Evangelism and Bible Conferences / 127

ing: Marriage, Church and State Relations, Evils of the Tongue, Christian Perfection, Modest Apparel, Church Discipline, City Mission Work, and Worldly Amusements. The January 22 issue of the Gospel Witness for the same year reports a Bible conference at Martin's Creek in Holmes County with Levi Miller of Garden City, Missouri, D. J. Johns of Goshen, Indiana, and Jacob S. Gerig of Smithville, Ohio, as leaders.

The contribution of the Bible conferences to the church's life was considerable, if one can judge by the space given them in the records. That they unified the thinking of the brotherhood is quite likely, for the names of the same speakers occurred repeatedly and the topics likewise were reiterated in congregation after congregation. Among the most frequent names of the Bible conference speakers one finds J. S. Shoemaker, John Blosser, M. O. Blosser, S. E. Allgyer, D. D. Miller, Eli L. Frey, S. G. Shetler, and John S. Mast.

That the conferences were more than gatherings for Bible study is reflected in the February 27, 1908, Herald of Truth report about a conference at North Lima, Ohio. I. J. Buckwalter and M. O. Blosser spoke in the conference and eight persons decided for Christ, mostly young people. The report then states, "The church here contemplates starting a mission in Youngstown."