SOME of the latest news first. There has been organized the European Division Conference, the North American Division Conference, and the Asiatic Mission Field. The president of the European Division is L. R. Conradi; vice-president, J. T. Boettcher; secretary, Guy Dai; treasurer, Alice Kuessner. The president and vice-president respectively of the North American Division Conference are I. H. Evans and O. A. Olsen. This removes Pastor Evans from the great Oriental field, which will greatly feel its loss, and now another man must be found for that great mission. The president of the North American Division Conference will, however, bring to the new organization a strong, aggressive missionary spirit; and inasmuch as the North American field will be that from which is drawn the great part of the mission funds, his experience in the mission field will be very valuable indeed. He will be able to do as much in the home field for foreign missions as tho he were in the mission field itself.
The General Conference has elected three of its officers, president, secretary, and treasurer, who are respectively A. G. Daniels, W. A. Spicer, and W. T. Knox, the present incumbents of these offices. These are strong, tried men of experience.
The number of workers in the home land of North America is 2,484; in all lands outside of the home land, 3,198. The workers in non-Protestant and non-Christian lands number 1,481. The languages used orally in these lands are eighty-four in number, while seven more are used in Christian lands, making a total in all lands of ninety-one. Publications are issued in non-Protestant and non-Christian lands in sixty-eight different languages, and in Christian lands there are seven more, making a total of seventy-five.
EUROPEAN DELEGATION TO THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST GENERAL CONFERENCE
The number of souls saved during the past year in these fields runs into thousands. From dark, intolerant Russia comes the report of nearly 500—498, to be exact—and from ice-bound Siberia 520, one thousand thus finding liberty under the grievous rule of the Russian bear. Thank God that the light of liberty pierces the gloom of oppression and superstition. This is one marked thing, as reports have come in, that some of the most prosperous years in the great regions beyond have been in those fields where there is the most trouble and persecution. It clearly shows that the power of God in the winning of souls is not dependent upon favorable environment nor upon the greatest civil liberty.
The Sabbath services in the General Conference have been exceptionally good. The pulpit was occupied on the first Sabbath by Elder I. H. Evans, who took for his text the words found in John 2:17, “The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.” Elder A. G. Daniels spoke the second Sabbath, from Rom. 8:2, “The law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” Last Sabbath the sermon was given by Elder W. A. Spicer, the general topic of which was, “Be ye also ready,” reviewing in part the great victories of the truth of God, and picturing the triumphs of God’s cause. At the close of the service several calls were made for different classes,—for those who requested prayers for unconverted husbands and wives, parents, children, and other relatives; and the last call was for those who were far away from the Master—those who had not yielded their hearts to Him. The service was a blessed one indeed.
The various new organizations which are growing out of this conference indicate that there is a quiet spirit of revolution in the air. It is not one born of rebellion, nor enmity, nor ill-feeling in any way. It is a quiet, kind, decided, Christian revolution consequent upon an expanding and growing work. The great field is demanding it, and far-sighted men are seeing it. There are of course attendant dangers, especially in the matter of the multiplication of machinery and more elaborate plans; for greater effectiveness demands greater simplicity and more of the Spirit of God to lead and guide. And so we trust that in these multiplied organizations there may be a constant tendency toward simplicity in work, instead of an endeavor to mold the whole work after some elaborate plan. As men are different, so fields are different; as men with the same disease require different remedies for treatment, so great fields of the world, afflicted4with the same disease of sin, require different methods of treatment. The very best working out of the solutions of problems met in this great cause of Christ are those which are developed in the field itself.
Mexico's representatives at the General Conference
Some of the department meetings have been of great interest. The writer has not been able to attend them all. He would have been very glad to attend half a dozen at the same time; but as most of these meetings were held at four-thirty in the afternoon, it was impossible to attend more than one at a time. In the Medical Department there are many omens of good. We have many physicians within the organized work and without. There is a decided coming together as brethren in the one great work. It is a good thing to know that so many consecrated Christian physicians are engaged in the work of God, not because of the money which they may gather, but for the souls which they may win. These medical workers are evangelical workers—those who believe in the great threefold gospel message. We are sure that the meetings which have been held in the Medical Department will be blessed of God in the carrying forward with greater efficiency of our medical-evangelical work. We are assured that there have been equally interesting meetings conducted by the Sabbath-school, Missionary Volunteer, Educational, and City Workers’ departments, and others. The meetings in the Religious Liberty Department have brought out some very excellent things, and helped to a better understanding and coöperation, as such meetings always do when such workers meet together face to face.
It is a great conference. Such a great body does not lend itself to the highest spiritual development, altho there is a good spiritual atmosphere in the meeting. There is much business to do, consequently not so many spiritual meetings can be held. The Bible studies or sermons that are held at the 8:30 hour in the morning, are, however, often of a deeply spiritual nature. The six o’clock morning meetings are also seasons of soul refreshing. On the whole, it is one of the greatest conferences, and one of those which will be of greatest importance in the development of the work in the future. One needs to look back only a few years when this people, with the unpopular message of reform which they bear, was a very small people, numbering only a few hundreds in North America. Now it has spread throughout all the great divisions of the world, and among all nations and peoples, is gathering kindred fruit for the kingdom of God, and those who accept it are willing to sacrifice to their utmost to bring the message to its final triumph. Thank God for all tokens of progress, especially out in the great regions beyond. Devotion and consecration on the part of the people will bring in far greater fruits in the days to come.
