The Washington herald., 1912-04-07
Adventists Hold Conferences in Penn
sylvania Cities During Next Ten Days.

Pittsburg, Pa, April 6-Delegates from
eight local conferences, embracing the
States of Maryland, Delaware, Pennsyl-
vania, New Jersey. Ohio, Virginia, and
West Virginia, and the District Of Col
umbia, will attend the biennial session
Of the Columbia Union Conference OF
Seventh-day Adventists, which will be
held April IL to q, in the Homeward
Carnegie Library Auditorium, Hamilton
and Lang avenues, this city. 1t will be
preceded by a meeting of West Penn
sylvania Conference opening tomorrow.
The Columbia Union Conference of
Seventh-day Adventists comprises the
Chesapeake Conference, which takes in
the States of Maryland and Delaware,
the East and West Pennsylvania Con-
ferences the New Jersey, Ohio. Virginia,
and West Virginia, and the District of
Columbia conferences. Prof. B. G.
sNVilkinson, OF Washington, d. C., is the
president: E. X. Slade, of Mount Yer
non, Ohio, vice president, and F. R.
Brown, of Washington, D. C, secretary
and treasurer.
There will be many unique features In
connection with the coming session. Every
night public services will be held, in
which some of the leading preachers Of
the union will preach. Bible prophe-
cies as applied to present-day happen
discourses. Seventh-day Adventists are
of the conviction that they have a
message of warning to carry to the
world in this generation, and the second
return Of Jesus Christ to the earth will
he a prominent theme in these discourses.
Seventh-day Adventists have no other
creed but the Bible. and all of the lee
lures will be based on the Scriptures.
Turing fhe day there VIII he. among
other events, evangelical studies conduct
ed by Evangelist A. G. Daniels, president
Of the General Conference OF Seventh-day
Adventists. the governing body of the
denomination, whose headquarters are IN
Washington, D. c., Prof. W. W. Pres
colt, editor OF the Protestant Magazine,
and other leading ministers of the de-
nomination.
There are throughout the Columbia
Unon Conference 207 cnurcnes. with a
membership of practically $500. There
are IS ordained ministers, 25 licensed min
isters, and other missionary workers Civ
ing a total OF about ri gospel mission
aries within the union. Seventh-day Ad-
ventists pay 1.-THE for the support Of the
ministry, and the Columbia Union pays
an annual 1.-THE Of s1O5,OOO, and contrib
utes between $4,000 and $1,000 every year
for the advancement of the gospel in
foreign countries.
Union Conference there are five institu-
tons. three OF which are devoted to edu-
Cational purposes: Mount vernon College.
situated at Mount Vernon, Ohio, Of
which Prof. B. G. Wilkinson is the presi-
dent of the board of trustees; the For
eign Mission Seminary, located at Ia
koma Park, Nd. where the majority or
foreign missionaries sent out by the de-
nomination are given their training, and
the Shenandoah Valley Training Acad-
emy, located at New Market, Va. There is
also the Review and Herald Publishing
Association. located at Takoma Park, D.
c, where several hundred thousand dol
lars worth of denominational literature
is sent out each wear, and the Washing
ton Sanatorium at Takoma Park, Nd.
While Seventh-day Adventists have had
an organized existence Cor only a little
over sixty years, beginning about 1876
with only handful of believers, and but
few ministers. with practically no insti-
tutions or organization of any kind, they
have nevertheless had a remarkable
growth To-day they are a united, or
ganized body Of over 10000 believers,
supporting 4,346 evangelistic laborers and
contributing annually for evsngelisric
work the sum of 5000 900: are operating
iS colleges. publishing houses. and sana-
toriums, and 5s4 primary schools, with
Total denominational assets of over S1o,-
10000; employing s,s1s institutional help
ers; selling annually over s, 10000 worth
Of denominational literature, which is is
sued in 81 different languages, in the
form of Isis books, pamphlets. or tracts,
and 126 periodicals
The total Yalue of church buildings and
primary or church schools amounts to
a,Ss6,7sL The total amount of all funds
raised per capita was S21H. Seventh
day Adventists are now preaching the
gospel in ffty-seven different countries
of the world. The government census
report on religious bodies says that they
have 2s4 American missionaries and 1.los
native helpers, or a total of 1882 lsborers
In foreign fields.
The work of Seventh-day Adventists In
foreign fields has now reached such mag
nitude that the money required to sus-
tain it amounts approximately to 81 800
each day, or $l56,5o0 year. Certain divi- |
sions Of the field are also supplying
laborers aside from this, SO that the
aggregate sum now expended in foreign
missions by this denomination is above
$4,000 annually.
There win be business sessions held in !