The Crucial Weekend At Battle Creek

They met with the Battle Creek church on Sabbath, September 14, 1867, and entered upon the work they dreaded, establishing restraints on the premature enlargement of the health institute. They had come to Battle Creek “with trembling” to bear their testimony, and this they did. Ellen White reviewed some of the high points in the call for, and the rapid development of, the institute.WV 141.2

She pointed out that physicians might fail, through sickness or death or by some other cause; money might not come in as needed to put up the larger buildings; and there might be an insufficient number of patients, resulting in a lack of means to carry on. She had confidence that with proper efforts put forth in a “judicious manner, and with the blessing of God, the institution will prove a glorious success” (Testimonies for the Church, 1:559).WV 141.3

In the evening after the Sabbath James White came forward and gave his counsel as a careful church administrator. This was the first meeting he had attended in 20 months. He spoke again Sunday morning at a well-attended meeting in the church.WV 141.4