Proceedings of the Second Annual Meeting of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.
This meeting was held, according to appointment of the Committee, at Battle Creek, Mich., Wednesday, May 18, 1864, at 9 o'clock A. M. Prayer by Bro. White. Duly elected and authorized delegates were present from New England, the N. Y. and Pa. State Conference, Ohio, Michigan, the Ills. and Wis. State Conference, and Minnesota. Bro. Geo. I. Butler, of Waukon, Iowa, being present, on motion of Bro. White he was received as a delegate from that State. J. H. Waggoner was also received as a delegate to the Conference in behalf of Ohio, where he has labored mostly during the past year. Minutes of last meeting read and accepted. Report of missionary labor performed under the direction of the General Conference Committee was then called for, and submitted by Bro. Loughborough, who read reports from M. E. Cornell, S. Pierce, the Vermont State Conference, and himself. A summary of his own labors was given as follows: Traveled fifty-eight hundred miles. Held two hundred and fifty meetings. Baptized thirty persons. Books and charts sold, $502. Subscribers obtained for the Review, thirty-six. Reports from others engaged on the mission were equally encouraging. The standing of the mission is as follows: Number of names enrolled in churches organized and partly organized, two hundred and fifty-three. Amount of s. B. fund, $1051.34. Amount pledged to the mission, $882.65. The report was accepted. Brn. White and Andrews expressed their gratification at the good results thus far of the Eastern Mission. The Treasurer's report was then called for and submitted, showing the following result: Amount of funds in treasury, May 20, 1863, $384.25. Received during the year, $2122.18. Total, $2506.43. Amount expended, $1715.12. Funds on hand to balance $791.31. Report accepted. Adjourned to 2 o'clock P. M. Afternoon session. Prayer by Bro. Andrews. The following preamble and resolution was presented by Bro. White, and adopted: Whereas, It seems most proper that the Executive Committees of the several State Conferences should be composed of ministers in those States where three ministers suitable for the office can be found; and Whereas, It would be embarrassing to such a Committee to have the whole responsibility of settling with the ministers of their Conference, therefore Resolved, That we recommend to the State Conferences to choose a Committee of six to act with the Executive Committee in the settlement of accounts with ministers for the preceding year. Distribution of laborers for the coming year was then taken into consideration, whereupon Bro. Loughborough spoke for the cause East, Bro. Andrews for the cause in N. Y., Bro. Waggoner for Ohio, Bro. Ingraham for Wisconsin and Ills., Bro. Morse for Minnesota, Bro. Butler for Iowa, and Bro. Lawrence for Michigan. From all parts of the field, with the exception of Minnesota, the reports were encouraging, and the prospects represented as most cheering. The election of officers for the coming year being taken up, the action of the Conference resulted as follows: For President, John Byington; remaining members of Executive Committee, G. W. Amadon and J. N. Loughborough; Secretary, U. Smith; Treasurer, E. S. Walker. The following resolution by Bro. Andrews was unanimously adopted: Whereas, We deem the recent work of sister White, entitled, "An Appeal to Mothers," a work of great importance for general circulation, therefore Resolved, That we earnestly commend this book to the attention of our brethren everywhere, and that we especially call the attention of parents and guardians to the duty of placing it in the hands of the young. Adjourned, subject to the call of the Committee. Extra session, evening after the Sabbath. The subject of the distribution of laborers again taken up. The following resolution was offered by Bro. White, and unanimously adopted: Resolved, That it is the judgment of this Conference that Eld. Isaac Sanborn, of Wisconsin, should return to Minnesota, to labor there under the direction of the General Conference. On motion of Bro. Loughborough, the Vermont State Conference, at the request of said Conference, was admitted to the General Conference. Voted, That the doings of this Conference be published in the Advent Review. Adjourned to the call of the Committee. JOHN BYINGTON, President.