General Conference Bulletin, vol. 1
DISTRICT NO. 4 — SUPERINTENDENT
J. H. DURLAND
District No. 4 comprises Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska, and South Dakota, North Dakota being a part of the Minnesota Conference; and in addition to this we have the mission field of Manitoba, which lies north of North Dakota and Minnesota. We have in this territory at present 319 churches, with a membership of about 10,211. GCB February 20, 1895, page 250.16
In mentioning a few items of each conference, I will not attempt to give detailed statistics, as they will all be printed, and you can study them later. GCB February 20, 1895, page 250.17
THE IOWA CONFERENCE
comprises ninety-seven churches. The membership according to last report is 2810. The working force is nine ministers, seventeen licentiates, and sixteen Bible-workers. I will say in behalf of the work in this conference, that during the last year there have been several laborers taken to other fields, but the calling out of laborers to other fields has not materially lessened the force in the State. Iowa has been able in the past to supply laborers to different parts of the general field, and at the same time there are a large number entering the work every year. So the prospects at present for workers is not less than it has been in the past. GCB February 20, 1895, page 250.18
The amount of tithes paid last year was $19,801.33; contributions to foreign missions, $5425.46. This amount exceeds the tithe of the preceding year by nearly three thousand dollars, and the amount donated to foreign missions by $380.98. GCB February 20, 1895, page 250.19
There are 158 Sabbath-schools in this conference, with a membership of 3227. These contributed $1490.08 of the amount already spoken of, to foreign missions. GCB February 20, 1895, page 250.20
During the last summer this conference has held four camp-meetings, one general meeting in connection with the conference, and three local meetings. These meetings have all been well attended, and a good interest manifested both by our own people and those in the vicinity where the meetings were held. The past season the tent labors have been blessed with good results. I think there are none but what have met with some success. I consider the conference in good working order, with a good force of laborers for prosecuting and carrying forward the work as never before. GCB February 20, 1895, page 250.21
Another interesting item I wish to notice in this report, is the building of meeting-houses. Iowa seems to have taken the lead in this. They have erected seven new church buildings this year, and I think four the previous year, making eleven since the last General Conference. GCB February 20, 1895, page 250.22
MINNESOTA CONFERENCE
The next conference I will notice is Minnesota. Minnesota has seventy-four churches, with a membership of 2400. The working force is composed of fourteen ministers, twelve licentiates, and a goodly number of Bible workers. This conference has suffered somewhat the past two years by the financial depression, especially in the failure of crops, which has hindered the work in some ways; yet there has been a steady growth, and quite an interest to hear. In fact, there never were such opportunities for presenting the Message as at the present time in the State of Minnesota. GCB February 20, 1895, page 250.23
This conference has paid $16,397.75 in tithe the past year, and $3708.97 to foreign missions. This is not an increase, but on account of the failure of crops, a decrease over the previous year. There are 132 Sabbath-schools in this conference, with a membership of 3337. They have donated the past year $1691.92. This conference has held only one camp-meeting the past year, instead of three or four as is usually the case. The climate has been a hindrance to holding late camp-meetings so the past year the conference decided to hold institutes with the churches, rather than local camp-meetings. This change has been found to be an advantage in this State. This conference has erected nine church buildings during the last two years, three the past season. GCB February 20, 1895, page 250.24
WISCONSIN CONFERENCE
This is the third conference in size in the district, having seventy-two churches, with a membership of 2370. Its working force consists of twelve ministers, eight licentiates, and a good force of Bible workers. The canvassing work has been a success, although they have not had as large sales as in previous years. The tithe the past year was $14,852.10, and the offerings to the foreign missions for the same year were $4755.12. About $1400 of this was contributed by the Sabbath-schools. There are 119 Sabbath-schools, with a membership of 2530. They have held one State and two local camp-meetings the past summer, with good results in each. The workers are of good courage, and the work is in a prosperous condition in this conference. GCB February 20, 1895, page 251.1
NEBRASKA CONFERENCE
