To die from
overwork is not something
00:00:17.15\00:00:19.91
that happens
very often nowadays,
00:00:19.95\00:00:22.12
but in the early
days of our church,
00:00:22.15\00:00:24.42
it seemed to happen
on a frequent basis,
00:00:24.45\00:00:27.32
coupled with little information
on what a good nutritious diet
00:00:27.36\00:00:31.23
consisted of as
well as poor vaccination,
00:00:31.26\00:00:34.10
the graves of
Mount Hope Cemetery here
00:00:34.13\00:00:36.67
have too many young
people who died early
00:00:36.70\00:00:39.70
yet whose impact
lasts far beyond,
00:00:39.73\00:00:42.10
their short years on earth.
00:00:42.14\00:00:44.74
The story of the Andrews
family is particularly sad.
00:00:48.18\00:00:51.48
His wife Angeline
died at the age of 48,
00:00:51.51\00:00:54.98
2 years before he left the
US to be a missionary in Europe.
00:00:55.02\00:00:58.95
They had a close
and loving relationship
00:00:58.99\00:01:01.76
and the separation that
his travel cause was not easy.
00:01:01.79\00:01:05.79
Separation in death,
though, was even harder.
00:01:05.83\00:01:08.96
And he moved from
Rochester, New York
00:01:09.00\00:01:11.37
to Lancaster, Massachusetts
and continued his work there.
00:01:11.40\00:01:15.04
Unfortunately,
his daughter Mary,
00:01:18.57\00:01:20.81
who had been his backbone
00:01:20.84\00:01:22.18
of support
contracted tuberculosis
00:01:22.21\00:01:24.68
and the
prognosis didn't look good.
00:01:24.71\00:01:27.05
He took her back
to the United States
00:01:27.08\00:01:29.15
to Battle Creek where he
had Dr. Kellogg look at her.
00:01:29.18\00:01:32.79
Unfortunately,
nothing could be done
00:01:32.82\00:01:34.82
to heal her.
00:01:34.86\00:01:36.19
And despite the
advice from Dr. Kellogg,
00:01:36.22\00:01:38.49
J. N. Andrews
insisted on spending
00:01:38.53\00:01:41.33
almost every day
with his daughter.
00:01:41.36\00:01:44.07
She had been his
support while he was in Europe
00:01:44.10\00:01:47.50
after his wife Angeline had died
00:01:47.54\00:01:50.04
and he refused to leave her side
00:01:50.07\00:01:52.17
in her dying days.
00:01:52.21\00:01:53.81
Dr. Kellogg warned that
by proximity to his daughter,
00:01:53.84\00:01:57.38
he might contract tuberculosis,
00:01:57.41\00:01:59.48
but he was loyal
right up until the end.
00:01:59.51\00:02:02.05
J. N. Andrews did
contract tuberculosis
00:02:07.22\00:02:09.89
from his daughter
and died way too young
00:02:09.92\00:02:12.46
at just 54 years old
00:02:12.49\00:02:14.46
and is buried here
in Basel, Switzerland.
00:02:14.50\00:02:17.33
One can only wonder
00:02:17.37\00:02:18.70
what impact he would
have had on the church
00:02:18.73\00:02:21.14
if he lived for 30 years longer
00:02:21.17\00:02:23.41
or how the outcome of the
1888 General Conference session
00:02:23.44\00:02:27.51
might have been
different if he was there.
00:02:27.54\00:02:30.51
During the course of his life,
James White held the position
00:02:33.58\00:02:36.99
of the editor of
Review and Herald
00:02:37.02\00:02:38.82
as well as General
Conference president
00:02:38.85\00:02:40.99
amongst other things.
00:02:41.02\00:02:42.56
He did the work not of one man
but at least two, if not three.
00:02:42.59\00:02:46.73
From his younger years
working on the railroad
00:02:46.76\00:02:49.03
and cutting grass by hand
00:02:49.06\00:02:50.90
to working
tirelessly for the church.
00:02:50.93\00:02:53.57
He died 34 years
before his wife in 1881
00:02:53.60\00:02:57.81
and he's buried here
in the Oak Hill Cemetery
00:02:57.84\00:03:00.44
in Battle Creek.
00:03:00.48\00:03:01.81
Nathaniel and Anna
White, siblings of James White
00:03:05.21\00:03:08.75
worked here in
Rochester for a few years,
00:03:08.78\00:03:11.45
but both died young
00:03:11.49\00:03:13.09
in their early
20s from tuberculosis.
00:03:13.12\00:03:16.22
J. N. Andrews'
other child Carrie
00:03:16.26\00:03:18.56
is also buried here
along with the Orton family.
00:03:18.59\00:03:22.33
It was the Ortons
00:03:22.36\00:03:23.70
who prayed for James
White's recovery in 1865,
00:03:23.73\00:03:27.10
and it was in the
home of their daughter
00:03:27.14\00:03:29.10
where Ellen White had
her Christmas Day vision
00:03:29.14\00:03:31.51
that led to the establishment
00:03:31.54\00:03:33.11
of the first Seventh-day
Adventist sanitarium.
