Journal of the Central Texas Conference, Fourth Annual Session, Methodist Episcopal Church South Page: 75

CENTRAL TEXAS CONFERENCE JOURNAL

Upon motion and second it was decided unanimously to
indorse the proposition to raise as a special in the Conference
this year $10,500 for the baillding of the great institutional
plant in Soochow, China. The declaration, as published below,
was unanimously adopted by the laymen.
The meeting closed with a very interesting short address
by Dr. W. W. Pinson, General Secretary of tlie General Board
ot Missions, his talk bearing mainly upon the work the laymen
of this Conference are undertaking to do this year, with special
reference to the history of the work at Soochow, China, where
the new church is to be built.
This meeting of the laymen at Temple was the most inter-
esting -and enthusiastic meeting the laymen have held at
Conference for the last four years, and it portends a great
awakening interest among the laymen for the work of the
coming year.
WALTER AMSLER, Secretary.
DECLARATIONS OF THE LAYMEN.
We, the Laymen of the Central Texas Conference, wish to
renew our allegiance to the cause which has for its object the
evangelization of the world in this generation; and to hereby
express our faith in the accomplishment of this great work
by the help of God.
We rejoice in the hope that the time is rapidly approaching
when every layman shall find a place for work in the Church of
our choice, and gladly fill that place with earnest labor, and
thereby grow into the full stature of Christian manhood.
In order that we may have some definite object toward which
to work for the coming year, and at the suggestion of the
General Board of Missions, and with the indorsement of our
Conference Lay Leader and the several District Leaders, we
desire to undertake to raise a fund of $10,500 for the building
of a great evangelistic and institutional plant on Hong Kong
Avenue, in Soochow, China.
We further commend "A FINANCIAL METHOD FOR
METHODISTS" as adopted by the Secretaries of the General
Boards of Missions, Church Extension, Education and Laymen's
Missionary Movement, the essential factors of which are:
1. The Preacher in Charge.
2. The Church Lay Leader.
3. The Missionary Committee.
4. The Every-Member Canvass.
5. A Weekly Offering.
6. The Duplex Envelope.
We urge all our people to adopt the plan.
We recognize as binding upon us the command of God, that
we pay to the promotion of His cause on earth the tenth of all
He gives us, and we therefore pledge ourselves to use our
best efforts to induce our church members to agree to tithe
their incomes: being confident that when all our people realize

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