The Belgian Mission by Guy Dail

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D.C. · Nov 20, 1913

The Belgian Mission

By Guy Dail

GUY DAIL

The fourth annual meeting of this field has just been in session here at Brussels, beginning October 2. About one hundred of our people were in attendance,—two thirds of our Belgian membership,—making it the largest gathering of Seventh-day Adventists ever assembled in this land.

Brethren L. P. Tieche, of the Latin Union, J. G. Oblaender, of the West German Union, and H. Boex, the general canvassing agent of the Hamburg House, rendered good help in counsel and in the public lectures. The French and the Flemish languages are about equally represented in our membership, and each evening lectures for the public were conducted in French at the tent, and simultaneously there were services for the Flemish in the rented hall where the conference was held.

Brussels itself, with the suburbs, contains about 800,000 people. Aggressive evangelical efforts are going forward in three parts of the city, with encouraging omens. We also are seeking to make continued progress in Antwerp (400,000 population). New work will be opened to the west of Brussels and at Verviers.

Our work in Seraing will be continued.

Last year’s net gain in membership was forty, and we now have a membership of 149 here. Good advancement is seen in our offerings to missions, for this field has reached the mark set for it—an average of fifty centimes a member each week. The tithe shows a normal increase.

We were much encouraged by the warm response to the call for reconsecration made by Brother Oblaender at the close of the Sabbath morning preaching service conducted by Brother Tieche, workers and people renewing their vows to God. Some hearty confessions were also made at the meeting, and we think all experienced a blessing at the hand of the Lord.

There was a good interest manifested in the call for a missionary offering, 320 francs cash, 165 francs pledged, and 43 francs Sabbath-school donations, representing in a material way the appeal to the missionary liberality of our brethren who were present.

Sabbath afternoon Brethren J. L. Loots and J. H. Weidner were ordained to the gospel ministry. One lack is, however, very evident: there are no Belgian young men just entering the work. So we must exclaim here, as do many others in various parts of our great European Division Conference. The field truly is great,—7,500,000 inhabitants crowded together in this small kingdom,—but the laborers are few. “Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest.”