FOREIGN MISSION BOARD MINUTES
November 5, 1974
The Foreign Mission Board held its regular monthly meeting at 3:00 p.m., November 5,
1974, in the Baker James Cauthen Chapel, Foreign Mission Board headquarters, Richmond,
Virginia. The President, W. 0. Vaught, Jr., presided.
PRESENT: State Members: Alabama: J. R. White; Arkansas : W. 0. Vaught, Jr.;
Indiana: Ronald P. Liesmann; Kentucky: Mrs. Ray Mullendore; Maryland : Ralph D.
Walls; New Mexico: j. D. Ratliff; South Carolina: Ira Q. Craft; Virginia: Mrs.
James T. Cravens.
Local Members: Franklin D. Hall, Bruce H. Price, M. Hunter Riggins, Jr., Mrs. Ross
S. Shearer, Mrs. E. S. Stratton, Mrs. Thomas Whalen, Robert B. Bass, Paul E. Crandall,
Austin W. Farley, Gurney W. Grant, J. Leonard Moore, John W. Patterson, Julian H.
Pentecost, H. I. Willett.
Staff : Baker J. Cauthen, Louis R. Cobbs, J. Winston Crawley, Edna Frances Dawkins,
William K. Dawson, Samuel A. DeBord, Everett L. Deane, James G. Edwards, Jesse C.
Fletcher, Ward S. Hildreth, Eugene L. Hill, J. D. Hughey, Frank K. Means, Floyd H.
North, Samuel M. Pittman, G. Norman Price, Sidney C. Reber, Davis L. Saunders, Fon
H. Scofield, Rogers M. Smith, Truman Smith, W. L. Smith, Richard M. Styles, Wilbur
N. Todd, Melvin E. Torstrick, E. L. Wright, Elizabeth Minshew.
The President called the meeting to order.
J . D. Ratliff, Board member from New Mexico, read a passage of Scripture and led in
prayer.
Board Minutes for the annual meeting, October 7-9, 1974, were approved.
The President made special mention of the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering emphasis,
in the midst of the economic . unrest in the world situation today.
The President recognized the Executive Secretary, Baker J. Cauthen,
Dr. Cauthen expressed appreciation for the presence of each Board member, especially
those from the eastern part of Virginia who might have had special opportunities to
attend the Billy Graham Crusade in Hampton and Norfolk, Virginia.
Robert Bass, local Board member, was asked to report on the Crusade, in the light
of his attendance on Monday evening, November 4.
Mr. Bass reDorted that attendance and response had been most gratifying. The Coliseum
had been filled beyond normal seating capacity and, as of Monday evening, 14,000
decisions had been recorded.
J. R. White, Board member from ALabama, led in a special prayer for the Billy
Graham Crusade and the entire Team.
The Executive Secretary spoke with great appreciation of Mrs. T. Justin Moore ,( former
member of the Board), recently deceased. Mrs. Moore's father, Dr. R. J. Willingham,
served as Executive Secretary of the Board for twenty-one years, from 1893 to 1914.
Mrs. Moore's brother was also a former member of the Board.
Everyone was asked to remember the family in prayer.
Dr. Cauthen made a special emphasis on the matter of world relief in the light of
current circumstances involving extreme hunger and devastation from hurricanes.
Report of the Executive Secretary
The world is being shocked into awareness that human suffering on catastrophic dimen¬
sions seems lying ahead.
Tragic disasters such as famine in Africa, hurricane in Honduras, and flood devastation
in Bangladesh have brought dramatically to public attention the needs of our fellowman.
Beyond these crisis situations, there looms the much greater danger of runaway popula¬
tion increase and lagging food supplies. Warnings are being sounded from many quarters
that mass starvation may be looming upon the horizon in many parts of the world.
Southern Baptists are desirous of doing whatever is possible to minister to our fellow-
man. We are grateful that a large part of missionary service deals directly with human
suffering through medical work, social services, agricultural missions, and education.
