North England Conference at Leicester
By Elmer E. Andross
Annual Address of the President
THROUGH the tender mercies of our God, a goodly number have been permitted to assemble in this, the second annual meeting of the North England Conference; and in behalf of the executive committee of the conference we welcome you to these pleasant grounds, and to all the meetings of the conference, which, we trust, may be graced by the presence of our Great Leader and coming King. We feel that we have great reason for gratitude to God that the lives and health of our people have been so graciously preserved through the past year; and yet in the midst of our gratitude for these mercies we remember with sadness the fact that death has taken from our midst three of our most promising young people: Sisters Lillian Burbridge, of Birmingham; May Howell, of Ulceby; and Helen Brandt, of Leeds; besides these, Brother Chapman, of Leeds, and Brother Wharrie, of Hull, have been laid to rest; but we are cheered with the thought that they all sleep in Jesus, and are safe in his keeping; and that soon, yea, very soon, the Life-giver will return for his own, and we shall meet them where death's reign will be ended. With deep gratitude of heart we acknowledge the Lord's special blessing in the prosperity that has attended the labors of our workers in the field, and the efforts of our brethren and sisters throughout the conference to carry the gospel of the kingdom to the world. A good degree of success attended the labors of Elders Haughey and McCord, Brother Ellis, and Sister Bacon, in the tent which they pitched last summer, first in Higher, and later in Lower Broughton, Manchester. The work was continued in a hall through the winter, by Elder Haughey, the efforts resulting in the baptism of fifteen candidates, and the organization of a church with a membership of thirty-two and a full corps of efficient workers. These results are, to a large degree, due to the faithful seed-sowing for several years in the past, of the company of Sabbath-keepers who now act as pillars in the church. Elder Haughey, Brother Ellis, and Sister Cousins have been successful in arousing an interest on the opposite side of Manchester, in Moss Side, where they have had their tent pitched since June 5. The tent-meeting conducted here in Leicester last summer by Elder Altman, Brother Marchus, Sister Cousins, and myself, and continued through the winter in a hall, has resulted in the organization of a church of sixteen members, fully officered. This number has since been increased to twenty-seven. A good interest in the truth still continues, and we have reason to expect substantial results from the efforts put forth. Last year after the tent season was past, by invitation of the committee, Elder McCord located in Birmingham, and, assisted by Sister Sanders, began an aggressive effort in Kings Heath, which, with the Lord's blessing, has resulted in the organization of the second church in that great center of population, with a membership of nineteen. The first of June of this year Brother Marchus joined the company of workers, and they have since been conducting a successful effort in Sparkhill, adjoining Kings Heath. Believing that it would be to the advantage of the work in Birkenhead for the company of Sabbath-keepers there to be organized into a church, this was accomplished January 28, and it now numbers fourteen. Elder Haughey has the immediate oversight of this church, as well as of the church in Liverpool and the companies in Wigan and Bolton. In these two latter towns he has conducted weekly meetings through the winter, with some results, especially in Wigan, where twelve have taken their stand for the truth. Elder Parsons and his mother have been laboring the greater part of the past year in Hull and Ulceby with a good degree of success. During the past year fourteen have been baptized in Hull. Since Brother Parsons and his mother have come to Leicester to assist in the work here, Brother Gillatt has been continuing the work in Hull and Ulceby, and not without fruit. After the close of our tent season last year, Elder Altman located in Nottingham, and was soon joined by Sister Bacon. Within a few weeks of this time, however, in response to an earnest invitation from the General Conference, Elder Altman and his family left us, to connect with the work in South Africa. We felt this loss very much at the time, and still feel it; but realizing that “the field is the world,” and that the tried and experienced workers are most needed in the more difficult fields, your committee felt it a privilege to acquiesce in the call of the General Conference and the British Union Conference, and released these workers, whom we had learned to esteem very highly in love for their work's sake. Brother and Sister Marchus were then asked to join Sister Bacon in the work in Nottingham; and while the work there has moved slowly, it is onward, and their hearts have been cheered by seeing a few take their stand with God's remnant people. Brother Brandt has been faithfully laboring in Leeds throughout the year. Peculiar difficulties have had to be met there, but I am pleased to say that the Lord is giving the victory. Several have been led to accept the faith, and the outlook for the work is not at all discouraging. I would not forget to mention the untiring efforts of our faithful canvassers. Through the past year we have had about forty agents in the field handling our different periodicals; and they, with the assistance of our local tract societies, have each week placed in the hands of the people 6,206 copies of Present Truth, or a total of 322,719 for the year; and each month 18,928 copies of Good Health, making 227,136 for the year. Besides these, 14,893 copies of that most excellent paper, Our Day, have been distributed, making a grand total