FOREIGN MISSION BOARD MINUTES
March 14, 1972
The Foreign Mission Board held its regular monthly meeting, at 3:00 p.m., March 14,
1972, in the Foreign Mission Board Chapel, Richmond, Virginia with the President,
Drew J. Gunnells, Jr., presiding.
PRESENT: State Members: Alabama: Drew J. Gunnells, Jr; Florida: Don Mott; Kansas :
J. W. Pace; Kentucky: Eldred M. Taylor; Michigan: Hubert G. Keefer; Mississippi :
W. Douglas Hudgins, John Lee Taylor; North Carolina: Mrs. William M. Jones; South
Carolina : Robert L. Deneen, Daniel W. Cloer.
Local Members: Robert B. Bass, Mrs. R. B. Carter, J. Roy Clifford, Austin W. Farley,
Paul E. Crandall, V. Allen Gaines, David S. Hammock, Mrs. Clyde V. Hickerson, John
W. Kincheloe, Jr., John W. Patterson, Meredith K. Roberson, Mrs. E. S. Stratton, H.
I. Willett.
Staff: Baker J. Cauthen, James D. Belote, Charles W. Bryan, Louis R. Cobbs, Winston
Crawley, Edna Frances Dawkins, E. L. Deane, Samuel A. DeBord, Franklin Fowler, Jesse
Fletcher, Cornell Goerner, Ward S. Hildreth, Eugene L. Hill, Frank K. Means, Stanley
A. Nelson, Floyd H. North, Norman Price, Sidney C. Reber, Melvin Torstrick, Rogers
M. Smith, Truman Smith, Richard M. Styles, E. L. Wright, Elizabeth Minshew.
The meeting was called to order.
The audience was led by Sidney C. Reber of the Foreign Mission Board staff in the
opening Hymn: "Blessed Redeemer."
Mr. Don Mott, Board member from Florida, read a passage of Scripture and led in prayer.
The President extended a welcome to all who were present. Special gratitude was ex¬
pressed for the presence of Mrs. William Jones and for her recovery from a recent
illness which had necessitated her absence from several meetings.
Minutes of the Board for February, 1972 were approved.
Reports were called for as follows:
EXECUTIVE SECRETARY - Dr. Baker J. Cauthen gave the following report:
Since the last meeting of the Board, when we took emergency steps to strengthen mis¬
sionary support throughout the world, we have received a great volume of letters
from individual missionaries and official letters from mission organizations express¬
ing the profound appreciation felt for these actions taken. Not only are the mis¬
sionaries appreciative of the material assistance made possible, but also for the
indication of concern and love which these steps indicate. We will look back upon
these measures taken with gratitude throughout the years to come.
It is good to report today that at the meeting of the Executive Committee of the
Southern Baptist Convention in February, the financial outlook for 1973 was discussed.
The Executive Committee is recommending to the Southern Baptist Convention an increase
in the appropriation for foreign missions for 1973 of $1,456,608.00, giving a grand
total for the appropriation of $16,319,959.00.
We are greatly encouraged by this additional reinforcement, and look forward to the
future with confidence.
It is also a great joy to report that the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering now being
received is running well in advance of the receipts at this same point one year ago.
We have actually received at the Foreign Mission Board the sum of $14,011,324.76. We
believe that when the offering comes to its final total at the end of April, it will
be a remarkable success. The offering last year went beyond the goal, and we are
hopeful that it will be considerably larger this year than it was a year ago.
We will be appropriating $4,000,000.00 of the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering when
we gather in Jackson. We have already appropriated $11,500,000.00 of the offering
when we adopted the budget in October. When the final amount of the offering is
determined, additional appropriations will be drawn up to be submitted to the Board
at its meeting at Ridgecrest in June.
We are also grateful to be able to report that the government in Nigeria has given
to the mission treasurer a check to pay for the Kontagora Hospital building, which
was sold to the government some time ago. The amount in American dollars will be
$197,600.00.
Attention is called to two items in the Administrative Committee of special impor¬
tance. One is the recommendation that the Appointment Service in October be held at
