John H.N.

Tindall
Fifty Years a Gospel-Medical
Missionary Evangelist

A Paper Presented to
Elder Frank Moran, Instructor
Loma Linda University

In Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirements in Religion 456

by
Calvin L. Thrash, MD
April 1969

1
 Preface
The work of Elder J.H.N. Tindall was selected from Norman Gulley’s syllabus with some elab-
as the subject of this paper for several reasons: oration by Elder Tindall.
first, it has been my privilege to know him Elder G.A. Roberts was kind enough to lend
briefly, and his ideas have had considerable ef- me his entire file of papers and letters relating to
fect on my thinking regarding medical evangel- the Field Training School, covering the period
ism; second, he was a pioneer in the particular from 1928 to 1931. He requested that none of the
type of evangelism that he terms “gospel-medic- material be reproduced. Where reference is
al-missionary evangelism”; and, third, I wanted made to any letters or materials that are not pub-
to see if the methods used forty to fifty years ago lic knowledge, the writer’s name is not given.
would still be valid today. Elder W.D. Frazee and Brother Walter were
Originally, I had intended to write only on kind enough to write accounts of their work. I
the Field Training School in San Francisco, but it was able to interview Elder J. Lee Neal recently,
soon became evident that I needed to include thereby obtaining much valuable background in-
Elder Tindall’s earlier work in medical evangel- formation.
ism since it laid the foundation for the establish-
ment of the Field Training School. Calvin L. Thrash Jr., MD
This paper has very few references. Most of Loma Linda, California
the account of Elder Tindall’s early work is taken April 1969

2
Prepared by the Holy Spirit
John H.N. Tindall was undoubtedly prepared “During the night of February 27, 1910, a rep-
by the Holy Spirit prior to his conversion for the resentation was given me in which the un-
work that he was later to do. Endowed by worked cities were presented before me as a liv-
nature with a strong and outgoing personality, ing reality, and I was plainly instructed that
he had had experience in newspaper work, in there should be a decided change from past
legal training, and was also a promoter of vari- methods of working. For months the situation
ous enterprises in his early years. has been impressed upon my mind, and I urge
that companies be organized and diligently
It was while he was a law student that he was
trained to labor in all important cities.”1
converted and became a Seventh-day Adventist.
In response to this call, Elder John Burden, busi-
In 1908 he went to Loma Linda for additional
ness manager of the Medical School, came along
study, being convinced early of the value of with other leaders, to Elder Tindall and presented
health reform both in the church and in evangel- him with the challenge as outlined by Mrs. White.
ism. Elder Tindall brings out the fact that this They asked him to set up a program of gospel-
was a year in which health reform was being act- medical evangelism with the first demonstration
ively brought to the fore in the church. It was in to be in San Bernardino, California.2
the same year that Ellen G. White wrote to Elder Although San Bernardino had been a place of
A.G. Daniells, President of the General:Confer- failure for previous evangelistic efforts, Elder
ence, regarding the need “in the year 1908” for Tindall accepted the challenge and, together
circulating a pledge among the leaders reinfor- with a male nurse and his wife who was a re-
cing certain aspects of health reform, among gistered nurse, they held a six-week evangelistic
which was abstinence from meat eating. effort in that city which included various health
In 1910 a vision came to Mrs. White which has talks and demonstrations which were favorably
been referred to as the “Medical Evangelism Vis- received due to good public relations. After the
ion.” In it she stated that the Lord had presented campaign sixteen people were baptized, which
to her a call for a change in methods of working fact demonstrated that these methods could def-
the cities: initely be of value.

Medical Evangelism in Indiana

At the end of the San Bernardino campaign, tures, the company was able to obtain free space
Elder Tindall was asked to go to Los Angeles to in the local newspaper for health articles and
hold a series of meetings; however, the medical was also asked to write columns regarding Ad-
aspect would not be included in this campaign ventist doctrines. The health lectures, sermons,
and, since he felt a burden to demonstrate the and demonstrations filled the church repeatedly,
vision of 1910, Elder Tindall declined and accep- and within a few months there were forty-eight
ted, instead, a call to Indiana. people baptized and a strong church was estab-
With only two nurses as helpers and practic- lished. This so impressed the Conference presid-
ally no money other than his Conference salary, ent that the company was brought to Indiana-
Elder Tindall began to hold meetings in an aban- polis for a campaign.
doned Adventist church in Hartford City, Indi- In this effort a singer and a younger minister
ana. This was a crucial test as the Conference were added to the working force and meetings
was not convinced of the value of this type of began in a tent. This meeting was very success-
evangelism. Again, however, through the blend- ful, and possibly one of the most significant con-
ing of successful public relations and health lec- versions that resulted was that of Mr. Edward

