Meeting of the Constituency of the Washington Foreign Mission Seminary
By Frederick Griggs
Now that our training-school at Washington has changed the character of its work, and is conducting a line of work which is related in a special sense to all our mission fields, we believe that everything which pertains to its advancement will be of interest.
Pursuant to the call published in the REVIEW, an annual meeting of the constituency of the Washington Training College was held at Philadelphia in connection with the Atlantic Union meeting. Two meetings were held, November 15 and November 20. At the first meeting little was done other than to organize and to appoint the committees on nominations and plans. At the second meeting some time was taken in a presentation of the aims and purposes of the school, and in the work which it is now doing. Remarks were made by A. G. Daniels, H. R. Salisbury, Dr. D. H. Kress, W. W. Prescott, and others. The president of the school, H. R. Salisbury, spoke very encouragingly of the present work and future prospects of the school. He stated that the attendance is now sixty, and that the class-room space is at present taxed to its utmost. With more students coming every week, they are naturally anxious to be able to occupy the new college building, which is in process of erection, where they will have sufficient accommodations for the class work. The average age of the students now at the school is about twenty-five years. He spoke particularly of the spiritual interest in the school, stating that it was most encouraging. As the students are of mature age, and have definite plans for future work, there is naturally a solidity of religious experience which is very enjoyable. He spoke of a number of marked experiences of students who are at the school preparing for foreign work. Both Professor Salisbury and Dr. Kress spoke of the mutually free and helpful relations which exist between the Seminary and the Sanitarium. One of the most encouraging features of the work of the school was the very helpful and cordial attitude assumed toward it not only by the school workers, but by the presidents of conferences and other leading workers everywhere. The following persons were elected as trustees for the ensuing term: A. G. Daniels, H. R. Salisbury, W. W. Prescott, I. H. Evans, G. B. Thompson, K. C. Russell, G. A. Irwin, W. A. Ruble, Frederick Griggs.
The following resolutions were adopted:—
“In view of the following recommendation of the General Conference Committee held at Gland, Switzerland, in the month of May of this year, ‘That we request the trustees of the Washington Training College to so change their courses of study and plans of operation24as to make that institution a distinctively foreign mission training-school,’ and,—
“Inasmuch as this recommendation has been acted upon by the trustees, and the change made, therefore,—
‘Resolved, That we approve of the action of the trustees in making this change.
‘Resolved, That the necessary legal steps be taken to change the corporate name of the Washington Training College to the Washington Foreign Mission Seminary.
‘Resolved, That we amend Article IV, Section 1, of the By-laws, which reads, ‘The members of the corporation shall consist of the Executive Committee of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, the Executive Committee of the Atlantic Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, the Executive Committee of the Chesapeake Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, the Executive Committee of the Virginia Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, the Executive Committee of the West Virginia Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, the Board of Management of the evangelical work of the Seventh-day Adventists in the District of Columbia, and Takoma Park, Md., and the Board of Trustees of the Washington Training College,’ to read, ‘The members of this corporation shall consist of the Executive Committee of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, unincorporated, and the president of each local conference in the United States;’ and further, That we amend Section 2, of Article IV, which reads, ‘A quorum for the transaction of business shall consist of not less than fifteen members,’ to read, ‘A quorum for the transaction of business shall consist of not less than ten members.’
“In order to provide efficient workers for the great fields beyond, and since the Washington Foreign Mission Seminary is established for the training of foreign missionaries,—
“We recommend that each conference in the United States co-operate with the Seminary in encouraging suitable persons to enter the foreign missionary work, and that each conference provide yearly the expense of the training of one or more students at the Washington Foreign Mission Seminary.”
It will be noticed that the constituency of the school by the adoption of these resolutions is changed. This change seemed necessary and fitting now that the school has taken on a work which is not related to any local field, but to the whole world. Elder G. A. Irwin remarked during the meeting that he considered the action of the General Conference Committee in thus establishing a school designed especially to fit workers for the foreign fields, to be one of the most important moves made by the General Conference in years. It seemed to be the feeling of all present that this school has an important work before it. FREDERICK GRIGGS.