The Year 1905 in the General European Conference
By GUY DAIL
As the complete annual reports from the various parts of our large field have been received, we take pleasure in briefly reviewing the blessings God has so richly showered upon us. We are truly living in the time of the “loud cry.” Just as the voice of him who cried in the wilderness, “Repent ye,” stirred that generation, so in our day is the message which began in weakness and obscurity, now permeating the ranks not only of the common people, who hear it more gladly, but it is coming to the notice of captains and generals in the Continental armies; it is one of the subjects accorded investigation by the European and Asiatic courts of justice; its principles have been brought to the attention of the kings and queens and of the emperors and empresses of the Old World. We refer to this in no spirit of pride, but only for the encouragement of that little band who have so long been faithful, and whose eyes are ever turned heavenward, while all their powers are earnestly engaged to hasten the coming of that glad day that has been the hope of His people since the world began. The General European field embraces the German, the Scandinavian, and the British Union Conferences, and the Latin and the Oriental Union Missions, with an area of 14,700,000 square miles (four times that of the United States), and a population of over 490,000,000—nearly one third of the whole human race. Did these multitudes speak but one language, it would indeed seem no very simple thing for twelve thousand believers to carry the third angel’s message to them; but if we consider the hundreds of languages and dialects represented in our territory, we can but admit that only the divine power of God can accomplish the task before us. Late last summer we began work in an entirely new field by requesting Brother and Sister Jesperson to enter Algeria as medical missionaries under the direction and support of the Latin Union Mission. This country, with Tunis, has a population of six and one-half millions. For a time our workers labored in Blida, but now they are located in the capital, Algiers, which, with its suburbs, contains 139,000 inhabitants, and, seen from the sea, is said to be “one of the grandest, noblest, and most striking cities in the world.” I dare say that we watch our quarterly reports with almost as keen an interest as the eager capitalist observes the returns of his balance-sheet; while he is greatly concerned as to how this or that investment may net him a certain gross income, we feel very anxious to see the large sums of money we are expending, so richly blessed of God that hundreds and thousands of souls may be gathered into the sheepfold of the Good Shepherd every year—and that the more as we know we are “in the time of the latter rain.” Rich, copious showers of blessing are falling, and the dry and parched ground of many hearts is being watered, so that the seed sown may spring up and bear fruit, some thirty, some sixty, and some an hundredfold. One of the most remarkable evidences of growth seen in the European field the past year is the increase in funds, for the Lord’s treasury is a sort of spiritual thermometer, registering the faithfulness with which our laborers and brethren return to him his own in tithes and offerings. But to consider the figures: in 1904 our tithe was $80,600; last year it was $101,300, or $20,700 more than the previous twelve months, and over $4,000 more than double what it was in 1901. Last year our offerings were $19,760, an increase of $4,700 over 1904, and $3,430 more than twice the reported offerings for 1902. In 1905 we had 402 regular canvassers in the field, and our sales amounted to $184,000; the year before we had 337 canvassers, and the sales amounted to $119,950. The thirty-first of last December our membership was 12,022, eight more than twice what it was at the close of 1898. The number received during the year is 1,989 (net increase, 994), against 2,200 baptized and accepted by vote, and a net growth of 1,481 in 1904. The gain was less last year than the year before, partly because in 1904 a number of native Russians were received by vote, who, as circumstances afterward demonstrated, had not been sufficiently instructed in the fundamental truths of the message to enable them to remain steadfast during the dark days through which Russia has recently been passing, and partly because so many of our Scandinavian and German Union brethren left Europe for North and South America, and partly because we are trying to keep our church records as clean as possible. If we consider the number of evangelical workers last year, we find that we had two hundred and eighty-four laborers. That is six more than twice as many as we had in 1900, but one less than we reported at the close of 1904. This is a matter which grieves us very much: some of our workers have had to leave the field on account of failing health; but sadder still, several have12apostatized; for we are also living in the “shaking time,” when men are rapidly, although perhaps to themselves imperceptibly, changing their leaders. Our great need to-day is true, self-denying, experienced workers. As the president of the General European Conference has visited all parts of our field the past year, he has been pained to see how great is the lack of well-trained and efficient laborers who can carry heavy responsibilities. While we have many promising children and youth in training among the three hundred and forty-one students in our twelve European schools, to say nothing of the number connected with our sanitariums, or of the one hundred and ninety-five pupils enrolled in our three mission schools,—one in Iceland, and two in German East Africa,—yet the new recruits supplied from these sources have not been sufficient to fill up the vacancies in our laborers’ ranks, occasioned by loss of health and desertion. Therefore we should pray the Lord of the harvest that he send laborers into his harvest. God’s signal blessing has rested upon the thirty publishing, health, and educational institutions of Europe, so that their net gain for 1905 is $39,000. We opened treatment rooms in Constantinople. We