They are certainly imposing, the large brick buildings in the middle of the forest. They were built with a vision and messages that still visibly shape the character of the site today: "Arise and be light" is a reference to Isaiah 60:1. The motif of light seems to have played an important role very early on. This was very clearly expressed at the 7th annual meeting of the German Union in Friedensau from July 18 to 28, 1907. Despite cold, wet and unfriendly weather at the beginning, 1,223 participants were counted on the final Sabbath, 239 more than the previous year. A highlight of this conference was the inauguration of the retirement home. It was formally opened on Thursday, July 25, 1907. The "Zions-Wächter" of August 19, 1907 reports of an almost endless procession from the large tent "across the meadow to the building, where, after a few songs from the choir, the dedicatory prayer was said by Br. Haffner" (p. 270).
A highlight from an archival point of view, however, is undoubtedly the discovery of the sermon manuscript from July 20, 1907 by William Warren Prescott. Prescott worked as editor and director of the Review and visited Friedensau in 1907 as a representative of the General Conference. During his 52 years of service to the church, he held a number of other positions and was closely associated with the educational organization. Prescott is particularly known for his Christological focus. In his sermon in 1907, he formulated: "Every doctrine must be clothed in a certain form and this form is nothing more than Jesus himself."
However, the sermon manuscript reveals above all the awareness that our brothers and sisters in faith had at that time. Prescott impressively describes how Jesus is this light that penetrates the world: "What is it now? The people again sit in darkness, again darkness covers the earth and darkness the nations. Not for the reason that the people do not have outward form and ceremonies, not that there are not creeds in abundance today, not that there are no Bibles, but why? Because Jesus Christ is missing!" The sermon is worth reading in its entirety (Full text via QR code).
Prescott also succeeds in transferring the message to the present day when he addresses the question of how real light can now be distinguished from false light: "We will get enough of the false gospel, and this false gospel will also be a gospel of power, even with signs and wonders. So how will we be able to distinguish this from the gospel that is the power for salvation? We have heard it today: love, joy and peace, the devil does not possess these characteristics, he has rejected them, he has denied them, he wanted power but not righteousness. He works the works of power, but not the works of righteousness; he manifests power and might, but not love, not the glory of God, because the glory of God is nothing other than the character of God."
This mission can be read on the façade of the "Neue Schule". Carrying out this light is still our mission today. "Arise, become light"(Text: Bernd Müller, Ph.D. | Head of the Historical Archives of SDA in Europe).