of 564,748 papers for the year. From twelve to sixteen agents have been engaged in the sale of our bound books, and they have succeeded in placing books to the value of £1,084 17s. 6d. in the homes of the people. Brother Gillatt spent six months of the year in the employ of the conference as general agent. What the results of this most excellent self-denying missionary work will be, will not be fully known till the glorious day when the Master will give every man according as his work shall be. “He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” Besides attending to the work of the office, Brother Castle has rendered efficient service in the tent work, and also in corresponding with and visiting our churches and companies, with the special object of reviving the missionary spirit, and setting the members to work with tracts, loaning them from house to house. Some very encouraging results have followed this effort; and we sincerely hope that this meeting may result in awakening a much more general and active interest in this and all other missionary efforts in behalf of our friends and neighbors, as well as those in heathen lands, that they may be led to the only place of refuge from the impending judgments against the transgressors of God's law, the pavilion of divine truth. We are happy to report that this long-neglected work has had a beginning in the school so successfully started by Sister Castle in the church at Kettering, shortly after our last annual conference. On account of the necessity of the daily journey from Leicester to Kettering, through the winter season, resulting in the breaking down of her health, it became necessary for Sister Castle to resign her work the middle of March, very much to the regret of all, both parents and students. The school board, however, was fortunate in securing the services of Sister Raywell, of Hull, who has since continued the school. It had an enrolment of twenty-six, with an average attendance of twenty-four. Believing that we are near the end, it behooves us to take a more lively interest in the education and training of our children for the kingdom; and we look forward with earnest solicitude to the time when all our churches shall have the advantage of thoroughly equipped schools, where our own and our neighbors' children may receive such a training. Believing the Sabbath-school to be one of our most important departments of church work, and that it should receive19special attention on the part of the conference, at its last session Sister Castle was elected Sabbath-school secretary. After diligent effort on the part of the secretary, we are able to report some progress. At the end of the first quarter of the conference year, we had thirteen schools, with a membership of three hundred and fifty-five, and an average attendance of two hundred and fifty-one. At its close, we have seventeen schools, with a membership of four hundred and ninety, and an average attendance of three hundred and sixty, representing an increase for the nine months of four schools, and one hundred and nine members. The total donations for the year were £93 11s. 3d. This year a much larger per cent of the donations has been turned over to the mission work than formerly. Not having the statistics of the previous year, it is impossible to compare this year's work with the past. Brother and Sister Castle have held a number of conventions with the different schools, with good results. We praise the Lord for what we have seen in the forward movement in this department of our work. It is with much pleasure that we speak of the opening of our sanitarium, February 8, last. The Lord has blessed the efforts of Dr. Richards and her faithful staff of workers; and with the visits of Dr. Olsen, they have been successful in bringing health and happiness to many who have sought their assistance. The building, with its excellent equipment, which has so providentially been placed in our hands for a period of years, has an accommodation for ten or twelve in-patients, besides a large number of out-patients. While the patronage has not been large, it has in no way been discouraging, considering the fact that it is our youngest child in this department of the work. Our tithe has increased during the year to the extent of £123. While this is not so large an increase as we had hoped, and as we had reason to expect, yet you will be pleased to know that with the very generous assistance of the California Conference we have been able to settle with all our laborers, leaving a small amount in the treasury. During the past year we have organized four new churches, besides the conference church that consists of our scattered members. Three of these churches were formed very largely of new Sabbath-keepers. We have baptized eighty-five, and forty-eight have been received by vote, making a total of one hundred and thirty-three for the year, bringing our membership up to four hundred and one, June 30. This does not include unbaptized Sabbath-keepers. We have at least twenty-five or thirty throughout the conference awaiting baptism. We now surrender into the hands of this conference the responsibilities placed upon us one year ago; and while we acknowledge with gratitude the many blessings received while attempting to discharge the responsibilities, and rejoice that we are able to report some degree of progress in the work, yet we are sorry that a larger degree of success has not crowned all the efforts put forth; and now, with you, we gladly consecrate all to God, praying for the fulness of the Spirit's power that, in the coming year, we may go forth ‘conquering and to conquer,’ and thus hasten the final glad reunion of the scattered hosts of the Lord, when, with the palm branch of victory and the crown of glory, we shall join in the victor's song of triumph around the throne of God.