3
Talge. The director of a large corporation with lars to the church including generous donations
hundreds of men in his factory, Mr. Talge became to Southern Missionary College toward the boys’
a Sabbath keeper and closed his factory on the dormitory, which bears his name.
Sabbath. He later gave many thousands of dol-

The Work in Virginia

When the presidency of the Indiana Confer- sand dollars of their tithe money to help in the
ence changed hands, the reasons for combining work in Virginia.
medical and evangelistic efforts were not at first The first campaign in Virginia was quite suc-
seen; consequently, the president planned for cessful and resulted in fifty baptisms. The Con-
Elder Tindall to teach younger men to be evan- ference committee was impressed and Elder Tin-
gelists but the training was not to include the dall was asked to present the program to the
medical phase of the message. However, at this Union Conference at their meetings. Elder A.G.
time Elder Tindall was more convinced than Daniells, President of the General Conference,
ever that the blending of the gospel and the was at some of these meetings and was likewise
medical was the work that the Lord had directed quite impressed with the program. At a meeting
him to do. When a call came from the Virginia of all of the evangelists, union presidents, and
Conference for a Gospel Medical Program to be local presidents east of the Mississippi River, Eld-
set up, Elder Tindall, therefore, gladly accepted er Tindall was asked to present the program and
the call and moved his company there. it was voted to unite Washington Sanitarium
By this time, the Conference leaders in Indi- and College to work on a training program to
ana had studied the Spirit of Prophecy teachings help combine the medical with the evangelistic
and had become convinced that the gospel-med- work. However, since nothing was done at that
ical missionary program should be continued in time to train ministers to lead out in this type of
Indiana. However, since the call had already program, very little of a constructive nature
been accepted to Virginia, the Conference reluct- came of this meeting.
antly released Elder Tindall and voted one thou-

Further Work in Indiana, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, and Texas

Returning to Indiana, Elder Tindall held a which included a businessman, a singer, and six
short campaign in Farmersburg, Indiana dur- nurses, all of whom were able to contribute to
ing which thirty people were baptized. In that the support of the company. Overcoming many
campaign Catherine Voth, a German nurse, problems in this worldly city, the company was
joined the team and went into the homes of finally able to find a suitable place to hold meet-
people to give them massage and hydrother- ings; and the health lectures and treatments by
apy. This contributed significantly to the suc- the nurses helped greatly in acceptance of the
cess of the meetings. group by the community. After several months,
In Terre Haute, Indiana, the organization of sixty people were ready for baptism and a
an evangelistic company, that was partly Confer- church was bought for them to worship in. This
ence supported and partly self-supporting was was accomplished by donations from the mayor,
accomplished for the first time. Only three salar- a Jewish rabbi, and a number of businessmen.
ies were paid by the Conference those of Elder A second campaign was held in Indianapolis
Tindall, the medical helper, and the Bible worker. at which time Dr. A.W. Truman joined Elder Tin-
Nineteen volunteers rounded out the team dall in his company. The meetings were held in a

4
church which had been donated by Mr. Talge; Seventh-day Adventist ministers baptizing sev-
and donations of jewelry from Mrs. Talge, who enty-seven converts, seven at a time.
at that time was not yet an Adventist, enabled After the conclusion of the meetings in Ok-
them to build modern treatment rooms in con- lahoma, a successful campaign was held in Dal-
nection with the church. Free treatments were las, Texas. At that time there was only a small Ad-
given to the people of the community, and at the ventist church in Dallas. Dr. Mary McReynolds
end of the campaign one hundred thirty-two from the Medical College assisted Elder Tindall
people were baptized. during that campaign, and the Union asked that
A similar campaign held in Milwaukee, Wis- a training school be held in connection with the
consin, again produced one hundred thirty-two meetings for delegates from the churches of the
people who were united with the church at the Union. This lasted for three months. The Dallas
end of the meetings. meetings were quite successful, resulting not
In meetings in Oklahoma, one hundred ten only in conversions but also in the acquiring of a
were baptized in Tulsa and two hundred three in beautiful new church which was valued at
Oklahoma City. Dr. Lenore Campbell from the $23,000. Much of it was paid for by donations
Medical College joined the campaign in Ok- and conversions from among the higher strata of
lahoma City. It is said that Billy Sunday, the society in that city. Norman Gulley states: “That
world-famous evangelist, was holding meetings campaign finished with fifty-six people receiving
in Oklahoma at the same time as Elder Tindall. A certificates from the training school which were
local newspaper at that time put it this way: delegates from the churches in the Union, one
“Sunday got the crowds, but Tindall got the con- hundred baptisms, $18,000 in cash and pledges
verts.” The article was captioned “A New Evan- for the new church and $10,500 in tithes.… Truly
gelism,” and a picture was run showing seven God had wonderfully blessed!”3

