General Conference Bulletin, vol. 4
BIENNIAL REPORT OF GENERAL CONFERENCE DISTRICT 3
A. J. BREED
General Conference District 3 is composed of the following State Conferences: Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and the Province of Ontario. The territory, not including Ontario, has 248,619 square miles, with a population of 15,984,303,—64 to the square mile. There are 491 churches with a membership of 20,070; one church and 12 Sabbath-keepers to every 506 square miles. There are 570 Sabbath-schools, having a membership of 13,802. GCB April 8, 1901, page 133.8
There has been raised for the support of the work from all sources, including book sales, tithes, annual offerings, First-day offerings, and Sabbath-school contributions, $343,602.34. The funds are divided as follows: Book sales, $52,216,33; tithes, $253,167.66; annual offerings, $8,755.42; First-day offerings, $5,805.70; Sabbath-school contributions, $23,662.23, making a gain in tithes of $45,281.66; annual offerings a loss of $6,180.58; and a gain in First-day offerings of $511.70. The Sabbath-schools donated $8,366.23 of their funds to the work in foreign fields, and $4,430.34 was sent to the Haskell Home. The tithe per capita is $12.61. GCB April 8, 1901, page 133.9
There are laboring in the district 85 ordained ministers, 65 licentiates, 82 Bible workers, and 66 canvassers, making a total of 298. Fifteen have been ordained during the last two years. GCB April 8, 1901, page 133.10
The following periodicals are taken: Review and Herald, 4,431; Signs of the Times, 7,044; Sentinel of Liberty, 1,711; Youth’s Instructor, 2,897; Good Health, 6,488; Medical Missionary and Gospel of Health, 1,769; Hausfreund, 436; Evangeliets-Sendebud, 507; Sions Vaktare, 429. GCB April 8, 1901, page 133.11
The subject of education has been a special feature of the work throughout the whole district. Michigan, Illinois, and Wisconsin have each established and erected buildings for the purpose of carrying on industrial school work. Besides this, a number of church schools have been started in each Conference. This has necessarily taken several thousand dollars, which is not included in the foregoing amounts. GCB April 8, 1901, page 133.12
A move has been started within the last year to free Battle Creek College and Mt. Vernon Academy from debt by the sale of “Christ’s Object Lessons,” which has resulted in the sale of 13,692 books in the college district, and 2,700 in Ohio. The amount received for the college is $17,115; that received from the sales in Ohio, which is $3,375, will go direct to the academy, making a total of $17,067 received for the relief of the schools. GCB April 8, 1901, page 133.13
This has resulted in awakening an interest among the churches not seen for many years, and many have taken hold of the work of canvassing, which, if followed up, will free the schools from debt, and cause the jubilee song of freedom to be sung throughout all our borders. GCB April 8, 1901, page 133.14
MICHIGAN
The Michigan Conference has 175 churches, with a membership of 7,722,—a gain of 31 churches, with a gain in membership of 311 since the last General Conference. The tithe during this time has been $105,321.94,—a gain of $10,585.94. The tithe per capita is $13.63,—a gain of 83 cents. The book sales have been $10,596.51. There has been raised for the work in foreign fields in annual offerings, $2,146,83; First-day offerings, $1,182.63,—a loss of $6,570.54 during this biennial period. GCB April 8, 1901, page 133.15
There are 179 Sabbath-schools, with a membership of 5,134. The Sabbath-school contributions have been $7,326.47, of which $2,315.06 has been donated to the work in foreign fields, and $1,489.68 raised for the Haskell Home. GCB April 8, 1901, page 133.16
There are laboring in the Conference 27 ordained ministers, 22 licentiates, 20 Bible workers, and 5 canvassers, making a total of 74 who give their whole time to the work. GCB April 8, 1901, page 133.17
WISCONSIN
This Conference has 92 churches with a membership of 3,400. Nine new churches have been added to the Conference, with a gain in membership of 315. The laborers consist of 20 ordained ministers, 8 licentiates, and 24 Bible workers. No regular canvassers have been at work, yet they have sold $12,997.87 worth of books. GCB April 8, 1901, page 133.18
There has been raised for the support of the work, in tithes and offerings, $46,702.16, of which amount $41,315.60 is tithe,—a gain of $7,439.60 in two years. The rate per capita is $12.16,—a gain of $1.25. The annual offerings are $2,354.83, and the First-day offerings are $1,510.46. The Sabbath-schools have raised $4,608.98, donating $2,798.55 to the work of foreign missions, and $1.059.55 to the Haskell Home. GCB April 8, 1901, page 133.19
These gifts and offerings do not include the amount raised for the erection and establishment of Woodland Academy, which, in the aggregate, amount to several thousand dollars. The school has been in active operation for two years, and is proving an important factor in the Conference in educating the young people for a place in the work. GCB April 8, 1901, page 133.20
ILLINOIS
The Illinois Conference has 54 churches, with a membership of 1,950, a gain of 7 churches, and a gain in membership of 400. The amount of tithe paid during the two years covered by this report is $28,069.26,—a gain of $2,601.26. The tithe per capita is $14.29. The annual offerings have been $1,335, and the First-day offerings, $1,402—a gain of $1.34 in two years. The Sabbath-schools have raised $2,653.41,—a gain of $587. Total of funds raised for the work at home and abroad, $32,968.27. The Sabbath-schools donated $1,034.31 of their funds to the work in foreign fields, and $491.40 for the care of the children at the Haskell Home. GCB April 8, 1901, page 134.1
