General Conference Bulletin, vol. 4
BIENNIAL REPORT OF GENERAL CONFERENCE DISTRICT 6
W. T. KNOX
This district includes the States of California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, and Utah, also British Columbia. The territory is divided into four Conferences,—California, North Pacific, Upper Columbia, and Montana,—Utah still remaining a General Conference mission field. The history of the work in the district during the past two years contains some interesting features. GCB April 4, 1901, page 53.10
Twenty-nine churches have been organized during the past biennial period, the number in the district now being 184. There are also 27 unorganized companies. The present membership is 9,286; 8,488 being connected with the organized churches, 358 with the unorganized companies, and 440 isolated. This shows a gain of 1,260 Sabbath-keepers. Fourteen church buildings have been erected. There are 157 laborers in the field, 64 ordained ministers, 46 licentiates, and 47 missionary licentiates; 122 of these receive Conference support. Six of the workers have been ordained to the gospel ministry. GCB April 4, 1901, page 53.11
The financial statements show that $153,629,72 tithe has been paid into the treasuries, a gain of $28,730 over the previous two years. Every Conference has participated in this gain, the per capita rate being increased from $15.56 to $16.59, an increase of $11.03 per capita. The donations for foreign missions, regular and annual, have amounted to $17,649.52, a gain of $7,384.62. During the same time the Sabbath-schools have contributed $15,020.75; $5,253.54 of this amount being devoted to the foreign work. A total from these sources of $22,903.06 has thus been given for the spread of the gospel in distant lands. The tithes, missionary offerings, and Sabbath-school donations have been $185,299.99. The canvassing work has not had that prosperity it should have enjoyed. Books to the value of $57,888.29 have been disposed of by a rather small corps of canvassers. The outlook for better work in this line is encouraging. Of our periodicals there are taken 1,519 of the Review and Herald, 5,583 Signs of the Times, 1,794 Youth’s Instructors, and 1,904 of the Sentinel of Liberty. GCB April 4, 1901, page 53.12
CALIFORNIA CONFERENCE
This is the oldest Conference in the Pacific district, having been organized Feb. 15, 1872. The territory embraced is California and Nevada, and consists of sixty-seven organized churches and seven unorganized companies. There are 4,760 Sabbath keepers in the Conference, the membership of the churches being 4,512 and of the companies forty-four, while 200 are isolated, and have no church privileges. In the past two years 640 baptisms have been reported, and 468 new converts,—a gain in membership of 316. Seven churches have been organized, and three church buildings erected. There are twenty-seven ordained ministers, sixteen licentiates, and thirty missionary licentiates, sixty-nine of these are supported from the Conference funds. GCB April 4, 1901, page 54.1
During the biennial term $87,266.75 tithe has been received, a gain of $14,388.80 over the two previous years, and an average of $18.33 per capita. The regular and annual offerings to the foreign missions have amounted to $10,635.30, giving a gain of $5,758.60. The Sabbath-school offerings have been $8,943.83, a loss of $90.68. From these funds there have been appropriated to the foreign mission work $3,640.43. From these three sources there has been raised for the work $106,845.88, of which amount $14,275.73 has been for foreign missions. There has been appropriated from the Conference funds, in addition to this $8,599.25 to advance the work in other fields. At no time has the number of canvassers been large, the average being five. The book sales have amounted to $26,619.59. GCB April 4, 1901, page 54.2
NORTH PACIFIC
This Conference contains all that portion of the States of Oregon and Washington lying west of the Cascade Mountains, as well as the same portion of British Columbia. The organization of the Conference was completed Oct. 25, 1887. There are fifty-eight organized churches, with a membership of 2,202; ten unorganized companies have seventy-nine members, the 125 isolated Sabbath-keepers give a total of 2,406 for the Conference, a gain of 429. The increase in members is largely found in the twelve new churches that have been added to the Conference. Four church buildings have been erected during the same time. The working force consists of seventeen ordained ministers, twelve licentiates, and five Bible workers; twenty-two of these receive Conference support. GCB April 4, 1901, page 54.3
The amount of tithe paid in during the biennial term has been $30,508.71, an increase of $6,700.71, and a rate of $12.86 per capita. In the annual and regular offerings, $3,728.63 has been given to foreign missions, and increase of $617.60. The Sabbath-school donations have amounted to $3,045.02, $251.21 of which has been devoted to the foreign fields, making a total for this work of $3,979.84. There has been $12,700.57 worth of books sold, the average number of canvassers for the two years being fourteen. One person has been ordained to the ministry. GCB April 4, 1901, page 54.4
UPPER COLUMBIA
This Conference was organized in 1880, and includes all that portion of British Columbia and the States of Washington and Oregon not included in the North Pacific, together with all the State of Idaho. There are forty-six organized churches, and five unorganized companies in the Conference. Nine churches have been added during the past two years, and four church buildings erected. The forty-six churches report a membership of 1,270, and the companies of 180; fifty isolated Sabbath-keepers are scattered throughout the Conference, making a total of 1,500 members, an increase of 320 for the two years. The tithe for the term has been increased by $2,700.54, making the total amount $22,400 an average of $14.93 per capita. There has been given for foreign missions $2,134.24 an increase of $278.15. During the same period there has been given in Sabbath-school offerings $1,510.23, of which amount $638.81 was appropriated to the missions in foreign lands, bringing the aid for this work up to the sum of $2,773.35. The Orphans’ Home received $300, and $13,000 worth of books has been disposed of. GCB April 4, 1901, page 54.5