Methods of Working
Some time after this, an effort was held by church and the congregation because of the
Elder Tindall in Redlands, California under the presence of unconverted and backslidden mem-
joint auspices of the Medical College and the bers, since he was convinced, from the writings
Conference. Most of the staff of the college was of Mrs. White and his own experience, that God
used at this time in a series of lectures. Although cannot work to bring new members into such
considerable effort went into the campaign and churches without this necessary preparation.4
a booklet was published outlining the methods, He then set about to prepare the public and this
apparently it was not an extremely successful was done by a number of means. Frequently it
campaign, at least not in comparison with some was by the use of health lectures to various or-
of the earlier efforts. Perhaps it was a case of “too ganizations and groups, but he also used cook-
many chiefs and not enough Indians.” However, ing classes and treatments by the nurses and
it was during these meetings that Elder Glenn doctors in the company, and much of the time a
Calkins was first introduced to the Advent mes- combination of all these methods was utilized.
sage and was later baptized. As the result of his experiences in the early
By this time Elder Tindall had had consider- 1920’s, and especially because he had had op-
able experience in this method of evangelism, position from some doctors in Oklahoma, some
and some of the methods he used are worthy of of whom advocated the necessity of meat eating,
consideration. To begin with, he stated that he Elder Tindall felt that he should return to Loma
always made it a point to try to prepare the Linda for further training and study from which

5
he would gain additional authority. Accordingly, great mistake is made by leaving it out and I am
in 1923 he returned to Loma Linda and took fur- here to get the training that someday will aid me
ther training in both organic and biochemistry, greatly in carrying forward that evangelism
nutrition, and physical therapy, and in 1925 he which will demonstrate God’s plan of soul-win-
graduated from the dietitian’s course. He felt ning in the closing work.”6
that this training was invaluable in his later Elder Tindall’s completion of his second
work, and with this background he developed course of study at Loma Linda gave him the ad-
an. Early diet-survey system which he called ditional scientific backing and confidence that he
“The Diet Checkup System.” This was intro- needed, and he was able to put his new know-
duced along with his Pocket Dietitian and other ledge to good use in continued gospel-medical
dietary and nutritional aids which he developed evangelism. Again, his training in public rela-
and which were used in the dietetics course at tions and as a promoter stood him in good stead,
Loma Linda.:and also by the medical students and he developed the idea of approaching key
for several years thereafter.5 institutions such as Chambers of Commerce,
To state that he had a universal understanding Boards of Health, Boards of Education, etc., of-
and the approval of the. Brethren in regards to his fering to give them lectures in nutrition and
course of study would, however, be an overstate- healthful living. By this method he would gain
ment as the following incident recorded in The their confidence and sell them on the idea, and
Medical Evangelist of March 15, 1928 will attest: after the lectures he would ask them for letters
While at Loma Linda taking my training in di- stating their convictions and reactions to his lec-
etetics I had a very prominent man of our de- tures. These were almost always given readily
nomination say to me, “John, what are you do- and proved to be of great value in approaching
ing here? What do you expect to do studying di- other leaders and institutions later.
etetics? Do you think it right to leave your great He also lectured to police and fire depart-
work as an evangelist, and come here and spend ments on such things as the relation of diet and
all this time studying dietetics?” In reply to my food combinations to a person’s reaction time,
good friend, I said, “Time will show the wisdom
and to various business groups he spoke on effi-
of the plan, my brother. Did you ever read in
ciency and diet. In May of 1926 he stated that he
Volume 9, page 112, ‘There are some who think
had lectured to four hundred business leaders at
that the question of diet is not of sufficient im-
portance to be included in their evangelistic one time at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco,
work, but such make a great mistake.’? It seems with the lecture being sponsored by the Masonic
to me, my brother, that some people do not see Club. By these methods he believes that he was
the value of dietetics in evangelism; but I am cer- able to reach a class of people which he could
tain there is wisdom in this statement and I am never have reached as a Seventh-day Adventist
certain that evangelism needs dietetics; but a minister alone.7

