An Important Meeting to Be Held in Europe by A. G. Daniells

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jan 24, 1907

An Important Meeting to Be Held in Europe

By A. G. Daniells

At the General Conference held at Washington, D. C., in the spring of 1905, it was decided to thereafter hold the sessions of the General Conference every four years, instead of every two, as had been our custom for some years. And it was further decided that there should be held a special meeting of the General Conference Committee midway between the sessions of the General Conference. According to this arrangement, the next session of the Conference should be held in 1909, and the special meeting of the full committee should be held in 1907.

At a meeting of a part of the General Conference Committee, held in Washington, D. C., April, 1906, it was voted:—

That it is the sense of this council that the biennial council be held in Europe at such time and place as may be agreed upon by the European brethren in counsel with the General Conference Committee.

When this decision was placed before the General Conference Committee in Europe, the chairman, Elder Conradi, pointed out the advantage to be gained by holding this council in Europe. He said:—

Not only are such interchanges of labor good for the brethren who will be present from other parts of the world; it will also do our union men in Europe good to get out of their fields for a time, and to visit about in Europe, that they, too, may keep in touch with the rapidly developing work that God is conducting in other unions. The suggestion to have such a gathering next year meets our hearty approval.

The brethren in Europe advised that short councils be held in Great Britain, Scandinavia, and Germany, during the month of April, and that at the close of these meetings the general council be held in Switzerland early in May. This would give the American brethren an opportunity to meet the most of the workers in those fields, and take careful observations, so that at the general council following they would be better prepared to discuss the affairs of the European field.

It has now been arranged that these European meetings be held as follows: London, April 18-22; Copenhagen, Denmark, April 26-30; Friedensau, Germany, May 3-7; and the general council at Gland, Switzerland, May 10-25.

The union and local conferences in Europe will arrange to have the leading ministers of all their conferences attend the general council in Switzerland. This will be the first full council of the General Conference ever held outside of the United States. It will be the first time that scores of ministers and general workers in Europe will have ever had the opportunity of meeting with the General Conference Committee in council. We believe this meeting will mark a new era in the development and expansion of our work in Europe and the more eastern mission fields. It should give a fresh impetus to our cause the world over.

During the last two years members of the General Conference Committee have visited every continent on the globe. They have joined the missionaries in every large mission field we are operating in all parts of the world in a careful study of the fields, and in planning their work for the future. They will come fresh from these fields to this council to report their observations, and to present the requests of the missions for the help required for a forward movement.

The council is appointed to continue fifteen days. It is intended that studies shall be given each day on important Bible themes; such as, Our Great Need of the Holy Spirit for Efficiency in the Work of the Gospel Ministry; The Place and Purpose of the Spirit of Prophecy in Our Message; The Importance of Organization in Our Work, etc.

From this brief statement, it will be seen that the proceedings of this council will be very important to our work and workers outside of the United States; and I believe they will be of very great interest to all our people in the States, where our general councils have been held from the beginning of our history up to this time. Our cause is now worldwide in its scope. We can not leave any continent out of our reckoning.

I hope all our people will see light in this move to hold the coming council in Europe, and that fervent prayer will be offered from now on that the Lord will signally bless this meeting.

It is interesting; if not significant, that the first general council held in foreign lands is to be held in the very country to which our first foreign missionary was sent. Our beloved brother, Elder J. N. Andrews, left the United States in 1874, thirty-three years ago, for Switzerland, where he established our first foreign missionary station. He laid down his life in that land, and now sleeps in the Basel cemetery, awaiting the call of the Life-giver. A. G. DANIELLS.