Actions of the Atlantic Union Conference Upon Educational Matters
By F. G.
It may be of interest to our union conferences throughout the world to note the actions taken by the Atlantic Union Conference, recently held at South Lancaster, Mass., concerning the matter of education. The resolutions passed at this conference are as follows:— “Whereas, There is not as effective work being done by the Educational Department of the Atlantic Union Conference as there should be; therefore,— “Resolved, That the department be reorganized and made to consist of fifteen members, with a chairman and secretary, and that this committee be appointed by the executive committee of the Atlantic Union Conference, and be under its control and direction. “Resolved, That we urge each of the conferences comprising the union to establish and maintain a department of education. “Whereas, The subject of Christian education is of vital importance to our people in preparing young men and women to be workers in the cause of present truth, and in the salvation of our children; therefore,— “Resolved, That the Educational Department of the Atlantic Union Conference be hereby instructed to prepare two educational programs to be presented each year in the churches throughout the union. “Resolved, That we urge upon our people the necessity of a prayerful study of the instruction given us by the spirit of prophecy regarding the establishment and maintenance of schools of all grades for our children and youth. “Whereas, There are throughout the conferences of the union many young men and women of promise, who are unable to obtain the education necessary to properly qualify them to be workers in the cause of present truth, and,— “Whereas, There is at present no permanent fund established for the purpose of assisting such proper and worthy young persons in attending our accredited training-schools; therefore,— “Resolved, That steps be taken at once to establish such a fund in each conference of the union, said fund to be maintained by contributions and other laudable means, and to be under the joint management of the executive committees of the conferences and the local departments of education, and further,— “Resolved, That twenty per cent of such funds be appropriated to the like fund of the board of management of our union conference academy, and further,— “Resolved, That to assist in building up such funds we accept of the kind offer of Elder S. N. Haskell to print a special issue of the Bible Training School. “Resolved, That the special issue of the Training School be twenty thousand copies, and be issued during January, 1906. “Resolved, That we urge our conferences that have not already done so to prosecute most vigorously the matter of closing out their quota of ‘Christ’s Object Lessons.’ “Whereas, The South Lancaster Academy Corporation has appealed to the union conference to set apart two weeks to be devoted by all our people to the closing-out sale of ‘Christ’s Object Lessons,’ therefore,— “Resolved, That the date for the special campaign in behalf of ‘Christ’s Object Lessons’ be April 14-27, 1906. “Resolved, That conference executive committees be requested to arrange for holding conventions in all of the churches on Sabbath, April 7, to arrange for local work, and that there be published in the Gleaner a suggestive program suitable for use in these conventions. “Whereas, There are many of our brethren and sisters who would be pleased to purchase books to be sold by others; therefore,— “Resolved, (a) That we encourage those so disposed to do so; (b) that we encourage young people to take these copies of ‘Christ’s Object Lessons’ and sell them; and any person attending the academy or desiring to attend it shall have the full retail price of all books sold placed to his credit, to be used in defraying his expenses in attending the academy.”