A New Union Conference in Southeastern Europe
By L. R. Conradi
IN view of the large area of the East German Union Conference and the rapid growth of the work in Hungary and the Balkan States, the General Conference Committee in Europe, after seeking the advice of Elder A. G. Daniells, proposed a division of this field, and the organization of the southeastern portion under the name of the Danube Union. The East German Union Committee heartily agreed to this proposition, and, accordingly, a meeting was called at Budapest, July 9-14, to effect the organization. Budapest is the leading city in this field. It has a population of nearly one million. It is really a twin city, separated by the beautiful Danube, Buda being on the western, and Pest on the eastern bank of the river. The meetings were held in the very edge of Buda, where a nice lot had been secured, on which two large tents (that Captain Christiansen had made) and several small tents were pitched. On arriving upon the grounds, we found all the fields well represented, about one hundred fifty attending the meeting; and on the Sabbath there were two hundred present. Besides the local men, Elders H. F. Schuberth, J. G. Oblaender, and G. Dail, and Brother Boex, and the writer, were present.11At the opening session about forty delegates took their seats, representing fully all the fields of the union. All felt grateful indeed to the Lord that such an important step could be taken. This new union has a population of about 37,000,000, and in territory it is larger than the East German or West German or future Central European Unions. There are two conferences, the Transylvanian and Central Hungarian, both of which are in Hungary; then six mission fields, — North Hungary, West Hungary, Rumani, Bulgaria, the Adriatic, and the Theiss-Save Mission. All these fields are supplied with good leaders, and they are in a growing and prosperous condition. The best evidence of their development is the report of the last half-year. At the close of 1911 these fields had a net membership of 1,393. By July 1, 1912, their membership had risen to 1,581, a net increase of 188 members in six months. By the time the organization goes into full operation, Jan. 1, 1913, they undoubtedly will have a membership of about 1,700. In these meetings quite a number of languages had to be used. The business and the minutes were rendered in German and Hungarian, while there were translations going on in various parts of the tent into the Rumanian, Servian, and Croatian. Sixteen of our brethren from Rumania were in attendance. The business meetings were characterized by a spirit of unity and a desire to work in harmony with the great spirit of our people throughout the world. The resolutions passed not only expressed gratitude to God for all his goodness in building up the work in this field, but our people also pledged to support and sustain the home work with their tithe and the foreign work with their gifts. Hearty thanks were rendered to the brethren of the East German Union, who had turned their second tithe to the building up of this field, in addition to supplying it with a number of strong workers. When the East German Union turns the financial support of this union over to the European Division of the General Conference the first of next January, it will give with it the second tithe, which will enable the European Division to look after these fields without directly increasing its financial burden. While the two conferences and the Rumanian Mission are self-supporting, the other missions and the union will need about $9,800 appropriations for 1913. The tithe in the entire union has trebled during the last three years, amounting to $10,415 for 1911; so this new union, with the appropriations, will have about $20,000 for carrying on its work in 1913. Its working force at the close of the first quarter, 1912, was composed of thirteen ordained ministers, fifteen licentiates, twenty Bible workers, and one other worker — forty-nine altogether. Elder J. F. Huenergardt, who has been laboring in Hungary so many years, and who has fully acquired the Hungarian tongue, and is also well acquainted with the conditions in the Balkan States, was unanimously chosen as union president. Elder August Doerner, who has had a good experience in the Hamburg House as well as in the field, was chosen secretary of the union, of the tract society, and of the Sabbath-school department. The treasury remains in Hamburg, but the branch office in Budapest will serve as the subtreasury. The new union committee is composed of nine members, including the heads of the conferences, mission fields, and Hamburg Branch House at Budapest, and Elder O. Luepke, of the Friedensau School. Considerable time was given to instruction in church duties, in educating the workers, and instructing the new officers. Brother Boex gave a good deal of his attention to helping the canvassers. The East German Union has just voted them a good German general agent to develop the canvassing work. They have forty canvassers, but this number is fast increasing. The new branch of the Hamburg House already has its hands full. The Hungarian paper has increased its monthly circulation to 15,000, and the Servian quarterly to 10,000. As larger books appear in these various languages, we feel certain there will be a rapid growth in the canvassing work. The evening meetings, which were conducted in connection with illustrated lectures, were well attended, the interest growing steadily. Several reporters took notes, and at the close of the meeting quite a long favorable report appeared in one of the leading papers of the capital, which tended to increase the attendance. Several ministers remained on the ground to follow up, in both the Hungarian and the German tongue, the interest that had been created. The Central Hungarian Conference had its session in connection with the union meeting. Elder Huenergardt was unanimously chosen president of that field, which includes Budapest, and has a population of about 4,000,000. When a call was made to raise the mission offerings, some 2,400 kroner were pledged and raised in cash for this purpose. There was also a liberal Sabbath-school offering. The Sabbath was a most excellent day. It was a time of revival and seeking the Lord. In the afternoon Brethren Mantu, of Rumania, and J. Murbach, of the West Hungarian mission field, were ordained to the gospel ministry. The occasion was one of special blessing, as was shown by the many hearty testimonies of praise in the social meeting that immediately followed. We would especially invite the attention of all our brethren to our periodicals in the Hungarian, Rumanian, Bohemian, and Servian tongues. In the States there are many speaking these languages, and a very little effort would interest numbers of them in the good literature presenting the message in their mother tongue. Our Hungarian paper is a monthly, called Utolso Uzenet (The Last Message); Semnele Timpului (Signs of the Times) is our Rumanian monthly; Hlasatel Pravdy (Herald of Truth) is our monthly periodical for the Bohemians and Slovaks; and the quarterly Servian paper is known as Poslednja Objawa (Last Message). Any one interested in missionary work among his friends and neighbors who use any of these languages, would do well to correspond with his tract society about these publications, or to write directly either to the Hamburg Publishing House, Grindelberg 15a, Hamburg, or to our Budapest Branch, Vallasos iratok nemzetközi Kiadóhivatal, Váczi körút 16, I. Et., Tur 41, Budapest, V., Hungary. It is our sincere hope that our brethren everywhere will remember in their sympathies and prayers the work and workers in this new union, whose territory includes Hungary, Croatia, Bosnia, Rumania, Bulgaria, Servia, and Montenegro, where there is one of the most promising and needy fields in Europe, beseeching the Lord to richly bless all that is being done for the advancement of the third angel's message in these dark lands.