| Show EAST TENNESSEE conference locust mt tenn dec 30 1897 the elders of the east bast tennessee conference met in special conference assembly december 26 25 26 and 27 1897 at the jobes opera house johnson city tenn there were present on the first day which was spent in council meeting elders F M lyman and M F cowley of the council of the apostles who 94 visiting the various conferences of thi the mission elder james B E hart president of the conference and thirty two elders of the conference at our second and third days meetings our numbers were larger elders ellas elias 8 kimball and thaddaus Thadd lus naylor from chattanooga and four of our elders having arrived many of our elders had wondered how it was that we should meet together in midwinter mid winter conference but atter after our meetings were concluded and we had listened to the instructions as they ther had fell from the lips of our inspired leaders no one felt to question the propriety of thus meeting together three public meetings were held on oft sunday but owing to the season of the year and the existence of some p prejudice eju they were quite poorly attended though all who did attend felt won weh paid tor for their coming out they found in the place of seeing monsters and hearing strange things that they were confronted with the solid truth listening to an apostle of the lord was not an ordinary or everyday affair with this people they had never seen mt aa apostle before and many were ali the opinions of some people regarding their appearance and the doctrines they would advocate neither are sur such visite ordinary occurrences with the elders it has been fifty years if we are rightly informed since an apostle traveled in the southern states preaching th the gospel we who were vere here on this occasion felt highly honored and felt it a great privilege indeed to sit beneath the sound of their voice and I 1 receive instructions pertaining to the great work of gathering the th hont I 1 te heart into the true fold of cst on saturday and monday the day daya spent in council meetings the met elders bore faithful testimonies reported their labors briefly and told of the goodness good neso and mercy of god to them in their work in his vineyard the spirit of at god was made manifest to a rich degree and the elders were not slow in acknowledging that they never befort before enjoyed themselves as greatly as an upon this occasion the elders were then given their appointments point ments after hearty handshake and a god bless you each pair took up their journey to their several fields of labor elder W E robinson was appointed president of our conference to succeed elder james E hart who has been honorably released to return to his family in von elder J R terry one of our most faithful and noble workers returns with him after having filled an honorable mission our conference to is in a nourishing flourishing condition and with the noble band of elders composing the same we feel that we have a bright future before us tul our elders all join in sending greetings of the season to the saints and friends in zion your brethren W E ROBINSON prest frest F G WARNICK clerk |