00:03:33.14\00:03:36.38
Here like the grave
predominantly of young people,
00:03:39.68\00:03:42.82
young people in
their teens and 20s
00:03:42.85\00:03:45.35
who dedicated
their lives to a message,
00:03:45.39\00:03:48.02
to a belief that
the world needed to hear
00:03:48.06\00:03:50.59
the truth of a crucified,
risen, and soon to come savior,
00:03:50.63\00:03:54.60
young people who took
their faith seriously,
00:03:54.63\00:03:57.63
young people who sacrificed
and dedicated their lives
00:03:57.67\00:04:01.07
more than any others had.
00:04:01.10\00:04:03.71
To pioneer a new work,
takes a lot more effort
00:04:03.74\00:04:06.78
and sacrifice than
to just keep it running.
00:04:06.81\00:04:09.84
And these young people
sacrificed in the early years
00:04:09.88\00:04:13.05
and pushed God's work forward.
00:04:13.08\00:04:15.28
May we examine our lives
and see where we can commit
00:04:15.32\00:04:19.02
and dedicate more
to finish this work.
00:04:19.05\00:04:22.12
The movement have focused
on Christ from the beginning,
00:04:36.74\00:04:39.54
the early Advent
believers asked a question,
00:04:39.57\00:04:42.21
"When is Jesus coming?"
00:04:42.24\00:04:44.01
However, after the
great disappointment of 1844,
00:04:44.05\00:04:47.05
they then moved on
to ask the question,
00:04:47.08\00:04:49.35
"What is He doing?"
00:04:49.38\00:04:50.79
By the early 1880s though
00:04:50.82\00:04:52.65
the church have
lost sight of Christ
00:04:52.69\00:04:54.62
and has failed to make Him
the center of its doctrines.
00:04:54.66\00:04:57.89
A spirit of
debating had settled in
00:04:57.93\00:05:00.50
and they were winning
people over to the church,
00:05:00.53\00:05:02.80
mostly debating and
a theoretical ascent
00:05:02.83\00:05:05.97
of knowledge rather than
by emphasizing hot change.
00:05:06.00\00:05:09.90
The 1888 General
Conference session
00:05:13.17\00:05:16.31
is the most famous GC session
00:05:16.34\00:05:18.28
in our history
but unfortunately,
00:05:18.31\00:05:20.42
it's remembered
for negative reasons
00:05:20.45\00:05:22.32
with the questions
often being framed, "What if?"
00:05:22.35\00:05:26.12
It was held here in
Minneapolis, Minnesota
00:05:26.15\00:05:29.82
from October the
17th to November the 4th.
00:05:29.86\00:05:33.33
And it was the
27th session held.
00:05:33.36\00:05:35.83
It was held in the newly
constructed Adventist church
00:05:35.86\00:05:39.03
that was located on
the northwest corner
00:05:39.07\00:05:42.40
of the intersection behind me.
00:05:42.44\00:05:45.04
At the time world
membership was 27,000
00:05:45.07\00:05:48.78
and there were 90
delegates present small
00:05:48.81\00:05:51.68
by today's standards.
00:05:51.71\00:05:53.65
Mission work in
the South Pacific,
00:05:53.68\00:05:55.72
city evangelism
amongst other ordinary matters
00:05:55.75\00:05:59.02
were discussed but
no one remembers these.
00:05:59.05\00:06:02.42
Ellen White later commented,
"I have been instructed by God
00:06:02.46\00:06:06.39
that the terrible experience
at the Minneapolis conference
00:06:06.43\00:06:10.00
is one of the saddest chapters
00:06:10.03\00:06:11.93
in the history of the
believers of present truth."
00:06:11.97\00:06:15.50
Prior to the GC session,
00:06:18.74\00:06:20.64
this theological tension
had been building with articles
00:06:20.68\00:06:24.65
being published by both sides,
00:06:24.68\00:06:26.85
something that Ellen White
spoke very strongly against.
00:06:26.88\00:06:30.85
Also, at the
various camp meetings,
00:06:30.89\00:06:33.15
different
presentations were given
00:06:33.19\00:06:35.12
and a spirit of
opposition debate
00:06:35.16\00:06:37.86
and bitterness was aroused.
00:06:37.89\00:06:40.56
However, this would have come
to a head here in Minneapolis.
00:06:40.60\00:06:44.60
The principal
characters at this GC session
00:06:44.63\00:06:47.40
were A. T. Jones
and E. J. Wagner,
00:06:47.44\00:06:50.14
both in their 30s,
00:06:50.17\00:06:52.04
and Uriah Smith
and G. I. Butler,
00:06:52.07\00:06:54.44
both in their 50s.
00:06:54.48\00:06:55.84
As the two younger men
00:07:00.52\00:07:01.85
presented their messages
of righteousness by faith,
00:07:01.88\00:07:04.55
they were met with opposition.
