North American Division Conference Executive Committee Meeting
By G. B. Thompson
SEVERAL meetings of the North American Division Executive Committee were held at Loma Linda, Cal., in connection with the board meeting of the medical college, March 25-29, 1914. The following recommendations of general interest were passed:—
Harvest Ingathering
Voted, That the rallying cry of the Harvest Ingathering campaign for 1914 be, "One hundred thousand dollars for missions."
Missionary Campaign
The following plan for a great missionary campaign was very carefully considered and adopted:—
Believing that the hour has come when our people must devote themselves most earnestly to the finishing of the work, and desiring that every Seventh-day Adventist in the North American Division Conference shall take an active part in getting the third angel's message before the people of this division, we recommend the following:—
1. That a special missionary campaign, beginning Oct. 1, 1914, and continuing until the following spring, be definitely planned for by all our people.
This does not mean that we are in any way to slacken our missionary work during the interval between the present time and the date set; but that due preparations be made so that when the special campaign begins, the entire working force of our people may be utilized to the best advantage.
We earnestly solicit the cooperation of all union, local, and church officers, and pray that the Spirit of God may move upon our people everywhere to unite in making this plan a mighty factor in the giving of the message to the people of this division.
As a working basis on which we may all unite, we suggest the following:—
a. That each church be organized into missionary bands with suitable department leaders.
b. That these bands carry forward cottage meetings, Bible studies, medical missionary work, missionary correspondence, the selling and lending of our small books, and the distribution of tracts, pamphlets, periodicals, and magazines, and all other lines of missionary endeavor.
c. That we encourage every church member to engage daily in definite prayer for the salvation of some particular person or persons for whom the Lord may give a special burden.
d. That during the Sabbath services of the coming year we unite in prayer, beseeching the Lord's blessing upon the communities in which we live, praying that the Lord may lead souls to himself; and also for our ministry, that there may be a large ingathering of souls.
e. That we urge the home missionary secretaries in the territory of the North American Division Conference and the union and local conference executive committees to unite their efforts in effecting the organization of our churches into missionary bands, and to give definite instruction regarding field work.
2. That when possible, a suitable leader and organizer visit the churches, and set before them in detail the purpose and plans of our coming missionary campaign:—
a. By organizing the churches into missionary bands, and helping to select and instruct suitable leaders.
b. By carrying on a vigorous correspondence, keeping before the churches the importance and possibilities of this home missionary work.
c. By soliciting large clubs of the Campaign number of the Signs of the Times, endeavoring to reach the goal of not less than an average of two copies of the paper for each church member.
d. By encouraging the church to order in time so that a good supply of literature may be on hand for this work.
e. That monthly donations be taken from now until the campaign closes, in order that ample funds may be in hand to pay for our missionary literature.
f. That each person who is to canvass for our home workers' books, carefully study these books during the summer, so that he will be able to handle the same to advantage; and that special instruction be given by the home missionary secretaries on selling the small books.
g. That the following-named persons be appointed as a committee on literature, and that they be requested to give careful study to the special literature to be circulated during the missionary campaign: G. B. Thompson, Miss E. M. Graham, W. T. Knox, A. O. Tait, R. L. Pierce, I. A. Ford, W. A. Spicer, H. H. Hall, and F. M. Wilcox.
3. That our pioneer missionary paper, the Signs of the Times, be made a more active agent in our home missionary effort for the finishing of the work, as follows:—
a. That the publishers and editors plan for the contents of the paper to carry the third angel's message in its various phases twice a year.
b. That the six months' issue of the Signs of the Times, beginning Oct. 1, 1914, and ending March 1, 1915, be known in our correspondence as "The Home Missionary Series of the Signs of the Times."
c. That for this special Missionary Series, strong and forceful writers be secured from various parts of the field to present the truth through the columns of this paper in such a way as will appeal to the people.10
d. That our work in the mission fields be written up and well illustrated in each issue of the paper, so that the people may be able to understand more fully the magnitude of the work we are doing.
e. That the publishers of the Signs of the Times make the club rate for six months of the Missionary Series 60 cents to our people.
f. That large clubs of the Signs of the Times be solicited from our churches by those in charge of the work, and that we make the goal for the circulation of this paper not less than an average of two copies a church member.
g. That in addition to the use of the mails, we organize our churches for effective house-to-house work, territory being assigned to individuals as in the book work.
h. That during the fall and winter a canvass be made of the territory where our missionary papers have been circulated, in order to secure annual subscriptions for them at the regular subscription price.
4. That in conferences where there are a large number of foreign-speaking people, and our foreign papers can be used to advantage, we recommend that they be circulated, and that the publishers be urged to prepare these papers with special reference to this campaign, filling these periodicals with live matter dealing with the vital principles of Christianity and the great fundamental doctrines of the third angel's message.
