The Missionary | AdventAI

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jan 4, 1883

The Missionary.

Proceedings of General Conference.

WE give the following report of the proceedings of this meeting, condensed from the Review and Herald. The items are not given in the order in which they occurred, but all the actions of general importance are given.

Forty-six delegates were present. Eld. U. Smith stated that a Conference had been organized in Colorado, that wishes to be received as a member of the General Conference. The Conference has three churches with 164 members, and has a full corps of officers. It appointed him as delegate to the General Conference, provided it should be received. On motion, the Colorado Conference was received into the General Conference.

Eld. S. N. Haskell gave an account of his visit to the Scandinavian countries the past summer, showing that an encouraging work is being done there, there being now about four hundred Sabbath-keepers in the three countries. Particulars were also given in regard to the publishing work in Norway.

The following resolutions were presented at different times during the meeting, and were adopted:—

Resolved, That we recognize the necessity of publishing a German paper in Europe, and we hereby recommend the Conference Committee to arrange for such publication at the earliest possible opportunity.

Resolved, That the Swedish Conference be admitted to the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, according to their request.

Resolved, That ministers laboring outside their own Conferences, should after an absence of one year or more, be considered members of the Conference in which they labor, and should receive credentials therefrom; and ministers laboring in missionary fields should receive credentials from the General Conference.

Resolved, That the above resolution shall not prevent any Conference from issuing credentials to its members who are laboring in the general interests of the cause.

WHEREAS, Some ministers find it necessary to change their field of labor from one Conference to another, and confusion is liable to arise; therefore—

Resolved, That we recommend that before such changes are made there should be an understanding between the Conferences concerned, or the change should be made in accordance with instructions from the General Conference.

WHEREAS, The establishment of such schools as those recently created by our people in Massachusetts and California is necessarily attended with many perplexities, and will cost much more than would be imagined by one who has had no experience in such matters; therefore—

Resolved, That we recommend to our brethren in different Conferences that they proceed in the organization of schools with great caution; and that before doing so they counsel with the General Conference Committee.

WHEREAS, Confusion is liable to occur in the accounts of our S. B. treasurers, resulting in the loss of funds, unless all pecuniary transactions are conducted according to careful business principles; therefore—

Resolved, That we recommend that all persons paying tithes require from the treasurer a receipt for all moneys paid him, and that the treasurer be required to present quarterly to the church, or to an auditing committee appointed by the church, an itemized report of all money received, and all that is paid by him into the Conference, showing the receipts of the State treasurer as vouchers therefor.

WHEREAS, The usefulness of our Publishing House in California was seriously imperiled by the threatened enforcement of the Sunday laws of that State; and—

WHEREAS, By a mysterious Providence the very party which passed that law originally, arrayed themselves against the same in the last political contest in that State, so that their triumph rendered its repeal certain; therefore—

Resolved, That we recognize in this result the hand of God so shaping and directing the affairs of men as to render possible the full and free proclamation of his truth, until such time as the world shall have been thoroughly warned in regard to their duty to observe the Sabbath of the Lord, and to prepare for the advent of his Son.

The above resolution drew forth interesting remarks from Elds. Littlejohn and Waggoner, showing how the Lord had worked for his people during the Sunday excitement in California, after which it was unanimously adopted.

Resolved, That our ministers be instructed to pay more attention to the subject of health reform; to study it in the light of the Bible and to enforce it in our churches as an element of Christian character; and to counteract in a careful and judicious manner the prevailing tendency among our people to backsliding in regard to this important grace.

WHEREAS, Counsel has been given to us as a people that it is the duty of Eld. Uriah Smith to labor in the cause at large, and especially in holding Biblical Institutes, and not to confine his labors to Battle Creek; therefore—

Resolved, That we hereby request our Executive Committee to assign to Eld. Smith such labor as will give the various Conferences the benefit of his ability and experience, as indicated above.

Resolved, That the ordinances of the Lord's supper and feet-washing are important, and should never be separated in their administration, except in cases where such separation shall be absolutely necessary.

WHEREAS, Many of our ministers have found it a very difficult matter to carry out our system of quarterly meetings successfully, so as to derive from them the benefits contemplated, and in many cases are obliged to set them aside or appoint them on another day than the one assigned; therefore—

Resolved, That the Chair be authorized to appoint a committee of three to consider this subject with its various bearings, and report, making such recommendations as they may deem proper.

The Chair named J. H. Cook, R. F. Andrews, B. L. Whitney, as the committee provided for in the latter resolution.

Resolved, That we recommend that the General Conference Committee prepare, or cause to be prepared, instructions to church officers, to be printed in the Review and Herald or in tract form, as they may deem the better way.

The Chair appointed W. H. Littlejohn, J. O. Corliss, H. A. St. John, as a committee to take this matter into consideration, and report at the next annual session of the Conference.

Resolved, That we recommend that our churches purchase copies of the General Conference proceedings, and make themselves intelligent in reference to the business matters connected with our annual meetings.

Resolved, That another section be added to Art. II. of the Constitution, to read as follows:—

"SEC. 2.—The Executive Committee shall have power to fill any vacancies that may occur in their number by death, resignation, or otherwise."

