At the Latin Union Conference by Louis Richard Conradi

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Oct 3, 1912

At the Latin Union Conference

By Louis Richard Conradi

L. R. CONRADI

THE meeting of the Latin Union and the French-Swiss Conference was held at Lausanne, August 9-14. Brethren W. J. Fitzgerald and Guy Dail and the writer assisted in the meetings. A good camp-ground had been secured close to the city. The weather was pleasant for the first few days, but during the latter part of the meeting we had considerable rain and chilly weather. Still our people remained till the close, and there was a good spirit throughout the meeting. About fourteen were present from Italy, and good representations from France, Portugal, Spain, and French-Switzerland. The reports rendered by the workers showed progress in the entire field. We were also pleased to have Brethren A. Guyot and J. Abella with us from Algeria, and to learn that the work there is onward among the French, Spanish, and Arabs.

Considerable time was spent in studying the needs of all these great fields, and careful plans were laid for the extension of the gospel. The last quarter showed a net gain in the Latin Union membership of seventy-five. As the native workers increase in number, we are assured that the Latin Union will not drag behind the other European unions.

Sabbath was a good day to all in the camp. Fourteen were baptized, and on Wednesday, at the close of the meeting, Brother Paul Meyer, who had been doing successful work in Portugal, was ordained to the gospel ministry.

Much attention was given to the consideration of the publishing and canvassing work. There are now some prospects that good canvassers will be developed for the Italian field. The work is going well in the Spanish field, and every effort is being put forth to find suitable help for the French canvassing field also.

We were indeed pleased to hear good news from a woman who had been at the Gland Sanitarium, to which she had come from the isle of Mauritius, near Madagascar. She had accepted the truth while with us, and on returning home, being a teacher, she at once began to spread the glad tidings. We hope that her urgent call for a French laborer to come to her assistance can be answered in the near future, and that the European Division may be able to take the responsibility of opening up this great French-speaking field.

Our institutions at Gland had a good year. The school, in charge of Elder P. Steiner, is doing good work, and the room for students is being crowded. The sanitarium is more than full, and we are carefully considering the advisability of further enlarging that institution. The brethren appreciated very much the help given them from the $300,000 Fund, to assist them in establishing their publishing work on a better basis.

In considering the needs of this great field for 1913, it seemed that at least $13,000 would be required from the European Division to answer the calls that will be made. But more than anything else, we need more laborers and greater power. Elder L. P. Tieche was again unanimously elected president of the Latin Union.

The French-Swiss Conference, which, since New-year's, includes in its borders the adjoining territory of France, with about two million people, had its sessions conjointly with the union. Elder H. H. Dexter was unanimously reelected president. In order to meet the altered conditions, the name was changed to the Leman Conference (Leman is the French name of Lake Geneva). We made a call for missions, and about 2,100 francs was given in cash and pledges, and we are happy to say that little French-Switzerland is the first conference in Europe to come up to the full ten-cent-a-week quota. Let us remember the Latin Union, with its one hundred million people, in our prayers.