General Conference Committee Actions by William Ambrose Spicer

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Dec 21, 1911

General Conference Committee Actions

By William Ambrose Spicer

Some actions of the General Conference Committee at the time of the autumn council relating to the distribution of workers were not listed in the reports of that council, time being required to communicate with the persons concerned. A further report can now be made, and will be of general interest. We include also actions taken by the General Conference Committee since the council.

The following appointments or transfers have been recommended:—

Walter S. Mead and his wife, of the Foreign Mission Seminary, to India, for the English school at Mussoorie, or for mission station work, as the necessities may require.

Miss Rachel Jones, of the Foreign Mission Seminary, who has been engaged during the summer in Bible work with the Northern New England Conference, to India, to engage in Bible work in connection with the evangelistic effort in the cities, or in village dispensary work, as the needs may require.

W. L. Burgan, of Baltimore, appointed secretary of the Press Bureau of the General Conference, with headquarters in the General Conference Office building in Washington.

W. L. Burgan, secretary of the Press Bureau, to attend the winter union conference sessions in the North, to give instruction in press work, and to report proceedings of the sessions in the public press.

Elder C. B. Haynes, of Baltimore, to attend union conference sessions in the South, to give instruction in press work, and to report the sessions.

Elder N. H. Pool and his wife, of Indiana, to the West Indies, in response to the call for an evangelist in the island of Trinidad, just off the coast of Venezuela.

C. F. Innis, of Colorado, to the Foreign Mission Seminary, under provisional appointment for the book work in Spanish-speaking fields, Brother Innis having formerly been in Central America.

Elder J. Z. Walker and his wife, of the Foreign Mission Seminary, to go forward to the French-speaking republic of Haiti, in the West Indies, early in 1912, to take the superintendency of the work in that field.

Charles Degering and his wife, of the North Pacific Union, to the West Caribbean Conference, headquarters in Panama, to act as secretary and treasurer of the conference.

E. R. Allen and his wife, of the Foreign Mission Seminary, to the Canadian Union, in response to the call for Brother Allen to act as field agent in the book work.

Elder H. S. Prener, formerly of South America, recently returned on account of Sister Prener’s health, recommended to the German work in Baltimore, Chesapeake Conference.

Elder George M. Brown and his wife, of North Carolina, to Cuba.

Departmental Committees

Changes and additions were made in the advisory committees of General Conference departments. The following were added to the committees:—

Publishing Department: G. C. Haskin

(Pacific Press), J. W. Westphal (South American Union).

Religious Liberty Department: I. H. Evans (China), H. A. Weaver (Michigan), M. N. Campbell (Iowa), W. F. Martin (North Pacific), J. L. McEllany (Washington, D. C.), William Guthrie (Canada).

Young People’s Department: H. M. Hiatt (Southeastern Union), J. L. Shaw (India), E. E. Farnsworth (Southwestern Union), M. M. Hare (Atlantic Union).

German Department Advisory Committee: H. F. Graf (Cleveland), B. E. Miller (New York City).

Other Recommendations

That in response to the suggestion of the Sabbath-school Department, the treasurer be authorized to designate some special enterprise to be made the object of the Sabbath-school mission gifts on one Sabbath of each quarter.

That the treasurer be authorized to send forward further remittances from the $300,000 Fund, as follows:—

To India, to build a printing-office and supply other needs, $10,000.

To Mexico, in behalf of the Mexican printing plant, $1,000.

To Argentina, South America, for institutional work, $4,000.

To Brazil, for institutional work, doubtless the equipment of their printing plant for the better circulation of literature throughout that great Portuguese-speaking country, $2,000.

To the West African Mission, for fitting up treatment rooms, such an amount as may be necessary up to $500.

The following action was taken regarding means for enabling the two union conferences in South America to be of mutual help and strength to each other, now that the conferences and missions in Brazil are organized into the new Brazilian Union Conference:—

“Voted, That we recommend that in order to strengthen the work in the two unions in South America and make them mutually helpful to each other, we advise the president of the Brazilian Union to attend, if possible, the biennial union sessions of the South American Union Conference, and that similarly we recommend the president of the South American Union to attend the Brazilian Union sessions.”

Other recommendations made regarding exchanges and transfers of laborers in the North American Division are still awaiting further consultation and correspondence.

W. A. SPICER, Secretary.