IIIII1 ;411; NEN P Ingo! REVIEW AND HERALD • GENERAL CHURCH PAPER OF THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS W. J. Hackett F. L. Bland Theodore Carcich The newly elected general vice-presidents of the General Conference voted at the close of the June 14 afternoon business session. M. S. Nigri R. R. Bietz A REPORTER'S STORY and blues and reds and gold that made OF SUNDAY'S HAPPENINGS the group so colorful. Dressed like a Persian princess in a gorgeous blue skirt with a delicate white veil was Mrs. John Hasso, whose husband is a merchant and very active layman. SESSION HIGH LIGHTS Gracious Dorothy Webster, wife of F. C. Webster, Middle East Division president, wore one of the long pointed hats and a light-yellow dress to match—a costume, By LAWRENCE MAXWELL she assured me, that is worn nowadays only on festal occasions. Back from three years' mission service "We will raise your well-known hymns; and the choir of in Iran were Harold L. Gray and his wages," said the Greater Boston Academy, under Richard wife, Dorothy. He is president of the Iran owner of the com- Hammond, stirred us with "Go Not Far Section and was dressed like a Kurd in a pany, "if you remain From Me." Finally, Jerry Patton, of the blue jacket and baggy blue pants with a true. to our tradi- King's Heralds, topped the song service pink sash and a gray turban. Dorothy tional faith. On the with a magnificent rendering of "If With wore the full-length veil of the conserva- other hand, if you All Your Hearts." tive, wealthy Iranian. I asked them how choose to join this the work was going, and they said, small foreign sect Visit of Attorney General "Slowly . but hopefully!" you will be dis- Soon Jerry Pettis, Adventist U.S. Con- I am sorry there is no way to show you missed." Kevork Ye- gressman, introduced Mr. and Mrs. the moving pictures of the progress of sil chose to join the George Kulger, attorney general of the the church in that most difficult area of Seventh-day Adventist Church, but in State of New Jersey. In his brief but the world, but you can read the report in spite of threats he was retained as top friendly speech Mr. Kulger said he had Bulletin No. 2. Don't miss the story of salesman for the company and is now in read that Adventists had grown 20 per Rohoani, the Moslem who demanded that business for himself, selling radios and cent in the past four years while many the ministers baptize him and insisted watches all over Eastern Europe. other churches were declining. He also that he was ready; or the experience of I met Brother Yesil and his wife, Selma, said that he and State Governor Cahill Abdel Kamal, the headwaiter of a fash- last night. He used to be a Moslem. He particularly admired the fervor of our ionable hotel in Beirut. The Middle East first learned about Christ when he took church and felt that the United States may have a limited membership, but it his Armenian date to an Adventist meet- and the whole world should be proud of is growing fast-46 per cent in the past ing near their home in Turkey. Now, sev- us because when we sought changes we four years. With the dedicated leaders eral years later, they brought their daugh- always sought them through constitu- we listened to last night, we can be sure ter Lena, age nearly 12, to America at tional means. that we will soon be hearing even greater their own expense to participate in the As Mr. and Mrs. Kulger left, onto the things than this. report of the Middle East Division and platform came a large group in beautiful to provide additional evidence that God's costumes. Photographs in subsequent is- South American Report Spirit is working on men's hearts every- sues of the REVIEW will show you the As soon as the Middle East had re- where. shapes—the storybook hats with the long ported, another great group of workers After the tremendous program that slim points, the ladies' veils, the men's came onto the platform, representing the filled the Sabbath, I heard some folks turbans. I hope that for some future Gen- South American Division. This division suggest that perhaps there wouldn't be eral Conference session it will be possible is one of our largest, with more than any further reports Saturday night. But to print for you also the bright yellows 253,000 members, 111,410 of whom came they had reckoned without considering the rapid growth of the Adventist Church over the last four years. There is just too much to report to let any time go unused. There was a pleasant breeze blowing in off the sea as I hurried up the boardwalk to the evening meeting. Those who feel Adventists ought to "press together" would have been pleased by the closely packed crowd of church members still trying to move around in front of the main entrance; but inside the auditorium the pressure was not so great as it had been earlier, and it was possible to find a seat without much trouble. Perhaps 10,000 people were taking places on the main floor and in the balconies. Academy-Choir Night Richard Lange was in charge of the music. Really, I am sorry for all you read- ers who cannot come to these meetings. You can read all the important reports in the REVIEW, but you can't hear the solo- ists and the quartets and all the choirs. Last night was academy-choir night. Ta- koma Academy's choir did a professional rendition of "Sing and Rejoice," under Leland Tetz; the Shentones of Shenan- The booth in Convention Hall sponsored by the Middle East Division features replicas doah Valley Academy, directed by Victor of oil lamps that were used in Bible times. Mrs. Kenneth L. Vine is wearing a local Hilbert, did beautifully with a medley of costume. Pastor Vine (right) is president of Middle East College, Beirut, Lebanon. 2 [50] REVIEW AND HERALD, June 15, 1970 in during the past four years, giving the division a growth of 53 per cent. And once again I am sorry you didn't get to see the pictures. A huge screen was lowered, and a constant succession of hundreds of magnificent Kodachrome slides were projected, three at a time. But at least you can read the report. (Aren't you glad the REVIEW sends you these daily Bulletins?) You'll be thrilled, as we were, to learn of the Missionary Volunteers who went into the city of Bayeux, where there were no Adventists, and raised up a church of 70 members. Every time the clock strikes the hour another youth is baptized in South America. The division has set itself the goal of 500,000 members by 1975, and at the rate they are going it's not hard to believe they will reach it. At last the Sabbath was over, but not the session. Today, Sunday, has been filled with more good things. It was a thor- oughly delightful morning, with a calm sea and clear visibility as I walked to the auditorium for the early-morning devo- tional. (During the presession I rode a Above: Receiving the World Concern Offer- bicycle up and down the boardwalk a ing on Sabbath morning is K. H. Emmerson, couple of times, but I have learned that treasurer. Presenting the Loma Linda Uni- walking the endless distances back and versity gift is D. J. Bieber, LLU president. Others in line, representing institutions, forth between the hotel and hall, and are F. W. Hale, L. F. Bohner, C. E. Palmer, walking around inside this vast audito- N. G. Simons, C. L. Paddock, Jr., C. H. rium, is exercise enough.) Lauder, and Allen Buller. Right: A. L. Emilio Knechtle emphasized the place Tucker, in the foreground, and 0. A. Blake of the Holy Spirit in guiding God's peo- tally the World Concern Offering as it is ple, and the importance of a love rela- reported in the Sabbath morning service. tionship between Christ and each indi- vidual. [A summary of his message and of the other 8:00 A.M. devotionals will ap- pear in a later Bulletin.] $52 million for missions in four years. Then came a business session. Contrary Even more heart warming was the story to the understanding of many church of little Rosemary Piner, who attended members, a General Conference session is Vacation Bible School, then Sabbath making their decision. So instead of call- not primarily a time for theological study, school, then raised $300 for Ingathering— ing for the vote right then, as he might but is a business meeting whose first ob- all before anyone in her family was a have done, Elder Carcich exercised his jective is to elect officers to serve until the church member. I was particularly im- authority as chairman to delay the vote next General Conference session. Theo- pressed, in the report of the North Amer- until there could be further discussion at dore Carcich called the business meeting ican Regional Department, to see pic- a later business meeting. As I write, we to order, and the secretary, Duane John- ture after picture of the large number of still don't know how the matter will be son, read the names of a few persons who beautiful new and recently purchased settled. were being recommended as delegates.