Rice, Mangram Leslie (1888–1966)

M. Leslie Rice served as president of local and union conferences for 36 of his 40 years of ministry.

Early Years (1888-1920)

Mangram Leslie Rice was born on September 16, 1888 in Bonsli, California, to Mangram and Celesta A. Ormsby Rice, the third of five siblings.¹ His father was a farmer and gold miner and his mother a nurse.² Leslie attributed his conversion to a lay Bible worker.³ He was baptized in 1906 by J. A. Burden.⁴

As a young man, Leslie worked for the Santa Fe Railroad. He entered San Fernando Academy in 1907 and in 1914 enrolled at Pacific Union College to prepare for ministry. Leslie and Myrtle M. Alley united in marriage on June 25, 1912.⁵

In 1916, though he had yet to begin ministry as a conference employee, Rice wrote an account of an experience preaching on a Sunday evening at a church of another denomination that was published in Adventism’s flagship periodical, the Review and Herald. After his sermon on “The Judgment,” Rice recounted, the pastor of the church followed up with these remarks:

I feel as if I must say a few words. You have heard tonight the straight testimony. Our brother has given us the word, unmixed with human theories, and I admire him for it; but he is a young man, new in the ministry, and he preaches what he thinks is truth; but see him ten years from now and his bread and butter will be behind his preaching. He will then preach to please the people. I dare not preach the straight testimony,— the ministers at large dare not do it,—and if I did, you who are here before me would take up stones and stone me.⁶

In 1917, Rice joined the ministerial force of the Central California Conference and was ordained on June 6, 1920.⁷

Conference President: Nevada and Colorado (1921-1930)

In 1921, Rice was elected president of the Nevada Conference.⁸ Though small numerically, with five churches and 303 members in 1921, the conference covered more geographical territory than the California conferences combined. In addition to the state of Nevada (except for two counties) it included portions of California—most of Plumas County and all of the territory east of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.⁹

Rice’s reports in the Pacific Union Recorder provide a vivid picture of church life in the sparsely populated mountain west during that era. In September 1921, Rice and a fellow minister visited the northern part of the conference in California during the annual Harvest Ingathering campaign, recently adopted by the denomination for appealing to the public to support the church’s global humanitarian and evangelical work. Donations were given in a variety of forms, including the hide of a coyote that had just been shot (worth a bounty of $2.50), eggs, squash, and a kewpie doll, as well as cash. After selling the in-kind donations as best they could, their total for the campaign was close to $220.¹⁰

After two years in Nevada, Rice accepted a call to the Colorado Conference in 1923, serving as president until 1930. Not only was the conference much larger (2,844 members in 53 churches), Rice’s responsibilities now included institutional management. As conference president, he was chair of the board of trustees of Campion Academy, the conference-owned secondary school, and a member of the Boulder-Colorado Sanitarium board of trustees.¹¹ Faced with a $42,000 debt at Campion Academy, Rice led an “out-of-debt campaign” that liquidated the entire amount by May 1927.¹²

Myrtle Rice published a book for children in 1927 entitled Friends of Fur and Feather.¹³ She completed her medical degree in 1929 from the University of Colorado and later did postgraduate work in psychiatry.¹⁴

Conference President: Upper Columbia and Washington (1930-1939)

In 1930 Rice accepted a call from the Upper Columbia Conference to serve as president.¹⁵ Headquartered in Spokane, Washington, the conference territory covered most of eastern Washington along with portions of northern Oregon and northern Idaho. As president, Rice chaired the boards of the conference’s secondary school, Yakima Valley Academy (later Upper Columbia Academy), and Walla Walla Sanitarium.¹⁶

As board chair, Rice oversaw acquisition of the former Walla Walla Valley Hospital as the new locale for the sanitarium that, since its establishment in 1905, had been located on the campus of Walla Walla College in College Place, Washington. The new 50-bed facility, only four years old, was acquired for about a third of its original cost. It provided opportunity for the sanitarium to upgrade its services and its locale in the town of Walla Walla made it better situated to serve the public.¹⁷

