Ellen G. White: The Early Elmshaven Years: 1900-1905 (vol. 5)

The Important Medical Meeting

She returned to St. Helena on Monday, June 16, taking most of the day for the trip by carriage. She was present when the medical missionary council opened at the Sanitarium Wednesday noon. During this opening meeting she informed the delegates that she would be pleased to talk with them for an hour each morning, and they quickly arranged for an early-morning session from six to eight each day. 5BIO 172.3

Her heart was burdened with many things—the control of the church's medical institutions; the worldly policies that were coming into the management of many church institutions; the legal restrictions that limited the use of the profits of the Battle Creek Sanitarium to use in the State of Michigan when there were dire needs in other parts of the world; and the health-food business. As she dealt with some of these topics, she read from manuscripts prepared especially for this convention. She stressed the distinctive nature of the denomination's medical work as she urged that “conformity to the world is causing many of our people to lose their bearings.... Worldly policy has been coming into the management of many of our institutions.”—Manuscript 96, 1902. 5BIO 172.4

At this four-day meeting long-range plans were laid that called for the establishment of the Pacific Union Medical Missionary and Benevolent Association. This meant that there would be on the Pacific Coast a strong medical organization under denominational control. The medical interests in the West would not be a part of the Battle Creek-controlled International Medical Missionary and Benevolent Association. The constituency of the new association sensed the impact of what they were doing. They stated that: “In view of the importance of the steps about to be taken, careful study should be given to the questions involved, as not only affecting the interests of the entire Pacific Coast, but of the denominational work throughout the world.”—Pacific Union Recorder, August 14, 1902.(Italics supplied.) 5BIO 172.5

One feature of the long-range plans was that “medical missionary enterprises that may be started ... shall be upon the basis that the financial and managing responsibility shall rest upon a local constituency or board.”— Ibid. The way was being paved for very important decisions to be made by the General Conference Committee at a meeting to be held in November, and the General Conference session the following spring. 5BIO 173.1

Ellen White was pleased that Judge Arthur attended the meetings (Manuscript 33, 1906). He was connected with the Battle Creek Sanitarium staff in legal lines. 5BIO 173.2

The meetings closed Sunday noon; the next day found Judge Arthur and his wife at Elmshaven, guests of Ellen White. They stayed through the week. During this time she learned from him about the buildings in Chicago that she had seen in vision while in Australia, buildings for which plans had been drawn but which Dr. Kellogg had denied existed or were planned for (Manuscript 33, 1906). 5BIO 173.3

Both Ellen White and Willie were sorry when the visit came to a close, and they realized that pressing literary tasks had deprived them of spending more time with the Arthurs. 5BIO 173.4