Buck Hill Falls mission consultation, after 1957, side 2.

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And even though there is the reader didn't see the need for this autonomy you do where
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conditions undue haste may ruin the chances of working out a satisfactory solution
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to the problems involved. There's still another cause for concern in the development of the church
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in Cameroon that sounds like heresy. But one would be remiss not to mention it
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when the church was placed under the.
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Church must become a part of the church universal.
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And even` though there is the realtor didn't see the need for this autonomy due to world
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conditions undue haste may ruin the chances of working out a satisfactory solution
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to the problems involved. There is still another cause for concern in the development of the church
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in Cameroon that sounds like heresy but one would be remiss not to mention it
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when the church was placed under African control. It was expected that at the outset there would
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be blunders made by inexperienced personnel.
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In the traditional and then the transitional period. There might be some retrenchment until the new
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impetus and drive of national leadership should begin to assert itself. This was the
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case and the unfortunate thing is there is still no sign or few signs
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that vitality and drive that we anticipated. Two reasons are becoming increasingly
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apparent. The African pastors have drifted into the older better paying churches
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and their pioneer fields have been deserted and abandoned. One sees the perimeter of the church
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boundary shrinking. I said settles down into its old areas of activity.
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It is as if the wave of the evangelistic expansion had reached out into the unoccupied field some
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years ago and the effort once spent is receding on an ebb tide.
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As pastors concentrate in these older areas there is less and less for them to
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do and the inevitable result seems to follow. There is a growing moral laxness
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and laziness which many of them decry but seem powerless to control. Would be
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simple to say that the solution is for the ordained missionary to take the newer field.
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Of going after the manner of a modified Brazil plan allowing the National Pastors to
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absorb the newer churches into their presbyteries as they developed as a matter of fact the
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presbyteries generally assigned the missionaries to these new fields anyway.
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But the increasing pressures of station life schools administration and other institutions
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take so much of the missionaries time that little is left for these faraway places. For
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instance Dr. Love [Love, Danvers Coe] retiring this April after 42 years in Africa.
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Has three churches 200 miles apart assigned to him. And when Mr.
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Neely [Neely, Harry Campbell] left on furlough use made moderator two more churches 75 miles in another
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direction from the station if you it. This time was taken up almost entirely if you
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wonder. As moderator of the large city church as well as administrating the station itself.
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The other hand in and around a lot. One of the older stations one can count seven African
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pastors in a field largely evangelize living sometimes less than 10 miles from each
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other. This is not being said in the spirit of idle criticism I
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stated above almost everyone is conscious of this movement and no one is willing to make the
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initial move to remedy the situation. The African pastors have to criticize the
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missionary pastor for not attending to the newer appeals and then missionaries too critical of
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the Vatican for wanting to stay at home near his cocoa plantations which material augment
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materially augment his salary. The newer dudes kind of support a man with his family
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and the church is not giving enough in Cameroon to support these men even if they did volunteer to go
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out into the newer deals. It seems probable that we can expect fewer and fewer
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reinforcements in the way of evangelistic missionaries for some time to come because of the
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institutions the borders of our work which logically form part of the church in Cameroon
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are being taken over by the Seventh Day Adventists. Maurice and the Jehovah's Witnesses.
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Bring these areas the first arrivals generally gain the loyalty of the people. It would be
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simple the funds and personnel were available. Since they are not a strategy must be developed
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within the church demand these fields offering them is not acceptable to the church as a whole
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but seems to be the only possible solution. Looking back at the history of
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the mission it would now seem to have been a mistake to use paid
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late evangelists. We have twenty four hundred of them currently working in the mission under the church.
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Very successful very successful and noble body of men these humble folk where the
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system created the impression that any church worker is worthy of his hire an all Christian
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service is due some remuneration. When one suggests some form of the Navy as
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used in Korea violent opposition is expressed as was stated
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above a wave of evangelistic efforts once reached out into almost every corner of the
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land in these faraway places. Although presently abandoned there can
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be found. True followers of Jesus Christ unlettered simple folk who have but who
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have seen the light. It is conceivable that a pastor missionary or African could
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serve to supervise the training of such laymen at certain periods of the year and then could send them
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out to become the center of Christian teaching each in his own village unpaid and yet
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recognizes the Christian leader of the community. Over a period of years. These individuals
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would have had several years of training and should be able to develop Christian communities in the distant
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places of the Interior in order to make this plan work that will be necessary to sell the
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idea to the church. One can sense a lessening of the opposition to the plan as
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everyone realizes we should lose what is logically our territory. If some famine is not
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devised to meet the situation in the very near future to aid these humble folk and their
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witness in their Pagan communities the graduating classes of the theological seminary are spending
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their internships in these areas and it is hoped that more of them will follow the lead of two or
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three who have a vision of service in these difficult fields and have given their youth to the
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proclamation of the Gospel in the interior. The only other practical solution of this
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problem and one that should be seriously considered is that of inviting some other branch of the
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Reformed Church to occupy the eastern field so that can be adequately cared for.
