The Austrian Mission by Guy Dail

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Dec 19, 1912

The Austrian Mission

By Guy Dail

GUY DAIL

This year our Austrian Mission held its annual session in the city of Vienna, September 18-22, immediately after the eucharistic congress of the Roman Catholic Church, which brought so many thousands from all parts of the world to the Austrian capital. The various Austrian nationalities represented here in their native costume were an interesting sight; and without doubt the congress brought millions of crowns into the coffers of the Vienna merchants and hotel-keepers and owners of places of amusement.

Our own meetings were held in the hall usually used by the Vienna church. About one hundred representatives of the mission were in attendance. A spirit of brotherly love and union was manifest. As many of the difficulties connected with our work were referred to, it was a pleasure to note that the power of God to overcome these outward circumstances was much more highly emphasized than were the troubles themselves. It was here in Vienna that our workers first learned how to hold public lectures in Austria. That was in 1907, and it was that year that our first society for public lecturing was organized in Austria. Since then the work has gradually extended, and ere long there will be none of the larger districts of the Austrian Mission unoccupied, if things continue as at present.

The conference sessions were held as “paragraph 2” gatherings. That means that no one is admitted unless he is invited, and has a card with his own name and the name of the one responsible for the calling of the meeting. A list of the names recorded on the cards, with the numbers assigned to the names, must be kept, and shown to any government official who may be authorized to come into such a gathering to see that all names are properly recorded, and that no one is present who does not have the invitation card with him. While prayer and singing are not allowed in connection with the public lectures, these acts of worship are permissible in paragraph 2 meetings. Before singing, however, all the windows were closed, that we might not attract too much attention, and cause the gathering of a crowd of people in the court below.

There was also here, as in the two other meetings just held, the Bohemian and the Moravian-Silesian conferences, a wide-awake missionary spirit, in behalf of both the home and the foreign work. Eleven hundred thirty-five crowns were given in cash and pledges for the Ten-cent-a-week Fund. About a dozen asked for baptism on Sabbath. Owing to the governmental and other difficulties connected with this rite, it is not the simplest thing always to grant every request for baptism, and sometimes one must wait for a while before being accepted into church-membership. However, thus far our percentage of loss in Austria through apostasy is not great.

The population of what constitutes the Austrian Mission is now about ten millions, representing principally the German, Italian, Slovenian, and Serbo-Croatian languages. There were one hundred eighty-eight members in the Austrian Mission at the close of the second quarter, showing a net gain of forty-six for the half-year.

Brother J. Wolfgarten was again chosen superintendent of the field, and he has associated with him eleven co-workers and ten colporteurs, who have anything but a pleasant way to tread, as far as outward circumstances are concerned, but who are of good cheer in God, and determined to press the battle to a finish. Pray for the work in Austria.