President Richard Fry did not live to see the building dedicated. He was, however, able to see the hard work and cooperation of the people of Porterville. The beautiful church, designed by the people oftheward and the builders who built it, was a unifying force in the lives of the Porterville people. It cost about $5,000, and it stands today as a monument to the planning and sacrifice of the men, women, and young people of the ward.75 Tithing When Lorenzo Snow became President of the Church, it became his "prayer and labor" to get the Church out of debt. President Samuel Francis recorded that he attended a special I priesthood meeting in the Salt Lake I Temple on Sunday, 2 July 1899, which | lasted all day. He said, "The meeting I was devoted to strengthening our faith PorterZlle Church in the law of tithing. About a dozen addresses were given on the subject. We all promised to pay our tithing and teach others to do likewise."76 There had been instruction concerning tithing over the pulpit at Morgan prior to this meeting, however. Many different speakers had discussed this important commandment in stake conferences. At a Morgan Stake general priesthood meeting in March 1899, Bishop William Giles of Milton reported on the conditions in his ward. He asked President Fry if he should recommend non-tithe payers to other wards as being in good fellowship. President Fry said no.77 A continued emphasis was placed in Morgan on teaching the importance of paying an honest tithe. The eighty-third Morgan Stake Quarterly Conference held June 1899, had nearly every speaker address the law of tithing. The same was true of the following conference in September 1899. John Henry Smith, a member of the Quorum of Twelve, was sent by President Snow as a special representative on the subject.78 Before the Morgan Stake was organized, each branch was directly accountable to the Presiding Bishop's Office in Salt Lake City for collecting and disbursing tithing. Money was very scarce, and tithing often had to be paid in kind, which might include property, labor, or produce. Only a small percentage of cash was ever given. Because of the variety in tithing donations, it was an exceedingly involved task to receive, store, and handle the tithing and to convert it into a form suitable for Church creditors. Approximately one-third of the tithing received was used within the stake in which it was collected. The remaining two-thirds was sent to Salt Lake City for disbursement. Soon after the Morgan Stake was organized, a directive was given by the First Presidency for stake presidencies to establish a central stake tithing storehouse. Ward storehouses were to be eliminated, and tithing collected 65