00:07:04.59\00:07:06.39
They were
presenting on the importance
00:07:06.42\00:07:08.36
of the centrality of the cross
and of Christ's righteousness
00:07:08.39\00:07:12.16
and the
importance of seeing the law
00:07:12.19\00:07:14.40
in its correct context.
00:07:14.43\00:07:16.26
However, one of the
arguments that they used to show
00:07:16.30\00:07:18.90
this was in the
law in Galatians 3
00:07:18.93\00:07:21.74
was the ceremonial
law and not the moral law.
00:07:21.77\00:07:24.87
This was met
with stiff opposition
00:07:24.91\00:07:27.28
as some thought that
the teaching of the Sabbath
00:07:27.31\00:07:29.94
was under threat
00:07:29.98\00:07:31.38
and would lead
to misinterpretation
00:07:31.41\00:07:33.48
and misunderstanding
from other denominations.
00:07:33.52\00:07:36.25
They were invited to debate
and although this practice
00:07:39.42\00:07:42.82
was common at the
time, they refused to.
00:07:42.86\00:07:45.49
They hadn't come to do that.
00:07:45.53\00:07:47.23
A rebuttal
presentation was made,
00:07:47.26\00:07:49.60
but the only
response at the next session
00:07:49.63\00:07:52.17
was to read Bible passages
in turn on the love of God,
00:07:52.20\00:07:56.20
no explanation
given just the Bible read,
00:07:56.24\00:07:59.64
the impact was profound.
00:07:59.67\00:08:02.38
Many were impacted by the
messages with S. N. Haskell
00:08:06.72\00:08:09.68
and J. O. Corliss
being two of them.
00:08:09.72\00:08:12.39
The following year
revivals would take place
00:08:12.42\00:08:14.56
all over the
United States of America
00:08:14.59\00:08:16.89
with Ellen White Jones
and Waggoner leading out,
00:08:16.93\00:08:19.73
one of which took place
00:08:19.76\00:08:21.13
in South
Lancaster, Massachusetts.
00:08:21.16\00:08:23.50
Commenting later
on, Ellen White said,
00:08:23.53\00:08:25.83
"I have never
seen a revival work
00:08:25.87\00:08:27.27
go forward with
such thoroughness
00:08:27.30\00:08:29.17
and yet remains so
free of undue excitement."
00:08:29.20\00:08:32.91
A few years later,
Uriah Smith would apologize
00:08:32.94\00:08:36.14
to Ellen White for
how he had responded
00:08:36.18\00:08:38.75
and would also
make a public apology
00:08:38.78\00:08:40.85
in the Dime
Tabernacle in Battle Creek,
00:08:40.88\00:08:43.49
not an easy thing to do.
00:08:43.52\00:08:45.29
One of the sad outcomes of 1888
00:08:48.86\00:08:51.59
is that the principal presenters
00:08:51.63\00:08:53.29
of Jones and Waggoner
would eventually end up
00:08:53.33\00:08:56.03
apostasy and leaving the church.
00:08:56.06\00:08:58.60
The reasons for this are many
00:08:58.63\00:09:00.64
and cannot be
adequately explained
00:09:00.67\00:09:02.84
in a few minutes.
00:09:02.87\00:09:04.31
Some of the
responsibility rests with them
00:09:04.34\00:09:06.64
for not letting the message
00:09:06.68\00:09:08.11
completely
change their own heart.
00:09:08.14\00:09:10.41
Yet some blame must be
apportioned to the brethren
00:09:10.45\00:09:13.21
who so strongly and
bitterly oppose them.
00:09:13.25\00:09:16.65
This opposition
would become a difficult
00:09:16.69\00:09:19.25
and over mastering temptation
to the young messengers.
00:09:19.29\00:09:22.79
And whilst this does
not excuse their departure,
00:09:22.82\00:09:25.83
it does give us
some understanding.
00:09:25.86\00:09:28.70
A key lesson that
we didn't learn in 1888
00:09:32.93\00:09:36.50
and that we still
struggle with today
00:09:36.54\00:09:38.94
is how to be a
Christian whilst in conflict
00:09:38.97\00:09:42.14
with someone else.
00:09:42.18\00:09:43.51
How to show Christ
like love when the person
00:09:43.55\00:09:46.21
that you're
discussing or debating with
00:09:46.25\00:09:48.62
has a vastly
different viewpoint to you
00:09:48.65\00:09:51.62
and or maybe
treating you wrongly.
00:09:51.65\00:09:55.06
May we learn to be
graceful with those we disagree
00:09:55.09\00:09:58.43
within the
conflicts that we have today.
00:09:58.46\00:10:01.00
The church would move on
over time and realize the issue
00:10:05.33\00:10:08.60
that was debated
wasn't of the magnitude
00:10:08.64\00:10:11.17
that people
thought it was at the time.