The Field Training School in San Francisco

In 1927 Elder Tindall received a call from lenge of this great and wicked city. He stated
what was then the old California Conference to that he was offered any worker in the confer-
demonstrate his gospel-medical missionary ence, but that he declined them all, declaring
methods in San Francisco. Elder G.A. Roberts that he did not want people with preconceived
was president of the c6nference at that time. notions but wanted someone that he could train
Realizing that Elder Roberts was a strong believ- himself. He requested W.D. Frazee, who was
er in the Spirit of Prophecy and in gospel-medic- then a young man taking nursing at the White
al evangelism, Elder Tindall accepted the chal- Memorial Hospital. Elder Roberts turned him

6
down twice, believing that Brother Frazee was larger and more formal training school which
much too young. However, Elder Tindall per- would be called the “Field Training School of
sisted and Elder Roberts finally agreed to call Medical Evangelism.” To be headed by Elder Tin-
Brother Frazee. This was a decision that no one dall, this training was designed to “consist of
ever regretted, since Frazee became one of the theory and practice combined and blended each
ablest and strongest supporters and practitioners day, thus giving those who take the course a
of gospel-medical missionary evangelism.8 thoroughly rounded, practical training. To this
At first a little training program was de- end, the course will be a part of the regular med-
veloped for a few of the workers and Bill Frazee ical missionary evangelistic program of soul-
in San Francisco. Before long Elders Tindall and winning we are and will be carrying on.9
Roberts conceived the idea of expanding it into a

The Course of Study

In the letter previously referred to, Elder school with most of the teachers donating their
Roberts outlined the course of study compris- own time or coming from 5t Helena Sanitarium,
ing.: forty-eight weeks, divided into three six- Pacific Press, and other areas. He also stressed
teen-week periods. The curriculum was outlined that no new buildings would be erected but that
briefly as follows: Bible, one hundred ninety-two the church building already present would be
hours; campaign company meetings or round used as classroom facilities. Treatment rooms
table discussions, one hundred ninety-two were being equipped in the new Central Church
hours, with the Bible and Testimonies as the text- in San Francisco (later, treatment rooms were
books for both of these features; evangelistic ser- built in the Capp Street Church also).
vices, sixty-four hours (These were to be the reg- The types of people for whom the training
ular night services with all students attending school was designed were as follows: (1) Local con-
and taking various parts in the program as well ference workers; (2) d6ctors who had been in prac-
as taking notes. Each Monday morning the stu- tice and who desired to become evangelistic work-
dents would discuss the meetings.); field Bible ers, self-supporting or denominationally suppor-
work or evangelism was to comprise one hun- ted, as the case might be; (3) ministers who had had
dred ninety-two hours; baptismal class organiza- successful experience in preaching the doctrines of
tion and studies, sixteen hours; gospel salesman- the diet message and who desired to follow the
ship, thirty-two hours. This part constituted the Lord’s instruction in taking up medical missionary
strictly evangelical sections of the course. work; (4) mature laymen and women who desired
As to the technical part, there would be ana- to fit themselves for usefulness in the cause; (5) oth-
tomy and physiology, one hundred twenty-eight ers, had they been so counseled by Union and Gen-
hours and taught by a doctor; hygiene, thirty- eral Conference men. It was stressed that there
two hours; chemistry, eighty hours; foods, thirty- were no plans to take the young people who would
two hours; medical dietetics, sixty-four hours; otherwise be entering our colleges.
cooking, forty-eight hours; disease and dia- This letter, and others in a similar vein de-
gnosis, sixty4our hours, also taught by a doctor; scribing the proposed field training school, was
home nursing, thirty-two hours; hydrotherapy, sent to numerous leaders in the General Confer-
practical, sixty-four hours; and hydro-therapy ence as well as to leading physicians and educat-
lectures, thirty-two hours. ors. Letters sent to Elder Roberts were to indic-
Elder Roberts also made it clear that there ate, in most cases, hearty enthusiasm and en-
would be very little additional expense to the couragement for going ahead with the program.

