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→Chapter Eight - "Gather Together"
==Chapter Eight - "Gather Together"==
"Gather My saints together unto Me; those that have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice" (Psalms 50:5).
One of the practices that has contributed to the spiritual health and vigor of the assembly at MacNab Street, Hamilton, is the annual convention. In the early years the three day conference was conducted around the time of the New Year. [[Thomas Donald William Muir|T.D.W. Muir]] gives an account of the first of these conferences in the chapter entitled "Canadian Recollections" in the biography of Mr. Donald Ross. He writes: "I remember... the first conference held in Hamilton, [[Ontario]], or, for that matter, among the assemblies gathered to the name of the Lord on this side of the water. The date was, I think, New Year, 1877."
There is a note in ''The Witness'' of December 1927, in which the same brother, T.D.W. Muir, tells who the speakers were at this first conference. He writes: "I have just returned from attendance at the 53rd Convention held annually at Hamilton, Ontario. It is now held at Canadian Thanksgiving time. I was at the first one when about 75 were gathered from the [[United States]] and [[Canada]]. Such stalwarts as Donald Ross, Donald Munro, [[John Smith]], James Campbell, James Smith, Henry Ironside, John Carnie and others were with us. This year nearly 1,000 came together." "Donald Ross' address (given at that first conference) deeply impressed many. He spoke from John's Gospel Chapter 21."
"Many," continues brother Muir, "who were at that conference have gone home to glory since then, but many are still with us, and there are few of them who heard those words that have forgotten them. The savor of them still lives."
The fifth conference, that of 1881 was advertised in ''The Barley Cake'' (an assembly magazine edited by Donald Ross) of December 1880. It reads: "Christian Convention in Hamilton, Ontario, on 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th of January, 1881. The 'Larkin Hall' situated on John Street near King has been secured for the meetings. The meetings will be as follows: On Thursday, Friday and Saturday, for prayer, praise and ministry of the Word, at 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. On Lord's Day, 16th, January: Breaking of Bread at 10 a.m. Ministry of the Word, 2 p.m. Gospel Meeting 7 p.m."
In a report covering that conference we read: "Gospel meetings were held in the evenings, and were addressed by brethren: [[John Smith|Smith]], A. Marshall, W.P. Charles, J. Grimason, J.N. Carnie, Martin, Hughes, etc. There was much blessing every evening. The last Gospel Meeting was held in the 'Grand Opera House', a newly erected building which holds 1,500, but that evening between extra seats and standing there would be, no doubt, between 1,800 and 2,000 people. The rush was such, the doors had to be closed twenty minutes before time. Hundreds on hundreds returned home, and many remained on the street in the frost and snow, and we addressed them under the canopy of heaven".
Another entry reads: "These Hamilton conferences have been a very great blessing to the Lord's people, and doubtless they will continue so, as long as there is liberty to preach all God's truth unreservedly."
At the beginning of 1910 the assembly began to advertise the regular meetings and special events in the ''Hamilton Herald''. These advertisements indicate that the saints enjoyed visits from such servants of Christ as: W.B. Johnston, D. McGeachy, George Duncan, Matthew Muir, [[John Smith]], [[Thomas Donald William Muir|T.D.W. Muir]], W.P. Douglas, Robert McCrory, W.J. McClure, Robert Telfer, Charles Ross, Geo. Gould, etc.
In the January 17th 1914 issue of the ''Herald'' there is an announcement of the 39th Christian Conference. For some reason it was late that year; scheduled for January 23rd-25th. The meetings on Friday and Saturday were held in the Gospel Hall, 140 MacNab Street. On the Lord's Day they were held in the Association Hall corner of James and Jackson Streets.
The ''Herald'' also carries an advertisement in its issue of January 14, 1916, of another conference scheduled for January 21st-23rd. All these meetings, with the exception of the prayer meeting which was held in the Gospel Hall, were held in the I.O.O.F. temple on Gore Street in downtown Hamilton.
In the I.O.O.F. building the Hamilton Annual Conference was held for many years; in fact, until it burned down on November 2-3, 1939. Imagination, activated by memory, pictures happy scenes during the occasions. Even now it is not difficult to visualize George Gould senior on the platform preaching from the text, "This Man receiveth sinners and eateth with them". Nor is it hard to recall the advice to younger servants of the Lord given W.J. McClure. He spoke, so he said, as a father among us and gave us words of instruction, encouragement and caution.
How nostalgic are the recollections of delightful fellowship with beloved brethren such as Charles Ross, Leonard Sheldrake, Tom Wilkie, John Ferguson, John Dickson, Ben Bradford, Robert Crawford, George Shivas, Dr. Matthews, Fred Nugent, C.F. Hogg, and a host of others. What delightful experiences they were!
The conferences which had been so beneficial to so many both at home in Hamilton and in other cities and towns did not end with the conflagration that destroyed the I.O.O.F. temple. The brethren sought out another large auditorium, The Scottish Rite Cathedral, and there for many more years the annual conferences were held with equal interest and profit.
Through certain circumstances and with the building of the West Fifth Chapel, the conferences for three years have been held in the assembly auditorium. Emmanuel is Jehovah. "God with us" is the Eternal Immutable One. Any change of location does not in anywise affect Him. His promise is true, "Lo, I am with you alway."