00:10:11.21\00:10:13.34
So often we major in minors,
00:10:13.38\00:10:15.64
Ellen White would say many times
00:10:15.68\00:10:17.48
that the law in
Galatians wasn't a major issue
00:10:17.51\00:10:20.18
and that church
shouldn't make it.
00:10:20.22\00:10:22.65
Today, it's easy to get
sidetracked on other issues
00:10:22.68\00:10:26.15
and miss the bigger picture.
00:10:26.19\00:10:28.19
Jones and Waggoner
were some great preachers,
00:10:28.22\00:10:30.93
some of the brightest
minds that our church has seen
00:10:30.96\00:10:33.96
and yet ultimately,
they lost sight of Jesus.
00:10:34.00\00:10:37.00
Today, we need to be careful
00:10:37.03\00:10:38.77
that we don't follow men
but that we follow God's Word
00:10:38.80\00:10:41.87
and the message
that is contained there.
00:10:41.90\00:10:44.17
It wasn't the
message that was at fault,
00:10:44.21\00:10:46.37
but it was the attitude
00:10:46.41\00:10:47.74
and spirit of those
involved on both sides.
00:10:47.78\00:10:51.05
The message that they gave
will need to be given again
00:10:51.08\00:10:54.22
and God will
raise up other people
00:10:54.25\00:10:56.35
who will overcome
where they failed.
00:10:56.38\00:10:58.72
May we be part of sharing
00:10:58.75\00:11:00.82
the beautiful
message of the love of God
00:11:00.86\00:11:03.29
and the righteousness
of Christ to the world.
00:11:03.32\00:11:05.79
Stephen Haskell was born
in the year 1833, in Oakum,
00:11:22.14\00:11:26.61
Massachusetts and would go on
00:11:26.65\00:11:28.42
to have a huge
impact on the world church.
00:11:28.45\00:11:31.59
He was
converted at the age of 15
00:11:31.62\00:11:34.06
and a few years later,
00:11:34.09\00:11:35.72
he would marry
his first wife, Mary.
00:11:35.76\00:11:38.36
At the age of 19, he
heard the message of Jesus
00:11:38.39\00:11:41.60
soon return
00:11:41.63\00:11:42.96
and started to tell
everyone about this.
00:11:43.00\00:11:45.77
One day while he
was talking to a friend,
00:11:45.80\00:11:48.14
he was encouraged that
00:11:48.17\00:11:49.50
he should start
preaching himself.
00:11:49.54\00:11:51.57
At the time, he was a
professional soap maker,
00:11:51.61\00:11:54.44
but he started to preach
00:11:54.48\00:11:55.84
and was known as being
able to comprise sound,
00:11:55.88\00:11:59.18
logical, and powerful sermons.
00:11:59.21\00:12:02.35
In 1853, he
attended a camp meeting
00:12:09.92\00:12:12.56
in Winsted, Connecticut,
00:12:12.59\00:12:14.16
after which he decided
to travel through Canada.
00:12:14.20\00:12:16.67
On his way, he stopped in
Springfield, Massachusetts
00:12:16.70\00:12:19.77
where he met
William Saxby, a tinsmith,
00:12:19.80\00:12:22.80
who introduced
him to the Sabbath.
00:12:22.84\00:12:24.87
Despite being
initially opposed to it,
00:12:24.91\00:12:27.28
he listened to him
and after studying it out,
00:12:27.31\00:12:29.78
he realized that it was biblical
00:12:29.81\00:12:31.68
and committed to keeping it.
00:12:31.71\00:12:33.98
A visit later on
with Joseph Bates
00:12:34.02\00:12:36.32
would further solidify
this decision that he had made.
00:12:36.35\00:12:39.82
By now he was living
here in South Lancaster
00:12:45.76\00:12:48.80
and was active in ministering
to the believers in the area,
00:12:48.83\00:12:51.90
keeping accurate
records of the sabbath schools,
00:12:51.93\00:12:54.47
churches, and members.
00:12:54.50\00:12:56.64
In 1868, he handed a copy
of this report to James White,
00:12:56.67\00:13:01.48
he showed J. H.
Waggoner and J. N. Andrews,
00:13:01.51\00:13:04.75
and so impressed
were they by his abilities
00:13:04.78\00:13:07.28
that they
ordained him as a minister
00:13:07.32\00:13:09.08
formed a New England Conference
00:13:09.12\00:13:11.15
and appointed him
as the first president.
00:13:11.19\00:13:14.09
He was 37 years old at the time.
00:13:14.12\00:13:17.33
Another initiative that
he started during his time
00:13:23.73\00:13:26.43
here in South Lancaster
00:13:26.47\00:13:27.94
was the Vigilant
Missionary Society.
00:13:27.97\00:13:30.47
They started by writing
letters of encouragement,
00:13:30.51\00:13:33.58
lending books and
papers, and praying for people.
