Mission and Relief Funds by W. T. Knox

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Feb 5, 1914

Mission and Relief Funds

By W. T. Knox

Herewith are submitted reports of receipts of the mission and relief funds by the General Conference treasury. The first report is for the six months ended Dec. 31, 1913, and is based on twenty cents a week per member, and shows that seven union conferences have met the requirement of the plan, and have paid in excess $26,069.94; that thirty-nine of the seventy-nine local conferences of North America made satisfactory records. The five unions that failed in attaining the standard, show a combined shortage of $27,632.90, the total receipts from all conferences being $330,077.44, leaving a shortage for the six months of $1,562.96.

The second table gives the result for the entire year, the first six months having been upon the basis of fifteen cents a week per member, the last six months on a twenty-cent basis, making the average requirement per member for the year, $9.10, which, if fully realized, would have yielded $580,370.70. Only four unions, however, reached the standard,—the Eastern and the Western Canadian, the Southeastern, and the Northern. These four paid into the treasury $13,271.78 in excess of the required amount. The other unions fell short to the extent of $92,287.17, the total result being, receipts, $500,824.46, leaving a net shortage for the year of $79,015.39. Inasmuch as this shortage is within $1,500 of the amount of the shortage for the first six months of the year, it shows very plainly the necessity of our putting forth greater effort in the first of the year. Our extra efforts during the closing part of the year have been entirely consumed in the loss that had been created in the earlier part.

Taking it altogether, however, the reports contain much to encourage us. This is especially so in the excellent records of some of the Western conferences that have suffered so severely from drought, but we cannot but greatly regret that all the conferences were not able to make a favorable report. The combined shortage of those thus failing, amounting to $104,000, would have meant much to our training schools and sanitariums. What has been accomplished should, however, be an encouragement to us to take up our task for 1914 with a determination to succeed this year. W. T. Knox.