41
Foreign Mission Board Rooms
May Id, 1953
The Foreign Mission Board met in regular monthly session at 3:30 p.m.
on Thursday, May
1Ц,
1953) with Mr. Jenkins presidinr.
Present: L. Howard Jenkins, R. C. McDanel, R. P. Thomas, Oscar I . Hite,
Perry Mitchell, Mrs. Clyde V. Kickerson, J. Hundley Wiley, W. Rush Loving,
Emmett Y. Robertson, T. Shad Medlin, .M. T. Rankin, George W. Sadler,
Baker James Cauthen, Elmer S. West, Fon H. Scofield, E. L. Deane, E. . Buxton,
Guests: Rev. Ellis O'Neal, Dr. and Mrs. J. T. williams
Mr. O'Neal led in prayer.
On the motion of Dr. Hite the following cnadidates were appointed as
regular missionaries of the Foreign Mission Board:
Dr. and Mrs. George M. Faile, Jr., Nigeria
Rev. and Mrs. Joseph Wilson Me f ford, Jr., Spain
Miss Violet
ь.
Popp, Jordan
Rev. and Mrs. Roy
в.
Wyatt, Jr., Spain
Dr. Rankin gave the Charge to the new missionaries ana Dr. J. T. williams
led in the prayer of dedication.
Dr. Rankin gave the following report:
The Foreign Mission Board has occasion to receive much encouragement
from the Houston meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention. The spirit
of harmony and mutual confidence manifested in the Convention affords
reassurance to the entire undertaking of the Southern Baptist Convention.
We may be grateful for the trend back to the historic position of Southern
Baptists to maintain a spirit of unity in the great basic beliefs which
we hold in common and to respect the honesty of conviction of one another
in the individual differences which exist among us.
The deepening concern of the Convention and all of its agencies for the
extension of God's kingdom throughout the world gives definite promise of
continuing support to the Advance Program of the roreign Mission Board,
along with the development of the spirit of unity within the Convention
there is also a growing realization of the unity of our overall task of
world missions.
The Boara has reason to be nr ateful for the large measure of confidence
which members throughout the Convention place in the aaministration and
program of the Foreign Mission Boara. To be sure, questions, and even
doubts, are to be found here ana there, but we are told by men who are
in touch with cross sections of the thinking of Southern Baptists that
there has never been a time when the Foreign Mission board carried greater
confidence of the people than it does now.
It is a tribute to members of the administrative staff of the Board that
other agencies of the Convention frequently turn to members of our staff
in their search for administrators and executives. While we are ■■•rateful
for this high evaluation of the members of our personnel, we are all the
more grateful that our staff members are so convinced of the worthwhileness
of the services and opportunities provided within the program of the Foreign
Mission Board th± they choose to remain in seconaary positions with the
Board rather than accept offers of primary executive positions elsewhere.
I am confident that this in no way indicates an attitude that we consider
the Foreign Mission Board as being more important in God's kingdom under¬
taking than other chases of our denondr: I'ional program. It means only
that members of our staff are convinced that with the Foreign Mission
oard they are in the olace where Goa would have them serve in his
kingdom unaertaking.
I want to take the privilege of expressing my personal appreciation and
gratitude of the entire staff of this Board. We have a group of colleagues
who are serving mainly because of their interest in and devotion to the
task we are undertaking. This sririt of devotion is to be found in every
office ana department of the heaaquarters. It is indeed a high privilege
to work in such relationships.
I am happy to announce that Br. and Mrs. J.
Т»
williams are to be with
us in Richmond for most of the summer. Dr. williams will continue his
work of organizing ana classifying the correspondence files of the Board.
We cannot estimate the value of what he is doing for the records and