00:13:33.61\00:13:36.88
Over time this
small society would grow
00:13:36.91\00:13:39.68
and flourish until it became
00:13:39.71\00:13:41.38
the ABC or Adventist Book Center
00:13:41.42\00:13:44.49
as we know it today.
00:13:44.52\00:13:46.35
S. N. Haskell was a decisive
00:13:46.39\00:13:48.29
and organized leader
and served as the president
00:13:48.32\00:13:51.09
here in New England
00:13:51.13\00:13:52.46
whilst also being
president in California
00:13:52.49\00:13:54.80
and president of
the main conference
00:13:54.83\00:13:56.83
for a time as well.
00:13:56.87\00:13:58.57
While he was
president here in New England,
00:13:58.60\00:14:00.84
he saw the forming of
the South Lancaster Academy
00:14:00.87\00:14:04.01
which would go on to become
the Atlantic Union College.
00:14:04.04\00:14:07.44
Standing behind me is
Founders Hall built in 1884,
00:14:07.48\00:14:12.41
the oldest original
Adventist school building.
00:14:12.45\00:14:15.65
Stephen Haskell
would be instrumental
00:14:24.66\00:14:26.86
in the start of
the work in Australia
00:14:26.90\00:14:28.83
and New Zealand
spending 13 months there.
00:14:28.86\00:14:31.83
Whilst he was away traveling,
00:14:31.87\00:14:33.54
his wife Mary
would stay at home.
00:14:33.57\00:14:35.74
She was a committed Christian
00:14:35.77\00:14:37.61
and bore her
physical pain with patients.
00:14:37.64\00:14:40.58
Later on, she and Stephen
would move here to California
00:14:40.61\00:14:44.28
where she is buried.
00:14:44.31\00:14:45.75
Writing to Ellen
White, Stephen said,
00:14:45.78\00:14:48.25
"I LOVED HER AND SHE LOVED ME."
00:14:48.28\00:14:50.79
In capital letters as
if to emphasize the point.
00:14:50.82\00:14:54.42
The Lord would provide
00:15:02.40\00:15:03.73
another wife for
Stephen, Hetty Hurd.
00:15:03.77\00:15:06.03
She was a
pioneering type of woman
00:15:06.07\00:15:08.20
whom he had met several times
00:15:08.24\00:15:09.94
and was an active missionary
having spent time in England,
00:15:09.97\00:15:13.17
Africa, and California.
00:15:13.21\00:15:15.21
They would get
married in Australia in 1897
00:15:15.24\00:15:18.31
and would go on
00:15:18.35\00:15:19.68
to start a training
school in New York City
00:15:19.71\00:15:21.82
before later
moving to California
00:15:21.85\00:15:23.95
where they were instrumental
00:15:23.99\00:15:25.32
in the start of
the health work here.
00:15:25.35\00:15:27.56
Later on, they would
move to Nashville, Tennessee
00:15:27.59\00:15:29.99
and it was whilst there that
00:15:30.03\00:15:31.36
they heard the sad news that
Ellen White had passed away.
00:15:31.39\00:15:34.96
S. N. Haskell had
previously been asked
00:15:35.00\00:15:37.07
to share the
message at her funeral
00:15:37.10\00:15:39.03
and delivered a
message of hope and triumph.
00:15:39.07\00:15:42.14
As he reached his final years,
he once commented to his wife
00:15:46.54\00:15:50.08
that he was frustrated
00:15:50.11\00:15:51.51
that he
couldn't do more in life.
00:15:51.55\00:15:53.98
She told him that
whereas he used to travel
00:15:54.02\00:15:55.95
and preach now
his printed sermons
00:15:55.98\00:15:58.35
went to places that
he knew never could.
00:15:58.39\00:16:01.12
He lies buried
here in California
00:16:01.16\00:16:03.29
next to his first wife,
Mary 'cause he told the brethren
00:16:03.32\00:16:06.66
that when he died to bury him
00:16:06.70\00:16:08.50
next to
whichever wife was closest.
00:16:08.53\00:16:11.33
Years earlier at his ordination,
00:16:11.37\00:16:13.60
James White had told him,
00:16:13.64\00:16:15.20
"Always look to
God rather than man
00:16:15.24\00:16:17.94
for direction in your work."
00:16:17.97\00:16:19.97
May we do the
same to look to God
00:16:20.01\00:16:22.41
rather than our fellow man
00:16:22.44\00:16:24.25
for our
directions in God's work.
00:16:24.28\00:16:27.02
When J. N. Andrews
arrived in England in 1874,
00:16:45.93\00:16:49.84
on his way to Switzerland,
00:16:49.87\00:16:51.61
he didn't find any
Adventist converts.
00:16:51.64\00:16:54.54
There was one
Adventist English family,
00:16:54.58\00:16:57.15
but they had
emigrated before he arrived.
00:16:57.18\00:16:59.95
In 1878, English
born William Ings,
00:16:59.98\00:17:03.92
who himself had
emigrated to America
00:17:03.95\00:17:06.35
arrived here in
Southampton for a two-week stay
00:17:06.39\00:17:09.76
to visit his relatives
and also to evangelize.
