The General Conference Committee Council at Gland, Switzerland
By W. A. Spicer
The council was daily cheered by the evidences of the rapid spread of the message brought before us in the reports presented by laborers and by memorials from the fields. It was also deeply moved by the calls for enlargement in all the fields, the very success of the developing work making necessary a strong movement to reinforce the missionary ranks. From this land and from that came the calls to fill a vacant post here, to replace a fallen worker there, and to supply further help to look after developing interests where the truth is spreading beyond the reach of the little band of workers available. More forcible than general talk about the needs was the specific list of calls which the fields spread before the council—definite pleas for immediate help. We give a summary of these herewith, a reprint of the same list which the council studied over and over, with the conviction that nearly every call ought to have favorable response without delay:— Calls from the Mission Fields
1. Man and wife to join the new mission established by P. J. Laird and wife at Chang-sha, Hunan. 2. Two men and wives for Fukien Province. 3. Man and wife for educational work at Canton. 4. Two men and wives to join an experienced worker already in China in locating in North China. 5. Man and wife for Shanghai city work. 6. Man and wife to join Elder Westrup at Shang-tsai, Hunan. 7. Man of experience to take general oversight of the China Mission. 8. Man and wife to work among Hakka-speaking people, South China. 9. An experienced secretary and treasurer to locate at Shanghai. Printing-office building……$1,000 Funds for literature……… .... Japan and Korea: Total, 8 Men, 1 Woman
1. Man and wife for Korea. 3. Man and wife for Tokyo, the capital of Japan. 4. Man and wife for northern island, Hokkaido. 5. Man and wife for northern part of Hondu, the main island of Japan. 6. Man and wife for southern part of Hondu. 7. Man and wife for southern island, Kiusiu. 8. Man and wife for island of Formosa. 9. Lady Bible worker to train Japanese Bible women. Training-school in Japan, ..$1,200 Intermediate school, Korea… 100 On Tokyo church building… 500 For establishment of European and native sanitarium work, to unite both in one institution in the country..10,000 1. Man and wife for Bombay side. 2. Man and wife for Ceylon. 3. Man and wife for Burma, to join Elder Votaw, the only minister among Burma’s eleven millions. 4. Man and wife for South India. 5. Printer for Karmatar printing-office. South America: Total, 10 Men
1. Man and wife for Bolivia. 2. Man and wife for the educational work, Argentina. 3. Man and wife for Argentina. 4. Two men for North Brazil Mission, where Elder Spies is the only minister among seventeen millions. 5. Man and wife for State of Paraná, Brazil. 6. General book man for South American Union. 7. Two canvassers to lead out in the work. 8. Teacher for Brusque school, in Brazil. Three thousand dollars or more for moving and equipping Brazilian printing plant. 1. General man for union conference. 2. Experienced minister for Cape Conference. 3. School man for Claremont College, so that Brother Hayton and wife may take up native training-school work. 4. Man and wife for Barotseland, to join Brother Anderson, and allow extension of work. 5. Man and wife for Somabula Mission, Elder Armitage and family requiring a change to the Cape Colony field. 6. Man and wife for Kolo Mission, Basutoland. 7. Man and wife for Solusi Mission, so that Elder Sturdevant and wife may in time open a new station farther in the interior. 1. A teacher for a training-school. 1. President for South England Conference. 2. Laborer for North England Conference. 1. Polyglot secretary for the Review and Herald foreign depository. Australasian Union: 4 Men
1. Dutch worker for Java. 2. Man and wife for Philippines. 3. Man and wife for New Guinea. 4. Doctor for Avondale Retreat. 1. Printer for Port of Spain publishing house. 2. Male nurse for Trinidad treatment rooms, in place of Charles Enoch, deceased. 3. Man and wife for Central American Mission. 4. Man and wife for Panama and South Central America. 1. A general book man to take charge of circulation of literature. This meant a definite call for over eighty laborers, including wives of missionaries, to enter the fields white unto harvest. In a few cases it was recommended that changes within the fields be made to supply the immediate need. But the council could only say that these calls must be responded to in some way. To fill every one would but place a laborer here and there among millions. Vast territories ought not, it was felt, to be left with no laborer, or with only one missionary and his wife to represent our growing work in the whole region. But the council had to deal with the fact that enlarged plans could be carried out only by enlarged gifts for missions this year. The council adopted the following resolutions:— Whereas, The calls from the mission fields are many and urgent, there being definite and well-founded requests for fifty men presented at this meeting of the General Conference Committee; and,— Whereas, We are unable to fill the large portion of these calls for lack of suitable workers and sufficient means; and,— Whereas, We confidently believe that the opening providences of God indicate that the time has fully come for extending this message more rapidly than ever before; therefore,— Resolved, That we should plan in the most intelligent manner for a great missionary campaign at our camp-meetings in America during the remainder of the present season; and further,— Resolved, That we urge all our general laborers to join in this campaign by informing themselves in a definite way (1) concerning the fields which are calling for help, (2) concerning the calls made and the reasons therefor, and (3) concerning our mission work already established in these fields. And that we further urge these laborers to present the missionary problem to our people gathered at these meetings, with a view to definite action in providing workers and funds with which to meet the demands pressing upon us. The council took action in some cases requesting conferences to release and send to the fields certain laborers, continuing their support. Naturally, these actions will not be printed here, nor until consideration is given them by the persons and conferences concerned. Each evening of the council, during this second week, was devoted to reports from the laborers representing different portions of the field, mainly of Europe. Reference to these reports may be possible later. The weather, which had been so pleasant at the opening, became cold and wet for several days, but the interest and attendance of the people and delegates were unflagging. As the reports came in from the different groups of workers, no one felt that he could safely miss the blessings of any service. The interchange of experiences among these laborers from the different countries of Europe, many of whom are called upon to meet very similar conditions as regards legal restrictions, military laws, and Catholic influence, was a means of great encouragement and strength to the workers. In the Latin Union meeting, Elder L. P. Tieche, former president of the6French-Swiss Conference, was elected president of the Latin Union mission field. During the meeting, Professor W. E. Howell and family arrived at Gland, on their way to open work in Greece. Dr. V. Pampaian was also present from the far Caucasus, representing work being done at the foot of Mount Ararat, where so long ago the ark rested, and the earth began again to be occupied by the sons of men. Literally every quarter of the earth was pressing its needs before the council, and all felt that the only thing to do was solemnly to appeal to every resource in this denomination to respond to the calls of Providence to go forth to all peoples with the third angel’s message.