successfully moved the Basel Sanitarium and health food factory to the beautiful estate near Gland, and connected with it a small but important Latin Union school. A new dwelling-house has been erected for our employees in Friedensau. The Skodsborg branch sanitarium at Frydenstrand has been purchased by the Danish Conference, and has done better than ever before. As far as we know, not one of our institutions has closed the year 1905 with a loss, and most of them have had fair net earnings. The only insolvent institution we had, cleared two thousand dollars, and is now solvent, with prospects for a better output this year than last. Part of the time our sanitariums have been overcrowded, and most of the year they had all they could comfortably do. Our health food factories have done well. Our schools have been blessed of heaven. Should the merciful Father favor our European institutions a few more seasons, as he has in the past, they will all soon be free from indebtedness. Last year we issued the following new books: “Daniel and the Revelation,” in Finnish; a “Hygienic Cook-Book,” in German, and one in French; “Coming King,” in Hollandish; “Sabbath Readings,” Vol. III, in German; and “Steps to Christ,” in Russian, Lettonian, and Esthonian. We now have in preparation “Daniel and the Revelation,” in Swedish; “Daniel,” in Danish-Norwegian; “Education” and “Ministry of Healing,” in German; and “Daniel and the Revelation,” in French. Another matter has received a great deal of attention—the establishment of proper co-operation between our European and American publishing houses, that we may bring about an advantageous interchange of foreign books issued in Europe by their acceptation in the States, while such works as are printed in America will, in turn, be put on the market here. This will save the duplication of editions, and we believe it will meet with the general approval of our people. (Of course there may be some works that would not fit our fields at all, but would sell well in America, and vice versa.) For example, the volume of “Selections from the Testimonies” printed some two years ago in Hamburg, is now being sold in America, while the last number of the “Testimonies,” printed in German by the College View plant, has been furnished also to the European field direct from the States. If carefully carried out, we hope this method will be of advantage to all. Appropriations From America
All will be glad to learn that through the goodness of God we were able to reduce our American appropriations for the European field to $14,350 for 1905, notwithstanding that we had to carry the Latin Union deficits, which had been met by Latin Union funds the previous year. In view of our having to carry the Latin Union, we at first thought that we would require about $25,000 from the States to tide us over; as the time passed, that was cut down to $20,000, and when the audits were all completed, we saw that we could get on with only $14,350, against more than $17,000 for 1904. Last year $4,600 went to the Latin Union, $4,500 to the British Union, $4,250 to the Orient, and $1,000 to Scandinavia. Our present estimate for 1906 is: Scandinavia, $700; British Union, $4,000 (or, if they succeed in finding a location for their union publishing house, sanitarium, college, and food factory, $10,000, as this sum has already been promised by our American brethren, in the event of their purchasing such a property); Latin Union, $5,000; and Oriental Union, also $5,000: total, $14,700, or $24,700. We certainly think the friends of the cause in the United States would not regard the appropriations called for any too large, in view of the greatness of our field, the density of its population, and the needs of the people. We trust our request may be granted. We also feel to thank all our true-hearted fellow workers across the sea for the material assistance they have given these lands in the years gone by. God alone, however, can repay them for their generosity; each self-denying act that has been prompted by love to him has been recorded by the ever-present accompanying angel from the courts above, and it will not be forgotten by the One who says, “I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands.” In addition to more of his Holy Spirit, we need:— 1. A good union institution in Great Britain, where we can have our central sanitarium, our school, our publishing house, and our food factory. 2. Better quarters for the Belfast Sanitarium. 3. An additional building for the accommodation of patients at Skodsborg, as they have recently had to give up the largest villa they had been renting. 4. More perfect arrangements should be made for the education of our youth in Scandinavia. 5. We hope to assist the British Union Conference in the establishment of a mission in British East Africa before the close of 1906. 6. We plan to open a third station in German East Africa by May, 1906. The German Union has found that, although its mission to the heathen has cost $11,000 since it was begun in 1903, yet no other enterprise it has undertaken has so stimulated the interest of our brethren in the spread of the gospel at home and abroad as this, and funds for missionary operations are to-day much more abundant than we think they would have been had not we entered that field. 7. As the Scandinavian Union is now getting a small surplus, it is proposed that it soon think of entering Abyssinia. 8. As the General European Conference treasury had a surplus of a few hundred dollars at the close of 1905, we hope to be permitted to use this means in assisting these proposed missions to the heathen in British East Africa and in Abyssinia. 9. Last, but not least, we need, and we earnestly ask for, the prayers and co-operation of our brethren and sisters in all parts of the great field. We feel that we are a part of the great body of believers, and while we have union among ourselves in Europe, yet we desire that our hearts may be yet more closely knit together in the bond of perfectness, and that the year 1906 shall be the best one we have ever had. Be of good cheer. We are connected with a successful work, and God will shortly finish it in righteousness.