00:17:09.79\00:17:13.70
He passed out some
literature while he was here
00:17:13.73\00:17:16.30
and was able to
convince two people
00:17:16.33\00:17:18.70
to keep the Sabbath.
00:17:18.73\00:17:20.67
His next visit in 1878
would prove more fruitful.
00:17:20.70\00:17:24.67
And in May of that year,
00:17:24.71\00:17:26.54
they sent a request
to the General Conference
00:17:26.57\00:17:28.98
to send a minister over.
00:17:29.01\00:17:31.15
In June of that year,
00:17:31.18\00:17:32.68
the General Conference voted
to send the experienced pioneer
00:17:32.71\00:17:37.19
and administrator
J. N. Loughborough.
00:17:37.22\00:17:40.92
Southampton was
one of the cities
00:17:44.16\00:17:45.79
at the Mayflower left
from on his way to America,
00:17:45.83\00:17:48.66
and it would
prove the birthplace
00:17:48.70\00:17:50.03
of the Adventist
Church here in Britain.
00:17:50.07\00:17:52.63
J. N.
Loughborough found the work
00:17:52.67\00:17:54.37
here both different
00:17:54.40\00:17:55.77
and more
difficult than in America.
00:17:55.80\00:17:58.47
He held a series of
meetings in an area near
00:17:58.51\00:18:01.31
where the present
Seventh-day Adventist Church is.
00:18:01.34\00:18:03.88
And its opening crowd
of 150 dwindle quickly.
00:18:03.91\00:18:07.85
After 255 meetings
in December of 1879,
00:18:07.88\00:18:12.92
he did not have
a single baptism,
00:18:12.95\00:18:15.46
but he did have a Sabbath School
00:18:15.49\00:18:17.03
with 17 members.
00:18:17.06\00:18:18.76
The work was hard
00:18:18.79\00:18:20.20
and the
challenges were multiple,
00:18:20.23\00:18:22.26
but they pressed on.
00:18:22.30\00:18:23.63
In January of 1880,
the newly formed Track
00:18:28.30\00:18:31.41
and Missionary Society began
sending Signs of the Times,
00:18:31.44\00:18:35.18
to libraries, and
interested people.
00:18:35.21\00:18:37.98
By February of that year,
00:18:38.01\00:18:39.38
13 people were baptized
in Southampton and by 1883,
00:18:39.41\00:18:44.15
the first Adventist
Church was formed in Britain
00:18:44.19\00:18:47.16
with 19 founding members.
00:18:47.19\00:18:49.82
By the end of 1883,
there were 65 members
00:18:49.86\00:18:52.63
in Britain and by
1887, there were 122.
00:18:52.66\00:18:57.00
The headquarters of the
church in Britain with the staff
00:18:57.03\00:19:00.00
and the printing
press would move to Grimsby,
00:19:00.04\00:19:03.07
a house there on
the North Sea coast.
00:19:03.10\00:19:05.34
And by 1884,
00:19:05.37\00:19:07.41
two churches would be
formed in Grimsby and Ulceby.
00:19:07.44\00:19:11.75
This building behind me
00:19:11.78\00:19:13.45
is the first
Seventh-day Adventist
00:19:13.48\00:19:15.88
built and owned
church in the British Isles
00:19:15.92\00:19:19.39
and was dedicated in 1889.
00:19:19.42\00:19:22.16
S. N. Haskell would come over
00:19:27.60\00:19:29.50
and take over the leadership
of the church in Britain
00:19:29.53\00:19:32.27
and move the headquarters
from the relative obscurity
00:19:32.30\00:19:35.70
of Grimsby down to London.
00:19:35.74\00:19:37.94
In London, using a
house as their base,
00:19:37.97\00:19:40.81
they began to train local people
00:19:40.84\00:19:43.08
and continued with aggressive
literature evangelism.
00:19:43.11\00:19:46.41
In June of that year,
they baptized nearly 20 people.
00:19:46.45\00:19:50.45
Judson Washburn
would further develop
00:19:50.49\00:19:52.52
the evangelistic work in England
00:19:52.55\00:19:54.42
with an emphasis on
literature evangelism,
00:19:54.46\00:19:56.83
Christ-centered preaching,
and musical singing groups.
00:19:56.86\00:20:01.00
He held audiences
of up to 1,000 people
00:20:01.03\00:20:04.23
and in the town of Bath baptized
00:20:04.27\00:20:06.13
nearly 80 people.
00:20:06.17\00:20:08.20
In 1902, the British union
was formed with three missions
00:20:13.04\00:20:17.51
and two conferences,
00:20:17.55\00:20:18.88
a newly formed college
and a health food factory.
