The Annual Meeting in the Holland Mission
By L. R. CONRADI
The annual meeting for the Holland and Flemish-Belgium field was held December 23-26, at Amsterdam, a city containing five hundred and forty thousand inhabitants,—the largest city in the kingdom. We had a fair representation of our various companies and churches in Holland, and several from Antwerp, Belgium were present. The meetings were held in the local meeting hall of the Amsterdam church. Brethren Wibbens and Schilstra have been laboring in Amsterdam the past year, and there is now a company of about thirty in the place, and a number of other interested persons. Elder Klingbeil, with a few colporteurs, has been working in Antwerp, Flemish Belgium, a city of two hundred and eighty thousand population, very strongly Catholic. Thus far he has been able to gather a company of thirteen, and we hope that ere the interest is bound off, we may have a good church in this dark center. (The German Union Conference works Flemish Belgium, while the Latin Union sustains the laborers in French Belgium.) Brethren Wintzen and Arendse have lately been engaged in the northeastern part of Holland, near the German border. It was difficult for them to get suitable halls, and as the climate is so damp that a tent would not be practicable, they have built a portable wooden tabernacle at an expense of about two hundred and fifty dollars. There are about fifteen Sabbath-keepers in that portion of Holland, and there is some interest in various places. We were happy to see that the membership of this field rose from seventy at the beginning of 1904, to one hundred at its close, and the tithe increased from about three hundred and fifty dollars to six hundred dollars. The Holland paper, Zions-Wachter, now has a circulation of thirteen hundred. Its loss last year was about two hundred dollars. The brethren in Holland have all promised to do their utmost to increase the subscription list. We would also make an earnest appeal to our Dutch-speaking brethren in the United States and elsewhere, to assist us in the circulation of this paper. A small health-food business had been started by private parties in Rotterdam. We wished to free these persons for the gospel work, so the Friedensau house received this as a branch health-food store, but its first year has shown quite a heavy loss. However, at this meeting, steps were taken to put this work on a more sound basis, so that it may pay the coming year. H. F. Schuberth, the vice-president of the German Union Conference, was again chosen superintendent of the field. One laborer received ministerial licenses, three licentiates received papers, two go out as Bible workers, and three as canvassers. All our business meetings were characterized by a good spirit. The Lord came near to his people, and those in attendance were strengthened in faith and courage, and we have good prospects for the near future. I think about twenty-five will be ready for baptism the coming quarter. We were also glad to meet here one of our brethren who may be sent out by the Seventh-day Baptist Mission Board, as an assistant teacher in Java. They know his faith, but as they do not have a suitable man themselves, they are considering his name. Several of their members attended our meetings, and seemed fully convinced of the correctness of the position we hold. While, as most of our readers know, this field has gone through quite a hard experience, and is only gradually recovering the strength it once had, yet we feel convinced that the work is being substantially rebuilt. The prospects in Holland are brighter than they have been for some time. We trust our brethren who are interested in the progress of the third angel's message in all parts of the world, will remember God's little flock here, also the few laborers in the Netherlands who are seeking to disseminate the light of heaven for these days.