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The Latin Union Meeting

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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Sep 24, 1914

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 91, No. 40.

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The Latin Union Meeting

By N. Z. Town

N. Z. TOWN
The biennial session of the Latin Union Conference was held July 7-12, at Yverdon, a beautiful town of about eight thousand inhabitants, on the banks of Lake Neuchatel, Switzerland. The Leman Conference also held its annual session in connection with this meeting. The camp was pitched in a pretty orchard on the outskirts of the town. There were sixty-two family tents, a large dining tent, and for the public meetings a pavilion which would seat about five hundred persons. About three hundred of our people camped on the ground, and on Sabbath this number was increased to over five hundred. Besides the laborers of the union, Elders L. R. Conradi and H. F. Schuberth, Brother L. Spicer, and the writer attended these meetings.
This union has entered heartily into the plan inaugurated by the General Conference for a home missionary campaign, and a recommendation was passed that this work be better organized in the conferences and mission fields of the union. It was also recommended that earnest efforts be made to secure competent colporteurs for each field in the union.
The past year the Lord has greatly prospered the colporteur work in parts of the Latin Union. The Gland publishing house reported a gain during the year of 8,800 francs, 6,700 of which was earned by the Barcelona branch.
When the work in Italy was considered, the committee voted to divide that territory into two mission fields. The provinces of Piedmont, Lombardy, Venice, Liguria, and Emilia will constitute what will be known as the Upper Italian Mission field, with a population of about fifteen million. Brother C. Kamm, who has done successful work in Germany, was asked to take charge of this part of Italy. Brother Zecchetto remains director of the southern portion. It was also voted to secure the release of Brother Knitter, the field agent of the West German Union district, to take charge of the colporteur work in Italy.
The location of several workers was changed at this meeting. Elder H. H. Dexter, the president of the Leman Conference for the past four years, was asked to take up evangelical work in the city of Paris. Elder L. P. Tieche, who was reelected union president, will also act as president of the Leman Conference for the time being. Elder Ulysse Augsbourger, who has been working in the city of Paris, will enter evangelical work in the Leman Conference. Elder J. Curdy, of the Northern France Mission, and Elder T. Nussbaum, of southern France, were to exchange places.
Sabbath was a good day. After a stirring discourse by Elder L. R. Conradi in the morning, all present reconsecrated themselves to God. Several who had lost their hold were reclaimed. Over twenty presented themselves for baptism, five of whom were buried with the Lord in baptism in the afternoon. The others were recommended to their home churches. At the close of the afternoon service, a special collection for missions was taken. This, with the Sabbath school offerings in the morning, amounted to 3,065 francs.
GROUP OF WORKERS AT LATIN UNION MEETING
GROUP OF WORKERS AT LATIN UNION MEETING
In the union committee meetings following the conference, some important decisions were made. As the Italian Mission expects to get a good man as leader of the colporteur work in that field, and as our experience in other Catholic fields has demonstrated the advisability of going over the ground first with a health publication, it was voted that “Practical Guide” be translated and published in the Italian language as soon as possible.
Spain is proving to be a good field for the circulation of our literature, and Barcelona will doubtless become an important publishing center. It was therefore decided to place an experienced man in charge of the publishing work in that city, and the committee recommended that Brother L. E. Borle move to Barcelona, and that Brother Jules Robert take charge of the publishing work in Gland. A committee of five was appointed to examine “Heralds of the Morning” with the view of adapting it to Spain; and if this can be done, it will be translated and published at an early date.
Brother John Brown, who has charge of the work in Spain, was asked to extend his field to France at the beginning of the new year.
The home missionary work and the young people's work received careful attention during the meeting. Brother L. Spicer, of Hamburg, had charge of the latter. Twenty-two young persons gave their hearts to God for the first time. Advance steps were taken in the organization of the young people's work, and the brethren are hopeful of seeing good results from this effort.
The workers in the Latin Union have a big problem on their hands to warn the hundred million in their field, but they took up the work again after the meeting with new courage, believing that greater blessings are in store for them.