There are in the Conference fourteen ordained ministers, fourteen licentiates, and six missionary licentiates. Seventeen of these laborers are on the Conference pay-roll. During the last two years four brethren have been set apart to the gospel ministry. GCB April 4, 1901, page 54.6
MONTANA
This is the youngest Conference in the district, having been organized Oct. 5, 1898. There are four ordained ministers, three licentiates, and four licensed missionaries, nine being supported by the Conference funds. Two church buildings have been erected during the two years past, and one church has been organized. Ten organized churches constitute the Conference, in addition to which there are four unorganized companies. The membership of the Conference is 434, divided as follows: 239 in the organized churches, forty-five in the unorganized companies, and fifty isolated. This shows a gain of 124. During the two years there has been paid into the treasury $11,116.16 tithe, a gain of $4,342.68. This is an average of $25.60 per capita, an increase in the rate of $6.86 a member. Missionary offerings to foreign fields have amounted to $1,100.54, which is $730.27 in excess of the offerings of the previous two years. The Sabbath-school donations have been $1,293.85, $669.92 of which amount has been for foreign missions. During the same time $202.75 has been raised for other interests connected with the general work, and books to the amount of $4,620.30 have been placed in the homes of the people. GCB April 4, 1901, page 54.7
UTAH MISSION FIELD
Utah is a General Conference mission field. It contains three churches, with a membership of 161, one unorganized company of ten members, and fifteen isolated Sabbath-keepers, 186 in all, a gain of seventy-one for the past two years. The working force consists of two ordained ministers, one licentiate, and two missionary licentiates. $2,338.10 in tithe has been raised toward supporting their own work, $598.70 in excess of the amount for the previous term, an average of $14.99 a member. The foreign missions have received in their offerings $50.51, a loss of $36.14. The Sabbath-school donations have been GCB April 4, 1901, page 54.8
$227.82, $53.17 of which went to foreign missions. One church building has been erected, and books to the value of $947.83 have been sold. GCB April 4, 1901, page 55.1
The work in general in the district is making a gratifying progress. The two colleges, Healdsburg and College Place, are both enjoying excellent patronage, and good results are being accomplished in the class-rooms and in some of the industrial lines; the latter is a phase of our educational work, however, that demands our careful consideration. The efforts that are being put forth to relieve the indebtedness of these institutions are meeting with pleasing success. The church schools are giving better satisfaction than at any time in the past: at the present time there are about thirty of these schools in the district, and the demand for competent teachers is continually increasing. GCB April 4, 1901, page 55.2
The sanitarium work has been steadily advancing. In the St. Helena institution many improvements have been made in the past year. An electric-light plant has been installed, and the crowded condition of the grounds has been relieved by the removal of the health food factory, a commodious building having been erected between the sanitarium and the town of St. Helena to accommodate this industry. The work of both of these enterprises is steadily growing. Branch treatment rooms, food depositories, and vegetarian restaurants have been established in a number of the cities of the State, and are meeting with success. GCB April 4, 1901, page 55.3
The influence of the Portland Sanitarium is also very gratifying; its facilities are now continually taxed to their utmost, and its financial condition is excellent. GCB April 4, 1901, page 55.4
The sanitarium at Spokane, which was started about two years ago, has also made a very satisfactory showing. The original investment was about six hundred dollars. From the first the institution has paid its own way. It has also established a health food store, and down-town treatment-rooms. Its original home has long since been outgrown, and the sanitarium is now occupying three additional buildings, with another in course of construction. The present worth of the plant is about five thousand dollars. GCB April 4, 1901, page 55.5
The business of the Pacific Press Publishing Company has continued to increase steadily; at many times the facilities have been taxed to their utmost, even when running day and night. One very gratifying feature of their work has been the large amount of denominational work that has been put out during the past year, an amount in excess of any previous year. Altogether, the business is in a very prosperous and satisfactory condition. GCB April 4, 1901, page 55.6
Other items of interest might be mentioned, but space will only permit the statement that the outlook in the Pacific District is very encouraging. A spirit of work is upon the people; and with the blessings of the Lord attending them, great things may be looked for in the advancement of the message in the coming years. GCB April 4, 1901, page 55.7
W. T. KNOX, Supt. Dist. 6.