p. 5 | Brazil’s Second Conference by William A. Spicer

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jun 28, 1906

Brazil’s Second Conference

By William A. Spicer

At every step in the reorganization of the South American territory we have all been impressed anew by the benefits of localizing responsibility in the carrying forward of the work. It does the people good to see clearly exactly the one territory over which they are responsible for spreading the light of this message.

After the organization of the Rio Grande Conference, Elders Westphal, Spies, Ehlers, and myself came on to Santa Catharina, the State next northward. Our meeting here was held in the Gaspar Valley, near Brusque, where there is a strong little church of German believers. About one hundred were in attendance. Those from other parts came in by horse or mule, some coming from far-distant points. The next State northward, Parana, was represented, and the new conference of Santa Catharina and Parana was organized with the hearts of the believers thoroughly committed to their new responsibilities. It was good to see these brethren at work in committees, getting an understanding of the meaning of conference organization, and getting intelligently under the burden of conference support.

This conference takes up its work squarely on the basis of self-support. They have but one ordained minister, Elder Ehlers, the president, who is assisted by three young men in the field. The conference is financially able to add to its staff of laborers, and will do so as promising workers are available. Here again the necessity of having laborers who understand the Portuguese language was emphasized, and the young German people were urged to apply themselves with all diligence to acquiring that tongue. Our work in Brazil must turn to the Portuguese.

It was at Gaspar that the first mission training-school was established in Brazil, the Brusque school as it was called in our reports. Now only a church-school is conducted here. But there is an excellent building for a training-school, put up by the devotion of the local believers, assisted largely by Brother J. Hettrick, a brother from the States, who has labored in Brazil on a self-supporting basis for nearly twelve years. Some day, as this conference develops strength, this school ought to be operated again for simple intermediate work in the training of teachers and laborers.

At our Gaspar conference meeting we met several church-school teachers. More has been done in this line here than in any other part of South America, I think. These young ladies are no doubt very deficient in education, for the educational standards are very low; but they have stood for the one chance the children have had to learn to read and write and to receive the rudiments of a Christian education, and these teachers, who may perhaps go barefooted in their ordinary work, have been a power for good in the churches and homes where they have worked. It did one good to see them and to note their interest in the work. The message is stimulating those who have received it, and our people are reaching a higher standard of educational interest than one sees in the people who have not the inspiration of the one message for this time.

Life is a struggle in these parts. The land is poor, and both men and women work in the fields to get the family living. But most of our people seem modestly prosperous, having not much money, but having sufficient to eat, and being comfortably housed for this climate. A good old sister, who was asked how her family was getting on, showed us her storeroom with the ears of unhusked corn corded up in piles across one side of the room, while on the floor were stores of beans and pumpkins. Here was food for the winter. Doubtless in the rough hillside garden was plenty of that staff of life in Brazil, the aipim, a shrub with a large starchy root which takes the place of our potato very satisfactorily.

This new conference has between four and five hundred believers, mostly living in country districts. The shepherding of this flock means most of the year in the saddle to the laborers. The greater number of our people here are Germans, but in Parana the truth has been spreading in Portuguese communities in a way that shows that there will be fruit among the Brazilian people as we go to work for them.

This conference meeting ended with all hearts full of courage and confidence. The people sent greetings to the churches in North America and grateful thanks for the help the believers there have sent for the work in Brazil. They now pledge themselves to push forward the work in the same spirit.

W. A. S.

Itajahy; Santa Catharina.