The General Conference Committee Council at Gland, Switzerland by William Ambrose Spicer

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Tacoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jul 18, 1907

The General Conference Committee Council at Gland, Switzerland

By William Ambrose Spicer

Seventh, and Last Report

THOUGH Gland is a quiet country village, the council attracted some attention from the public press, which seemed impressed with the world-representative character of the meeting. The Berne Volksfreund, for instance, devoted three columns of first-page matter to a description of the camp and the work represented.

The following estimates were voted: —

Appropriations for Missions, 1907 European (including Levant) . . . $18,000 Canadian Union Conference . . . . . 6,852 Australasian Union Conference . . 8,500 China — General work . . . $15,000 Publishing work . . . 2,000 ,000 India Mission field . . . . . . . . . . . 16,000 Japan and Korea — General . . . . . . $7,239 Korean school . . . . . 100 Japanese school . . . . . 500 ,839 Mexican Mission . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,631 South African Union Conference . 15,000 Southern Union Conference . . . . 10,386 West Indian Union Conference . . 14,572 South American Union Conference . 10,857 Southwestern Union Conference for its mission work . . . . . . . 1,200 West African Mission . . . . . . . . . 1,700 Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $131,537

This, it was stated, is the largest annual appropriation for missions ever voted in this denomination. It represents the work at present being done in the fields, save in one or two missions, where new work is provided for in the estimates, in case it is found possible to undertake it. The council realized that special help must roll in for missions if the amount here appropriated is to be actually sent to the fields this year. This list, long and carefully considered at the council, is a thing for the believers in this message to bring earnestly and definitely before the Lord in prayer during the remainder of this year. The fields require the means to maintain the growing work. The mission treasury, it was explained, could supply it only as enlarged giving relieves the lack of mission funds.

More Reports, German Union

E. Frauchiger, of the East German Conference, said that in Saxony we are not permitted legally to baptize or celebrate the Lord’s supper. Youth under twenty, unless parents are members, are forbidden to attend our meetings. The elder of one church was fined fifty marks for allowing a child of fourteen present at a public meeting. Another was fined four hundred marks for the four times a young man was found to have attended. Yet “love finds a way,” and the truth wins victories. Baptisms must be at night. In Prussia there is liberty. Our literature has been sold in the imperial family. A governess at the Berlin court began to keep the Sabbath. The minister of ceremonies objected to such a thing in the castle, and the empress interested herself in securing another position for our sister.

West Germany has had 1,155 members taken from it by redivision of territory during the past four years; but J. Pieper, the president, reported that they are growing at the rate of over two hundred a year. There is liberty, under observation. At one place last winter a policeman sat by in meetings. Called to explain our faith and work in a court, Brother Pieper found the court had on file many documents and papers relating to our work.

G. Schubert, of the Rhenish Conference, said they had two hundred members at the organization in 1903. Now there are seven hundred. Most of the people in this part are Catholics, and we have churches composed of former Catholics.

J. G. Oblander reported 400 members at the organization of the Prussian Conference in 1904. Now there are 755.

J. H. Schilling, of the new Silesian Conference, organized five months before, reported 394 members at that time. Sixty-four have been baptized since January 1.

J. F. Huenergardt, of the Hungarian Mission, reported 350 members in Hungary. He appealed to our people in America to place the Hungarian paper and literature among people of that nationality in the United States.

L. Mathe, of the North German Conference, reported progress, and L. R. Conradi stated that it was estimated that during the last year 500 Catholics had been baptized in the European field.

For Holland and Flemish Belgium, R. G. Klingbeil reported 160 members. About fifteen are awaiting baptism in Brussels. Ten canvassers are putting out much literature.

D. P. Gaede reported the North Russian Conference territory as large as Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and Minnesota. It has three ministers. Its membership

is 600, mostly German, Lettonian, and Lithuanian.

O. Wildgrube, president of the Middle Russian Conference, followed with a plea for prayer and co-operation in behalf of Russia, which touched our hearts. In the events of these troublous times in that empire, God has caused the wrath of man to praise him. We have a church of sixty-four in Kiev, the Russian holy city. There is an interest among the Jews. Last year five Jews were received into the church. For the sixty-six millions in this conference, there are one minister and three Bible workers.