7
 Accordingly, the school was launched in 1928, Scoggins as associate pastor and W.D. Frazee as
and Elder Roberts was able to report to the Con- assistant pastor. Evangelistic campaigns that
ference that “the Field Training School, giving served as field training for the students, were
daily medical evangelistic training, suitable for held in various rented halls and tents about the
doctors, nurses, ordained and licensed ministers, city, often with both students and faculty taking
Bible workers, colporteurs, and mature laymen part. Of Brother Frazee, Elder Tindall could say
and women has been established.”10 in a letter of October 31,1928:
The faculty members at that time were listed “I consider him to be a capable evangelist,
as follows: Elder J.H.N. Tindall, Evangelism and able to head up a large campaign. I hope that
dietetics; Elder W.L. Byrd, Bible; Dr. O. Rockwell; no thought will be given to taking him out of
anatomy, theoretical hydrotherapy; Dr. C.C. San Francisco, in as much as he is an essential
Landis, diseases and diagnosis; Mrs. C.C. Landis, part of the teaching staff in the school and our
hygiene; W.D. Frazee, foods, chemistry; Miss field work.”11
Florence Shull, RN, nursing, practical hydrother- A special feature of the Central Church was
apy; Harold Graham, voice. the well-equipped cooking school and laboratory
Elder Roberts gave excerpts from enthusiastic in the basement of the church with separate small
testimonials from three returned missionaries stoves and cooking-laboratory facilities for about
who had spent several months in the school. The twenty-five persons. A picture of this facility is in-
cost for the students was listed as $5.00 tuition: cluded in Elder Roberts’ papers. The home dietet-
per month and they were required to purchase ics course was held in this laboratory under the
their own books to the extent of $25.00 per year. auspices of the field training school, and it was,
They were also required to find their own board apparently, always well received and attended.
and lodging, since no boarding house or dormit- By January 1, 1930, Elder Tindall could list
ory was maintained. the following students enrolled in the school:
Thus the school was launched and it seemed ministers, two; foreign missionaries, two; Bible
to prosper over the next two or three years with workers, four; teachers, six; graduate nurses,
the average enrollment being about fifteen stu- four; colporteurs, three; practical nurses, three;
dents per year. During this time, Elder Tindall dietitians, two; high school graduates, six; lay
served as pastor of the Central Church with Paul members, nine.

Problems for the School

Although things seemed to be going well, organs outlining the work done in the school,
there is evidence that from the beginning there seems to have been widespread misunder-
many of the church leaders did not under- standing of what the school was trying to do. A
stand the objectives nor see the necessity for main point of friction was, apparently, with
the establishment of the Field Training School. some of our established schools who seemed to
Part of this reaction can be attributed to simple feel that the Field Training School was compet-
lack of communication, and a number of letters ing with them for students during those difficult
to Elders Tindall and Roberts from the days early in the depression. To that end, one of
brethren urged them to “let people know what the letters to Elder Roberts in 1930 suggested
you are doing there.” that the school’s name be changed to “Field
Although both men wrote numerous letters Training Institute” instead of “Field Training
to leaders in the denomination, and reports were School.” This was felt to be a more dignified
published from time to time in various church name and it was hoped that in this way it would

