A Mini-General Conference

The third session of the European Council of Seventh-day Adventist Missions opened Tuesday morning, September 15, 1885, in Basel, Switzerland. Twenty delegates from the Central European Mission, seven from the British Mission, six from the Scandinavian countries, and three representatives from North America were present. The delegates were joined by a substantial number of laymen who came in, largely from Switzerland but also a few from other countries. The meeting, which W. C. White described as a “miniature General Conference,” was to convene for a week, but as the work got under way it was extended to two full weeks. It was a time of spiritual refreshing, a time of learning, and a time of constructive planning for the work of God in new and varied fields. Ellen White divided her time between writing and diligent public labor, as was usually the case in a meeting of this kind.WV 230.3

The daily program of the council contained most of the same features that characterized the General Conference. B. L. Whitney served as chairman and appointed committees. Mrs. White was the devotional speaker at 5:30 Wednesday morning. This was her first meeting with the workers who had come in especially for the council. She directed her remarks to the necessity of cultivating love and tenderness for one another.WV 230.4