The Meeting at Friedensau by Louis Richard Conradi

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Oct 7, 1909

The Meeting at Friedensau

By Louis Richard Conradi

L. R. CONRADI

Among the summer meetings in the European field none was of greater importance than that held at Friedensau. The German Union Conference is not only the most populous (with one hundred forty million people), but it is one of the strongest in membership and in finance. Eleven years ago its first conference was organized, and by the end of this present year, it will contain, including the two union districts, thirteen local conferences. In 1901 the German Union Conference was organized. At that time Russia was a part of its territory. By the beginning of 1910 there will be three union conferences to take the place of the one that was organized eight years ago; namely, the Russian, the East German Union Conference, and the West German Union Conference, with a membership of probably more than thirteen thousand. Although we have had our German Union Conference sessions annually at Friedensau, yet the attendance this year was greater than at any time in the past. As we called for a show of hands on the part of those who had come into the truth during the year, many quickly responded. During the year over two thousand had been received into church-membership, and the tithe had increased twenty-four thousand dollars.

In view of this rapid growth, and of the fact that if we count the mission fields, there are some twenty organizations included within the territory of the German Union Conference, it was thought best to proceed to a redivision of the territory. When we cut off the Russian Union Conference two years ago, the membership of the whole was about ten thousand. By the end of this year it will be about the same, while the finances during this time have nearly doubled. As both of the proposed unions will be fully able to support themselves from their tithe, we saw no reason for delay in making a division. It is possible that the East German Union Conference may have a few hundred members more than the West German Union Conference, yet the proposed division is just about as equally made as it was possible to make it. Each union conference will have about five thousand members, and an annual tithe of about fifty thousand dollars.

Owing to the great size of the territory, and the complexity of its interests so far as the institutions are concerned, we felt that we needed the especial blessing of the Lord to enable us to present a plan of division that would satisfy the interests of the cause in every way, and meet with the approval of the people as a whole. Our past experience has demonstrated to our satisfaction that the success of the work of the Lord does not depend on the multiplication of institutions, but rather upon the exertions of a ministry filled by the Spirit of God, that will bring many souls to Christ; and that institutions will only be beneficial so long as they are added in due proportion to the development of a suitable constituency of believers who will support them; and we sincerely believe that the Lord has set his seal to this policy. The Hamburg Publishing House, which is supplying literature in eighteen different languages, to over three hundred million people, has been able not only to do as much missionary work as any house we have, but it stands free from debt to-day. The Friedensau school, which has been supplying laborers to the entire field, has been able to put up and pay for its main building and dormitories, costing about forty thousand dollars, and it now has half of the money to pay for the much-needed second building that was dedicated at the conference, and which cost about twenty thousand dollars. The Old People's Home (erected at a cost of twenty-five thousand dollars) is also free from debt. On the other hand, the health work, with the sanitarium, has quite a little debt to be lifted, before it will stand free.

In view of the facts alluded to, it was the mind of the brethren in general that there should be no multiplying of institutions connected with the division of the German Union Conference. It was therefore arranged that the Hamburg House be located in the West German Union field, and that the Friedensau institutions be in the East German Union Conference, and that a committee of ten members be chosen to look after these institutions. This board of trustees is made up of the two union conference presidents, and the two vice-presidents of the German union conferences, the Russian Union Conference president, the principal of the Friedensau school, the business manager at Friedensau, the Friedensau Sanitarium medical superintendent, the manager of the Hamburg Publishing House, and the European vice-president of the General Conference.

Hamburg-Altona was left as the union district for the West German Union Conference, and the East German Union Conference enlarged its union district of Friedensau by the addition of Berlin, thus giving them a good field for the training of their students in practical work.

The institutions are thus to be kept as common property for the use of the union conferences, while the funds on hand are to be equally divided, and the tent inventory goes to the East German Union Conference, and the two ship mission inventories, in Hamburg and Rotterdam, to the West German Union Conference.

That the Lord was guiding in the plans proposed was best seen by the unanimous and hearty vote of all parties concerned, and in the unanimous support accorded in the selection of officers.

From the very beginning, considerable time was given to the consideration of the religious interests of the camp. On the first Sabbath over sixty new converts came forward, and more than forty were baptized during the meeting, while a number of others waited until their return to the home churches for their baptism.

The applications for admission into the Friedensau school were more numerous than ever. About ninety persons offered themselves as students, and about sixty were received.

The new school building shown in the cut was dedicated on the twenty-eighth of July. You will see that the building as it stands is not complete—there being only one wing and the main part. The main part supplies much-needed additional class-rooms, library, music-room, etc., while the wing gives five dwellings for the teachers. As it stands, it cost about twenty thousand dollars, and nearly one fourth of the sum was raised on the grounds. The other wing is to contain room for fifty students, and it is not to be erected until the present quarters at Friedensau are too small.

As so much of our land at Friedensau is now occupied by buildings, and the number of students and employees is constantly increasing, it was voted to buy another fifty acres of land about a mile from our Friedensau buildings, and not very far from the second parcel of land which we purchased in the Friedensau estate when the property was first bought. This will give us about one hundred forty acres of land, all told. The owner of the property we are just now securing went into bankruptcy, and we learned that we could buy this forty acres, with its buildings, for five thousand dollars—really the value of the buildings themselves.

Another special feature of the meeting was the missionary spirit that prevailed in it. Liberal offerings were given to missions, and best of all, quite a number of young people dedicated themselves to service in foreign lands. Although the German Union Conference itself has a population of over one hundred forty million, yet when the call was made for men, the home fields were willing to give of their best. Thus Elder E. Frauchiger, who has been connected with the work in the German Union Conference ever since 1886, accepted a call to take charge of the Turkish Mission. Brother Scior is to go to Turkey, and learn the Greek language. Brother Edgar Hartmann is to go to Egypt. One or two additional nurses will have to be sent to Syria. Several have offered their services. Brother Domnick will go to German East Africa.

One very impressive scene was the ordination of Brethren Kotz and Seefried. Brother Kotz had been laboring faithfully for nearly five years in Africa. He is now home on a furlough, and to help us get out literature in the African language. The Lord has truly blessed his work. Brother Seefried is a native of Macedonia. He was born of German parentage at Uskub. His father worked in Macedonia and Albania many years for the British Bible Society, and had dedicated his son to the service of God from his youth. After Brother Seefried had finished his work in the Friedensau school, he labored faithfully, and with success, in the propagation of the message a number of years, and now he, and his wife, who is a graduate nurse of Friedensau, will go to work among the Rumanians of Hungary. Brother Seefried is somewhat acquainted with the Rumanian language.

There were not less than forty recommendations made by the committee on the distribution of labor, and these calls were willingly responded to.

All were pleased to have the privilege of greeting Brethren O. A. Olsen and J. C. Raft at this meeting; but that which rejoiced our hearts most of all was the presence of the Spirit of God, who wrought for the conversion of souls and for the unity of his people. To him be all the glory.

Hamburg.