The North American Foreign Department by Ole Andres Olsen

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Tacoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Dec 9, 1909

The North American Foreign Department

By Ole Andres Olsen

It is well known to all that in the United States and Canada there is a very large foreign population, yet probably none of us, till we investigate the figures, are aware that so many of these peoples have come to North America.

The immigration from Europe to this continent began to be counted about 1820, but the number coming was small, averaging about eight thousand each year; but it is a matter of interest that from the year 1844 the statistics show that a rapid increase began, and for a number of years every succeeding year showed a large advance over the previous year, till we come to 1862, at which time there was a backset. But this soon changed, and the influx from all parts of Europe became greater than before, till in 1907 we saw 1,285,349 coming to our shores from all parts of Europe and Asia.

In 1900 we had in the United States, according to the government statistics, a foreign population of 25,850,980 more than one third of the entire population at that time, and since then about 7,802,030 more have come. There are cities and States where the majority of the population consists of foreigners. In Greater New York we have forty-four nationalities represented, and they constitute sixty-seven per cent of the entire population. There are other cities that have equally large proportions of foreigners, and even more. These things are matters that must be taken account of in connection with our plans to bring the last message to all the world in this generation.

There is a wonderful providence in the fact that this closing phase of the gospel work had its beginning in America. This was by no means an accident or a mere happening. God, in his all-wise providence, had reserved this Western world for a special work in connection with the closing message. The foregoing statements regarding the foreign population in this Western world bear out this idea fully, for in no other part of the world but right here could this have taken place.

It is also a matter of interest to note that it is in the very time of the last phase of this message that we have seen this great influx of people from other parts of the world to these shores, just as if the providence of God was sending them here to get the light of the truth and to receive the message of salvation before the final close of this world's history.

It is a fact of great interest that the immigration of these people to this country has, to a large extent, been the means of their being brought into contact with the last message, some of whom have accepted the truth, and then in turn have taken it to the people of their native land. This has been true of the Scandinavians, the Germans, the French, and many others. This is as God would have it, and in this way the work of the message is being greatly hastened to its final conclusion.

At the present time the work among the Germans and Scandinavians, both here and in Europe, is well advanced, and has become a source of strength in the message. But there are among us hundreds of thousands representing many large nationalities for whom but very little as yet has been done. Indeed, we have right at our own doors a foreign mission field of the greatest importance. We may question if in our efforts to reach out after people afar, we are in danger of overlooking the multitudes whom the providence of God has placed at our very doors?

Realizing all this, and seeing the importance of this very situation and the responsibilities resting on us because of this large foreign population in our midst, the General Conference has found it necessary to form a special department, to develop the work of the message among all these peoples. This is the reason for the formation of the North American Foreign Department of the General Conference.

That there is a great work to be accomplished through this department no one will question for a moment who has given the subject even a casual thought. Workers will be needed, city training missions must be established, and means must be forthcoming to carry on this work. We must earnestly work and pray that God will raise up laborers who will feel a real burden for the thousands and hundreds of thousands of these people of foreign nationalities in our cities, and we need also to pray for money with which to carry forward this work. I trust that we may sense, more and more, what the Lord would have his people do in this time of urgency, when the end of probation is so near at hand. O. A. OLSEN.