The Great Depression greatly strained conference operations, however. Not only did the conference reduce its workforce, those who remained on salary had to accept a drastic reduction of wages in 1932. Rice acknowledged that some questioned these actions, but he believed they were necessary to prevent the conference from going into debt.¹⁸ At the same time church members were called upon to make greater sacrifices to meet pressing needs throughout the world church. Rice, for example, urged Adventists in the Upper Columbia Conference to double their support over the previous year for the 1934 Midsummer Offering for world missions and thus avert the need to recall missionaries.¹⁹

Along with his duties as president, Rice had direct responsibility for two departments—Sabbath School and Religious Liberty. As a means for monitoring and motivating donations from Sabbath School members, he promoted the use of an “offering device” made of drywall in the form of a modern train car.²⁰ Rice also relayed to his constituency calls for vigilance from the church’s religious liberty leaders about the many possibilities raised by New Deal agencies for federal regulations enforcing Sunday observance.²¹

After Leslie was elected president of the Washington Conference, he and Myrtle moved from Spokane to Seattle, where he took up his new duties on July 1, 1934.²² Divisive movements were among the prominent challenges his administration would face. In response to inquiries from church members, Rice wrote an article highlighting inconsistencies in The Shepherd’s Rod, a book widely circulated by followers of Victor Houteff, leader of the Davidian Seventh-day Adventists who broke away from the Seventh-day Adventist Church in 1929.²³ At the same time, another movement took up the mantle of reform under the appealing theme of “Christ our Righteousness,” but promoted disloyalty to church leadership and organization. It was led by two Rogers brothers from the small Enumclaw church, its message circulated throughout the conference in two tracts by E. A. Rogers entitled Has Jesus Delayed? and Light at Eventide. After two years of meetings and discussions with the Rogers brothers, Rice and the conference committee concluded that it was necessary to remove the Enumclaw church from the Washington Conference. Additionally, the Auburn church disfellowshipped eight of its members and the Kent church another four.²⁴

Atlantic Union Conference (1939-1951)

After 18 years as president of four local conferences, Rice accepted the call extended to him on February 2, 1939, to serve as president of the Atlantic Union Conference, headquartered in South Lancaster, Massachusetts. The union comprised the Greater New York, New York, Northern New England, Southern New England, and Northeastern (founded 1944) conferences, along with the Bermuda Mission. Rice chaired the boards of the union’s two major institutions: Atlantic Union College, also located in South Lancaster, and New England Sanitarium and Hospital in Melrose, Massachusetts.²⁵

Being a union conference president entailed a broader administrative role in the denomination at large and the institutions directly overseen by the General Conference, a role that increased during Rice’s tenure as Atlantic Union president. He was a member of the General Conference Committee and of the governing boards of the Voice of Prophecy radio ministry, Oakwood College, the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, the Review and Herald Publishing Association, and the Christian Record Benevolent Association (serving the sight-impaired), and on the advisory boards of the North American Colored Department and the College of Medical Evangelists at Loma Linda.²⁶

An example of Rice’s broader role with the world church came late in 1944 and early 1945 when he made an extensive tour of the denomination’s Inter-American Division (Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, Venezuela, Columbia, and the Guianas), and wrote extensive reports on its needs, achievements, and its promise for further growth. These were published both in the Atlantic Union Gleaner and the Review and Herald to promote generous giving throughout North America for the 13^th Sabbath Overflow Offering in the first quarter of 1945, designated to support medical work in the Inter-American Division.²⁷