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The Swedish Baptist mission is working in a bonga Sherry east of the Cameroon border
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among tribes related to those of Eastern Cameroon. The possibility of their
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taking over their work in our eastern field has been discussed at the meetings of the
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Federation of missions in Cameroon and French equatorial Africa. But the Swedish mission looks with
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disfavor on having their work spread into Cameroon where they will be under two government
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control. Another objection to this plan is that this mission has been most
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uncooperative since the formation of the world Council of Churches. Are separate this
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theologically and otherwise.
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I have this conclusion to offer
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considering the foregoing brief and inadequate survey of existing conditions and
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branch Cameroun in the light of our budgetary and personnel problems.
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There are two main problems that arise first the necessity of a full scale advance in education is
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necessary now not two or three years hence. Men and women are needed to
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supervise the primary schools from half a dozen. There are thirty thousand children in these primary schools by the
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way and half a dozen professors capable of teaching at the college level.
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Must be appointed to carry that class of 18 young men. Now with the college.
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With their college course up to being BSEE degrees the success of our new venture.
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This initial stage of a development will do much to establish the college's reputation. These young
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men have been brought up to six years and we must carry them next three years to the conclusion.
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Otherwise they will go either to France to continue their education and will lose most of them
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communists and they do their best to destroy the faith of the men to go there. I can
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to aid the apparent stagnation within the national church and to consolidate our gains in the territory
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of Cameroon already occupied by former pioneering efforts more personnel must be released
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probably generation under church auspices. Those are the two private.
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Remedy to these two problems will have to be drastic and immediate the mission and the church have
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not discussed the following two possible solutions. I'm it on my own.
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First the board has given birth to an institution that bids fair to outstrip its resources.
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Some of its other work is sacrifice to meet the new need.
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For something outside the board will have to be organized to
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solicit funds for the Cameroun college. There have been precedents that can be followed
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in the history of the board. We realize such a plan cannot be taken seriously
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without consultation by the board general counsel and the other organizations on what
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is conduct what is contemplated is the organization or the funds of time Ron Christie the
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brains of tamarin Christian college incorporated legal bodies set up to receive
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donations from foundations and interested individuals which in turn will make available to the
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board funds sufficient to appoint teachers to the Cameron Christian College outside the
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regular budget. Second the second solution is for the board to the Africa
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Committee of the Foreign Division of the national churches of Christ. Seek out some other church
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organization which will work in cooperation with the national church and mission Cameroon
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in developing the eastern area of IAAPA and thus relieving us of that expense
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in order to concentrate on the education of evangelistic and social demands referred to in the
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foregoing pages. The only two solutions I can see. I have not brought in the
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medical plans Dr. Newman who has just been transferred from China.
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I was been shocked beyond measure by the lack of.
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Equipment and the horrible state of our buildings. In time
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when. And the low the low
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standard of our training our medical assistants. He wants to
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start medical school. In connection with the Caiman Christian
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college. At that site. After seeing what was available in
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China he wonders why Africa has been neglected. He's quite fed up about it
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but the only trouble is that the government simply would not.
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Recognize any students we'd graduate from medical college. Unless it was
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taught by French citizens and recognized by the French medical authorities.
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Restarted Steinmann. Did not. I haven't mentioned here theological education. A letter from
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Mr. Chido reports on the visit of Mr. Van Dusen said he was helped
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very much by Dr. Van Dusen visit. And that Dr. Van Dusen was shocked
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to hear that permission provided $3500 a year for theological
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education and the hope that that could be right. There are a lot of things of course that have been brought in
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this is more or less with Jenny.
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Description of the problem not ready for.
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The system. If there
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had been any question in the minds of people before we came
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to this meeting up here at Buck Hills I
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think that the questions would have evaporated for
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the field representative system is being proved in practice.
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We still got some things to look at and that's our business this morning and this afternoon.
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But nevertheless that it was a good thing as it began that
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it is proving itself as we go is it. To my mind there's no question
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whatsoever.
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It developed as I see it as an idea.
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It was put into practice with that in the Philippines
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and in Thailand the oldest
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man with the least hair is rye Byrne.
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In point of service the youngest is dicked with.
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We have that range with us and in each case
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as we began we began with a tentative name and with a
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tentative description of the job. I have a file here of the
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actions that were taken by the bard in
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defining the work of the field administrator. We begin with the
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Philippines and then Thailand and then Korea and then on down the line
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and in each case that the definitions are not exactly the same.