The foregoing does not include what has been raised for the Sheridan Industrial School, which was opened last year. They have a school in successful operation, with 75 students enrolled. This school meets a long-felt want in the State. GCB April 8, 1901, page 134.2
The work is divided among the laborers as follows: 12 ordained ministers, 11 licentiates, 13 Bible workers, and a few canvassers, number not known. Twelve hundred dollars’ worth of books has been sold during the two years. The Conference operates a colporteur wagon, which has been the means of distributing many of our publications among the people, who otherwise would never have had an opportunity of hearing the truth. GCB April 8, 1901, page 134.3
INDIANA
This Conference has 71 churches, with a membership of 2,226, a gain of seven churches, with a gain in membership of 395. There are laboring in the State, 13 ordained ministers, 14 licentiates, 4 Bible workers, and 15 canvassers. They have sold in the past two years, $10,286.84 worth of different publications. There has been raised, in tithes, $25,862.62, which has been used for the support of the ministry, with $910.13 of annual offerings, and $343.58 of First-day offerings. The Sabbath-schools, of which there are 77, with a membership of 1,812, have raised $1,103.36, donating $1,048.56 of this amount to the foreign mission work, besides $734.29 to the Haskell Home. There has been a falling off in the funds raised for the work in foreign fields of $652.22, but a gain in tithe of $6,175.62. The tithe per capita is $11.65,—a gain of 90 cents for each member. GCB April 8, 1901, page 134.4
OHIO
The Ohio Conference is composed of 84 churches, with a membership of 2,200. Five churches, with a membership of 100, have been added to the Conference. The laborers consist of 12 ordained ministers, 10 licentiates, 18 Bible workers, and 25 canvassers. They have sold $12,000 worth of books. Besides that which has been raised by the sale of publications, there has been raised for the support of the work, both at home and abroad, $42,943.51, a gain of $3,409.51. The tithe amounted to $36,204.51, the annual offerings to $1,732.14, and the First-day offerings to $1,367.03. The Sabbath-schools, of which there are 107, having a membership of 1,913, have raised $4,252.56, donating to the missions in foreign fields $1,783.17, and $612.73 for the benefit of the children at the Haskell Home. There has been a gain in tithes of $2,121.51, a gain in the other funds of $1,352. The tithe per capita is $16.45,—22 cents a member. GCB April 8, 1901, page 134.5
ONTARIO
In the spring of 1899, the General Conference Committee advised, all things being favorable, that the Province of Ontario be organized into a Conference. At the camp meeting held at London, June 9-18, following, this was accordingly done. There were at that time 7 organized churches, with a membership of about 350. There were 8 unorganized companies at the time. GCB April 8, 1901, page 134.6
At present there are laboring in the new Conference 6 ordained ministers, 1 licentiate, 6 Bible workers, and 11 canvassers. They have sold books to the amount of $5,180.11. The tithe has been $5,276.52; annual offerings, $276.49. This is for only one year. GCB April 8, 1901, page 134.7
There are 15 churches, with a membership of 413. There are two unorganized companies, having a membership of 51. They have 15 Sabbath-schools, with a membership of 370. The Sabbath-schools have raised, in contributions, $421.92, and donated $283.14 of this amount to the foreign work, besides $42.69 to the Haskell Home. GCB April 8, 1901, page 134.8
There has been a spirit of labor in the district, that in many respects is commendable. Several of the Conferences have expressed a willingness to offer to the General Conference and the Mission Board some of their most trusty and efficient laborers, to labor in any part of the world, wherever they can be the most useful, supporting them while in the field. There is a desire to carry the work into the regions beyond, and some of the Conference Committees have been studying how they could meet the demands upon them at home, and respond to the many calls that are made for help. Already Michigan is sustaining the work in the Island of Sumatra by supporting Elder R. W. Munson in that field. GCB April 8, 1901, page 134.9
This has revived the missionary spirit in the hearts of the brethren and sisters in Michigan, and they are looking forward to the time when they can be instrumental in doing more of this work. Other Conferences are doing the same. They believe in the words of the Saviour, “Ask, and it shall be given you,” so if the General Conference and the Mission Board ask the Conferences in District 3 to move out in these lines, we believe it will meet with a hearty response. GCB April 8, 1901, page 134.10
A. J. BREED,
Supt. District 3.
Just to leave in His dear hand
Little things,
All we can not understand,
All that stings.
Just to let him take the care,
Sorely pressing,
Finding all we let him bear
Changed to blessing.
This is all, and yet the way
Marked by him who loves the best,—
Secret of a happy day,
Secret of his promised rest.
GCB April 8, 1901, page 134.11
Francis Ridley Havergal.