FOREIGN MISSION BOARD MINUTES
^3
May 14, 1974
•The Foreign Mission Board held its regular monthly meeting at 3:00 p.m., May 14,
1974, in the Baker James Cauthen Chapel, Foreign Mission Board headquarters,
Richmond, Virginia. The President, W. 0. Vaught, Jr, presided.
PRESENT: State Members: Alabama: Drew J. Gunnells, Jr., J. R. White; Arkansas :
W. 0. Vaught, Jr.; D. C. : Kenneth E. Thornton; Georgia: Mrs. Lindsay Barron;
Illinois : Raymond L. Odle; Indiana : Ronald P. Liesmann; Kentucky: Eldred M.
Taylor; Michigan: Hubert G. Keefer; Mississippi: W. Douglas Hudgins; South
Carolina : Ira Q. Craft; Virginia: Mrs. James T. Cravens.
T.ocal Members: Robert Bass, Mrs. R. B. Carter, Sr., J. Roy Clifford, Paul E.
Crandall, Austin W. Farley, Joseph B. Flowers, Scott C. Humphrey, Neal T. Jones,
J. Leonard Moore, John W. Patterson, Julian H. Pentecost, Bruce H. Price, M.
Hunter Riggins, Jr., Meredith K. Roberson, Mrs. Ross S. Shearer, Mrs. E. S.
Stratton, Mrs. Thomas Whalen, H. I. Willett.
Board's Attorney: John C. Williams.
Staff : Baker J. Cauthen, Charles W. Bryan, Louis R. Cobbs, Winston Crawley, Edna
Frances Dawkins, William K. Dawson, Everett L. Deane, James D. Belote. James G.
Edwards, Jesse C. Fletcher, Joseph B. Flowers. lone Gray, H. Cornell Goerner,
Ward Hildreth, Eugene L. Hill, Dwight Honeycutt, Ralph Magee, Frank K. Means, Stanley
Nelson, Floyd H. North, R. Keith Parks, Sam Pittman, Norman Price, Sidney C. Reber,
Fon H. Scofield, Rogers M. Smith, Truman Smith, W. L. Smith Richard M. Styles,
Wilbur Todd, E. L. Wright, Elizabeth Minshew.
Radio-TV Commission Representative (working in liaison with Foreign Mission Board):
Fred Laughon.
The President called the meeting to order.
The congregation was led by Sidney C. Reber in the Hymn: "He Is So Precious to Me."
Neal T. Jones, local Board member, read a passage of Scripture and led in the
opening prayer.
The President recognized a visitor, Alvin "Bo" Huffman, Jr., executive vice-president
of the Radio-TV Commission. Mr. Huffman had been in Richmond visiting with Fred
Laughon, in relation to his responsibilities with the Radio-TV Commission.
Dr. Cauthen recognized several staff members who had just returned from extended
overseas travel.
Minutes of the Board for the semiannual meeting in April 1974, Little Rock, Arkansas,
were approved as received by the Board members.
The President recognized the Executive Secretary, Baker J. Cauthen.
Dr. Cauthen called special attention to nine members of the Board who would be
rotating off Board membership during the meeting of the SBC in Dallas, Texas,
June 11-13, 1974. He named these nine members and recognized each member individ¬
ually for his or her very special contributions to the work of the Board. Special
mention was made of the loss of six members of the Admini s cr at i »e Committee. He
referred to the meaningful expressions that were made by these six members during
the meeting of the Administrative Committee on Monday evening, May 13.
Dr. Cauthen referred with very deep appreciation for the privilege of having Mr.
Huffman present for the Board meeting. He referred to his many contributions to
Southern Baptist life and his fine spirit in always being ready to serve wherever
he could meet a need. Dr. Cauthen expressed deep appreciation on behalf of the
Board, the staff, and the missionaries.
Special attention was called to the funeral for Miss Blanche Sydnor White, being
held on Tuesday afternoon in Petersburg, Virginia. Many who were present knew
Miss White in a very personal way in connection with her years of service in the
work of Woman's Missionary Union of Virginia.
Dr. Cauthen gave a brief survey of a formal report, as follows:
REPORT OF EXECUTIVE SECRETARY
Members of the Board will recall that we had a special session in Richmond in
February to discuss the Report of the Committee of 15. This was followed by
the meeting of the Executive Committee in Nashville, at which time the Report
of the Committee of 15 was discussed. A special committee was appointed to
restate the considerations included in Recommendation No. 20 entitled, "Mission
Strategy Study."