8
be removed from competition with all of our A firm and continual supporter was Elder
schools. There is no evidence that this sugges- W.C. White, who not only gave invaluable advice
tion was ever acted upon. and encouragement, but often “went to bat” for
Another letter from a highly placed church the school with the brethren. It was his firm be-
official complained that the catalog of the school, lief that the establishment of such a school was in
in its section entitled, “The Call for Such a conformity with counsel given by the Lord to his
School,” was misusing certain Spirit of Prophecy mother, Mrs. E.G. White. In an address by Elder
quotations which this leader felt were directed to White to the students and faculty of the Field
Loma Linda alone. This section was later re- Training School at the opening of the fourth year
moved from the Catalog.12 of the school in January, 1931, he stated, “It has
A problem apparently arose from a misun- been my privilege to be present on the first day
derstanding with the St Helena Sanitarium, of the first terms of several of our largest denom-
which had donated some free literature to be inational schools, and it is in none of them that I
given out by students of the school. Elder took more joy than in this school.”16 He went on
Roberts stated that a group from the sanitarium to review the need for establishment of such a
came down to see the school and found no liter- school, since Loma Linda had failed to do so.
ature. They returned to say that the Field Train- Despite some degree of opposition in high
ing School was not supporting the work of the places, Elder Roberts felt that the Field Training
sanitarium; whereas the truth was that all the School was generally well accepted by the public;
literature that the sanitarium had sent had in San Francisco, and he says that benefits were
already been given out.13 attested to during its period of operation by an
Elder Roberts relates the story that at one considerable increase in tithe, increased mission
time a group of Union officials came over to offerings, and increase in missionary work among
have a hearing to determine whether or not the the members, to say nothing of the souls that were
school should be continued, having had the converted as a result bf the evangelistic meetings
avowed intention beforehand of closing the held by members and faculty. Also, treatment
school. He received them, knowing nothing of rooms were established, a new church was built,
their intentions, but before the meeting the Holy and much good will was built up among city lead-
Spirit had impressed him to suggest that they re- ers as the result of lectures to various clubs, civic
view the Lord’s counsel to Ellen G. White on the groups, police and fire departments, etc.
special problems of San Francisco and how it Elder Roberts tells of a rather amusing case,
should be worked After they did so, one of the demonstrating Elder Tindall’s value and versatil-
leaders exclaimed, “Elder Roberts, I had no idea ity to the conference. A boy had been adopted
that this was in the Spirit of Prophecy. This puts into an Adventist family in San Francisco, and his
things in an entirely different light.” Not only previous family had attempted to sue the Confer-
did the school remain open, but this leader be- ence because the boy was being deprived of meat
came, also, one of its most staunch supporters.14 to eat. With his legal and nutritional training, Eld-
There were also some criticisms of Elder Tin- er Tindall defended the Adventist family in court,
dall’s leadership; one suggestion being that he presenting scientific evidence on the values of ve-
was too egotistical. Others criticized Elder getarian diets and the hazards of eating meat. He
Roberts for starting the school without sufficient also presented Bill Frazee as a young man who
counsel That this was not so is attested by his had never tasted meat. The judge and jury were
numerous letters of counsel and encouragement favorably impressed, apparently, as the case was
from a wide range of Union and General Confer- dismissed and the family bringing suit was
ence leaders and medical leaders.15 ordered to pay all court costs.17

9
End of the School
Despite some degree of opposition from vari- the conference leaders. Then the old California
ous leaders in high places, the Field Training Conference was split, which divided the faculty
School did not die from Conference or Union of the school – half in Oakland and half in San
decree, but from a quirk. Of church administra- Francisco. The Central California Conference did
tion. First, Elder Roberts was called to the South- not feel that it could bear the expense of the
ern Union to head up the work in the South, the school alone, so it gradually succumbed [to the
school thus losing its most staunch ally among cash shortage during the Depression years].

Elder Tindall's Later Work

Because of health problems, Elder Tindall accomplish his purpose, mainly because he
never again engaged in active public evangel- could never get the full cooperation of the Con-
ism after the closing of the Field Training ference due to the fact that Madison was a self-
School However, he was a Church and district supporting institution.
pastor for a number of years after that time, Over the last twenty years Elder Tindall has
actively using gospel-medical missionary meth- lived in retirement at Madison, Wildwood Sanit-
ods in his pastorates. arium, and at the Star Dust Ranch near Hemet,
In 1940 Elder Tindall was called to Madison California, where he currently resides. During
College by Dr. Sutherland to set up a gospel- this time he has been extremely active in study
medical missionary training program there at and writing, and maintains a strong interest in
the college. Although he was on sustentation at the gospel-medical missionary work through the
this time, Elder Tindall agreed to go to Madison present time. He states that he gets letters and
and did remain there for a number of years. has visits constantly from ministers, evangelists,
Though he was able to do some good and to Conference presidents, and others who want to
stimulate the medical-evangelistic program know how to do medical missionary work.
there, Elder Tindall never felt that he was able to

Some of the Fruits of the Field Training School

Time did not permit the running down of In August, 1930 W.D. Frazee and j. Lee Neil
many of the graduates of the Field Training formed a medical missionary company com-
School, but it is a matter of record that many stu- posed of two medical evangelists (themselves),
dents became Bible workers, colporteurs, Con- one Bible worker, six graduate nurses, two col-
ference workers, evangelists, and pastors, and porteurs, two house matrons and cooks, one
used their training in gospel-medical missionary auto mechanic, and four gospel students. After
work in their various callings. a year ’s work in San Jose, California, they could
Elder Eugene Crane combined the medical report fifty baptisms as the result of having
work with the gospel as a missionary to Burma. used gospel-medical missionary methods. This
Elder Warren Wittenberg, a graduate of the included the giving of treatments to the sick;
school, and Elder D.A. Delafield had a medical distribution of food and clothing to the poor;
missionary company in the early thirties, work- giving instruction in hygiene, cooking, house-
ing in and around Sonoma, California. keeping, and other practical subjects; health lec-
Elder Paul Scoggins was an evangelist and tures to clubs and schools; literature distribu-
conference worker in the South, championing tion; a “public gospel-medical campaign in the
medical missionary work there. auditorium of the San Jose Woman’s’ Club;”

