Richmond, Virginia
November 5, 1964
139
The Foreign Mission Board met in regular monthly session on Thursday, November 5, at
3:00 P.M. with Dr. Roberson presiding.
Present: T. F. Adams, Wade Bryant, J. Roy Clifford, H. Addison Dalton, Joseph P.
Edmondson, Horace L. Ford, J. C. Hatfield, Mrs. Clyde V. Hickerson, M. Josiah Hoover,
W. Rush Loving, J. Walter Martin, J. Leonard Moore, Ryland 0. Reamy, Meredith K.
Roberson, D. 0. Rose, James T. Todd, Baker J. Cauthen, Frank K. Means, Winston Crawley,
Cornell Goerner, J. D. Hughey, Franklin T. Fowler, E. L. Deane, E. L. Wright, Jesse
C. Fletcher, Edna Frances Dawkins, William W. Marshall, Louis S. Cobbs, Truman S.
Smith, E. L. Hill, Fon H. Scofield, lone Gray, Harold G. Basden, Norman Price, Floyd
H. North, Inez Tuggle.
Dr. Cauthen gave excerpts from the following report of the Executive Secretary:
REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY
We are glad to have word today from Rev. Joseph B. Underwood that the special evange¬
listic meetings in Portugal have been greatly blessed. The twenty-three churches and
three missions in Portugal with a combined membership of only a few more than 1,000
members reported 688 decisions for Christ. This occasions great rejoicing and thanks¬
giving.
Special evangelistic efforts are now under way in Lebanon where Mr. Underwood, and
those who are assisting are engaged with the missionaries and national leaders in a
major effort in evangelism. We will await eagerly the reports from that strategic
field.
We are grateful that gifts through the Cooperative Program have continued to come in
such a way that the outlook for advance funds remains very bright. For the first time
in several years we anticipate coming to the close of 1964 with funds from the Co¬
operative Program for advance. This gives occasion of great rejoicing and thanksgiving.
We are now moving toward the season of prayer for foreign missions and the Lottie Moon
Christmas Offering. We are grateful to Woman's Missionary Union and to all people who
share in this important effort. The Week of Prayer brings spiritual undergirding for
mission labor all over the world. We will have to await eternity to know how much has
grown out of this period of intercession at the throne of grace year by year.
The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering is of major importance in the outreach of Christian
witness. It provides more than $6,000,000 which will be used in support of missiona¬
ries and reinforcement of ministries of preaching, teaching, healing, and publication
throughout the entire world. It will provide more than $5,000,000 of resources for
construction of church buildings, missionary residences, hospitals, schools, seminaries,
publishing houses and other necessary structures.
Growth in foreign missions necessitates increased resources year by year. Personnel
and finances must grow together. We follow a deliberate course of sending the mis¬
sionaries who are available for appointment and doing the best we can about recommen¬
dations from the fields for operating expenses and capital funds. Of necessity we
have to leave unmet each year recommendations from the fields amounting to very large
sums of money. Southern Baptists can remember that every increase in financial re¬
sources for foreign missions means a larger outreach in the Master's name.
We are impressed by the fact that volunteers for missions continue to come forward
steadily. Our mails bring word from people all across Baptist life of their readiness
to go. The possibility of sending them depends upon increasing resources year by year.
This is a great challenge to faith and prayer, and places great responsibility upon
us, and wise administration of these funds so as to keep the missionary enterprise strong
for whatever circumstances we must confront.
Our hearts are filled with thanksgiving as we look backward and recount the road over
which we have come in these years of advance. Our hearts are filled with confidence
and expectation as we look forward to the task that awaits, and upward to the unlimited
power and definite leadership of our living Lord whose command rings in our hearts as
we go to make disciples of all nations and teach them to observe those things the
Master has instructed.
*****
Dr. Hughey gave the following report of the Secretary for Europe and the Middle
East:
REPORT OF SECRETARY FOR EUROPE AND THE MIDDLE EAST
On October 10 Dr. James Young wrote me about encouraging developments in Yemen. I
shall take the liberty of reading his letter.
