In the city of Jonkoping, Sweden, with its red-tiled frame houses, and its large, almost clear-as-crystal lake, stretching off in the distance toward the north, the delegates of the Scandinavian Union, in connection with the Swedish Conference, met in council, June 21-26. The city lies nestling on the water’s edge, tucked in between surrounding hills that are covered with purest green of field and forest, and has lake and canal connection with the Swedish capital.
LAP GIRLS AND BOYS OF NORWAY
The union delegates were P. A. Hansen, N. Clausen, C. L. Henrickson, of Denmark; O. A. Johnson, O. J. Olsen, A. C. Christensen, of Norway; John Hoffman, Fred Andersen, A. Boettcher, of Finland; D. Ostlund, of Iceland; L. R. Conradi and O. A. Olsen; and from Sweden there were O. Johnson, J. M. Erickson, J. R. Lindkvist, E. Lind, E. Ahren, C. Kahlstrom and B. J. Karlsson.
When the Scandinavian Union was organized in 1902, it was not a full-fledged conference—it was rather a union council, and had a union council constitution. At the meetings held in Scandinavia in 1903, each local field voted to send delegates to a union conference to be held in Sweden in 1904, to more perfectly effect a union conference organization.
At the very first meeting, a committee on resolutions was asked to consider the revision of the constitution, that the union might be perfected, and the officers be appointed in the manner they are usually chosen in all the union conferences. This work was successfully done, the recommendations of the committee being accepted at the second meeting.
Necessarily, one of the live questions of the conference was that of its finances. Every union conference ought to be very largely missionary in the disposition of its funds. It ought to send missionary money into its missionary fields. In the Scandinavian Union there are three mission fields—Finland, Iceland, and Greenland. Two of these have already been entered (Finland and Iceland). Up to this time, the European General Conference has been carrying the burden of directing and supplying the finances for these two missions; but it was felt that erelong they should be placed under the direction of the Scandinavian Union Committee, and that the offerings of the union should be as systematically and thoroughly developed as possible. In view of the fact that missions must be supported from the free-will donations of the people, and that in other fields the First-day offerings have proved a very important means of mission support, it was recommended that the union encourage its conferences and mission fields to accept this plan, and urge our churches to work in harmony with it.
There are quite a large number of Laps in the northern part of Norway, Sweden, and Finland, and as yet we have taken no steps to publish the truth in their language. It was therefore decided that one hundred kroner of the union First-day offerings for 1904 be dedicated to the work of getting out literature in the Laplandish tongue while the remainder of the fund for the year be devoted to the Icelandic Mission.
One question which received much consideration ought to be of general interest to every mission field and to the home churches. We refer to the importance of developing the native evangelizing corps. While it is very necessary for missionaries to go to other lands, yet it must be admitted that the work of proclaiming the last message can not be carried on entirely or to a very great degree by foreigners. We must get hold of the native-born youth. We must train these young people. They must learn how to endure hardness and master difficulties, and how to present the truth in their mother tongue. One great lack Scandinavia to-day finds in her present force, is the very small percentage of young men and women who are being prepared, through education and experience, to enter the work. Young men are not developed and put into the field as they should be, for there is a lack of the money necessary to the attainment of that end. Therefore, this resolution was heartily sustained by the sentiment and vote of the delegates:—
“Resolved, That our interests be enlisted in educating and putting into the work more of the young talent there is among us.”
For a number of years the Finnish Mission has been carrying on business through the Book Mission (Forlagsexpeditionen), and yet we do not have the proper legal recognition in Helsingfors, and the only way in which this can be secured, under the existing laws of Finland, is by the formation of a stock company. The following resolution expresses what was felt to be the most fitting action under the circumstances:—
“We recommend, That the Forlagsexpeditionen (in Helsingfors) organize itself into a stock company, with a capital of ten thousand Finnish marks, in harmony with the existing laws of Finland, it being understood that the shares shall consist of two hundred and fifty Finnish marks each, and shall be held by the International Tract Society in Hamburg and in London.”
Brother D. Ostlund presented at some length the situation of the work in Iceland, and some of its needs. He referred to the help which a small chapel and one or two additional workers would be to them, and favorable action was taken in this case, but the matter will be more fully discussed and decided at the conference to be held in Friedensau next week.
It was further recommended that A. Boettcher and D. Ostlund represent their respective mission fields as delegates at the European General Conference in Friedensau; that the accounts of the Scandinavian Union workers be audited by the Scandinavian Union delegates and the European General Conference Committee; and that the publishing house14in Sweden be recommended to get out, as soon as possible, a selection from the Testimonies in the Swedish language, similar to the selection recently printed in the German.
The officers chosen for the coming year are as follows: President, P. A. Hansen; Secretary, B. J. Karlsson; Treasurer, Jens Olsen; Auditors, E. Lind, and A. C. Christensen. The Union Conference Committee is composed of the presidents of Norway, Denmark, and Sweden; the director of the Finnish Mission; Dr. J. C. Ottosen, E. Lind, and O. J. Olsen.
During the twelve months ending Dec. 31, 1903, there had been 151 baptized in the union, bringing its membership up to 2,271; its annual tithe was $12,820; offerings $1,920; book sales, $31,000.
We believe that there are encouraging omens in this field, and trust that the future will see a still greater development and a stronger force of young men and women giving themselves to the work. Let its needs be remembered in our prayers.
