The German-Swiss Conference
By Guy Dail
In the beautifully situated and progressive city of Zurich, the old home of Zwingli, and the present metropolis of Switzerland, was held the first of the local conferences in the German Union, December 24–28. It will be remembered that in the summer of 1901 this conference was formed, and that its first conference session was held during the month of December following. Then, its membership was two hundred and ten; now, it is two hundred and seventy, there having been a net increase of sixty during the year; there were then four churches, and now there are seven. At one time we had a church in St. Gallen, but as a large number of the brethren moved away, and some apostatized, that organization had been abandoned. However, Brother D. Voth faithfully labored there from February until June, and we now have a good church of seventeen members in that place. In Bern, the capital city, we had a few scattered Sabbath keepers; but through the efforts of Elder Erzenberger, who began work there last May, there is in this city a church of twenty-two members, and the interest is better than at any former time. As the results of the labors of Elder Boettcher and his fellow workers, we also have at Winterthur a recently organized church composed of eighteen new members and seven who have moved in from other places. Seven in Buchs, near by, have also begun to keep the Sabbath. The three new churches to be admitted were St. Gallen, Bern, and Winterthur. The meeting opened Christmas eve. Elder Erzenberger delivered the opening sermon. There were twenty-eight delegates, representing the German-Swiss churches. About one hundred and twenty attended the meeting. Elders L. R. Conradi and H. F. Schuberth and the writer were present from Germany. On Christmas day a large committee, composed of fifteen members, was selected by the delegates, to take general supervision of the preparation and introduction of conference business. The Spirit of the Lord prevailed throughout the business sessions. The auditing committee13did its work unitedly and expeditiously. Financially, the committee was not hampered in the least, as there were enough funds in the treasury to pay all the laborers, and from the surplus, to vote two hundred and fifty dollars to help establish the proposed mission in German East Africa, a project which the German Union Conference is earnestly seeking to further, and for which the brethren of German Switzerland voted with a great deal of enthusiasm. Aside from the vote to give two hundred and fifty dollars of conference funds to this purpose, during the meeting about eighty dollars was given toward the enterprise, in private donations. The receipts of the conference for the year closing Dec. 31, 1902, amount to about $2,400. The health work received its share of attention. The delegates expressed their determination to support the principles of health reform which God has so mercifully given us, and to stand by the Institut Sanitaire, and push the circulation of our German health paper, Gute Gesundheit. They also recommended that suitable young persons be encouraged to attend the Friedensau school, and receive a preparation for gospel work, and one young man (one of the six candidates who received baptism at this meeting) plans to enter the school there. The sale of “Christ’s Object Lessons” was discussed, and although the brethren here have sold about two hundred and fifty copies, they are determined to increase their vigilance in this matter. Along with this, should be mentioned the attitude assumed toward the canvassing work. A more vigorous effort will be made to encourage suitable men and women to enter the field as colporteurs. Last year the book sales in this conference were about $1,150. With two ministers, two licentiates, two Bible workers, and seven colporteurs, the German-Swiss Conference will enter the new year. All are of good courage, and hopeful for the growth of the cause in the future. Guy Dail. Hamburg, Germany.