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We were experimenting with an idea and seeking to define it. We
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even experimented in the terminology at least for the purposes of the
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board and for the purposes of the record the name that has now been chosen is field
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representative. There has been a lot of discussion which I don't think we need to open up now.
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We have suggested some things that would mean a change in the manual. I don't think we want to start
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suggesting something else that would involve that. I
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know that Dr Hooper in re writing the manual
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took into consideration all of the actions of the board and many of the
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suggestions that had arisen in actual experience before he began to
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define just what the field rep position
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involves and you find that definition
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in Section 103 particularly in
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sections 103 and 105 of the board manual
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although the manual at times becomes outdated by actual practice.
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You got to I think in this particular case there's no question that this is the later
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and certainly the most accurate statement of what we are seeking
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to operate under at the present time. You'll find under one
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hundred and three five things that the bardic
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specs of the field representative. Interpret the needs of the field or the
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board to keep the field adequately and personally informed as to
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policy and plans of the board to relate the board of the church
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to council with individual missionaries and to study and deal with
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matters. That may or may not have to be referred to New York
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but which can be dealt with in the first instance more adequately by a board
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representative on the field than there are responsibilities under Section
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105. That may be designated by the field.
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And in general that is a is a is a responsibility for
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strategy and planning on an overall basis in relationship to the total
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problem in the area.
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Two comments before we call on the field
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representatives at the Denver meeting of the National Council of
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Churches in the far eastern area discussion under the division of Foreign Missions.
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There was a serious discussion about the
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problem of relating the two pools of authority
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in the work of of the world mission of the church
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the authority of the field and the authority of the board.
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And the difficulty of bridging the authority
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and Reverend Benjamin gwon saying
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the new president of the Union
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Theological Seminary in Manila a man of Methodist background but with the
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experience in interdenominational relationships got up in this American
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Gathering and said that the one solution that had been
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found for bringing these two poles together was a solution of the
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Presbyterian Board and appointing a field representative to the field
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that in his conception as an outsider without having seen this
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definition but having seen it in actual practice under Henry little and then under Paul
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Lindholm he said the Presbyterian Board is
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solving this problem of bringing that to pose of authority into a
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closer relationship and workable relationship.
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I think Mr. zanier would not mind if I quoted something that he said last week
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after three or four days of conference and I was
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commiserating with him about having to sit through meetings and telling him of
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the experience of a new secretary of the Board of Christian Education.
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Several years ago being invited from a Midwest pastor to come to Philadelphia
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and having resigned his church and come on to become secretary and having
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sat through two days of such meetings and I'm told this is an actual
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fact at the end of the two days he called up the clerk of session and asked if they
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would reconsider the acceptance of his resignation. And he
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went back he went back and took his job back. And
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I asked Mr. Pena if if perhaps he didn't begin to feel something
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like that and he said no. He said it's been very interesting from a standpoint of
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his background in the church and in business. And then he said
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he says you know these are not ordinary man.
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These are exceptional people coming to grips with death with difficult
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problem.
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Now it's with that background and with a sense that
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that we have been doing something in the last five years
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constructively and dealing with these problems that we have a long ways to go
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that we now face this problem of of what we can do to improve.
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The administrative process in the field relationship. Now as I
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said at the beginning before some of you came in instead of asking each of the field
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representatives to make a speech. To the subject that's under discussion
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let's start alphabetically and Ernie Frye will take his
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place because in the in the field office though he's not feeling that
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you hear another him right.
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He has got.
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Well he's got a bad.
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Hand there are a lot of
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people that make fun of it. Do
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they ought to do that.
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So no that's all right.
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They said that the guy
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is great.
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The second item was so similar it's almost the same thing and that is to close with
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a few rabid only one at a time one night.
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So that is why is he OK. All right.
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Committee work putting responsibility on to him and putting and making them
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a committee man on every every committee that comes.
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All right.
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Henry would you come up and put them on the blackboard.
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All right.
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Right Madeleine very much
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loading him up with something else
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including at the time and the committee.
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All right.
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And I don't have any
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I don't have any particular.
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Gripes any difficulties any problems connected with this business.
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The one difficulty that does come up occasionally is that it's often
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difficult to keep from getting involved in the work with the mission you're supposed to keep yourself separate.
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I see what's going to happen when I go back. Doctor Mrs. lover who have been there all these
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years are leaving and there's no one to take their place. And that will be the over care of
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five or six churches. And we've been preaching five or six times since Sunday.
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It is. Trying to help out to the load and that's going to increase
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and I'll have the administrative job as well I shouldn't do it but to there's no one else to
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do it. And you can get an African pastor to live in the expensive city if you want to.
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So one of the big problems is to keep separate from the work mission your heart is in
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it. You want to do it. And to keep yourself free enough from the entangling involvements of
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missionary work. That's the main problem on the field. Second problem
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perhaps it shouldn't come in here.
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How about this.
