Foreign Mission Board Rooms
May 12, 1955
The Foreign Mission Board met in regular monthly session at 300 p.m. on
Thursday, May 12, 1955, with Mr. Jenkins presiding.
Present: L. Howard Jenkins, Garis T. Long, Neal W. Ellis, L. G. Mosley,
Oscar L. Hite, Emmett Y. Robertson, W. Rush Loving, J. Hundley Wiley, Howard
L. Arthur, Mrs. Clyde V. Hiekerson, Mrs. Tom Smith, E. P. Buxton, J. E.
Boyles, Perry Mitchell, H. B. Tillman, H. P. Thomas, Baker J. Cauthen,
George W. Sadler, Frank K. Means, Winston Crawley, Rogers M. Smith, Fon H.
Scofield, E. L. Wright, E. L. Deane.
Mr. Motley led in prayer.
On the motion of Dr. Wiley it was voted to reappoint Mrs. Edith Humphrey
for missionary service in Hawaii as a special appointee. Mrs. Humphrey and
her husband, Dr. J. H. Humphrey, served in China from 1937 to 19U0 and
returned to this country during Japanese hostilities. Dr. Humphrey died
of a heart attack in 1952 and Mrs. Humphrey has since that time been
engaged in teaching. She is being reappointed to teach in the Baptist
Academy in Honolulu.
On the motion of Dr. Hite the following candidates were appointed as mission¬
aries:
Mr. and Mrs. William Dean Bender, Nigeria
Mr. and Mrs. Pervv Augustus Cline, Thailand
Mr. and Mrs. RossCalvin Coggins, Indonesia, Special Appointment
Miss Eva Mae Eldridge, Nigeria, Special Appointment
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Erie Halsell, Equatorial Brazil
Mr. and Mrs. Russell Lloyd Locke, Nigeria
Miss Pauline Martin, Nigeria
Mr.4- and Mrs. Charles D. Mullins, Hawaii, Special Appointment
Mr. and Mrs. Gordon E. Robinson, Nigeria
Miss Frances warian' Sanders, Mexico
Miss La'ura Frances Snow, Chile
Mr. and Mrs. Earl narvey Walworth, Mexico
Mr. West introduced the candidates and each one gave a brief testimoney.
Dr. Cauthen gave the charge to the new missionaries and Dr. Winston Crawley
led in the prayer of dedication.
Dr. C luthen gave the following report:
RETORT OF EXECUTIVE SECRETARY
Because of the large number of missionaries being appointed today, the
secretaries are abbreviating our renorts so as to give time for the
testimonies of appointees.
This meeting is highly significant in that the number of missionaries under
appointment by this Board has now passed the 1,000 mark. Arriving at this
point makes the objective of a minimum staff of 1,750 toward which we are
working seem much less remote.
It is highly significant that many of these who are coming for appointment
are leaving positions of responsibility in churches and denominational life
to offer themselves for mission service. They are going to the fields with
unusual preparation, not only from the standpoint of study but from exper¬
ience. Their contribution will be definite, and we believe their- example
will do much to stimulate Southern Baptists toward larger missionary effort.
We stand today upon the eve of the meeting of the Southern Baptist Conven¬
tion in Miami. We approach that meeting with a deep sense of responsibility
and with much prayer that God will make it another point of advance. We
have felt since last year in St. Louis a definite deepening of missionary
concern throughout all Southern Baptist life. I am confident all members
of the Board will be much in prayer for the Convention as a whole and for
the Foreign Missions Night in particular.
