Foreign Mission Board Rooms
September 11, 1952
The Foreign Mission Board met in regular monthly session at 300 p.m.
on Thursday, September 11, 1952, with Mr. Jenkins presiding.
■Present: L. Howard Jenkins, R. C. McDanel, T. Rupert Coleman, Mrs.
Clyde V. Hickerson, Oscar L. Hite, Carls T. Long, H. P. Thomas, Mrs.
Tom Smith, Elmer .vest, Emmett Y. Robertson, Mrs. Paul LaRoque, Reuben
E. Alley, M. T. Rankin, G. W. Sadler, Everett Gill, Jr., Frank K. Means,
Fon H. Scofield, S. E. Maddox, E. L. Deane, Baker James Cauthen.
Dr. Coleman led in prayer.
On the motion of Dr. Oscar Hite it was voted to appoint the following
candidates as regular missionaries of the Foreign Mission Boards
Miss Frances Hatcher, Hawaii
Mr. and Mrs. Oren Robison, Nigeria
On the motion of Dr. Hite it was voted to regularize the appointment
of Mr. and Mrs. to. R. uavis, who received special appointment to
Nigeria two years ago.
Dr. Rankin gave the charge to the new appointees and Dr.
С.
H.
Westbrook led in the prayer of dedication.
Dr. Rankin gave the following report:
It is my plan to discuss in some detail at the October meeting of the
Board impressions and observations of the trip of some two months that
I made to Europe and the Near East this past summer. In view of that
fact, I am giving now only a brief summary of my observations on the
trip to Europe.
Great things are happening among Baptists of Europe, when the Baptist
World Alliance met in Copenhagen in 19U7, Baptists of Europe were still
confused by the blows of therwar and crushed underneath the weight of
debris. A year later, at the enlarged meeting of the Executive Committee
of the Baptist World Alliance held in London, they were just beginning
to emerge from the debris. At the meeting of the Baptist Federation
of Europe held in Copenhagen this summer, they were standing on top
of the wreckage of war. The wreckage is still there, to be sure, and
the road which Baptists of Europe are traveling leads through and over
the obstacles and hindrances of this wreckage. Even so, Baptists of
Europe are standing today on top of the wreckage and are not under¬
neath it.
At the October meeting of the ^oard, I will report more fully on the
broad and effective participation which Southern Baptists, through the
Foreign Mission Board, have in the work of Baptists of Europe. I do
not believe that we have made a more telling contribution in any area
of mission work during the past five years than we have made in Europe.
We have done this mainly by helping Baptist churches and unions of
Europe to do their own jobs as the evangelizing agents of Europe.
Instead of attempting to conduct our own programs, create our own
institutions, maintain our own missionaries, we have chosen to lose
ourselves in helping European Baptists to strengthen and advance their
undertakings. The results of this approach in Europe are to be seen
in practically every country of Europe where there are Baptist churches,
outside of the Soviet controlled areas.
The Foreign Mission Board has abundant cause to be grateful for the
leadership of Dr. Sadler and the far-reaching contribution of our
missionaries in Europe.
I attended the International Missionary Conference at Willingen,
Germany, which I found most profitable. I was extended full opportunity
to discuss frankly with the full conference problems and issues which
have developed in foreign missionary service between groups not
organizationally related to the ecumenical movement and those that
work in organized relationships with this movement. These discussions
were considered by all concerned highly helpful and it is my opinion
that they will do much to lessen the misunderstandings and issues
which have arisen in various areas of missionary activity.
