Dedication of the New Headquarters in Washington

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D. C. · Sep 3, 1903

Dedication of the New Headquarters in Washington

MONDAY evening, August 24, about fifty people gathered at the rooms of the General Conference and Review and Herald Building, in Washington, D. C., to unite in what might be considered the dedication of the new headquarters. This company was composed of the twenty persons now directly connected with the offices, the church officers of both of the Washington churches, and a few friends who had rendered special service in the heavy work required to get settled in our new place. After all had joined heartily in singing the hymn, “O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness,” Prof. W. W. Prescott read the seventy-eighth Psalm. A brief statement was then made by Elder A. G. Daniells regarding the most important facts and experiences connected with the removal from Battle Creek to Washington. Only a small part of the address can be given here. He said:—

“We have come here to-night to dedicate this building with all its offices and departments to the sacred work of God which we are endeavoring to carry forward. In behalf of all my associates connected with these offices, I extend a hearty welcome to the church officers, members of Boards, and brethren and sisters who are present with us. We who have come from Battle Creek, and who have had the responsibility of removing into this new place, appreciate this occasion, I presume, as you who have been living here can not. When the fire destroyed the Review and Herald Office in Battle Creek, we felt that it was a call for us to move out of that place, and we have acted in obedience to that conviction.

“It is not a light thing to move the headquarters of a denomination. Among other things necessary to make such a move a success, is to have the confidence and hearty support of the people. We greatly rejoice in the assurances we are receiving from all parts of the country that our people generally are decidedly pleased with the steps that have been taken. They believe that the Lord has led us to this place, and they assure us that the work here shall have their most loyal, hearty support. This is worth more than large gifts of money and fine buildings. It means something to have the confidence and co-operation of a people whose hearts are true and loyal.

“But this is not all: our people not only feel in harmony with what has been done, but their confidence is being strengthened, and their courage is rising. We know this, because they say so. And this is just what the spirit of prophecy said would take place as soon as the right move was made. How wonderfully that word is being fulfilled.”

After tracing the steps that led to the selection of Washington as the new headquarters, and telling of the work involved in moving and getting settled as we are at present, Brother Daniells called special attention to the work to be done in this place as outlined in the Testimonies: “The message must be publicly proclaimed, our literature must be placed in the hands of the people, Bible readings must be given in the homes of all classes, a printing house must be established and operated here, a sanitarium must be built in a rural place, and a training school for the education of Christian workers must be established in connection with the printing house and sanitarium. While we are to begin small, and grow, there is to be no delay in beginning. To compass all that is laid out before us by the spirit of prophecy will require wisdom and power and faithfulness on the part of all who are connected with the cause.

“A very great responsibility now falls upon every one who has come to Washington to engage in this work, and also upon every one who lives in Washington, and who will join us in carrying it forward. Very heavy responsibilities rest upon us. If we who have moved here, come with the same spirit that has characterized the work where we have been, if we bring that spirit, and stamp this work with it, we shall be held responsible before God. The Lord led us out of Battle Creek that we might have different conditions, and that we might place a different mold upon the work. So we who have come must know the mind of God. We must address ourselves to this work in God’s way, and thus meet his mind. We must be converted anew, that we may keenly sense the solemn responsibility we accept in coming here. Only thus can we start and conduct the work aright.

“And so with our churches here. Brethren, we hope that we as a church shall never fall into an easy-going way. If at the very beginning we put the right mold on this work, if we take the right attitude, it need never lapse into that condition that God can not approve. It rests with us to keep it right. It rests with us to develop this work as it ought to be. We shall probably never develop a large congregation in one place, and build a large church, and draw everybody into that church. I believe we shall choose a better way; we shall have small congregations, in different places. When we go out to Takoma Park, it will be our privilege to do missionary work there, and build up a church in that place. We shall no doubt establish churches in different parts, and encourage every member of each church to bear responsibility and become a worker.

“To-night we have come together to recount the blessings of God, to tell of his good hand that has been upon us, and to dedicate to him the building that we shall occupy, the furniture that we have placed here, and our lives that we shall spend here,—to dedicate all of these to God, for his glory, and for the uplifting and the salvation of people who are lost, and who need help. We will now give to God our lives anew. We will dedicate every fiber of our being—body, soul, and spirit—to his work. We will place ourselves upon the altar, so that God can use us in any way that will glorify himself, and give this cause a new impetus. If we do this as we should, there will go out from this center, strong, healthy, vitalizing pulsations, to all the extremities of this great cause, and our brethren from the North to the South and from the East to the West, everywhere in this country, and across the seas, and in the islands, will feel a new, fresh life come to them from our papers, our letters and our ministry as we go about from place to place.