Rice published four books while serving as Atlantic Union president. In the first, Prove all Things (1943), he creatively addressed Seventh-day Adventist church doctrines.²⁸ An abridged version of the book was published in 1954 under the title, Come and See. He contended that as a result of investigating, one should be able to discover what ultimate truth is, and then adopt beliefs and practices proven true or discard those previously held but proven false.²⁹ A second book, Live and Help Live (1946), dealt with practical life problems such as worry, unrepentance, and blaming others for life’s difficulties. The final chapter pointed to the promise of one day being able to understand the loving and providential reason for the delayed answers from God that one may experience.³⁰ From Disappointment to Victory (1949), Rice’s third book, was included in the “Little Giant Pocket Series”—small books intended as a resource for Adventists in sharing the essentials of the faith.³¹ Light for Life’s Tunnels (1950) dwelt upon experiencing the light of faith in Christ amidst the foreboding and seemingly never-ending dark tunnels that life’s journey brings.³²

In a notable personal development, Leslie and Myrtle Rice, who did not have children of their own, took Chrystalle Davis into their home in 1948. She lived with them as a foster daughter for the next 15 years.³³

Lake Union Conference and Final Years (1951-1966)

After 12 years in the Atlantic Union, Rice accepted the presidency of the Lake Union Conference, which comprised the Illinois, Indiana, Lake Region, Michigan, and Wisconsin conferences.³⁴ The union office was in Berrien Springs, Michigan, near Emmanuel Missionary College (EMC). As in the Atlantic Union, Rice chaired both the college board and that of a major medical institution—Hinsdale Sanitarium in the western suburbs of Chicago, and was a member of the boards of a plethora of General Conference institutions and organizations.³⁵

Rice’s years of leadership in the Lake Union appear to have passed without major crises or changes. He was re-elected at the 1955 constituency session at which he lauded positive developments at EMC and Hinsdale and reported a net increase of 3,631 members over the preceding four years, that brought the overall total for the union to 33,168.³⁶ As he had in the Atlantic Union, Rice made writing a prominent part of his ministry and leadership. During his six years as Lake Union president, he published 189 substantial articles, devotional and biblical in nature, covering the entire first page and sometimes more of the weekly Lake Union Herald.³⁷ For a number of these articles he drew upon his experiences and observations during a three-month trip through the Middle East and the Southern Africa Division in 1953.³⁸

In February 1957, with two years remaining in his term, Rice resigned as president of the Lake Union at the age of 68, citing ill health.³⁹ He and his wife, Dr. Myrtle Rice, continued to live in Berrien Springs after his retirement. She passed away on March 5, 1964.⁴⁰

Mangram Leslie Rice died on November 18, 1966, in Niles, Michigan, at the age of 78.⁴¹ Faith amidst diversity was a major theme of his pastoral writings during the 1940s and 1950s. In his final article for the Lake Union Herald, he wrote: “We do not know what the future holds in store for us, either of sorrow or surprises. But, if we know Him who not only knows but controls the future, then we can with confidence go on to victory.”⁴²

Books by M. Leslie Rice

Prove All Things (Pacific Press, 1943)

Live and Help Live (Review and Herald, 1946)

From Disappointment to Victory (Review and Herald, 1949)

Light For Life’s Tunnels (Review and Herald, 1950)

Sources

Green, E. L. “Elder M. L. Rice is Elected President.” Lake Union Herald, March 6, 1951.

Guenther, C. E. “In Happened in Worcester.” Atlantic Union Gleaner, October 12, 1945.

“Mangram Leslie Rice.” Find a Grave. Memorial ID 130573138, May 29, 2014. Accessed June 8, 2021, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/130573138/mangram-leslie-rice.

“Mangram Leslie Rice obituary.” ARH, January 5, 1967.

Lukens, M. “Some Changes in the Union Conference.” North Pacific Union Gleaner, November 11, 1930.

“Myrtle Alley Rice obituary.” Lake Union Herald, April 7, 1964.

Ortner, I. G. “M.L. Rice Accepts Presidency of the Atlantic Union Conference.” Atlantic Union Gleaner, February 8, 1939.

“The Passing Of a Leader—M. L. Rice.” Lake Union Herald, December 6, 1966.