10
classes in health and cooking; and Bible studies. could report that fifty-six had been baptized in
All of this was done on the salary of only two Ogden, Utah during the previous year. A similar
conference workers!18 work with similar methods was carried out in
Shortly after this Elder Neil and Elder Frazee Salt Lake City.; as well.20
separated, forming separate missionary compan- Over the next decade Elder Frazee’s company
ies. Elder Neil’s company worked mainly in Cali- worked in many areas, always with good results.
fornia, in the towns of Campbell, San Luis Obispo, In: the early 1940’s Elder Frazee established the
Burlingame, and San Mateo. In San Luis Obispo Wildwood Medical Missionary Institute at Wild-
they established an Advent nurses registry to wood, Georgia; which institution continues to
which patients could call in for treatments. operate to the present time. The Wildwood San-
A church was raised up in Campbell, and in itarium and Hospital was established there and a
Burlingame a small company was increased to a training sch6ol offering a wide variety of train-
church and a building raised up. Dr. Roy Yates ing along practical lines, but always with the
served with the company and there were several gospel-medical missionary aspect foremost, was
nurses and Bible workers associated with the also started. Elder Frazee and the leaders ‘at
team. Mrs. Neil conducted cooking and nutrition Wildwood have continually applied the prin-
schools, and evangelistic meetings were usually ciples learned in the Field Training School of.
held three nights a week. In 1942 Dr. Yates was: Sacrificial sharing and giving with the main
called into the army, and the company dissolved theme being medical missionary evangelism.
with Elder Neil becoming a pastor in the Louisi- The Spirit of Prophecy teachings, as championed
ana Conference. He raised up several churches by Elder Tindall, of theory and practice com-
there as well as in other places. Elder Neil has bined and blended each day have always been
devoted his life to the furthering of the gospel- practiced at Wildwood.
medical missionary work, and at the present Although Wildwood has not been without
time he is Executive Director of Medical Min- criticism, it has been mostly undeserved, as pre-
istry, Inc., a group that is dedicated to the fur- viously quoted from the address of Elder W.C.
thering of medical missionary work in all dimen- White: “Very largely the criticism of any new
sions. Its board consists of a number of General line of work for the Master comes from those
Conference leaders, union officials, and many who do not understand it.” At the present time
doctors, and other interested persons.19 the work at Wildwo6d is going strongly with a
Elder W.D. Frazee formed a large company to new $600,000 sanitarium more than half com-
work in Utah, the company consisting of nurses, pleted. Sister institutions have been established
dietitians, colporteurs, and Bible workers, a at Eden Valley, Colorado and Yerba Buena,
singing evangelist, and doctors. Mexico. These institutions follow the same prin-
Dr. Gilbert Johnson and Dr. J.J. Weir both took ciples as does Wildwood.21
part in the program at various times. Except for Finally, the testimony of Brother Marvin Wal-
the ministers whose salary was paid by the con- ter is typical of the many who were influenced
ference, this unit was entirely self-supporting by Elders Tindall, Frazee, Neil, and others.
and operated on a sacrificial sharing program. Brother Walter relates that he became associated
Elder Frazee operated a well-rounded medical with Elders Frazee and Neil in their company in
missionary program with cooking and nutrition San Jose in 1931, serving as a colporteur, Bible
schools; treatments by doctors and nurses; worker, and health food salesman.
health food stores and health classes; lectures in After describing the work in the company in
clubs, high schools,.. and civic organizations; San Jose, Brother Walter goes on to relate: In
and evangelistic meetings. In 1933 Elder Frazee 1936 I married a nurse and we have been united

11
in medical missionary evangelism ever since. In Monument Valley, Utah. During our ministry in
1941, when we opened the work among the Michigan, Mrs. Walter worked as a public health
Navajos in Northern Arizona around Holbrook, nurse in the PawPaw area. This medical mission-
the medical missionary work opened the work ary work opened;doors for evangelism all
on the reservation and gave us gasoline and tires through the district. At the present time we are
during the ration period of World War II. In 1950, still using medical missionary work as the “right
after establishing the school at Holbrook, we arm” to open doors for missionary work among
were called to open the medical mission at the Sioux Indians in South Dakota.22

A Lesson For Our Time?

