IN HOLLAND AND EASTERN AND WESTERN GERMANY.
By Guy Dail
Holland’s midwinter meeting was held in Amsterdam, January 9-12. Amsterdam is the largest city of Holland, and has 511,000 inhabitants. About eighty were in attendance, and every church and company in that field was represented. The business sessions passed off nicely. After paying their expenses and audit for the last six months of 1901, and turning over to the German Union Conference a tenth of their tithe, there was a deficit of about $250. Considering that we have only about 180 members in this territory, and that the tithe averages nearly $10 per member altho by far the greater number of our people are by no means well-to-do, we think this is a fair showing. In view of the advantages to be derived from such an arrangement, Holland and Flemish Belgium were organized into a conference at this time. Pastor R. G. Klingbeil was unanimously chosen president. Among the aggressive steps suggested for the coming season is the proposed series of tent-meetings in Amsterdam itself. Seeing this will be our initial effort in that direction, we shall watch it with no small degree of interest, and we trust that God’s children who are interested in the progress of the Gospel in other lands, will pray for its success. The religious exercises were conducted with spirit. Pastors L. R. Conradi and O. A. Olsen rendered much valuable help. In the presentation of the Word; two subjects were made specially prominent: The advent hope, and the advent work. In the social services there was a good degree of liberty. The last day of the meeting seven were baptized. The delegates showed due appreciation of the kind offices rendered them by the Colorado Conference, which is supporting one laborer there, and Germany received a vote of thanks for the help it had rendered the Holland field during its infancy. This conference, the youngest in the sisterhood of European conferences, starts out on its career with two ordained ministers, two licentiates, three Bible-workers, and ten canvassers. All seem of good courage to press forward, and the outlook is hopeful. It was in Posen, eastern Prussia, that the sixty-one delegates of the East-German Conference assembled for their local meeting, January 16-19. There were about 120 of our people in attendance. A hall sufficiently large for the accommodation of the business sessions was used on Thursday and Friday, while for Sabbath and Sunday the larger hall in Hotel Monopol was engaged. After the payment of the laborers for the past six months, and turning over a tenth of its tithe to the German Union Conference,13there was a shortage of about $50 in the East-German Conference treasury. Considering the poverty of the field, this certainly speaks well for our churches here. Eight new churches and companies were received into this conference, making its present membership 913. There has been an increase of ninety-seven in membership during the past six months. On Sunday, ten were baptized. The religious services were characterized by an earnest zeal that was refreshing. Spiritual instruction was freely given, and it was as eagerly received. Practical help was rendered in the health and temperance department by Dr. Hoenes and his fellow-workers from Friedensau. The outside interest was fair. Brother Pieper and the conference committee that served with him during the last six months, were re-elected, and this field begins its new year of service with five ministers, three licentiates, six Bible-workers, and fifty colporters. Of this number five will devote their time to work among the Poles, of whom there are very large numbers in eastern Prussia. Taken as a whole, this was a very successful meeting, and our people left it with renewed determination to give themselves more unreservedly to the work of the Master in the future. The help rendered by Pastor L. R. Conradi and H. F. Schuberth was much appreciated. The last and the largest of the local meetings in Germany, the West-German Conference, was held in Hanover, January 23-26. Hanover, including Linden, is a thriving city of 287,000 inhabitants. Its clean, well-paved streets, its neatly constructed public and private buildings, as well as the general appearance of its inhabitants, bespeak a good degree of prosperity, and show that, as a city, it is not at all lacking in this world’s goods. There were about two hundred at this meeting. Pastors L. R. Conradi and J. Pieper were present, and took an active part in the meetings. The business sessions of the conference were held in the hall regularly occupied by the Hanover church; the Sabbath meetings filled a much larger hall, and the three services especially for the accommodation of outsiders tested the capacity of one of the finest halls in the city, the audiences ranging from four hundred to four hundred and fifty. During the past six months, the tithe of this conference was almost $5,000. It will be remembered that not only is the wealthiest section of Germany within its territory, but it contains our two institutions—the publishing house in Hamburg, and the sanitarium and school at Friedensau. After paying its audit and two tithes to the German Union Conference, there was still a surplus of nearly a thousand dollars, a portion of which was voted to open up the work in Abyssinia. During the past six months 113 have been baptized, and the total enrolment is now 981. At this meeting two were ordained to the Gospel ministry. The ordination service was held Sabbath afternoon, and was attended by a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Brethren Madsen and Baumann received this token of their call to the work of proclaiming the glad tidings of salvation. A word further about the meetings for the public. In advertising them, the name of our local Hanover mission committee was given; but the paper took special pains to say that the State Church knew of no such mission committee. This bit of free advertising seemed rather to arouse the popular interest than to lessen it. We believe the time is here when the truth should go with a power hitherto unknown, because God has gone out before us, and prepared the way. At Hanover, as at Stuttgart and in Berlin, we had the privilege of taking our meals in a good vegetarian restaurant,—a privilege that is not enjoyed everywhere. The West-German Conference begins another year with five ministers, seventeen other workers, and seventy canvassers. There is no reason why all should not be full of hope and good cheer, at the prospect of the work in this field. We wish for it the richest blessings of God. Guy Dail.