WHEREAS, The English mission is now organized so that colporters and other persons distributing our literature can keep in operation the work now being done in Southampton and elsewhere; therefore—

Resolved, That in view of the wants of the cause in America, our Executive Committee be instructed to make such changes in the English work as shall secure, as soon as consistent, the services of Eld. Loughborough in the United States.

WHEREAS, It is the judgment of those who understand the condition of the cause that a paper will sometime be needed in England, and it is also judged that the time for publishing it is not yet come; therefore—

Resolved, That it is the sense of this Conference that persons should be selected and educated for that work, to whom the duty of conducting the paper can be entrusted at the proper time.

Resolved, That this General Conference indorse the action of the Board of Trustees of the Educational Society in closing the College, under the circumstances, and we indorse the resolutions passed at an informal meeting of the Educational Society in this place.

It was voted that the General Conference Committee prepare a report of all foreign missions, and an appeal to be read in the churches at some quarterly meeting, together with an address encouraging donations to the mission funds.

Eld. O. A. Olsen gave a brief history of the Scandinavian work in America, showing that the cause among the Scandinavians is in a thriving condition. He also spoke of the great need of having some of Sister White's works issued in the Danish-Norwegian language, and asked that something of the description be published. It was thereupon

Resolved, That it be the expressed sense of this Conference, that a book containing selections from the writings of Sister White be published in the Danish-Norwegian language.

Resolved, That we consider the tract and missionary work, in its different phases, one of great importance, and we recommend that special efforts be put forth for the increased circulation of all our periodicals.

Resolved, That it is the judgment of this General Conference that the blessing of God attends the canvassing work; and we think that an experience in this work is an excellent preparation to efficiency in other departments of the cause.

Resolved, That we request the President of the General Conference to arrange with the Publishing Committee of the S. D. A. Publishing Association to publish a book to be entitled, "The Seventh-day Adventist Year-Book," which shall contain such portions of the proceedings of the General Conference, and such other matters, as the Committee may think best to insert therein.

Resolved, That we express our unabated confidence in the Testimonies which have been so graciously given

to this people, which have guided our ways and corrected our errors, from the rise of the third angel's message to the present time; and that we especially express our gratitude for Testimony No. 31, which we accept as a token of the care of God over us,—an evidence that he has not forsaken us, notwithstanding our many backslidings.

The committee appointed to consider the wants of the Scandinavian mission, presented the following report, which was unanimously adopted:—

WHEREAS, Considerable sums of money have been sent by our Scandinavian brethren to men who were strangers, and in some cases to unworthy persons; and—

WHEREAS, The General Conference Committee exercises a watchful care for the wants and necessities of all the missions, receiving authentic information from our experienced missionaries, and is thus prepared to judge of the importance of private appeals; therefore—

Resolved, That it is the safe and wiser plan for all persons wishing to aid the European missions to forward their donations to the authorized treasurers of the mission funds.

WHEREAS, The building in Christiana, Norway, used at present for printing and holding meetings, is larger than is necessary, and will require a large amount of means to provide for interest and future payments; and—

WHEREAS, Another building can be erected, better suited for their work, at less cost; therefore—

Resolved, That we approve of their effort to sell, and make other arrangements

It was recommended that the Executive Committee issue special credentials to those in the direct employ of the General Conference, showing the relation of each to the Conference; also the issue of local credentials and licenses to those laboring in fields outside of organized Conferences; these credentials and licenses to be continued from time to time by the General Conference, or at the discretion of the Conference Committee. Also that the California Conference supply Nevada with such help as it can consistently give; that an experienced laborer be sent to the Southern Atlantic States, to develop and build up the interest already existing, instruct those laboring there who are deficient in experience, and have a supervision of the work, with the object of bringing up the cause in all its branches; and in view of the fact that Eld. J. O. Corliss has already some acquaintance with that field, has felt a deep interest in it, and has a burden to go there to labor at the present time, that this field be assigned him till the providence of God shall indicate that his duty lies in a different direction.

These recommendations being discussed at some length by the Conference, they were adopted as the sense of the body.

Resolved, That Eld. E. W. Farnsworth be recommended to labor a part of the year, as the way may open, in the Missouri Conference.

The Committee on Credentials and Licenses suggested that credentials be granted to Elds. J. N. Andrews, J. G. Matteson, J. N. Loughborough, A. A. John, B. L. Whitney, Geo. I. Butler, S. N. Haskell, J. Fargo, J. O. Corliss; and that local credentials be given to Elds. C. O. Taylor of Alabama, Wm. F. Killen of Georgia, L. P. Hodges of North Carolina, H. A. Rife of Virginia; also that a Ship Missionary License be granted to Geo. R. Drew of England.

The Committee on Nominations presented the following names for officers of the Conference for the coming year: For President, Geo. I. Butler; Secretary, A. B. Oyen; Treasurer, Mrs. M. J. Chapman; Executive Committee, G. I. Butler, S. N. Haskell, J. Fargo. These persons were elected to their respective offices.