D. Isaak spoke for the fourteen millions of the South Russian Mission. These people speak ten different languages. Our 442 members here are Russians and Germans, about half and half. Two Jews have accepted the truth in this conference also.

The Scandinavian Union ·

An intensely interesting evening was devoted to the reports from Scandinavia. Elder P. A. Hansen described the general territory, with one fourth the population of the United States, counting the new field of Abyssinia which Scandinavia is planning to enter.

J. C. Raft, president of the Danish Conference, reported seven hundred and fifty members, of whom fifty-two were baptized last year.

O. A. Johnson reported one hundred and two added in Norway last year. A new publication in the Lapp language has been issued. We have a few Sabbath-keepers among the Laplanders.

E. Lind reported for Sweden. There is hardly a family in the country that has not been visited by a canvasser. Even sisters have carried books twenty or twenty-five miles to points away from the railway—one sister tugging fifteen copies of “Great Controversy” twenty-five miles to make her delivery. This canvassing sister was once two days without food. She entered a wood to ask the Lord to supply some way of getting food in the wilderness. As she came out to the road, a man met her and gave her a loaf of bread.

Finland, reported for by Fred Anderson, had many Sabbath-keepers in earlier times. There was a famine in the land. Many decided it was because the Sabbath was not kept, and began to keep the seventh day. The king of Sweden, who then ruled Finland, sent a letter condemning the practise. The letter is in the Swedish archives. Last year twenty-one were baptized, among these the leading doctor of the city of Helsingfors.

Brother Arnesen, for the sanitarium work, J. F. Hansen, for the health food work, and A. C. Christensen, for the publishing house, made cheering reports. Brethren Nelson, Svenssen, and Muderspach, from the evangelistic field, told of interesting experiences.

O. A. Johnson, in closing Scandinavia’s reports, said that 460 years ago Catholics from Norway came to a church council at Basel, Switzerland, and secured the condemnation of Sabbath-keepers in Norway. These old-time witnesses were rooted out. Now, however, Sabbath-keepers from Norway come to Switzerland to tell of the progress of the Sabbath truth through the lands of the north.

The Last Sabbath

After two weeks of constant work in council, the last Sabbath came as a welcome and blessed gift, with refreshing and rest for heart and body. The weather was again ideal. Friday evening Elder Prescott spoke. Next morning, after the Sabbath-school, carried on in five or six languages, Elder Daniells spoke on the work of the Holy Spirit, the latter rain, and the finishing of the mystery of God. At the close of the sermon, the entire congregation rose in testimony to full surrender for service, and the speaker led all in a prayer of consecration. The Lord was manifestly present by his Spirit.

It was a blessed Sabbath day in the camp, from which these workers were soon to be scattered out, to take up the stern conflict, many in isolation from associates. But there was courage in every heart, and confidence in God’s leadership of the advent people from the days of 1844 to the present time. This is the faith and confidence that have been used of God in the building up of the work everywhere during all these years. By the same means the work is being finished, and the European laborers who are day by day building for God, in new fields and old, are strong in the faith of the third angel’s message.

Sabbath afternoon four young men were ordained to the ministry. They represented three of the countries of Catholic Europe. They were Frank Bond, of Spain, J. P. Badant, of southern France, son of one of our earliest French laborers, Ulysses Augsburger, of Paris, and C. E. Rentfro, of Portugal. The ordination prayers and charge were in English and French. At the close of the ordination the Spanish representatives sang the Spanish hymn, “Wonderful words of life,” and the German brethren sang, “Ah, my Lord Jesus, if I had not thee.” All hearts rejoiced that four men should be ordained to the work in Catholic fields at this meeting. It is a sign of the times in our work for Latin Europe. The Lord is visiting the Catholic lands to take out of them a people prepared for his coming.

The ring of the “blessed hope” was heard in the social service following the ordination. It was in unity of faith and the love of the truth that the last testimonies were borne, and farewell greetings spoken. The council had been a season of fellowship and blessing. That evening many of the workers began to leave for various fields, all hearts feeling that, by the blessing of the Lord, the council will result in hastening the triumph of the third angel’s message and the glad day of gathering round the great white throne. This is a glorious work.

W. A. SPICER, Secretary.