“Now, should we not do this? Should not our people experience this? Should not this change come? Why has God led us out? Why has he made this change? Why have we gone through all that we have, if it is not that we might receive a new life, a new power, and communicate it to all our people throughout our ranks?”

DEDICATORY PRAYER OFFERED BY PROF. W. W. PRESCOTT

O Lord our God, thy throne is in heaven. Thy kingdom ruleth over all. The affairs of men are all open and plain before thee. Thou seest and knowest us altogether. Thou art acquainted, O Lord, because thou thyself hast led in these experiences which have been recounted here to-night; and we desire anew to recognize the good hand of our God upon us in all these things, and unitedly to thank thee; for thou hast helped us in times of special difficulty and perplexity; in times when there seemed to be no way open before us thy providence has directed us. Thou hast opened the way before us, and we recognize this as of thee. And as thou hast brought us to this place, so we believe thou hast a good purpose in it all. And we desire, Lord, on our part, to be ready fully to co-operate with thee, quick to discern thy leading, quick to respond to thy guidance, quick to co-operate with thee as servants, thine instruments in thine hands, human instruments, through whom thou canst reach humanity with blessings thou dost desire to bestow.

Now, Lord, as thy servants whom thou hast called to this work, as those whom thou hast especially connected with this work in this time of change and removal, as those whom thou hast used to accomplish this work, we stand before thee at this hour, to unite in consecrating ourselves, in dedicating our lives, our strength which thou givest us; in presenting before thee these facilities which thou hast provided for us; and lifting up our hearts unto thee. We dedicate all anew to thee for the work to which thou hast called us. And we pray, O Lord, that thou wilt show us tokens of good, with special blessing resting upon us personally, as we give ourselves anew to thee

for this service, that we may realize, O Lord, that although the form which we bring to thee is nothing in itself, yet hearts consecrated to thee, lives dedicated to thy service, are acceptable to thee, and thou dost use human instruments, humbly given up unto thee, as the agencies for the accomplishment of thy work in all the earth. And we pray, O Lord, that by thy Spirit resting upon us in a special manner, thou wilt thyself consecrate us unto this service. And we pray, O Lord, that thy presence may fill this place constantly. We pray that thy glory may be seen here, and that we may walk softly before thee, with our minds stayed upon thee, expecting revelations of thy presence, expecting in a large measure the gift of thy Spirit, expecting to be qualified especially by thine own power and presence for the work to which thou hast appointed us in this place.

So, Lord, grant a special blessing upon us, and special tokens of thy presence in this place, and let the glory of the Lord especially be seen upon us in this work, we pray thee. And let there go forth from this place influences that shall tend to mold thy work for good, influences that shall be felt in all parts of the field, encouraging the workers, leading them to personal consecration, leading them to a life of faith and hope and confidence in thee and thy truth. And so we pray, O Lord, that everywhere where thy word is spoken, everywhere where this message is presented, thou wilt from this time forth, and in a special manner, witness by thy power to the message that shall be presented. And we pray that to the hearts of all there may come renewed hope and courage, a living, personal confidence in thy word for this time, a fulness of faith that the Lord our God has set his hand anew to his work, that it shall be quickly finished; that this light and truth shall go forth to the ends of the earth, to accomplish their work in preparing the way for thy kingdom, that in this our day we may see the fulness of thy purpose accomplished,—thy kingdom coming, thy will being done in the earth as it is in heaven.

Now, Lord, we unitedly commit all to thy hands, committing ourselves to thy care, this work into thy hands, earnestly praying that thou wilt pour out thy Spirit. We earnestly pray that by thine own grace and power thou wilt give thy work a standing in this city that it may reach hearts, turn hearts to thee, and all in such a way that the glory shall be given unto thee and thy truth, that no man shall be exalted in thy place, but that thou mayest be glorified in it all. Forgive all our mistakes of the past. We pray, O Lord, that in this new beginning all the past may be wiped out; that thou wilt by thine own grace, cleanse, we pray thee; and so may we begin anew, and have in this place an experience with thee and with thy work such as we have not known.

Now, Lord, for all tokens of good, we give thee thanks and praise, and we believe in thee as our God, as the head of this work. We believe in thy truth, the message which thou art sending at this time. We believe in the provisions which thou hast made through thy dear Son, and his ministry as our high priest, that there shall be poured out the fulness of that Spirit upon thy people and work. Keep us as loyal servants of thine, prepared for thy coming and heavenly kingdom. And all we ask, and all we offer, in the worthy name of Jesus our Redeemer. Amen!

A. G. Daniells: We shall spend a short time before closing the service, in giving others an opportunity to express themselves as they may desire.

