March 14, 1963 6)
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Richmond, Virginia i**'
The Foreign Mission Board met in regular monthly session at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday,
March 14, 1963, with Dr. Roberson presiding.
Present: Joseph P. Edmondson, Horace L. Ford, R. Stuart Grizzard, Josiah Hoover,
Mrs. Clyde V. Hickerson, L. Howard Jenkins, W. Rush Loving, J. Walter Martin,
Ryland 0. Reamy, Meredith K. Roberson, J. Roy Clifford, James T. Todd, Mrs. John
C. Tyree, P. Earle Wood, E. Norfleet Gardner, North Carolina, Baker J. Cauthen,
Rogers M. Smith, Frank K. Means, Winston Crawley, E. L. Hill, E. L. Deane, Franklin
T. Fowler, Floyd H. North, Elmer S. West, E. L. Wright, lone Gray, Bill Dyal, Bill
Cody, Fon H. Scofield, Jesse Fletcher, Edna Frances Dawkins, Inez Tuggle.
Dr. Grizzard read a scripture passage and led in prayer.
Dr. Cauthen gave the following report of the Executive Secretary:
REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY
We are grateful to be able to report that the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering has
now brought to the Foreign Mission Board the sum of $7,839,227.37. This amount is
$304,384.62 more than at this point last year. We are grateful to our Lord for
this great blessing and look forward to the final report of the offering at the
close of April. The recomnendations for appropriating the Lottie Moon funds will
be brought to the April meeting of the Board.
We are happy to report that the amount to be recommended for current operations for
foreign missions in the 1964 Convention budget is $7,550,000. This represents an
increase of $100,000 over 1963.
In the same budget the amount of $1,725,000 for capital needs for the Foreign
Mission Board is being recommended in the Convention budget.
Inasmuch as the Convention budget for 1964 has a smaller capital needs section, the
entire budget is $544,000 smaller than the 1963 budget. It is the hope of all of
us that this will mean that a sizeable amount of money beyond the Convention budget
will be provided for advance funds. These funds are distributed seventy-five per
cent to the Foreign Mission Board and twenty-five per cent to the Home Mission
Board. We recall with much gratitude that these funds in recent years have enabled
advance to continue at a much greater pace. During the last three years we have
not had advance funds and we hope that at the close of 1964 these funds can again
be available.
We are looking forward to the April meeting of the Board with expectation of its
being a meeting of real blessing and significance. A letter has already been sent
to the Board indicating that on Monday evening there will be a dinner for Board
members and Administrative staff to be held at the Holiday Inn on Robinhood Road.
Following the dinner, there will be a reception at the Board for new missionaries,
Board members, and guests.
The appointment service will be conducted at First Baptist Church as usual and on
Wednesday morning we will pause at 11:30 to pay tribute to Mr. Jenkins for his
thirty years of service as President of the Foreign Mission Board.
Mr. Jenkins has agreed to speak at the luncheon to be held at 1:00 p.m. at the
Holiday Inn on Wednesday.
The Board and Administrative staff will reassemble in the parlor of the Foreign
Mission Board building Wednesday afternoon following the luncheon to hear the
reports of standing committees including the Administrative Committee and will be
able to have a time for discussion of the reports and any other matters of interest.
We now stand at the very beginning of the meetings related to the New Life Movement
in Japan and other countries of the Orient. Dr. Crawley is leaving tomorrow for
the Orient and I shall be making a very brief journey to Japan leaving on Sunday,
March 24 and returning on April 2. We regret that Dr. Billy Graham will not be
able to participate in the meetings in the Orient, but he will be joining in prayer
that God's blessing and power might rest upon the efforts being made.
In view of the large number of people who will be going to the Orient to participate
in the New Life Movement and the large number who will be going to Beirut in the
summer for the Youth Congress, it is anticipated that a great many more Baptist
people will come to know firsthand needs and opportunities on mission fields. All
of this will result in deepening of concern and interest on the part of the churches
at home that a powerful forward thrust in missions be continued.
