In 1904 the ecumenical Young People's
Missionary Movement held its third conference at Silver Bay on Lake
George, New York. Six members of the United Presbyterian Church in
North America were in attendance and decided to try their own "Silver
Bay." This was held the next year at Allegheny Theological Seminary
(now Pittsburgh Seminary) in Pittsburgh. It was so successful that the
new president of Westminster College offered the campus for a week in
August for the 1906 conference to begin on a Friday night. Since then,
through the depression, the world wars and the peaceful times,
Conference has been held at Westminster College. Changes in the college
schedule now make it necessary for Conference to meet the last week of
July.
In the beginning, Hillside Dormitory became
the center for "bed and board" and the meetings were held in the United
Presbyterian Church building. As the numbers grew, other dorms housed
the girls and adults, while the boys moved to tents. The dining
facilities were in "Old 77", the college gymnasium, and the temporary
kitchen was in the street in front of the gym. The main meeting place
moved from the church building to the Big Tent, erected every year for
that week. Today, all delegates stay in dormitories and eat in the
college dining halls with mass meetings held in Anderson Auditorium,
the permanent amphitheater on campus overlooking Brittain Lake.
One of the purposes of Conference has
always been to recruit and encourage young people to serve Christ on
the mission field. In this it has been most successful. Hundreds of
young people have accepted the challenge to work in missions in the
United States and overseas some to "short terms", others for careers.
Since 1961, when the Summer Service program began, 300 college age
persons have worked and studied for six to eight weeks in mission work
in the United States, Puerto Rico, Alaska, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Ireland,
Kenya, Pakistan, Thailand, Taiwan, Italy, Brazil, Korea, Malawi, Egypt,
and India. Some have returned to their "service" localities for longer
terms.
In 1906, 200 persons registered full or
part time for the first Conference. The target group was high school
and early college ages. Today, there are 1100 people of all ages. In
addition to junior and senior high schoolers there are young adults
(college age), career and older adults. Many of the adults bring their
families and Conference sponsors a Bible School for children younger
than delegate age.