The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1907-12-06
OUTLINE 9. o. METHODIST.

Conference Minutes, Just Issued, Con.
tain Statement Of Yearly Growth
and Record Of Funde Devoted to
Education and Other Purposes by
That Church In the State.
The minutes Of the proceedings Of
the Dakota conference Of the Metho-
dist Episcopal church have Just been
issued in book form, showing what
was accomplished at the session held
at Vermillion Oct. 16 to p. The ses-
sion vas the most successful held in
the twenty-three years that the con
ference was organized. the first meet
ing being held at Yankton In 1880,
when Bishop Warren presided. At
that time there were but 1850 mem
bers of the conference, and each year
there was a gain in membership until
in 1889, when II was 1886. The year
following it fell off over 5000 and did
not get back to the 10000 mark until
1894. The next year the membership
dropped 500 and kept losing until
1896, when the number again went
to 1O,429, since which year the mem.
bers have been increasing steadily
every ear until at the present time
the numbers reach 1902, increasing
636 in the past year.
One Of the strong features of the
conference is the missionary work,
and the appropriations made for that
part of the religious work amounts
to $7,400. In giving to educational
projects the conference of ministers
and the lay delegates exhibited the
greatest amount of %self-denial. When
the condition Of Dakota Wesleyan
university was set before both branch.
es Of the conference showing that 1t
vas necessary to raise a certain
amount of money in order to secure
the $4,000 that Andrew Carnegie had
offered as the last payment on the
100000 endowment fund, the giving
was exceedingly generous, the minis.
ters pledging over $11, 900 and the lay
delegates raising in their meeting
over $4,000, when the ambition Of
that institution was realized. AS a
further aid to Dakota Wesleyan, each
year each district contributes a GER
tain amount toward the institution.
and in making his report for the col.
lections of 1906-19O7 President Mich
olson stated that for the five districts
and outside contributions this sum
amounted to l 2,545.42.
Ehe statistics of the church are in
teresting, and show a splendid growth
and development along all lines. The
grand total of members is 12,541, with
lO9 probationers; there were 954 bap-
tisms; there are 242 Sunday schools,
with 2,1S6 officers and teachers of
1929 scholars; there are 1871 church
es. an increase of II over last year,
he probable value of which Is placed
at 1921 1926: there are 10 parsonages,
which are valued at 3178,7 700; for
building and improving churches and
p~arsonages $4,000 was paid and in
1ebtedness to the amount of $6,2S5.
The treasurer's report indicates
something of the big money transac-
ions that the conference carries on.
Missions and church extensions cost
SIS. $50; board of education, freed
mans aid and Sunday schools, 5 1854;
,ocal educational interests, $4,463:
Woman's Foreign Missionary society,
s4,O13; other benevolent interests,
sG,9S7; general conference expenses,
b712: conference cllmahts, $1,000;
Episcopal, 1919; Woman's Home Mis-
sionary society, $195; American BIZ
ole society. 1857, making a total Of
$50, 1921.