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This is the board relationship relationship with field administrators to the board.
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I don't know if it's something people are going to have to settle here. That is getting down
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below below the level of the executive secretary of the board. We.
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Are related to them. In another sense that it's related to I don't know what you call them the people
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that are just under the executive secretary ship. The the and the clerical staff
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with this group of managers in between the two Fred and you Hauser face
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all of this group Chuck goes and all these sort of business. Is there some way of getting those
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men organized into some group that we could meet as viewed representatives and iron out some of our
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problems. The the executive secretary hasn't got a chance to go down and complain about the
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mistakes being made in shipping that sort of stuff. But if we could meet with that group with Dan who who's
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supposed to oversee it or something we administrators and have our gripes laid in the board.
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I've been having lunch with these fellows one after another discussing our problems and I find out they don't know what
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I want and I don't know their problem. And it's been a great help. They could be formed
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into a council that met once a month or something to air their grievances and we
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are there's I think it's going to help tremendously. That may not be a pace here but it will solve the
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difficulty my friend.
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All right. OK. I think it is at play here.
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All right.
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Arbitrament candidates come by the very nature of the definition of my
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job and relationship that I have a dual
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definition.
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I'm a field administrator for our work in Europe and at the same time
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representative of our board on the department of energy aid
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and service to refugees of the world council of churches.
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Now to take the second one first to show you the difficulty of the
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combination although it's it's something one doesn't do anything about
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is the fact that in the parlance of Japan
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for example that the Department of Energy or trade and service to refugees is a kind
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of inter board committee of various people. And I have to sit on in a
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kind of executive capacity there where we discuss these
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problems of church aid. And you saw perhaps from my presentation how they
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range from questions of state relief immediate relief
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to deep questions of the renewal of the life of the
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church and the finding of new patterns for life with the church in Europe.
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There's a whole gamut there on which we must decide. And then secondly
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or the first one which I know as well as field administrator for our
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board. I administer the work of
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one mission as it were which is in also a
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cooperative mission with two other churches work in Portugal
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and which is the only clear cut sort of situation we have. And then
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we have personnel 12 of eight other
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people scattered all the way from Madrid to Berlin.
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And those people are in a relationship in which they work
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under the churches and they are so widely scattered that
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just plain administrative problems and bring the insights of the board to them and bring
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their problems to the board.
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It is physically a difficult one.
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I think my problem is just the opposite of Lewellen and
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where I have for mission. Not a question of my getting involved
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in the work of anyone because I travel so much that I can't be involved in any one. It's a
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question of having a real valuable relationship
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to the work of anyone. Since there must be in each mission
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a continuing secretary of the mission I'm not the secretary of any mission. I'm the field
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represent since there must be in every mission a continuing secretary
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who is able in the case of an emergency to really do considerable executive
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responsibility because if I'm in Mexico and something happens in Venezuela. After all there's got to be somebody
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there who can assume and is able to assume responsibility.
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The question comes out comes up as to well then just what does the field
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rep do and how valuable is his work. And also
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since the field secretary. Must have responsibility
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and. Must have correspondence with new york
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often I feel out of the stream because there's something to feel
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like he rights in New York about and it's all decided and I'm in Mexico.
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And I didn't know until three weeks later the ship was in the 19
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states I was I had been in and Venezuela I knew there was a problem there.
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I had to go right away to Guatemala because there was a problem. And three weeks later or nearly a month later I
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discovered that within five days of my departure the ship must have resigned from that I had left the
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field never to return.
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If you think our problem is Iran
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will be faced with many other fields in dealing with Superman.
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You have picked kilted to replace them when a man drops out
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or put that down in rain or the man goes home on furlough.
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Who is the board's going to put in his place. The board of cards is
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on the spot. Is there an app to send somebody
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who will give on the part time to the office in this emergency which from my
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experience lasts very much longer than has been anticipated.
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The field administration suffers that. We have discussed among
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ourselves some fractures how nice it would be to have a roving graduate who could
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come out and take the place while the treasurer goes on furlough it very
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well be that the board will have to come to the point that he is a man.
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Israeli qualified can go around and take the place
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when a representative goes on furlough or when an emergency arises.
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The problem I want to speak of is in the here and in the situation
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and in human nature I don't think we can get away from it.
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It will always be with us and that is for a field
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representative to persuade
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and get things accomplished without enforcing by
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means of a big stick. When I went Syria-Lebanon I think
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many of the missionaries thought that I had a stick hidden under my coat tail
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if not actual tail hiding under a two
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horns on the heart. But
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when I was introduced at the mission meeting almost a year after I got there it
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was said humorously but I think with some real meaning behind it
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that when this fellow Johnson came out as field representative the
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people pretty soon decided that the board had sugar coated this bitter pill
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and then a lot of time had gone by and the sugar coating hadn't worn off and they were
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even beginning to doubt whether there was a bitter pill there after all.