5. That we accept the generous offer made by the Pacific Press Publishing Association to donate to our foreign mission work the entire net gain on the Signs of the Times; and that we request them to distribute said profits to the respective conferences on a pro rata basis according to the number of the copies of the Signs of the Times and similar missionary papers printed in foreign tongues, taken in each local conference; said profits to be applied the same as other regular offerings on the raising of the definite weekly sum for missions according to the plan adopted by the denomination, it being understood that this gift from the Pacific Press Publishing Association is designed to augment the mission offerings of the conferences as long as the standard remains at fifteen cents a week. But if the standard is increased to twenty cents, the amounts apportioned are to assist in attaining this amount.
6. That this campaign be kept before our people by articles in the REVIEW AND HERALD and the Church Officers' Gazette, by correspondence, and by earnest talks at camp meetings and other public gatherings, in order that our people may be fully aroused to active missionary work during this coming campaign.
Temperance Special of the "Signs"
Voted, That we request the Pacific Press Publishing Association to issue a special Temperance number of the Signs of the Times for use in the temperance campaigns which are to be carried forward in various parts of the United States and Canada during the coming summer and autumn.
Danish-Norwegian Seminary
A request from the Danish-Norwegian Seminary Board to build an addition to their building was laid before the committee. The seminary is unable properly to accommodate the students who are in attendance. The proposed addition is estimated to cost approximately $8,500. The proposition of the seminary board is to build on a strictly cash basis, in harmony with the plan set forth by the General and North American Division Conferences, the money to be raised before the addition is built, and no debt to be incurred.
Voted, That we concur in the plans of the Danish-Norwegian Seminary Board in making this proposed addition, with the understanding that the money will be raised before the building is put up, and no debt be incurred.
Educational Secretary
Prof. J. L. Shaw having been elected president of the Washington Missionary College, and this necessitating the giving of his entire time to the building up of the college, instead of to the Department of Education, Prof. Frederick Griggs was appointed to fill the vacancy as educational secretary. It was also further recommended that Prof. W. E. Howell continue as assistant secretary of the department.
Exchange of Laborers
The following recommendations for the exchange of laborers were voted:—
1. That the North Pacific Union be requested to release Elder A. V. Cotton to labor in the Atlantic Union.
2. That the Southeastern Union be requested to release Elder R. T. Nash, of Florida, to labor in North Dakota.
3. That the Pacific Union be requested to release J. H. Behrens to connect with the North Carolina Conference as president.
4. That the request received from the president of the Broadview Seminary for Dr. S. Jesperson and wife to connect with the institution as teachers, be granted.
5. That we pay the transportation of David Guldbrandson and wife from Iceland to Winnipeg, to labor among the Icelandic people, and that we pay his salary until Dec. 31, 1914.
Educational Convention
The question of holding the convention of the Educational, Missionary Volunteer, and Sabbath School Departments voted at the last fall council, was given further consideration. Following so soon after the last General Conference and the recent union conference institutes and conferences, in which practically all the workers have been called together, it seemed that it would be impossible to send from the various unions at the present time such a delegation as should be sent to a convention of this character. After careful consideration it was—
Voted, That the proposed education, Missionary Volunteer, and Sabbath school convention be deferred for the present.
Fall Council
Voted, That the fall council of the North American Division Conference Executive Committee be held at Takoma Park, D. C., Oct. 25 to Nov. 3, 1914.
Twenty-Cent-a-Week Fund
Consideration was given to the Twenty-cent-a-week Fund adopted at the last General Conference. It was recommended that the plan be adhered to by all our conferences, the plan being slightly modified in some particulars, as follows:—
The Twenty-cent-a-week Fund, twenty-five per cent of which is to apply on the institutional indebtedness, was recommended by the General Conference in open session, and the same policy was reaffirmed during the fall council, and it was voted that said policy should continue until the next session of the North American Division Conference; and,—
Whereas, this policy has been operative only from last July, and has not been given a sufficient test to determine whether we can find relief through it or not, we therefore recommend the following:—
1. That we continue this policy of twenty cents a week until the next session of the North American Division Conference, and that all union conferences unite in raising their full amount.
2. That in the distribution of the five cents a week per capita relief fund, we work on the following basis:—
a. That all funds be sent to the North American Division Conference treasurer.
b. That the full fifteen cents for foreign missions be paid monthly to the General Conference Treasury out of this Twenty-cent-a-week Fund.
c. That each union conference adopt such plans as it seems advisable in securing additional funds with which to liquidate its indebtedness.
d. That at the end of the year, that part of the five cents a week which may remain after making up any deficit, which may be in the whole field, in a full fifteen cents a week for foreign missions, shall be returned to the union conferences on a pro rata basis of the amounts received from each union above the fifteen cents a week.
e. That the proceeds received from the self-denial week appointed at the fall council, be returned to each conference, the same to be applied on institutional relief in the union conference.