The General Conference by Arthur Grosvenor Daniells

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D. C. · Jun 8, 1905

The General Conference

By Arthur Grosvenor Daniells

THE thirty-sixth session of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists has just closed. While it would hardly be proper to say that this has been the best conference we have ever held, it is safe to state that without doubt it will always be counted as one of the most important and valuable sessions we have ever held.

It was the first to be held in the capital of the American nation. It is the first we have held in summer and in camp since the conference has reached anything like large proportions. It was more truly a World's Missionary Conference than any preceding session. It was a practical, hard-working conference, and laid the foundation for a broad, progressive work.

The session opened and closed according to the advertised dates, and the general plan that had been arranged was carried out with very little change. The department committee meetings which had been appointed to be held from eight to nine each morning, were kept up every day from the beginning until nearly the last day. It was an inspiring sight to see large circles of leading workers in all the departments of our great cause, grouped in different parts of the camp, engaged in earnest, heart-to-heart discussions regarding the special lines of work committed to them. Many testified to the great value of these daily conferences and discussions.

What was called the “Ministerial Institute” was held each day at eleven o'clock. Many valuable papers were read by different ministers, dealing with important subjects bearing upon the daily work and experiences of ministers, Bible workers, and church officers. It is intended that some of the most important of these papers will be given to our people through the REVIEW.

In harmony with the request of the General Conference Committee, the presidents of union conferences, the superintendents of mission fields, and the leaders of various departments of our work, brought to the conference very carefully prepared reports. The presentation of these reports occupied a great deal of time, but they were so full of interest and instruction that the more ordinary features of the conference gave way for these reports, and every one that had been prepared was given to the delegates. Many of these reports have already been printed in the REVIEW, and others will no doubt appear in the near future.

Two new departments of the conference were created. One was the Medical Missionary Department, and the other was the Foreign Department. Quite a full report of the Medical Missionary Department has already been given. The Foreign Department is designed to develop organized work in behalf of the foreign peoples of the United States. The members of this departmental committee will be composed of the leading representatives of the different nationalities among whom our cause has secured a foothold. Elder Irwin will act as chairman of the Foreign Department, while Elder Haffner and Elder N. P. Nelson, members of the committee, will devote themselves entirely to the German and Scandinavian nationalities. More will be said in the future regarding the work of this department.

The “surprise party” meetings formed a very interesting and cheering part of the conference. Three of these meetings were held, in which the delegates from all parts of the world publicly announced the contributions they had received from their fields in behalf of the Washington fund and the mission fields. It thrilled the hearts of all present to see the delegates come forward and hand to the treasurer thousands of dollars, sent in by our brethren and sisters, with messages of confidence, assurance, and good-will. We know of nothing in the history of our cause that has united the hearts of this people, and

bound them together in the bonds of brotherly love, like this effort to establish the cause of God in its present headquarters.

We might in this report speak of the defects and short-comings of the conference; but this would be of little benefit to the readers. It would perhaps be too much to expect to hold an absolutely ideal conference with our present limitations. After the conference convened, we soon learned that our time would be altogether too short to do all that we would like. This cause has grown to large proportions; it has many important interests. It requires a large amount of time to deal with these practical, everyday affairs in a practical way.

The conference just held was not an occasion for visiting and entertainment. It was not a time of much preaching. The delegates came together for earnest work, and they addressed themselves to their tasks from early morning until late at night throughout the entire meeting. We believe that the plans laid will result in a strong forward movement in all lines, and in all parts of the world. The general sentiment expressed by those who were present was that they were returning to their fields of labor with renewed courage to press the battle to the gates of the enemy. The Lord will surely bless his people as they put forth their best energies in his name to finish his work in the earth.

A. G. DANIELLS.