Rice, M. L. “Experiences in Inter-America.” Atlantic Union Gleaner, January 12, 1945.

Rice, M. L. “In the Heart of Africa.” Lake Union Herald, December 8, 1953.

Rice, M.L. “Inter-American Division.” Atlantic Union Gleaner, December 22, 1944.

Rice, M. L. “July 21.” North Pacific Union Gleaner, July 10, 1934.

Rice, M. L. “Lake Union Conference Session.” Lake Union Herald, March 15, 1955.

Rice, M. L. “M. L. Rice Retires.” Lake Union Herald, February 26, 1957.

Rice, M. L. “Members Dropped.” North Pacific Union Gleaner, June 1, 1937.

Rice, M. L. “Mexico and Central American Union Missions.” ARH, November 16, 1944.

Rice, M. L. “Our Neighbor to the Southward, and One Great Need.” ARH, March 8, 1945.

Rice, M. L. “Our Next Thirteenth Sabbath Overflow.” Atlantic Union Gleaner, March 2, 1945.

Rice, M. L. “Religious Liberty.” North Pacific Union Gleaner, February 20, 1934.

Rice, M. L. “Sabbath School Offering Device.” North Pacific Union Gleaner, March 31, 1931.

Rice, M. L. “A Trip Through The Northern Part Of The Conference.” Pacific Union Recorder, October 27, 1921.

Rice, M. L. “Truth Versus Error.” North Pacific Union Gleaner, February 19, 1935.

Rice, M. L. “Wage Reductions.” North Pacific Union Gleaner, July 12, 1932.

Rice, M. L. “Walla Walla Sanitarium.” North Pacific Union Gleaner, July 14, 1931.

Rice, M. L. “A Warning.” North Pacific Union Gleaner, March 16, 1937.

Rice, M. L. “A Word of Appreciation.” North Pacific Union Gleaner, July 3, 1934.

Rice, M. Leslie. “A Great Confession.” ARH, June 29, 1916.

Seventh-day Adventist Yearbooks. General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Online Archives (GCA), https://documents.adventistarchives.org/Yearbooks/Forms/AllItems.aspx.

Thompson, G. B. “Central California Camp-Meeting,” ARH, July 8, 1920.

Wight, S. E. “Campion Jubilee Day.” Central Union Outlook, May 31, 1927.

Notes

1. “Mangram Leslie Rice,” Find a Grave, Memorial ID 130573138, May 29, 2014, accessed June 8, 2021, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/130573138/mangram-leslie-rice.↩

2. Mangram Rice, 1886, “California Great Registers, 1850-1920,” FamilySearch, accessed June 21, 2022, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VT6F-8C2; Mangram Rice, “1900 United States Census,” FamilySearch, accessed June 21, 2022, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M9PY-LJS.↩

3. C.E. Guenther, “In Happened in Worcester,” Atlantic Union Gleaner, October 12, 1945, 7.↩

4. “Mangram Leslie Rice obituary,” ARH, January 5, 1967, 30.↩

5. “The Passing Of a Leader—M.L. Rice,” Lake Union Herald, December 6, 1966, 5.↩

6. M. Leslie Rice, “A Great Confession,” ARH, June 29, 1916, 7.↩

7. G.B. Thompson, “Central California Camp-Meeting,” ARH, July 8, 1920, 21.↩

8. W.F. Field, “Central California—News Items,” Pacific Union Recorder, February 17, 1921, 3.↩

9. Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook for 1921, 58.↩

10. M.L. Rice, “A Trip Through The Northern Part Of The Conference,” Pacific Union Recorder, October 27, 1921, 4-5.↩

11. Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook for 1924, 26, 191, 244.↩

12. S.E. Wight, “Campion Jubilee Day,” Central Union Outlook, May 31, 1927, 1.↩

13. “Colorado Conference—News Notes,” Central Union Outlook, February 8, 1927, 3.↩

