General Conference Committee Council by William Ambrose Spicer

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Apr 28, 1910

General Conference Committee Council

By William Ambrose Spicer

We give a brief summary of further actions and recommendations by the recent General Conference Committee Council, held at Takoma Park, April 5-15.

General Items

The time of the next week of prayer was set for December 10-17.

Another Harvest Ingathering campaign for missions is to be carried forward in 1910, similar to the campaigns during the last two years.

In accordance with the invitation from Europe, the biennial Council of the Committee is to be held at Friedensau, Germany, July 4-16, 1911; the East and West German unions uniting in bearing the expense of the meeting, which will be in the nature of a council and institute for the European workers, Europe on this account planning to send a smaller delegation to the next quadrennial General Conference.

Sanitarium Relief Campaign

Study was given to the relief campaign for our sanitariums, and actions taken which will be reported in full in the Relief department of the REVIEW.

Inasmuch as on invitation of the General Conference, Western unions have joined in special relief effort for the Philadelphia Sanitarium, located in the Columbia Union Conference, the following action was taken by the Council:—

Voted, That we express to our brethren and sisters of the Northern and Southwestern union conferences our thankful appreciation of the great assistance they have rendered in helping to meet the needs of one of our institutions in the East, by dedicating a definite portion of the proceeds of their sanitarium relief campaign to the General Conference for the Philadelphia Sanitarium.

Teachers’ Convention

The Educational Department was authorized to call a convention of heads of leading departments in our advanced schools, and the union conference educational secretaries, early in June, the convention to be held at Berrien Springs, Mich., on invitation of the Lake Union Conference committee.

Nurses’ Bureau

The following action was taken:—

Whereas, The Atlantic Union Conference, in harmony with the recommendation

of the General Conference Committee at the meeting held at College View, 1909, has organized a Medical Missionary Bureau, the object of which is— (a) Nursing and ministering to the sick and needy, (b) Conducting Bible studies. (c) Selling and distributing literature, (d) Conducting schools of health and other missionary efforts,—

Resolved, That we express our approval of this action, and recommend that the other union conferences organize bureaus of similar character without delay.

Loma Linda Medical College

The following action was taken:—

Whereas, It is advised that a medical school be equipped and conducted at Loma Linda, Cal.; and,—

Whereas, The Pacific Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists has petitioned that the General Conference join it in this undertaking; therefore,—

Resolved, 1. That the General Conference unite with the Pacific Union Conference [and other union conferences] in establishing a medical school at Loma Linda, Cal.

2. That we authorize the officers of the General Conference to appropriate one thousand dollars, or any fraction thereof, for the above purpose, during the year 1910.

3. That A. G. Daniells, W. A. Ruble, and H. R. Salisbury be the General Conference members on the board of control of said school.

Young People’s Department

The department was authorized to arrange a series of Missionary Volunteer institutes in various union conference schools this fall and winter.

The department was authorized to encourage individual societies or the young people of conferences to unite in supporting some definite missionary or missionary enterprise.

Religious Liberty Department

The department was authorized to hold district conventions of religious liberty workers some time this autumn, if these can be arranged in co-operation with the union conferences.

The officers of the General Conference and of the Religious Liberty Department were authorized to inaugurate a Press Bureau in the interests of religious liberty work.

Miscellaneous

The European Division is encouraged in its proposition to raise ten thousand dollars as an addition to the $300,000 Fund, to be applied to the educational work in the Latin, Levant, and Russian union conferences, which represent work for a population of over three hundred millions.

The Maritime and Quebec conferences were authorized to retain their receipts on the $300,000 Fund, to apply on their appropriation from this fund for the Williamsdale Academy and the Montreal headquarters.

The European Division is invited to look after the work among the Russians of Manchuria, Manchuria being within the China Union Mission.

An executive committee of the large departmental committee of the North American Negro Department was appointed, as follows: A. J. Haysmer, C. P. Bollman, J. E. White, O. R. Staines, C. F. McVagh, Charles Thompson, G. F. Watson, any four of whom, with the secretary of the department, constitute a quorum.

W. A. SPICER, Secretary.