p. 108 | QUARTERLY MEETINGS by Stephen N. Haskell

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Oct 4, 1877

QUARTERLY MEETINGS.

By Stephen N. Haskell

In Review, No. 23, of last volume, it was recommended by the General Conference Committee that each church hold a quarterly meeting in the first Sabbath in the quarter; that is the first Sabbath in January, April, July, and October. At this meeting the elder of the company will read the names of each member of the church, and it is expected that the members will respond. If each member cannot be present, then he should send a letter, so that the standing of each individual connected with the church may be known every three months. In the absence of an ordained elder the leader can conduct this meeting, although the ordinances should be postponed until the church is visited by either a minister or a local elder.

Then a business-meeting should be held, and the S. B. of the quarter promptly paid in the evening, or on the following first-day as the church may arrange.

Also it is the duty of the church librarian to place in the hands of each Tract Society member a blank report, which should be filled out and read at the business meeting, and then passed into the hands of the librarian, who will immediately forward all reports to the district secretary. A summary of labor performed by each church should be read at the district quarterly meeting, and forwarded to the State secretary. The district quarterly meeting should be held the second Sabbath in the quarter.

Then comes the State quarterly meeting, on the third Sabbath in the quarter, unless especial arrangements are made by the president or board of directors otherwise. Even in that case no disarrangement should be made in the church quarterly meetings. It is recommended that all our churches in every Conference adopt this plan.

Where there are unorganized companies, or those having no ordained elder, in the absence of a minister the leader of the meeting will perform all these duties, except administering the ordinances. The minister laboring in the vicinity of such company, or the director of the district in which they are located, should see that some minister or local elder visits them, and administers the ordinances, some time during the quarter.

It should be remembered that next Sabbath, Oct. 6, is the first Sabbath in October, and therefore the day for the church quarterly meeting. The Sabbath following, the district quarterly meeting is held, and the Sabbath following that is the time for each Conference to hold its quarterly meeting. S. N. HASKELL.