Foreign Mission Board Rooms
April b, 19$2
The Foreign Mission Board met in semi-annual session at 7:30 p.m. on
Tuesday, April 8, 1952, with Mr. Jenkins presiding.
Present:
State Board Members: John H. Buchanan, Alabama; Waymon C. Reese,
Alabama; №. Ray McKay, Arkansas; William Barclay, Arizona; R. Kelly
White, Florida; Searcy Garrison, Georgia; Russell W. Wallis, Illinois;
Robert E. Humphreys, Kentucky; William Feyton Thurman, Kentucky; J. H.
Kyzar, Mississippi; Vernon B. Richardson, Maryland; Earl R. Keating,
New Mexico; Eph Whisenhunt, North Carolina; R. Knolan Benfield; North
Carolina; J. E. Rawlinson, South Carolina; Grady Cothen, Oklahoma;
R. Bradley Jones, Tennessee; 0. E. Turner, Tennessee; A. Hope Owen,
Texas; F. C. Feezor, Texas; Charles G. McKinney, Texas; C.E. Hereford,
Texas; R. P. Downey, Virginia.
Local Board Members; E. P. Buxton, T. Rupert Coleman, Clyde V. Hickerson,
Oscar L. Hite, L. Howard Jenkins, Garis T. Long, J. G. Loving,
л1.
Rush
Loving, R. C. McDanel, T. Shad Medlin, Emmett Y. Robertson, Mrs. T. W.
Smith,
К.
P. Thomas, Elmer rtest, J. Hundley Wiley, Solon b. Cousins.
Staff Members: M. Theron Bankin, George W. Sadler, overett Gill, Jr.,
Frank K. Means, S. E. Maddox, Eon H. Scofield, Everett L. Deane, L. P.
Seay.
Visitors : Dr.
С.
E. Maddry, Dr. A. S. Gillespie, Dr. and Mrs. J. B.
Hipps, Dr. and Mrs. ^verett Gill, Dr. and Mrs.
й.
C. Newton, Dr. and
Mrs. C. G. McDaniel, Miss blanche White, Miss Douglas Oliver, Dr.
Harley Fite.
Rev. ..illiam Feyton Thurman of Kentucky led the devotional period.
Mr. Jenkins made the following remarks:
Those of you who are members of this Board rejoice in the privileges
these full meetings of the Board afford us, and, at bhe same time, we
are more than ever conscious of the responsibility that is ours. Some
of you come from far distant places but I am sure you will say at the
end of the meeting that it was worth all the time and effort on your
part, for, if you heard nothing but the testimony of these missionary
candidates as they relate their Christian exrerience and call to
missionary service you would say that you have had a mountain ton
experience. No man can attend a meeting like this and go out the same
man he was when he came in. So, I rejoice that you have come from far
ana near. We welcome, too, many distinguished visitors and I hope you
will feel a spiritual uplift as you sit and listen to these proceedings.
We meet tonight in a time of great confusion and bewilderment . We hear
of wars and rumours of ’wars in foreign lands. The low moral standaros
observed in high places here at home must be a severe handicap to our
missionaries. If we can clean up the mess at home our missionaries
will be relieved of the embarrassment when they are asked that oft
repeated question, "Why does not Christianity work more fully in your
country". Frank deceit and outright dishonesty in high places threaten
the security of our country and cause grave concern to those who have
the welfare of our country at heart. Some might say that we are
exporting an article that we have not appropriated to our own use at
home. That is true, but it offers us no excuse in holding back in
our duty to carry out the Great Commission.
Some times I wonder what is happening to us as a people. Thrift,
in some quarters, is an almost inaecent thinr, ana, to be a successful
business man ruts you almost in the criminal class. That is not the
sort of thing on which this great country was built. Let our pastors
preach against the low moral fibre in government and in our citizen¬
ship in general so that our people will be moved to do something about
this evil thing.
In view of ill this it sometimes seems hard to know which way to turn,
■which road to take. But in all this confusion we can rejoice that
there is one beacon li--ht shining brightly, for it is held aloft by
Jesus Christ, showing us the only road that will lead us out of the
present state of the world and bring us to that haven of peace which
all men of good will are seeking diligently to find. This is the
