North Pacific Union Institute and Conference
By G. B. Thompson
THE fifth biennial session of the North Pacific Union Conference was held at College Place, Wash., Feb. 25 to March 8, 1914. The meetings were held in the new church building, which is a neat, commodious structure, and admirably adapted for the holding of such large gatherings as this one, which included, especially in the evenings, the membership of the church, the students of the college, and practically all the workers in the union. The meeting, however, was well planned and thoroughly organized, and the daily program was carried out with promptness and decision, which added much to its success. The first six days were devoted entirely to the work of a ministerial institute. All the laborers were very prompt in attendance, being, almost without exception, in their seats at the opening of every service. All were present for business. For weeks before the meeting opened, some of the officers and others met daily to especially pray that the Lord would abundantly bless in the coming gathering of his servants. It was evident from the opening services that all the workers had been deeply impressed with the forward movement seen among God's people, and had set their hearts to follow the rising Pillar of Cloud, which is moving on toward the Promised Land. They had sought God for special personal blessings, and he heard their prayers and brought to them a new experience. They were thus enabled to enter most earnestly into the work of seeking God for a new vision of their own hearts, of the magnitude of the work, of the value of lost souls, and of the inexpressible joy which will come to the redeemed. The Lord greatly blessed during the entire institute. Elder Evans experienced much of the blessing of the Lord in setting before us the high calling of the gospel ministry, and the consecrated lives which should be lived by those who take upon them the solemn vows of the sacred calling. It was my privilege to lead in studies upon the subjects of "The Study of God's Word," "Prayer," and "The Finishing of the Message in This Generation." Elder W. W. Eastman gave special attention to the home missionary and colporteur work, and the Lord blessed in this important work. The entire meeting was a time of great heart searching. A burden was upon all hearts to be right with God, that they might share in the promise of his Spirit. Sins were confessed, wrongs righted, and a spirit of genuine intercession was upon us daily. New courage and hope came to all our hearts, and a burden for souls such as never was felt before came upon all God's servants, and they expressed a deep anxiety to return to their fields so that they might bring to the people the blessings which God had brought into their own hearts, believing confidently that God would bring new power to their labors as they went forth to proclaim the truth. This was indeed a good meeting. As we met daily with the large body of strong, consecrated laborers in this great Northwest, and heard their earnest prayers for deliverance from sin and for power to win souls to Christ, we felt assured that a new era has dawned in the work of God in this field, and that a period of great soul saving is just before this important conference, from which so many able workers have gone to other lands in past years, and from which many tens of thousands of dollars have been willingly contributed for the advancement and establishment of the work of God in the regions beyond. The same blessed spirit was seen in the transaction of business. The utmost unity was manifested in the discussion of all the plans proposed. Careful consideration was given to all the necessary business, but it required only three days to complete it. The reports from the various conferences and departmental secretaries indicated an encouraging growth of the work in various lines. There has been a good increase in the number of souls that have been brought into the truth in different parts of the field, finances have increased, and a spirit of courage was shown in all the reports rendered. The following summary is from the interesting report which was rendered by the president for the last biennial term:— We have employed an average of 35 ordained and 19 licensed ministers, 19 Bible workers, 125 teachers, during the summer season about 50 bookmen, and during the winter season an average of 20. The churches number 162, with a membership of 7,659, a gain in membership of 1,441. The per capita tithe paid was $18.11; the total tithe received, $247,311; the amount turned over to the General Conference, $46,725; total amount of trust funds sent to the General Conference, $157,525; amount of trust funds aside from the per cent of tithe, $115,328; per capita offering to missions, $18.40. We have 282 Sabbath schools, with a membership of 8,445. The Sabbath school membership exceeds the church membership by 786. The Sabbath school offerings amounted to $47,663; sales of literature, $132,572; sales per capita, $20.40. Elder C. W. Flaiz was unanimously reelected president of the union for the coming biennial term. The other officers elected were practically the same as for the previous term. All entered upon their duties with renewed courage in God and with the confidence and support of the delegates and brethren throughout the field. During the conference, Elder F. A. Detamore returned from Singapore for a brief vacation. He occupied one evening of the meeting, setting before the conference the blessing which he had experienced in his labors in the East Indies, and the need of more experienced and tried laborers for that great island mission field, where so many millions are sitting in darkness and the shadow of death, waiting for the light of the gospel to shine upon their pathway. With the Sabbath service there closed8what we believe was one of the best and most spiritual conferences ever held in the Northwest. On this day of rest the Lord most abundantly poured upon his servants a rich blessing. A copious shower of the Holy Spirit indeed fell upon our hearts and encouraged us to press forward in the Master's work. Righteousness by faith brought courage to all hearts, and many testified to the victories they had experienced during the meeting. We believe that all the laborers returned to their fields with the power of the Spirit to extend the truth into new fields and to bring a large ingathering of souls into the glorious light of this message which God has committed to us. It is indeed a message of salvation. The same joy that it has brought to our hearts will be experienced by thousands of others, as, with earnest zeal and consecrated hearts, we publish the message everywhere. We feel sure that if this earnest body of laborers go forth with the one determined purpose to win souls for Christ, the Lord of the harvest will abundantly bless their labors, and speedily finish his work in this part of the harvest field. The outlook for the advancement of the work is indeed most encouraging in this field.