W. W. Prescott: As the experiences of the past few months were rehearsed by Brother Daniells, I was impressed anew, and I think perhaps as strongly as ever, with the marked providence of God which has been over his work; and I feel to-night a special sense of thankfulness that we are here. I can not but believe that every one who is connected in any way with this work, in coming here, and every one who has come here to unite in the work to be done, whatever the work may be, can but feel a sense of thankfulness that he is permitted to share in this work just at this time, and to unite with us all in starting out for what I believe is to be a new experience in this new place with the work.

Not to take your time further, I just wish to emphasize this one thought in this experience. You will remember that before that terrible experience of the children of Israel when they were carried away into captivity; when their temple, with all its beautiful decorations, was utterly destroyed; when that very elaborate ritual service, in which they took so much pride, ceased because of neither place nor sacrifices, nor priests to carry it forward,—that after that experience of removal in the captivity, and their return to rebuild, and start anew, while the Lord, through the prophet Haggai, said that the glory of this latter house should exceed the glory of the former, yet there were those who, when they viewed the second house, wept because there were things lacking which they remembered as having been in the former house. And never after that experience was there revealed the Shekinah glory in the most holy place, and never afterward did they have the ark of the covenant. Looking upon it outwardly, and receiving the impression merely from those things that impress the senses, that glory of the second house could not be compared favorably with the glory of the first house. And yet there stood the promise of the prophet, that the glory of that latter house should exceed the glory of the former house. This prophecy was fulfilled not in outward decorations of beauty; but when the Messiah himself, the glory of the Lord, stood in that house, then was fulfilled the word of the prophet, the glory of that latter house exceeded the glory of the former.

Now in our coming to this place, I do not expect to see so much money expended in the merely material things connected with the work. I do not expect to see so large buildings here. I do not expect to see so much invested, nor so many persons directly connected with it. And so if we are inclined to judge merely from the outward form, that which strikes the mind outwardly, we shall weep over the loss; but, viewing it in the light of God’s providences and God’s promises, I believe that we shall see that the glory here will far exceed any that we have seen and experienced in the past; that we must believe for, pray for, and expect that that glory will be revealed, and the presence of the Lord, the Master, in our midst directly; and the glory shall be the glory of his presence, and the glory of his power in his work; and that will be for the greater furtherance of his truth, and the establishment of his kingdom in the earth. And to experience this demands on our part the ability to see where others see nothing, the ability to appreciate where others see nothing to appreciate, because we see in the light of God, and we recognize his presence and power, unseen to the ordinary vision, yet fully realized, as we in fellowship with him recognize his presence with us. It is my hope that this place may be constantly filled with that presence, that angels shall delight to minister unto us when we are here, and that a light may shine forth that shall glorify God in the hastening of his work here in this place.

W. T. Bland: I feel this evening that it is very difficult to express the real joy there is in taking hold of the work here anew. I have had experiences of this kind at different times in the past, of going into new places, and opening up the work, and knowing something of the great blessings that God pours out upon those who undertake the work under such circumstances, so that I am especially of good courage, and look forward in our work here with much interest. I believe with all my heart that the Lord has signally led in the selection of the place here, and in moving out from the old place in which the work has been established for so many years. And I know that he has done it with the desire that he may bless his people and his work. And so this evening I rejoice with you; for I know we are all rejoicing together in this, and in the undertaking, the beginning of the work in this new place. I feel like consecrating myself anew to his service, all that I am and have, that I may do his will.

A. Kalstrom: In reviewing the past, and considering what has occurred, how true it is that God gives us what we ask for. Year after year we have gone to the General Conference Committee from this place impressed with the importance of this city, and appreciating perhaps only in part the wonderful openings that were here; and we asked for help. But the General Conference could give us but little help. We even went so far as to ask that the General Conference would regard this territory as a mission field, hoping that the General Conference itself would undertake the work in this District, and have the work go forward here. But the Lord has heard our prayers. Not only has the General Conference regarded this as a mission field, but they have

come here themselves, and they have come with a determination such as the chairman has already expressed. Surely this is more than we ever dreamed of; and we surely praise the Lord for the fact that he has made us a part of that wonderful blessing to-night. I am glad I belong to this church and this people. And so for one, individually, and I may say for the church of which I am a member, we bid the General Conference Committee a hearty welcome, and we give you our co-operation, and we invite you to let us do what we can to assist in carrying forward this good work.

Dr. J. H. Howard: I regard it as a great privilege to be here, especially on such an occasion as this. I was thinking while sitting here that for one who occupies such a small place in such a great work, it is not only a privilege, but it is an honor, to be present at the inauguration of the work in this place, and especially when we believe that the work is not to be as it has been in the past, but greater, because of the outpouring of the Spirit of the Lord in the full measure in which it is to be given.

