37
Foreign Mission Board Rooms
October 9, 1951
The Foreign Mission Board met in semi-annual session at 7:30 p.m. on
Tuesday, October 9,
1951»
with Mr. Jenkins presiding.
The following members were present either at the Tuesday evening or
the Wednesday Morning sessions:
State Members: John K. Buchanan, Alabama; Waymon C. Reese, Alabama;
William Barclay, Arizona; J. Ray Garrett, D. C.: R. Kelly White, Florida;
Searcy Garrison, Georgia; Dean Paaen, Georgia; Russell W. Wallis, Illinois;
Robert E. Humphreys, Kentucky; William Peyton Thurman, Kentucky; Baxter
Pond, Louisiana; J. H. Kyzar, Mississippi; Dotson M. Nelson, Jr., Missouri;
Earl Keating, New Mexico; Eph Whisenhunt, North Carolina; R. Knolan Benfield,
North Carolina; J. E. Rawlinson, South Carolina; Grady Cothen, Oklahoma;
Russell Bradley Jones, Tennessee; A. Hope Owen, Texas; F. C. Feezer, Texas;
Charles S. McKinney, Texas;
С.
E. Hereford, Texas; R. P. Downey, Virginia.
ocal embers: Reuben E. Alley, E. P. Buxton, T. Rupert Coleman, L.
Howard Jenkins, Garis T. Long, J. G. Loving, W. Rush Loving, R. C.
McDanel, T. Shad Medlin; Emmett Y. Robertson, Mrs. T. W. Smith, Herman
P. Thomas, J. Hundley Wiley, Solon B. Cousins.
Staff Members: M. Theron Rankin, George W. Sadler, Everett r.ill, Jr.,
Frank K. Means, S. E. Maddox, Everett L. Deane, Fon H. Scofield, Louis
P. Seay,
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M. Hunter, Edna Frances Dawkins, Genevieve Greer.
Rev. Baxter Pond of Louisiana brought the devotional.
Dr. Garis T. Long as chairman of the special committee to recognize the
services of Mr. Hill Montague stated that the committee had asked Mr.
Jenkins and Dr. Rankin to express to Mr. Montague the gratitude of the
Board for his twenty- nine years of service to the Board as legal counsel.
Mr. Jenkins read the following tribute to Mr. Montague:
If I were to select a text, it would the words in the 20th Chapter of
Matthew, "Whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;
and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant."
Truly, the brother we honor tonight has been the servant of this Board
in the finest sense of that word. I believe it was Martin Luther who
said, "A faithful and good servant is a God-send, but truly, it is a
rare bird." Yes, it is true that those who serve as Mr. Montague has
served are rare indeed.
I do not want this tribute to be too effusive. He would not want it
that way. I could "lay it on" as the saying is, without stretching the
truth in the least, but I shall refrain. On a somewhat similar occasion
the honor guest said after all the glowing tributes had been paid, that
he thought he knew then how a pancake felt after the syrup had been
poured on. I want to avoid anything of that nature but at the same
time I want to attenpt to pay adequate tribute to one who has served
us so long and acceptably, and whom we love so much.
The Foreign Mission Board felt that it could not let Mr. Montague retire
without recognition on our part of the substantial obligation we owe him.
To that end, a special committee was appointed to arrange for this
recognition service at which we would try to express as best we could
our undying appreciation of the incalculable labors in our Dehalf over
a p. rioa of 29 years. The other members of the committee thought that
I should speak for the Board because of my intimate association with
Mr. Montague over all this period. We have spent these yeax-s together
in perfect harmony and it has brought into my heart a devotion and
admiration impossible to describe. While ^ have accepted this assign¬
ment, I do so with the knowledge that what I shall say will De wholly
inadequate to express our sentiments.
We honor ourselves when we try to do justice to this devoted servant
of our V aster . No one can deny that he has given freely of himself
and has served us with a deathless devotion that has merited our
commendation and praise.
I undertake this task with much reluctance. In fact, I have found it
difficult to find words to express just hov; I feel. As I have tried
