p. 12 | German Union Conference Council

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Apr 25, 1907

German Union Conference Council

By Louis Richard Conradi

(Concluded)

L. R. CONRADI

THE next largest field is the Hungarian Mission. It now has a membership of about three hundred and twenty. There were one hundred and three additions last year, and the tithe was twelve hundred and fifty dollars. Five different languages are represented in its membership, and we have every reason to believe that a strong field will be developed here.

The Holland and Flemish Mission field comes next, with a membership of one hundred and fifty-three. During 1906 there were thirty-three additions, and the tithe was ten hundred and fifty dollars. Elder Klingbeil has been able, by the grace of God, to raise up a little church in Antwerp, and he is now entering Brussels, the capital city, with its six hundred thousand inhabitants. He is assisted by a French worker. We are glad that the work in Holland is slowly recovering from the effects of the falling away there years ago, and that progress is being especially made in the canvassing work.

Another promising field is the Balkan Mission, which now has one hundred and twenty-one members; there were fifty-six additions last year. Most of the increase was in the city of Bucharest, where we have a church of eighty-five members. We have one ordained minister in Rumania, and one ordained minister in Bulgaria (the latter just learning the language), and there is one licentiate and one Bible worker—four workers in all. The Rumanian Church has tried in every way to cause us trouble, but thus far, God has always given us the victory. The tithe last year was about twelve hundred and seventy-five dollars.

Last, but not least of the European fields in the German Union is Austria. When we remember that here are twenty million people, half of whom speak the German, while the rest are Poles and Bohemians, we can see the great importance of putting a strong force into this land. Thus far we have had to work under great difficulties. Elder Mathe, who was formerly there, has been called to take charge of the North German Conference. Brother J. Wolfgarten has since gone to Vienna, to help in that important city. We have now sixty-eight members in Austria. There were twenty additions during the year. Their tithe was about seven hundred and fifty dollars. As we felt that more help was needed in the field, it was decided at the union council that Elder Prillwitz go to Bohemia to assist in the work, and take charge there.

We should not neglect to mention the work in German East Africa. Here we have five brethren and three sisters at present (lately one sister went down to join the force of workers). There are three mission stations—one at Kihuiro, one at Friedenstal, and one at Vuasu, and there are two smaller out-stations. The mission cost us about four thousand dollars last year, and this year it is estimated that they will need about five thousand five hundred dollars. The roofs in Friedenstal and Kihuiro must be repaired, and a solid building needs to be erected at Vuasu. When all these improvements are made, we hope to enter new territory in German East Africa. The first-day offerings of the German Union, and the special gifts that are received, are enough to support the mission at present, and we have sufficient capital to start new stations farther in the interior. There are also persons who offer their services to increase our working force in Africa. We now have from three to four hundred young natives in our schools, and several seem to be turning their hearts to God. Although our missionaries would gladly see them baptized, yet, on the other hand, they feel that it is very important that the first-fruits from the heathen be genuinely converted, so that they will be a worthy example to the heathen around them; otherwise they would be more of a hindrance than they would be a blessing. The health of the workers has been far better, in general, than during the previous year.

During 1906 our Hamburg Publishing House has had the best year it ever enjoyed. Its business is steadily developing. When we hardly knew how to turn for room, the Lord in his providence so shaped matters that we were able to secure a house adjoining our office, at the very reasonable rate of $8,500. As the house was built at the same time as ours, the two really seemed to belong together, and there was very little trouble in breaking a door through the adjoining walls of the two houses, and making an entrance, for the floors are on the same level in both buildings. This gives us four nice new office rooms on the ground floor, needed storage rooms for our paper, etc., and some neat dwellings for our employees on the upper floors. In view of the constant growth of our work, we are trying to secure more help in our various departments.

The Friedensian school has had an attendance of about one hundred and thirty, for which we are grateful to God. At the close of the year we found that, after striking off all the doubtful accounts, we still had a net gain of about fifteen hundred. Not only is the school now paid for, but from the income derived from the sale of “Christ’s Object Lessons,” and from gifts, we are getting together a nice little sum for the further enlargement of the school. We have also strengthened our faculty by securing a good Russian teacher, so we can have a full Russian department. At this session of the union committee, eleven promising young persons who just finished the Biblical course were appointed to fields of labor among the various conferences. There were also several other exchanges of laborers.

God has blessed the German Health Association, so that both institutions showed a gain of about five thousand dollars. All of this sum will be needed for necessary improvements. It was voted to secure the services of Dr. Meyer as further help for the sanitarium. As we have over forty nurses in the field, and a large class preparing for this kind of work, we see the need of having a medical man in the field.

As the conferences are now better supplied with means, the interest in the medical missionary work was such that several of the conference presidents asked if they might not be granted the privilege of employing a nurse in the conference to assist as a deaconess, especially where there are several large churches in a field. Seven nurses were thus called for, and we shall make a trial of this kind of work.

We were grateful to God to find that at this meeting we had raised eighteen thousand dollars in cash donations and four thousand dollars in legacies for the Old People’s Home, and we expect that this will cover the cost of the building, which is to be finished by the first of July. Careful plans were laid with regard to receiving inmates into the home, and for securing proper help for its management and maintenance. We have also raised four thousand dollars on the Material Fund for the “Ministry of Healing”—sufficient to pay for the first edition of ten thousand. There are still a number of outstanding pledges. Our people are taking hold of the sale of this excellent book heartily, and the proceeds will go directly to the medical and philanthropic work.

As we finished the audits in the various conferences and for our missions, and found that everywhere God’s blessing had been with us, we could but say that he had been true to his promises; as the people have been faithful in tithes and offerings, he has indeed kept his word, and in each storehouse there has been sufficient brought in so that the new year begins with a small surplus in the treasury.

At the present time we have nearly one hundred and fifty young people in our school. Since the July meeting, we have been able to ordain six ministers, and quite a number of young people have been given licenses, and about twenty were recently sent out as Bible workers. We feel grateful for the increase of our laboring force; but what is all this when we consider the two hundred and eighty million people in the territory of the German Union who must hear this message? And yet, brethren, God is at

work.

Our publications are finding their way into the courts of emperors and kings. Hundreds of faithful canvassers are carrying our literature from house to house. In certain portions of our field, there is hardly a house without some little stock of our publications. Our periodicals in the German, Russian, Hungarian, Bohemian, and Dutch are entering these homes. Our Sabbath-school lessons appear in ten different languages of the German Union, while we have a field force of nearly two hundred ministers, licentiates, and Bible workers, laboring in Europe and Asia and Africa. Our ship missions in Hamburg and at Rotterdam are scattering the printed page among the thousands of seafaring men who visit these ports; so that the truth is going by land and by sea. The year 1906 has been the best we have enjoyed in the union, but we hope that God’s grace may make the year 1907 still better, and that his work on the earth may soon be finished.

Hamburg, Germany.