00:20:18.91\00:20:22.18
In 1907, the three institutions
00:20:22.22\00:20:25.15
along with the
British Union headquarters
00:20:25.19\00:20:27.56
were relocated to the 25-hectare
00:20:27.59\00:20:30.49
Stanborough Park
which still serves
00:20:30.53\00:20:32.73
as the headquarters
of the British Union
00:20:32.76\00:20:34.96
to this day.
00:20:35.00\00:20:36.33
Even though church membership
00:20:39.83\00:20:41.24
increased by
20% through the war,
00:20:41.27\00:20:43.94
World War I
would prove a huge test
00:20:43.97\00:20:46.68
to the young church
00:20:46.71\00:20:48.04
as the challenge of
conscription was faced.
00:20:48.08\00:20:50.88
Some were able to serve
as conscientious, objectors
00:20:50.91\00:20:54.32
but others were less fortunate
00:20:54.35\00:20:56.02
and were imprisoned and tortured
00:20:56.05\00:20:58.19
for refusing to
compromise their faith.
00:20:58.22\00:21:01.12
This memorial stands here
00:21:01.16\00:21:03.06
as a testament to
their faith under fire
00:21:03.09\00:21:05.96
and in
recognition of the sacrifice
00:21:05.99\00:21:08.16
that they and
their families made.
00:21:08.20\00:21:10.13
Even though the work
00:21:13.54\00:21:14.87
progressed relatively
slowly here in Britain
00:21:14.90\00:21:17.54
with quite a few
challenges early on,
00:21:17.57\00:21:20.08
workers from the British Union
00:21:20.11\00:21:21.81
and graduates
from Newbold College
00:21:21.84\00:21:23.71
here would prove
quite influential
00:21:23.75\00:21:25.88
in world missions,
00:21:25.91\00:21:27.25
serving as missionaries
in Africa and India,
00:21:27.28\00:21:30.19
amongst other places.
00:21:30.22\00:21:32.12
Through
dedication and commitment,
00:21:32.15\00:21:34.26
the work moved on.
00:21:34.29\00:21:38.13
As in other parts of the world,
00:21:38.16\00:21:40.06
there has never been a
glory era of evangelism,
00:21:40.10\00:21:43.00
but the commission is
to go into all the world,
00:21:43.03\00:21:45.60
no matter how easy
or hard the work may be.
00:21:45.63\00:21:48.90
If you are living and working
for Christ today in an area
00:21:48.94\00:21:52.07
and you're not
getting the success
00:21:52.11\00:21:54.18
that you hoped or dreamed of,
00:21:54.21\00:21:55.84
then I want to
encourage you to stay faithful
00:21:55.88\00:21:58.08
at your duty for God rewards us
00:21:58.11\00:22:00.42
not according to
our seeming success
00:22:00.45\00:22:02.98
but according to the spirit
in which the work is done.
00:22:03.02\00:22:06.69
How do you know
00:22:22.50\00:22:23.84
when you are
called to do something
00:22:23.87\00:22:25.24
or go somewhere?
00:22:25.27\00:22:26.68
How do you decide if something
is the right thing to do?
00:22:26.71\00:22:30.41
Do you always
know in black and white
00:22:30.45\00:22:32.81
which path to take or
which way to go in life?
00:22:32.85\00:22:36.15
Or is it sometimes less clear?
00:22:36.18\00:22:38.19
Does God leave some of
the decision making to us?
00:22:38.22\00:22:41.46
Ellen White's call
00:22:41.49\00:22:42.82
and subsequent trip to Australia
00:22:42.86\00:22:44.63
illustrates in many ways
the challenges that we face
00:22:44.66\00:22:48.10
in seeking God's Will
as she faced these too.
00:22:48.13\00:22:51.30
In 1891, the
General Conference officers
00:22:57.14\00:23:00.01
send an urgent
request to Ellen White
00:23:00.04\00:23:02.08
to spend some time in
the new field of Australia.
00:23:02.11\00:23:05.21
They felt it would
be a great blessing
00:23:05.25\00:23:07.28
and if she had
light in this direction,
00:23:07.32\00:23:09.22
she was invited to
set sail that same autumn.
00:23:09.25\00:23:12.35
She prayed for weeks
for guidance and direction
00:23:12.39\00:23:15.72
but nothing was forthcoming.
00:23:15.76\00:23:17.43
She was willing to go
00:23:22.96\00:23:24.53
even though it
was a great sacrifice
00:23:24.57\00:23:26.67
as long as she knew
that it was the will of God.
00:23:26.70\00:23:29.94
But despite her
prayers, she only heard silence.
00:23:29.97\00:23:33.74
She said, "I
have not special light
00:23:33.78\00:23:36.58
to leave America for
this far-off country.
00:23:36.61\00:23:39.58
Nevertheless, if I knew
it was the voice of God,
00:23:39.61\00:23:42.58
I would go."
00:23:42.62\00:23:43.99
She had no light either way.
00:23:44.02\00:23:45.99
In the absence
of any clear light
00:23:50.63\00:23:52.79
either way rather than
delay she decided to go.
