Saturday, July 19, 2008

Annual Conference in Canada

In 1899 German Baptist Brethren began "foreign mission work" in Montreal, Quebec in the home of A.B. Maldeis who had come from Germany via Baltimore. Between 1903 and 1922 as many as twelve Church of the Brethren congregations were established. In 1968 the two congregations that remained in Canada became part of the United Church of Canada.

In 1923 the only Annual Conference ever held outside the USA was held at Calgary, Alberta. Minutes of that Conference record that there were 55 standing committee delegates and 204 delegates from the churches. By way of comparison, there were 547 congregational delegates in 1922 at Winona Lake, Indiana and 469 congregational delegates in 1924 at Hershey, PA.

Business items including approving a plan for Standing Committee, a plan for transfer of Bethany Bible School to the denomination, a progress report on a new hymnal, and attendance at Communion. A report was made on revisions to the Brethren's Card which was referred to the Tract Examining Committee.

A query asking the Conference to appoint a committee to formulate an authoritative statement of the whole matter of our relation to the subject of war and peace was referred to the Peace Committee to report to the 1924 Annual Conference.

Sources: The Brethren Encyclopedia
1923 Annual Conference Minutes