FOREIGN MISSION 30ARD MINUTES
3J3
July 12. 1977
The Foreign Mission Board met in regular monthly session Tuesday, July 12, 1977, 3:00
p.m., in the Baker James Cauthen Chapel. The Second Vice-President, John W. Patterson,
presided.
PRESENT: State Members: Alabama: J. R. White; Kansas : J. W. Pace; Kentucky: Mrs.
Ray Mullendore; Louisiana: Miss Myra Gulledge, W. N. Prather, Sr.; New Mexico: J. D.
Ratliff; Oregon: William 0. Crews, Jr.; South Carolina: Ira Q. Craft, Lonnie H.
Shull, Jr.; Tennessee: Trevis Otey, Jonas L. Stewart; Texas : Morris G. Cobb, H. F.
Scott; Virginia: W. Curtis English, Lonnie E. Quillen, Jr.
Local Members: V. Allen Gaines, Franklin D. Hall, Scott C. Humphrey, Neal T. Jones,
M. Hunter Riggins, Jr., Mrs. Ross S. Shearer, Mrs. E. S. Stratton, Robert B. Bass,
J. Roy Clifford, Paul E. Crandall, Gurney W. Grant, J. Leonard Moore, John W. Patterson,
Raymond L. Spence, Jr., H. I. Willett.
Staff: Baker J. Cauthen, Louis R. Cobbs, Winston Crawley, Edna Frances Dawkins,
William K. Dawson, Everett L. Deane, James G. Edwards, lone Gray, W. Eugene Grubbs,
Ervin Hastey, Dwight A. Honeycutt, J. D. Hughey, Harold E. Hurst, William W. Marshall,
Lewis I. Myers, Jr., Stanley A. Nelson, Floyd H. North, Samuel H. Pittman, G. Norman
Price, Don A. Reavis, Sidney C. Reber, Rogers M. Smith, Truman Smith, Robert L.
Stanley, Richard M. Styles, Wilbur N. Todd, Melvin E. Torstrick, William R. Wakefield,
E. L. Wright, Elizabeth Minshew.
Board Attorney; Paul D. Stotts.
The presiding officer called the meeting to order.
The audience joined in singing the opening hymn: "Forward Through the Ages," led by
Sidney C. Reber.
Morris G. Cobb, 3oard member from Texas, read a passage of Scripture and led in the
opening prayer.
Minutes of the Board for May 10, 1977 were approved.
The presiding officer recognized and welcomed visitors and newly elected Board members.
Three of these members were present and they came to the platform for personal intro¬
ductions: W. N. Prather, Sr., Louisiana; Trevis Otey, Tennessee; H. F. Scott, Texas.
Guests were recognized, including Dr. and Mrs. Alberico Antunes de Oliveira of Manaus
and Brasilia, Brazil.
The presiding officer recognized the Executive Director, Baker J. Cauthen.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - Baker J. Cauthen
Dr. Cauthen extended a personal welcome to the newly elected Board members and to all
who were present, and gave the following report:
RE PORT of the EXECUTIVE: DIRECTOR
Since the last meeting of the Board a remarkable development has taken
place. It grew out of an altogether unexpected event.
On June 7 a number of representatives from the agencies of the Southern
Baptist Convention were invited to meet with President Jimmy Carter for
luncheon in the White House. Among the group were Dr. Porter Routh,
executive secretary of the Executive Committee, Dr. Bill Tanner of the
Heme Mission Board, Dr. Grady Cothen of the Sunday School Board, Dr. Glendon
McCullough of the Brotherhood Commission, Mrs. Harrison Gregory of
Woman's Missionary Union, the executive director of the Foreign Mission
Board, and others.
President Carter opened his heart as a Christian man and shared his deep
concern that the gospel of Christ be given to the entire world as early
as possible. He had read the Missions Challenge report and spoke with
appreciation of it, but indicated that he felt even larger efforts
should be made than those which had been proposed.
It was a time of rich Christian fellowship and all the members of the
group were deeply moved by his sincerity and Christian spirit.
Following the meeting the group assembled in the pastor's study at First
Baptist Church and concluded that it would be appropriate to ask the
President to prepare a videotape to be shown at the Southern Baptist
Convention on Missions Night in which he would state his same deep
conviction to the Convention.