Elder Tindall, who is how in his eighty- taken over by the various Conferences. Elder
eighth year, and Elder Roberts, who is ninety- Frazee also believes in very strong ties with fa-
three, both enthusiastically insisted that the vorable Conference leaders, and this is now the
gospel-medical missionary methods will work case at Wildwood.
as well today as they did when pioneered by It thus seems obvious from the lessons and
them so many years ago. The same is true of counsels of the past, from dedicated leaders like
Elders Frazee and Neil and Brother Walter. Elder Tindall and his pupils, and from present
Brother Walter has stated, “These principles will endeavors, that the gospel-medical missionary
be relevant to the end of time.” All felt that the work is the method of choice for reaching hearts
gospel-medical missionary company was still and working the great cities; also, that there is
workable and was one of the only ways of more than one way of applying these methods.
working the large cities. Elder Tindall gave the That cooperation is necessary and urgent is evid-
urgent precaution that the work must be gospel ent in this counsel of the Lord:
as well as medical, and stated that many efforts “If ever the Lord has spoken by me, He speaks
had failed because of failure to unite the gospel when I say that the workers engaged in educa-
with the medical work. tional lines, in ministerial lines, and in medical
He also believes that any program, however missionary lines, must stand as a unit, all labor-
well conceived, is doomed to failure unless it ing under the supervision of God, one helping
can have the blessings of the: Conference in the other, each blessing each.”23
which it is located. All that is necessary is that we realize that the
Elder Neil also believes more or less the same records of the marvelous providences of God in
thing, and the organization of Medical Ministry, past ages, as His servant has so aptly put it:
Inc. is designed to attempt to form, to some de- “…were not written merely that we might
gree, a bridge between the Conference and the read and wonder, but that the same faith which
self-supporting work. He believes that with the wrought in God’s servants of old might work in
proper support and backing, Medical Ministry, us. In no more marked manner than He
Inc. can be the catalyst in promoting and starting wrought then will He work now wherever there
medical evangelistic projects which can then be are hearts of faith to be channels of His power.”24

12
Reproduced from: John H.N. Tindall : fifty years a gospel-medical missionary evangelist / by Calvin L. Thrash, Jr. ; gleanings from
J.H.N. Tindall's files compiled by David Lee. In Loma Linda University Libraries Special Collections, Call #BX 6127 T47 2002.
Available in this form from http://www.AdventistCityMissions.org/acm--downloads.html

13
1. Ellen G. White, Manuscript 21, 1910
2. Norman R. Gulley, Gospel-Medical Evangelism, Book 1, 71. (Mimeographed syllabus for course in Medical
Evangelism, Madison College, n.d.)
3. Ibid., 80
4. Elder J.H.N. Tindall, Personal interview (Hemet, California, March 2, 1969)
5. Ibid.
6. Elder J.H.N. Tindall, The Medical Evangelist, March 15, 1928, 1
7. Tindall, loc. cit.
8. Ibid.
9. Elder G.A. Roberts, Letter to Elders Fulton, Spicer, Howell, et al., December 26, 1927 (Personal papers of Elder
G. A. Roberts)
10. Elder G.A. Roberts, “The Work of 1928 in San Francisco” (personal papers, 1928)
11. Elder J.H.N. Tindall, Letter to Elder G.A. Roberts, October31, 1928 (Personal papers of Elder G.A. Roberts)
12. Elder G.A. Roberts, Personal interview (Covina, California, March 2, 1969)
13. Ibid.
14. Ibid.
15. Elder G.A. Roberts, Personal papers (Names of correspondents withheld at Elder Roberts’ request)
16. Elder G.A. Roberts, Personal papers (copy of address by Elder W. C. White, San Francisco, California, January
1931)
17. Elder G.A. Roberts, Personal interview, loc. cit.
18. W.D. Frazee and J. Lee Neil, “Report of Effort in San Jose, California,” The Elmshaven Leaflet Series, No.3,
August, 1931
19. Elder J. Lee Neil, Personal interview (Loma Linda, California, February 24,1969)
20. W.D. Frazee, “The Medical Evangelistic Program,” The Medical Evangelist, July 21, 1932, 1
21. Elder W.D. Frazee, Letter to Calvin L. Thrash, Jr. (February 23, 1969)
22. Marvin Walter, Letter to Calvin L. Thrash, Jr. (February 20, 1969)
23. Ellen G. White, Counsels on Health (Mountain View, California: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1945), 394
24. Ellen G. White, Education (Mountain View, California: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1903), 256