Minutes of the February 10, 1955 Foreign Mission Board Meeting

3?-a Foreign Mission Board Rooms February 10, 1955 The Forei -n Mission Foard met in regular monthly session at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 10, 1955, with Mr. Jenkins rresiding. Present: L. Howard Jenkins, W. Rush Lovin , Howard L. Arthur, Mrs. Kenneth Burke, L, 0. Mosley, H. . Tillman, J. Hundley Wiley, Haris T. Long, J. E. .Boyles, E. ?. Buxton, Oscar L. Hite, Mrs. Clyde V. Hickerson, Emmett. Y. Robert¬ son, Mrs . Tom Smith, Perry Mitchell, H. P. Thomas, Neal Ellis, Baker J. Cauthen, eorge W. Sadler. Rogers M. Smith, Fc-n H. Scofield, F. L. Fright, E. L. Deane. Dr. Ti lman led in prayer. -Dr. Cauthen rave th<^ following report: REPORT OF ЕХЕСШТЛЗ SECRETARY Followin'- the last meeting of the Board the secretaries scent two days in conference st-ndyinc the werfc both in the home office and on the fields as it now is ’p progress and ns prospect? indicate for this year. The value of these staf conferences is undoubted.. Opportunity is :i ven for thorough con¬ sideration of all angle? of the work and opportuuit. • is riven to think to ether. lip win + a*- conference the secretaries of the Board have been in numerous enp^'-'wieutr duri n.- the last, month over a wide ares, of trie Southern Baptist Convention. On every hand we sense continued deeneninr of conviction with rer-rd to the urgency of our world mission undertaking and the necessity of ex^endir^ o'ir ministry for Christ both in the lands we are now serving and in other lands we should enter. Recently released fi-ur -s of Southern Baptist growth in 195b rive emphasis to the value of our continuing to challenge Southern Baptists toward larger world service for Christ. There are now 29,599 churches in the Southern Baptii Convention. Those churches showed an increase in church membership of 296,289 in 1954 bringing our total tc 5,182,305. Total gifts from the churches amounted to 5305, 573, 654. Southern Baptists are the fastest growing major denomiPatiof» in +he Unit d Stati . ‘'!nce 1954 our membership has increased from 5, 667, '">26 to 5,152,30^. Ml - г this i- - 'rowing potentiality and responsi ilii if Southern Bantisr- for a world encirclin-- ministry. V/e r cognise the fact that if even five certs o* ?"ch dollar ~iven in the churches had been made available for mission work beyond this country, there would have been s total of more than ?1 '-,000,000 in place of the sum of MO, 137, 532.90 received. Ve fully believe Southern 'artists would be greatly blessed if ten cents of each dollar were dedicated to our world ministry beyond the border? of this country. It is our privilege and responsibility to set before Southern Baptists by every a fine 7 at our command the challenge of world need and its place in the dedication both of money and life which a people so richly blessed of God ne'-H to make to our Lord. It is clearly evident God is expecting greater thin-s of Southern Baptist? in a world ministry today. Encouraging reports are being received from the Lottie ’-non Christmas Offering. ' number of churches have given as much as 420,000. The largest individual repent of which w® have heard came from a church where the offering amount'd 23, '90 and was followed 3 f°w days later by the loss of the Church building ih h disastrous fire. We are confident that the spirit which led them to give *21,500 during, the Christmas offering will enable them to s irmount Шё tragic loss t.hev have sustained • n. t heir building. We do not yet have any way of measurin' the total of the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. Funds will continue to be received in the treasurer's office through: ut the spring, and we are confident the amount will ®xceed that of last year. V’p arc ’•tilicing r-nidlr the f”rtde received from the Advance Section of the C- operative Program at the end of 1954. 'Recommend at, -ions are being presented ... njjjfgjgjj • fri ее, Europe, and the fear East. and. the 'rie-t bringing totals arnrmpriated for each of those areas to 3125,000. Dr. v --ans, upon his return, will nrepert recommendations in - sim'lar v.-.y for Latin America. T'npse funds received beyond the Southwide budget of the Cooperative Program make advance res si Me both through current, operations and urgently needed capital projects throughout the world.