The State of Nebraska is a very interesting conference, owing to our educational institution, — the Union College, — which is located in this State. This has made it a center for the gathering of our young people from the different parts of the district, and also from a portion of District No. 5, making it an important center. The conference has forty-five churches, with a membership of 1647. There are eleven ministers and eleven licentiates at work in this conference. GCB February 20, 1895, page 251.2
During the past season, Nebraska has suffered, as all know, from the drought, making it necessary to cut down the canvassing force, so that we might say that the work has come nearly to a stand-still for the present; yet after considering the matter more fully, it was decided that it would be better to keep our canvassers at work, even in this depression, than to abandon the field. Nebraska has paid $13,535.23 tithes the past year, being a decrease of about two thousand dollars over the previous year. There are seventy-two Sabbath-schools, with a membership of 2443. They have donated to the foreign missions the past year $2807.23. They have erected two church buildings the past year, one being the building at College View. This building, however, should not be reported entirely as the work of the Nebraska Conference. As a church building was needed there to accommodate the church at that place, other conferences were asked to contribute to its building. It is a nice building, plain and neat, and at the same time large enough for the present, and probably all that will be needed. GCB February 20, 1895, page 251.3
Nebraska has held three camp-meetings the past year. The interest was good, and the efforts put forth in the State the past season have been blessed abundantly, and the laborers have found openings in all parts of the State. There never seemed to be so many openings for labor in the State. GCB February 20, 1895, page 251.4
SOUTH DAKOTA CONFERENCE
This Conference has thirty-three churches, with a membership of 1100. Its working force consists of seven ministers and five licentiates. The tithes for the last year were $9233, and the amount donated to foreign missions was $2472.45. This has been a decrease from last year’s report. South Dakota suffered more than any other State in the district, and yet this conference has openings for as many laborers as any other State in the district. There are sixty-eight Sabbath-schools, with a membership of 1097. The general interest is good, the laborers are of good courage, and there is nothing to hinder the work from going forward. GCB February 20, 1895, page 251.5
MANITOBA
Manitoba is our mission field. You will remember that only a few years ago nothing had been done in this territory, it being so far north. But several years ago, there were people who moved there from Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, which made a call for labor in this section of the country. Canvassers were sent to the field, and had good success. Later a minister was sent to carry on the work, but as it was so far distant, and the Sabbath-keepers were so scattered, that the first year or two seemed to show but little accomplished. There was, however, much more accomplished than was given in their reports. The laborers were faithful in their work. GCB February 20, 1895, page 251.6
There are two German laborers living in North Dakota, who are laboring in this territory just across the line, and have had success in raising up quite a church. At the present time we have three churches, with a membership of fifty-two. With the scattered Sabbath-keepers in the territory, the number of believers are now about seventy. There are one minister and three licentiates working in the territory. The chief difficulty that the laborers have to contend with is that the summer is so short and the winters are very severe. This makes a very short tent season. In the winter season the weather is so very severe, and halls so expensive, that it necessarily cuts off, to some extent, the work during the winter months. Yet from the last reports, we are led to believe that the work is opening up in a promising way. GCB February 20, 1895, page 251.7
Throughout the entire district there have been twenty-eight tents used the past season. These have all met with some success. The general missionary spirit throughout the district is good, and yet I think that when we can have a cheap missionary paper, there will be much more work done than is done at present. The whole amount given by the district the past year in tithes was $83,907.41; in offerings, $19,173.23; and the Sabbath-school offerings were $6144.05. GCB February 20, 1895, page 251.8
I will say in closing that there is no report to bring of the work in the district but that of progress. The Lord is present, and we know that it is his work. While obstacles come up, he is ever ready and willing to help his servants meet them, and the Third Angel’s Message will go forward in this part of the field, as it will in all the rest of the world. GCB February 20, 1895, page 251.9