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Well there can't be too much sugar coating. And yet I think
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good administration gets things accomplished not by
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one person handing down orders but by
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persuading people getting new ideas into people's minds so that they do that
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job. I think that is a difficulty. I am a
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member of the various missions and the various executive committees without
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both. I prefer it that word. It means that if I get a
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job done it's got to be by effective persuasion.
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The main problem in relation to my work I think
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is centered in long range planning with the
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board. I would like to amplify that only with a
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sentence with only one sentence. For example when
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it comes to the question of saying what is to be done for any limited
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time with missionary residences which have not been occupied for a number of years.
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I feel that the confidence of the church and the board's good strategy is weakened.
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And I cannot say immediately. It can be done with that but must wait until New York
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clears it. I think it makes the church feel
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that I am not sincere when I tell the church that we are out there to strengthen the church
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that I think has to do with all property but especially residents and.
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I would hope we could arrive at a place where we could project
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a realistic hopeful estimated budget over a five year period.
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And on the field therefore plan more creatively for an
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ongoing program. Because a part of our difficulty
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lies at that point. Of budget and the field administrator is
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stymied because he doesn't know how far he can commit the board.
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And the third part of that program is when there are earmark funds such as we had in
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Thailand in restoration and five year program earmarked funds covered by
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board action as to allocation.
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I think then when it comes to the field the field should be released by the
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board. Go right ahead with that without clearing again with
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another board action which is merely reiterating the former one.
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And may the administrator responsible to the board board hearing to the original board
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action.
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With words to spend $5000 I don't think it's necessary to have two board actions on the same side of
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I think that in two years time I'll be able to say it better what the problems are.
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I know the immediate problem is that it cannot be said that the
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Brazil mission has yet. Taken the pill. The
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bill is in the hands.
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The mission is looking at it.
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And the people are
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sort of wondering what to do. The.
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Difficulty right now is the combination of the two
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officers Mission Secretary and field
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representatives in one. I think there are others in the same
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position. Maybe the circumstances in their countries
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allow them to solve that problem with some bs I don't know.
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I know that as far as I am concerned.
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The two offices are almost.
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Impossible to execute is actually arrived at the present
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moment. I think that. They will have to be separated
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somehow. We've even discussed in Brazil organizing into
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two missions again so as to have an executive secretary for each
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mission and then your field representative.
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Acting only in the capacity of the board's representative in connection
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with the two mission. You haven't come to any decision.
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The immense amount of paper. In connection with
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the mission Secretary. And all the
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liaison. Asks that your field representative
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has. Of all the different organizations in the Brazilian church.
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As well as in the mission organizations and other mission organizations
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makes it almost impossible for a field representative to be Up-Hill represented
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in. I would say that that is the outstanding problem and that's more
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an organizational thing administrative problem to be settled perhaps by the field
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representative himself.
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Wally
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Hammill from the poor.
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Over a history of of 30 years
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under the structure of the China Council the missions in China became
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accustomed to the essence of the idea contained in the field administrator.
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Conception in the chairmanship of the China Council.
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The designation feel representative. And given to the
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task to be done. The. Times have been so abnormal that
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any problem growing out of the that are in here and in
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the field administrator I have not even heard. There's just been one
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succession of abnormal. Situations in a.
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Bice's period. Have had to be dealt with. And that it would be
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difficult to point out any particular. Problem.
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There has been for the last 15 years a growing
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opinion in what is now in the markets that we're
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top heavy the way. You know our organisational set up
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we have their eyes you know the India Council and it
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was thought when the field representative idea was presented with a
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little reorganization the NDA Council could have taken over and done the
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carried the functions that are supposedly in the hands of the field representatives.
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Therefore when we arrived we were welcomed cordially as
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individuals but even some of our best friends said to in the world you have to come out to
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do a job that strictly could have done just as well.
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And that was my own opinion.
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Do all those documents with that prosaic
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number on 112 carried out to the
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field and all across the church the back
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for a time of testee which we call briefly the crisis
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strategy has been enormous demand for
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copies of this during the last two years it's been surprising we had
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lots of extra ones printed. And then last week only a week
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ago we woke up to the fact that probably some of you are NOT have along with your
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copies. We tried to get the words we needed from the filing room and found that we
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were down to the last word.
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I'm awfully sorry personally that we don't have them all before us and I hope some of you do.
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I certainly am not going to try to read it all the way through.
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Now I have just read it through more than once. Some of the rest of us have done it
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and I shall refer to it the best way I can without all of you having it for
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you in the first place. I don't think any of us could read it
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over now without finding that it's packed with
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practical steps which we've got to take and
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I really will agree that that even after two years
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on the whole it seems sane and
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wise in most of the suggest. But of
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course the question is.
