and erecting a two-story conference warehouse, and the investment of above eight hundred dollars in much-needed tents.

The financial statement of Glendale Sanitarium showed a substantial net gain, after making liberal allowance for depreciation in buildings and furnishings. Loma Linda and Paradise Valley Sanitariums each showed some financial loss in their first year's work, but we hope for better results in the future.

The total first tithe received by our conference treasurer during the year ending June 30, 1906, was $30,136.87. Total second tithe received for the same period was $6,964.72.

During the meetings calls were made for donations for Loma Linda Sanitarium and Fernando Academy, with the result that cash and subscriptions were received for the former to the amount of $12,500, and for the latter to the amount of $4,250. Besides these free-will offerings on the part of the people, sixty-five dollars was donated for the purchase of an organ for our missionaries in the Philippines; 750 subscriptions were taken for Liberty, and above 2,000 copies of a special number of Bible Training School were sold by Sisters McDonald and Lackey, who are in this manner raising a fund of $1,000 for our new evangelistic school at Loma Linda. A strong conviction seemed to prevail in the meeting that our earnest and united efforts should be to liquidate our indebtedness as rapidly as possible.

For the first time since the adoption of the second tithe plan by our conference, we had a substantial surplus at the close of the year. After paying our fourteen church-school teachers and our faculty at Fernando in full for the past year, we still had a surplus of $1,209.60. Of this amount our conference committee set apart $200 to assist the poorer members of our conference in attending the camp-meeting. This was certainly carrying out the principle in the use of the second tithe in ancient Israel.

It was voted to discontinue the practise of holding two sessions of our conference each year, and also to abandon the keeping of our restaurant open on the Sabbath at our camp-meetings hereafter.

No feature of our excellent camp-meeting was more encouraging to the writer than the results attained in the winning of souls. On the last Sabbath of this feast of tabernacles, when an invitation was given to those who were burdened with sin to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour, fully two hundred responded to the call. Of these seventy have thus far been baptized, and others were referred to their home churches for baptism.

The faithful work done by those in charge of the young people and children on the camp-ground was a factor in the accomplishment of this result.

We have reason to believe that our people in southern California were never of better courage in the work of the Lord than at this present time.

May he who gave his only begotten Son that we might enjoy his presence and overflowing life evermore, and he who expressed his ardent desire by enduring the cross of Calvary that we might share his own glory, quicken our hearts in self-renouncing service, fill us with his own Spirit of energy and love, that we may nobly perform our part as messengers of heaven in finishing the last gospel work that will ever be committed to men or to angels.

G. W. REASER.