The Portland daily press., 1893-06-12
FRIENDS In COUNCIL.
Doings and Diseourses Of the
Third Day.

Tho Report on Gospel. Work-Record of
the Peace Society-what the Mission
Stations Are Doing in Syria and Among
the Western Indians-Young Peoples
Society of Christian Endeavor.
After an hour given to devotional ex-
ercises Saturday morning the friends in
attendance on the Yearly Meeting for
1893, held in this city, went into joint
session at 10 o'clock. The meeting
open with prayer by Jesse Mcpherson,
followed with an exhortation from Asa
c. futile. Further prayer was made by
E. C. Siler and exhortation by Fernando
Garland. Then business was taken UP,
and epistles read from the new Yearly
Meeting at Wilmington, Ohio, and from
the Ohio Yearly Meeting at Damascus.
Gospel work was the topic which en-
crossed 1.-THE entire session, the subject
being brought up through the reading of
the report from the committee by the
Rev. David J. Douglas who reported
it has been year of earnest labor. The
church is feeling more and more that
her great mission is to preach the gospel
to every creature. We would be glad,
says the report, if more of our sisters
would devote themselves entirely to the
ministry of the Word. Nearly all the
reports from the various parts of the
field are of an encouraging character.
Most of our meetings are destitute of
any systematic plan for doing pastoral
work. Yet with all the seeming un-
faithfulness and neglect, non-attendance
at meetings, inactivity in work, silence
as to prayer and testimony, want of sys-
tenn in nurturing the flock, there is the
most encouraging evidence that the
Lord is richly blessing all the means
that have been employed by him, and the
life of many Of our meetings and the
activity Of the membership is increasing,
God is raising up ministers and workers.
Old men are dreaming dreams, young
men are seeing visions, and sons and
daughters are revealing Jesus.
During the year the several meetings
have passed before the committee in
review, many of them wanting reviyals
and others needing them. Such as
seemed to need the most prompt and
delicate attention were at once dealt
with. With some there were emergencies
that required attention and had to be
daily watched and provided for. The
work began with the hope of reaching
every meeting with revival, but this
could not be done for want of means.
All the quarterly meetings have
had some work done and
in some of them all their meetings have
had help and many of them have had
revivals. The results of the work would
somewhat exceed the following aggre-
gate, as a few of the meetings are not
reported
Number of series of meetings, "a;
meetings in these series, 913; number
visited, SO: Bible readings, ~; children's
meetings, 16; family visits, 1872; pro-
fessed conversions, 613; professed re-
yivals, 1855; total of reyivals and CONVEX
sions, IT'S; number requesting member
ship, 173; Y. P. S. G. E. organized, g.,
with membership of more than one
hundred Two mission Sabbath schools
have been organized with about one
hundred members. In many of these
meetings believers were urged to full
conservation of themselves to God with
the definite purpose and desire that He
might accomplish in them His own will
to their sanctifcation.. The committee
think there is assuring evidence that a
considerable number came into posses
sion of this blessing, and that with many
others vows were taken and renewed,
faith strengthened and the standard of
life raised in the meetings.
The general superintendent has devot-
ed to this work the past year two hun
dred and fifty-nine days in holding
reviyals and lending helping hand
to others in the work, visiting meetings
and looking after their needs and render
ing such other assistance as would con-
serve the interests of the church. He
has attended about four hundred ser
vices. has paid out for railroad and incl
GENITAL expenses for himself and others
$132.79, and used and expended from the
treasury, from monthly meetings and all
other sources, S723.73.
AS to the evangelistic strength of the
yearly meeting the superintendent says
there is vast reserve power in the lin
it's of the society Iunexpended. latent
forces which might be brought
into action. We're provisions made to
sustain all our efficient workers as long
as they could be effectively used there
might not only be during the winter re-
vival in each meeting, but we could go
to large number of places away from
the organized meetings, but within their
influence and from whence is coming the
cry for help.
The treasurer's report appended shows
receipts, $1,21565; expenditures, 81, 49,
81; balance on hand, $40.44.
The report was then discussed and
commented upon in favorable strain by
many of the Friends. the chorus of APP
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