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Absolutely we want to go over now. How many of them have we put into effect.
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And if not what you will notice these questions here on our topic
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what has been done. What has been left undone and why
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then three long shot strategy be the framework around program for what
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that I shall not do in my
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opening presentation here try to do more than run over one and
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do not always will I know the reason why some of the
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things have been left undone. I should probably make mistakes in the
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summary at least references. That because of course
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when I try to read everything that comes by way of letters and I've had
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just had the privilege of reading over all of these annual narratives just before they go to
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the printer for the annual report yet I realize
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that in any one field is one part of
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this but then I have something to say to somebody who knows more about that particular thing.
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So this must be a free for all. I don't know whether it's wiser for me to run through
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first and then come back or whether you want to stop at certain points and
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take up one section at a time to see how it works.
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Now something a while after we wrote this paper which in a way is
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discursive and we came right out of the heat of the last
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conference and perhaps might have been better organized in some ways because it had figures and
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various other things with it. We found it necessary to gather together.
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The book made your objectives not all and these were actually brought before the
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committee on foreign missions of the General Assembly and were put into our annual
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report and their report as things that they
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felt were the major objects it to me we saw a lot of time and I got those
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down. I had put it on the board and I didn't
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put everything on the board as we sent them up. And I think it would be well for me just to read these over
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with a little fuller way first. A Christian
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evangelistic approach to come and listen to those threatened by coming.
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To a fresh region regions are many new avenues of evangelism with wide use of
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mass communication. Three top priority to the training of leaders in the younger
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church. For a more rapid transfer of responsibility to national Christian
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Leadership by a more adequate undergirding of all the work with prayer and
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6:08 call to the Presbyterian Church for a dedication of use to military
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service and were sacrificial support of the world mission on the part of all
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its members. I went over this 112 with knees
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before me.
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I found one rather important objective which we did not include here. I don't
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know why I did that. In the same phrase that we used in the
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letter God commanded killing parent. I've also listed. Maybe
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we were get to them at the end. Certainly miscellaneous items which again
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may not come under any one of these which we thought should be included and which perhaps we should
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discuss here. No less than some question at
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that point I'd like to go back to number one approach to communists.
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Has already been mentioned here. I happen to have been secretary of the
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rather chairman of the committee Chuck foreman
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who was the secretary.
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Which carried this through. I read most of the time and I'm fairly
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familiar with what.
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And therefore I'd like to give just a little detail because I believe that here is something that really has
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taken hold out of this new. You all know that we had the study
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fellowship under Chuck's direction. They were
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practically all of those. The first year were Presbyterian missionary.
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I think there were 20 of ours. Two or three of them. Last year
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there was the second one which was entered domination. And again where
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we had I think two again now starting just last
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week. There is a third one entire denominational line
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and again we have to do it all together we've had I think twenty four
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different missionary share in the study fellowship.
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It is very interesting to see that it does seem to become a regular part of the problem of the Foreign
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Missions to be and BlueScope going to our house portfolio and that
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division is heading it up and it must satisfy some of us
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to see our whole idea of it particularly the scholarship to
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study all that is going on and much of what we did now
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reaching our people through this interdenominational chant are not
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going to happen. Overseas. Apart from
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the effect of the Fellowship itself which I imagine some of these
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missionaries will will never forget and which has been continued by Mr. Copeland
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in constant bulletins to the older and newer members
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of the fellowship. First thing that we learned and which had been
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carried through were these series of institutes so that the people who
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were here could carry on some of the same things that they did here. Now some of you
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may want to comment on the effectiveness of the reports came in. I
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would say on the whole that in most fields they had a satisfactory series
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in some fields they were delayed and others they were not right so
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satisfactory.
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We hope that part went through and one might
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say that we are now right still in the midst of the second
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phase. I'll get adequate literature on the approach to communism
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growing out of the study scholarship and those institutions
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for example. I was interested in some other areas so fresh that
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the park Juxon apparently hadn't heard of any of the decisions and the
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money being granted forced several quite a program
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of Monthly have books and the
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translation of a book in the Syria-Lebanon mission with
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Dohrmann is our first band from that deal. And Anderson
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took Anderson the literature secretary chairman working together. It was just a fine
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team in that production of literature
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on the approach to come.