14. “Myrtle Alley Rice obituary,” Lake Union Herald, April 7, 1964, 17.↩

15. M. Lukens, “Some Changes in the Union Conference,” North Pacific Union Gleaner, November 11, 1930, 2.↩

16. Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook for 1932, 66, 319, 362.↩

17. M. L. Rice, “Walla Walla Sanitarium.” North Pacific Union Gleaner, July 14, 1931, 1.↩

18. M. L. Rice, “Wage Reductions,” North Pacific Union Gleaner, July 12, 1932, 6.↩

19. M. L. Rice, “July 21,” North Pacific Union Gleaner, July 10, 1934, 2-3.↩

20. M. L. Rice, “Sabbath School Offering Device,” North Pacific Union Gleaner, March 31, 1931, 5.↩

21. M. L. Rice, “Religious Liberty,” North Pacific Union Gleaner, February 20, 1934, 2-3.↩

22. M. L. Rice, “A Word of Appreciation,” North Pacific Union Gleaner, July 3, 1934, 4.↩

23. M. L. Rice, “Truth Versus Error,” North Pacific Union Gleaner, February 19, 1935, 3-4; Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia, 2^nd rev. edition (1996), s.v. “Davidian Seventh-day Adventists—Shepherd’s Rod.”↩

24. M. L. Rice, “A Warning,” North Pacific Union Gleaner, March 16, 1937, 2-3; M. L. Rice, “Members Dropped,” North Pacific Union Gleaner, June 1, 1937, 3-4.↩

25. I.G. Ortner, “M.L. Rice Accepts Presidency of the Atlantic Union Conference,” Atlantic Union Gleaner, February 8, 1939, 1.↩

26. Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook for 1940, 26, 250, 336; Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook for 1950, 11, 18, 251, 279, 287, 325, 332.↩

27. M.L. Rice, “Inter-American Division,” Atlantic Union Gleaner, December 22, 1944, 1-2; M.L. Rice, “Experiences in Inter-America,” Atlantic Union Gleaner, January 12, 1945, 1-2; M.L. Rice, “Our Next Thirteenth Sabbath Overflow,” Atlantic Union Gleaner, March 2, 1945, 1-2; M.L. Rice, “Mexico and Central American Union Missions,” ARH, November 16, 1944, 16-17; M.L. Rice, “Our Neighbor to the Southward, and One Great Need,” ARH, March 8, 1945, 13.↩

28. M. Leslie Rice, Prove All Things (Warburn, Victoria: Signs Publishing Company 1943), 7-13, 91-96.↩

29. M. Leslie Rice, Come and See (Washington D.C.: Review and Herald, 1954), 3-11, 39-48.↩

30. M. Leslie Rice, Live and Help Live (Washington D.C.: Review and Herald, 1946), 9-13, 92-96.↩

31. Advertisement, ARH, February 14, 1957, 28.↩

32. M. Leslie Rice, Light For Life’s Tunnels (Washington D.C.: Review and Herald, 1950), 7-11, 89-93.↩

33. “Myrtle Alley Rice obituary.”↩

34. E. L. Green, “Elder M. L. Rice is Elected President,” Lake Union Herald, March 6, 1951, 1.↩

35. Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook for 1952, passim.↩

36. M.L. Rice, “Lake Union Conference Session,” Lake Union Herald, March 15, 1955, 2.↩

37. M.L. Rice, “M.L. Rice Retires,” Lake Union Herald, February 26, 1957, 1.↩

38. “Elder M. L. Rice Starts Three-Month Trip,” Lake Union Herald, June 9, 1953, 2; see, for example, M.L. Rice, “In the Heart of Africa,” Lake Union Herald, December 8, 1953, 1.↩

39. Rice, “M.L. Rice Retires.”↩

40. “Myrtle Alley Rice obituary.”↩

41. “Mangram Leslie Rice obituary.”↩

42. Rice, “M.L. Rice Retires.”↩