It seems to me that we all ought to feel and realize that there must be connected with the work in which we are engaged something far beyond anything we have seen in the past, beyond anything we have conceived of in the past, not of what would appeal to the senses or to the emotions, but of true grandeur and worth. I feel that, even as the work that was done in the time of John was a great work, so the work that is to be done in this time is to be a much greater work, and in proportion as the second coming of the Saviour, with all the grandeur that must attend that event, and all the seriousness and import of the work that must be done to prepare for it, is greater than the first coming of Christ, I believe, brethren, that if we are faithful to enter into it all, that grandeur and blessing will be fully ours to enjoy. I see no way to do but to bind myself unchangeably to the truth. I believe that out of the darkness and trial and discouragement and the blight, yea, and the broken, pained hearts that have come to many, the Lord will yet give balm and healing and blessing and life, and his Spirit in such measure as shall restore to us the years that have been lost to us, or at least that have been to a large degree blighted, and we shall go forward with blessing and success, and also with joy. I think the time has come for that joy.

When you, brethren, stand before us as you do to-night, and say that we must be right before God in every respect,—and we know you mean that,—I can but say Amen. I stand to-night ready to go forward with you, in all candor, and sincerity, and fulness of purpose. I pray that the Lord shall give you that fulness of spirit which he is ready to give to all his people. I pray that we shall live to see that outpouring of the Spirit of which we have heard so much, and for which we long so much. And when that time comes, who can tell what the experience will be? It will surely be something which we can not tell now. May the Lord hasten that time.

Dr. J. H. Neall: After the burning of the Review and Herald, it was in the mind of some of us that the office should be removed to this place. In buying the church where we are now located, we had to walk out by faith. And when we saw how the tide was turning, and how wonderfully the Lord was working for us, then we thought there must be something more than the church, and our congregation. I praise God for what has been done. And I believe that every member of that church feels an added responsibility. While we rejoice in having these brethren come here, it adds to our responsibility. We feel that much depends upon how we shall relate ourselves to them. And we are coming to the time that we have looked forward to for so many years. When God shall manifest his power among his people, there will be times of refreshing—the latter rain that we have heard about. I rejoice with you, and I feel to-night of better courage than I have for a long time for the privileges and blessings that God has seen fit to give us in Washington.

E. R. Palmer: I trust that this movement marks the beginning of a new method of working. I trust that the day has passed when our chief energy will be used in an endeavor to secure a standing in the world by the number and magnitude of our institutions. I hope that in this place our work may be such that we can all say “This one thing I do,” that it shall not be a divided work, in any sense. I trust that instead of our having large institutions, in which we may glory, and toward which we may point as evidences of our progress, we may have a little band of valiant, Spirit-filled men and women who shall properly represent the truth which God has given us for this time.

I am satisfied that our effort to secure a standing by great institutions is a futile one. Only a few months ago I stood in one building belonging to the Catholic Church, where more money has been spent than has been raised during the past fifty years by this denomination by all means whatsoever, including the money we have borrowed. Therefore it would seem a useless task for us to try to secure a standing among denominations from that point of view; and I believe, brethren, that the judgments of God have come upon us, partially at least, that we may be led to discover that our standing in the world, and our power in carrying the third angel’s message, depends entirely upon the spirit which God will give to his people. I hope our work will develop along simple, powerful, energetic lines, such as God can greatly bless, so that the young men who come here and work at bookkeeping, or in any other business line, will go out from this place with principles of divine management, divine financiering, rather than with worldly methods that can count but little in financiering the work of the third angel’s message. I hope that all our energy will be spent in coming close to the needs of a lost world, and in developing workers who shall go out to the various parts of the harvest field with the true ring of the message. This is the burden of my prayer as we engage in this service to dedicate these rooms which we now occupy to this work which we have undertaken here in Washington.

S. N. Curtiss: I am glad this evening for the privilege of taking part in the exercises here, and I esteem it a privilege indeed to be connected with this work at this particular juncture in its history.

I was thinking as others were speaking, how, as Congress assembles here, the eyes of the world are upon them, and the work that is done. And while to-night the eyes of the world are not upon this little body, I confidently believe that other eyes—the eyes of heavenly intelligences—are more interested in what is taking place here to-night, and in the plans that are being laid for the carrying on of this work in the earth, than those intelligences are interested in what Congress may do.

I feel that these are very important times for us, every one individually. I try to sense it so far as I am personally concerned. I am determined to be so true to God that he can use me in his cause in any way that he desires. I want to labor for the advancement of this work. I want to give to it everything that there is of me, that the glory may all be returned to God, that his cause may be advanced. I am earnestly praying for the outpouring of his special blessing and Spirit, that our work here may take on an entirely different mold than anything that has been in this cause, that God’s work may take such an impetus here, and go forward in such a way, that it may be perfectly evident to God’s people, and to the world, to every one, that God himself has set his hand to this work, and is leading us on to close it up.

The meeting was closed with the benediction by W. T. Bland.