Nevada State Organization.
A MEETING of the Seventh-day Adventists of the State of Nevada, called for the purpose of forming a State Association, was held in the Churchill County Institute building, St. Clair, Nevada, February 24, 1878. Elder J. N. Loughborough was chosen chairman of the meeting, and Jackson Ferguson, secretary pro tem. The following constitution was then read, and on motion of C. Allen, seconded by Jackson Ferguson, it was voted unanimously that it be adopted as a whole:— CONSTITUTION OF THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST ASSOCIATION OF THE STATE OF NEVADA.
SECTION 1. This Association shall be known as The Seventh-day Adventist Association, and shall be composed of all our ministers in good standing, and all Seventh-day Adventists in the State of Nevada whose names are signed to a covenant to keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. SEC. 2. All persons in the State who are friendly to the cause, and who choose to contribute regularly of their means for the extension of these truths, shall be considered honorary members of this Association. SECTION 1. The officers of this Association shall be a president, secretary and treasurer, and these shall constitute an Executive Committee of the Association, and shall be elected annually. SEC. 2. The duties of the president, secretary and treasurer, shall be such as usually pertain to those offices respectively; and it shall be the further duty of the secretary to furnish to each session of the General Conference a letter, giving statistics of the condition and progress of the work in the State. SEC. 3. It shall be the duty of the Executive Committee to appoint, through the SIGNS OF THE TIMES, the time and place of the annual meetings, and to call special meetings when needful so to do, and to exercise a general watchcare over the property and interests of the Association, and to audit and settle the accounts of all in the employ of the Association. SEC. 4. It shall be the duty of the Association, at its regular sessions, to choose an Auditing Committee of three laymen, to act with the Executive Committee in the settlement of the accounts with ministers for the preceding year. SECTION 1. Funds for the use of this Association shall be raised by systematic benevolence of the churches, and the gifts and donations of individuals. SEC. 2. It is expected that all s. B. funds pledged to this Association will be paid to the treasurer at the commencement of each of the regular quarters of the year, viz : on the first of January, April, July and October. SEC. 3. Ministers laboring in the employ of this State Association shall report to the secretary, at the end of each quarter, the amount of their receipts and during the said quarter, and they shall also make a report for the whole year to the yearly meeting of the Association. SECTION 1. As this Association is designed only as a temporary arrangement, to continue only till such time as the cause may be sufficiently advanced for the formation of a State Conference, we hereby agree in all other matters, not mentioned in the above articles, to move, as nearly as possible, in harmony with the State constitutions usually adopted by the Conferences of Seventh-day Adventists. SEC. 2. This Association considers itself under the jurisdiction, as a mission, of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists; and wishes in all things to move subject to their counsel, and requests their watchcare. After adopting the above constitution the following officers were nominated and elected by a unanimous vote : Elder J. N. Loughborough president, John B. Ferguson secretary, and Jackson Ferguson treasurer, the same to act as Executive Committee of the State Association for the coming year. The following resolutions were then presented and unanimously adopted :— Resolved, That we express our gratitude to the General Conference of Seventh day Adventists for permitting Elder J. N. Loughborough to spend the past month in laboring in this State, and we further request that he be permitted to labor in this State during the coming year, with the tent, and otherwise, as much as may be consistent with his duty in other fields. Resolved, That we will raise, by special contributions outside of s. B. funds, three hundred dollars, to purchase and fit up a fifty-foot tent, to be used in the State of Nevada. Resolved, That we hereby authorize Brother Jackson Ferguson to act as solicitor, collector and treasurer of said tent fund. Resolved, That we request Elder J. N. Loughborough to secure for us said tent with the necessary outfit, and we pledge to furnish him the means needful so to do. Meeting adjourned sine die. J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH, Chairman.
JACKSON FERGUSON, Secretary.