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Another result of literature science is that you may remember that at the
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first group a group of the first fellowship the
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parodic Christian handbook on comments that was circulated
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in mimeographed form but again was picked up in interdenominational channels
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and the committee that was which Mr. Alfred Moore secretary has published
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these in a printed form and the first edition I
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imagine was pretty well sold out. It's amazing a great many of them being sold right in this country.
speaker
They're going all over the world and all that last week again from the Syria
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Lebanon we had a request for 100 copies to go out to be used in
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English and in English. That is another one of these that
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is being you. Know all sorts of pamphlets and books which are going out
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what could make up the list. It would be quite lot. One interesting
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development is that John Elder Irish or in India has had prepared
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in Iran the government has or has prepared
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has written two books and there are five for the Chinese scripts
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Aldo's and mimeographed for the path of social reform and the
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the or the other the influence of
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Christianity on society. The first one particularly has already been translated into several
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life and it is an approach to communism. In
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Portuguese recently in Brazil.
speaker
In Hindi and now in
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Syria Aleppo that's one of the projects that I may have forgotten some of these. It's on its way
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and has been picked up as an interdenominational project.
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Than the one use we made of the funds available to us. I was blessed to
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have Jim Alder give a full year to surveying the
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situation particularly along the line of the church where he made a tour of India to try to find out
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particularly in the villages how people felt about communism. The fact is the Christians their attitude
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was what they needed and now he and I are an opinion. Mr. Dean
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I've been settling down for some months preparing what they felt was not adequate literature to meet that
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situation. Some of it will be ready I think in a few weeks.
speaker
Now and then I think I might pause a minute to show how just not one great country
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you got different points of view. Jim alter
speaker
felt that the Christian village Christian you practically nothing about
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communism. He was inclined to favor it in many ways
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and he wondered somehow as some way whether we would be able to satisfy me with the kind of
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literature which we could prepare. This summer he has gone
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around amongst some.
speaker
On the other hand we just had a letter from from Bernie camel
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who has just started his new project which I might just just just a sentence or two and I
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quote it he says when I talk to the pastors of our plans we heard some reference to those
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plans in the villages. They said that the influence of communism was such that
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Christianity had to show its applicability to every sphere of life or be branded as
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entirely other worldly or insignificant. It is truly amazing how
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local Christians have kept pace with the urgency that has been moving the World Council church.
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That comes right out of the village. I don't know whether the difference between what you found and you found
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some special excavation or not yet another interesting
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development which shows that we really are getting under the skin of the communists has come from
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from two sources almost both last week both
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from people who are in this that. One came from again from
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Andreasen in Beirut. And he speaks of the fact.
speaker
Mid-majors but curial there preparing these books are being scrutinized going over with great care
speaker
that the words that are used in Arabic do not convey a word wrong meaning they are trying to get
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Christian. To antagonize. But he said it even
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before they got out this material they are beginning to be attacks in the press. The
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Communists are getting concerned and they're beginning to attack the mission.
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I still thinking we must know that I think and watch out for it. Just last Sunday one Beirut
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weekly contained a curious item stating that had become known that the
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American government is compelling missionaries and pastors underskirt.
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Carry out and propagate. Protests that had been war
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that their support would be cut off if they did not comply.
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You can see the implications of that. And then coming to India
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again from the Jim O. He says that there's a book out
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now with an introduction by a Christian Gandhian Gomorrah.
speaker
Anybody know who he is and to which he reviews what has appeared John
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Bennett's visit.
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Bangkok conference. Various other thing. Ben makes this conclusion.
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American missionaries have taken it upon themselves to intervene reluctantly against communism and
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Christian as well as among the people in general by thus ending the political field. They have waived
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the privileges granted to purely religious folk.
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Indians who assist missionary activities of a political nature might be looked upon as foreign
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agents. Now it looks almost as if a directive has gone out from Moscow. Are we going to
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come to a different country. And. Here's your chance now to get something on the mic.
speaker
Well perhaps we made a mistake. But of course if we keep within our rights of
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way from politics and making a Christian approach which was our original one.
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Undoubtedly we should go.
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I don't think it's any by any. This literature part but degree on all.
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But we have exhausted our full. We had $90000
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in the new strategy two years ago. Two years ago for everything that included the
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conferences in this country on the subject. It included arts scholarships for these three years
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for this study fellowship and it included the Gibraltar's expenses and
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included all of these productions and we just made our committee made
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probably the last grants which were approved at the last board meeting.
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And the. Money is practically exhaust. But I submit that to
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this it was $19000. You look over the whole world and realize it. How
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hard has taken hold entered in nomination and all the people who
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got out with a new bill and given that the the literature on its way. I don't if the board
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has secured greater results from $19000 spent another way
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during these last two.
speaker
Now you may want to comment on that at a later period. Now let me come to number two.
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This hour of fresh outreach to adventurers and remembering
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that if the original statement said that there are many new avenues with wide use of
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mass communication what have we done along that line.
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Again may I speak of the thing I know about most. First I believe that in some
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countries we have made real progress. In a mass use in a
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wider use of Christian literature. Referred particularly
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to Norman. You may have been I'm not if we had not started this
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new strategy but certainly in these two year. Taylor has an
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amazing. Of what can be done.
speaker
A good many Latin American countries.
speaker
The use of inexpensive. I read many many different.
speaker
Evangelistic tracks. Literally by the hundreds of South.
speaker
And that is certainly a mass you.