00:23:52.83\00:23:56.70
Some have viewed
her call to Australia
00:23:56.73\00:23:58.90
as the result of politically
orchestrated circumstances,
00:23:58.93\00:24:02.74
but Ellen White
never got entangled
00:24:02.77\00:24:04.94
in such debates.
00:24:04.97\00:24:06.44
She later said to her son Edson
that she came in submission
00:24:06.47\00:24:10.28
to the office of
the General Conference,
00:24:10.31\00:24:12.41
which I have ever
maintained to be authority.
00:24:12.45\00:24:15.55
This decision would
prove a huge blessing
00:24:15.58\00:24:18.39
to the work here in
Australia, New Zealand,
00:24:18.42\00:24:21.09
and the South Pacific,
00:24:21.12\00:24:22.46
a blessing they are still
reaping the rewards of today.
00:24:22.49\00:24:26.29
Not every decision we make
00:24:30.17\00:24:31.50
does God have to
spell out clearly,
00:24:31.53\00:24:33.37
an action is better than delay.
00:24:33.40\00:24:35.80
Ellen White moved forward
00:24:35.84\00:24:37.17
and during her
time here in Australia,
00:24:37.21\00:24:39.24
they would
establish a sanitarium
00:24:39.27\00:24:41.08
and later a
hospital, a publishing house,
00:24:41.11\00:24:43.45
a health food
company, a college,
00:24:43.48\00:24:45.45
all of which would
grow rapidly over time.
00:24:45.48\00:24:48.62
When Ellen White
arrived in Australia,
00:24:54.82\00:24:56.96
she was soon sick
with rheumatic fever
00:24:56.99\00:24:59.59
for about eight months.
00:24:59.63\00:25:01.66
She was in pain and
was in bed for a long time.
00:25:01.70\00:25:05.03
Despite her pain,
00:25:05.07\00:25:06.40
she would
continue to write in bed,
00:25:06.43\00:25:08.27
but it got worse and worse.
00:25:08.30\00:25:10.01
And it got to a point
where they had to move her
00:25:10.04\00:25:12.44
every two hours so
as to lessen the pain.
00:25:12.47\00:25:15.68
Eventually she
asked to be anointed
00:25:15.71\00:25:18.31
and afterwards she said
that, "She was relieved,
00:25:18.35\00:25:20.98
but not restored
00:25:21.02\00:25:22.42
but content to wait for the Lord
00:25:22.45\00:25:24.52
to work on her behalf."
00:25:24.55\00:25:27.29
During this time, while
lying on her back in bed,
00:25:32.59\00:25:36.20
she spent a lot
of time in prayer
00:25:36.23\00:25:38.63
and later on said that
00:25:38.67\00:25:40.20
she wouldn't
exchange this experience
00:25:40.24\00:25:42.84
for anything in the world.
00:25:42.87\00:25:44.97
It was during this time
that Jesus became a friend,
00:25:45.01\00:25:48.51
more dear than before.
00:25:48.54\00:25:50.65
And one of the
results of this experience
00:25:50.68\00:25:53.18
was the writing of the book
00:25:53.21\00:25:54.62
The Desire of Ages
later on during her time here.
00:25:54.65\00:25:58.75
Sometimes God was very explicit
with how He led Ellen White,
00:26:03.36\00:26:07.20
and other times,
He was less direct.
00:26:07.23\00:26:10.03
Sometimes He was quiet,
00:26:10.07\00:26:11.63
and she would
have to figure it out.
00:26:11.67\00:26:13.27
If this was how
God led a prophet,
00:26:13.30\00:26:15.27
then we cannot expect
Him to be more prescriptive
00:26:15.30\00:26:18.04
in our lives today.
00:26:18.07\00:26:19.61
Not every decision we make,
00:26:19.64\00:26:21.24
does He spell
out exactly for us.
00:26:21.28\00:26:23.48
And oftentimes,
He expects us to use
00:26:23.51\00:26:25.78
our minds to reason
as we come to a decision.
00:26:25.81\00:26:29.58
God leads us in many ways,
primarily through His Word,
00:26:33.96\00:26:37.89
through the wise
counsel of friends,
00:26:37.93\00:26:40.23
and through
providential circumstances,
00:26:40.26\00:26:42.63
knowing God's will
00:26:42.66\00:26:44.13
is a constant
struggle and challenge that
00:26:44.17\00:26:46.13
we face at the
many stages in life
00:26:46.17\00:26:48.67
that we go through.
00:26:48.70\00:26:50.04
I pray that as you seek
God's will in your life,
00:26:50.07\00:26:53.01
in the decisions
that you have to make
00:26:53.04\00:26:55.14
whether to go
into ministry or not,
00:26:55.18\00:26:56.95
what occupation to have,
where to live, whom to marry.
00:26:56.98\00:27:00.58
But as you seek His will,
00:27:00.62\00:27:02.08
you may move forward decisively.
00:27:02.12\00:27:04.25