The Twenty-Ninth Session of the Denmark Conference
By Guy Dail
GUY DAIL
Thirty-one years ago the president of the General Conference received from Elder J. G. Matteson a letter containing the following words: “I think the time has come when I must get ready to go to Denmark to labor in the interest of the last message. . . . There are two hundred sixty Advent Tidendes that go to Denmark monthly. . . . We frequently receive favorable letters from Denmark, and some are keeping the Sabbath there.”
On June 6 of that year (1877) Elder Matteson landed in Denmark, and began to labor. He met much opposition. He had little means. Although there was an earnest interest in his meetings the following winter, at first only a few were able to break away, and take their stand. From that small beginning, however, the work has gradually developed until, at the end of the first quarter of 1908, there were eight hundred twenty believers, not to speak of the more than sixty who have been baptized since.
About ninety delegates represented all but one of the twenty churches in Denmark at their annual meeting held in Copenhagen, June 9-14. The Aalborg church, with a membership of fifty-two, was received into the conference; but as the members had moved away, the Sørring-Galten church was dissolved. The business sessions went off harmoniously. Of the resolutions that may be of general interest, we would refer to these:—
THE FAMOUS ROUND TOWER IN COPENHAGEN
1. That a chapel be erected at Skodsborg. Here is our largest European sanatorium. It has about one hundred thirty patients, and over a hundred helpers. But as our meeting-place here is only a small portable wooden building, seating about one hundred, almost any of the sanitariums we are operating in the Old World has better facilities to accommodate those who come together to hear the Word. Money and pledges amounting to 2,774 kroner were received toward this enterprise, but this is only a small part of what must be provided.
The finest people of Denmark, and leading men from Sweden and other lands, are among the guests of the Skodsborg Sanatorium; therefore to build a neat chapel there, and to furnish a good evangelical laborer to assist in presenting the message, as the delegates requested, are matters demanding earnest consideration, and as early a solution as possible.
One of Scandinavia’s great needs still continues to be a permanent union school. The Danish brethren feel this keenly, and they invited their delegates to the union meeting to be held in Orebro, Sweden, to do all they can to secure definite action looking toward the speedy establishment of such an institution. We were pleased to see the interest awakened by this educational question, and to meet several of the young men from America who are studying here to better fit themselves for the Scandinavian work.
The literature committee was asked to see to the preparation of small, cheap tracts to be widely circulated, on such topics as: Baptism; Not Under the Law but Under Grace; The Letter and the Spirit; The Two Covenants; Immortality; The Prophecies; Scripture References; etc. It was also recommended that a small stock of the Danish-Norwegian publications printed in the States be kept on hand by the Danish Publishing House. Hereafter the Danish Conference will grant licenses to its colporteurs, as is done in many other of the European fields where such strict laws are enacted by the government with reference to the sale of literature. There are twenty-four canvassers, who were granted permission to sell our publications at this conference. By a comparison we see that the sales of the Danish Conference amounted to $7,216 in 1904, against $13,663 in 1907, which was $3,178 more than in 1906.
A conference poor fund was started at the meeting, toward which ninety-two kroner were raised. This fund will be strengthened by a collection in the churches the first Sabbath of each quarter.
The Bible studies and the lectures of the visiting brethren,—L. R. Conradi, C. C. Jensen, N. C. Bergersen, and M. S.16Reppe,—as well as the assistance of the local ministers, and the health talks of the Skodsborg Sanatorium physicians, furnished meat in due season for the people.
The service Sabbath forenoon was especially blessed of God. A large number renewed their consecration to the Lord, and others made a start to serve him. In the afternoon, Brother Z. Sherrig was ordained, and following the ordination service, there was a good social meeting, in which nearly all present took part, as the congregation was divided up into sections. We should not neglect to mention the excellent music that was furnished at the meetings. There were about four hundred fifty in attendance at the largest gathering, on Sunday evening.
The tithe and offerings of the field show a good increase. Three years ago the tithe was $5,700, and the donations were $712. Last year the tithe was $8,122, and donations $1,612,—$412 more tithe, and $452 more donations, than the previous twelve months. One hundred persons were received into the church in Denmark in 1907, and there was a net gain of sixty-four in the church-membership.
Elder J. C. Raft was re-elected president of the conference, and Elder C. C. Jensen was chosen as vice-president. They are to be assisted by eight other evangelical workers, who labor among a population of two million six hundred thousand. All go forth to their work with better courage; for they have just attended the largest and the best meeting our people ever held in Denmark. They have more of the missionary spirit than before. The opening of the Abyssinian mission has been a help to the home work. The Sunday afternoon collection after the missionary talk of Elder Conradi, amounted to nearly one hundred sixty kroner.
Denmark is a promising field. We can but ask the brethren in other parts of the world to remember the cause here, where, small as the country may seem, there is still much work to be done, both by our ministerial and our institutional laborers.