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Report on India. We heard that they're making plans there.
speaker
For a mass literacy program in the way that we haven't done in two Christian channels
speaker
before.
speaker
When it comes to use of those tangents again we turn to Norman Taylor who
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has done a great deal this last year in helping to send evangelists placing them here and there we think of
speaker
Raymond Cabrera we think of others we think of the eye. I don't know that know some
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of these what we read about all this of this visit of Mr. or
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to Brazil. Dick I don't know what it meant but that was something on your horizon.
speaker
There's been more visitation of.
speaker
Our fears in these two years and I think we have had for some time in the past.
speaker
GOP. Was about mostly about the literature
speaker
particularly I'm not so sure.
speaker
I wonder if we are where we were. We have always checked the content enough to know whether
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it's on the highest level that we would like with our type of evangelistic literature.
speaker
Well I've got that much respect you have other things to contribute but certainly
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we have a long way to go yet. We're going to do anything like this sort of mass evangelism
speaker
through literature that the this. They are they are
speaker
experts. We're only beginning. We're only touching the fringe. And when it
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comes to to the matter of audio visual right I'm not going
speaker
to speak for perhaps but I want to say something when we get to the discussion period on whether
speaker
we really are doing anything comparable to what we might do in the use of.
speaker
The audiovisual methods for massive.
speaker
Is another thing I want to refer to because it's a pure several places in these
speaker
annual.
speaker
And that is the finest form.
speaker
Of course of our mass event.
speaker
That is evangelism by the individual Christians by word of mouth by if they go up.
speaker
And you cannot help but feel as you read over the reports and I do it down year after
speaker
year that there's a distinct difference in the national church.
speaker
As to whether the fire in which this seems to be burning or has died will.
speaker
One might almost write these churches and that would be a dangerous thing to do.
speaker
Where some of them seem to be on fire and you are growing rapidly by this
speaker
type of mass evangelism. Saying giving.
speaker
I'm just going to venture to mention two or three that seem to be outstanding in that regard. I don't see that they are
speaker
all. Feel not about Korea. The church in Korea very definitely
speaker
about the church in Brazil. Perhaps to some extent to the
speaker
church in the Philippines. You sense it as you read these reports that.
speaker
The other hand. If I may say so the.
speaker
Seemed to be a. Slowness in other.
speaker
What can be done at.
speaker
Dare I read this and report to the accounts
speaker
which he said there's another side around Vangelis which does not you basis for so much satisfaction.
speaker
That is the outreach toward other. Actually or church leaders agreed
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that non-Christians are giving more friendly and receptive hearing the preaching of the gospel going to preview that at
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any previous time.
speaker
But for some reason the Church is not winning many new.
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Are few additions to church members.
speaker
What could be expected through the natural increase of Christian.
speaker
I was interested to hear as far as Syria-Lebanon is concerned that Pastor Audi's seems to
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be starting in that direction. One would feel that there is a field Syria-Lebanon where the churches is
speaker
not reaching out perhaps as it might and some
speaker
others had that impression about chiefly the church. There was a difference between
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that church and say the church in Brazil. Margarita
speaker
whether or not any longer except I think we must remember that. While of course only the Spirit of
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God could make these things possible. Yet there may be ways in which we can
speaker
get our message evangelism going somehow through prayer to helping the.
speaker
Witness to start in the churches again. I was interested in that to end
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the report. Now this is brought up.
speaker
One of the things that needs urgently to be done is to break the isolation of the church and its environs.
speaker
So like isolation is first of all the result of an attitude of introversion in the church
speaker
the churches should be help to understand their life in terms of their mission. Secondly this
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isolation is the result of a lack of real concern for those
speaker
who are not Christian or Christian or non-Christian meet in the normal business of life the
speaker
evangelistic encounter is not taking place. Oh that was
speaker
everywhere but that was a feeling that they had only a few weeks ago at the Lucknow Cup.
speaker
And as we think of this whole matter of Russian outreach you know vandalism
speaker
we've got to consider it seems to be the spiritual state in that regard of the
speaker
churches with whom we work and humbly try to do something to help them
speaker
in that regard. I come on two to three the matter
speaker
of training leaders. Of course we not particularly in mind the in this case to try
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to get leaders on the field thinking about our own personal missionary personnel at that
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point. And I want to make a distinction which I don't think we always
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see. As I read over the reports in the plans and the strategy
speaker
that there are two very definite levels of ISIS leadership
speaker
and to offer and I think we have been satisfied to try to do something new and
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better about doing a lot more highly trained leader.
speaker
The the office some quite often the profession those who are to be
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the teachers the doctors in the past in our church.
speaker
And I want to speak about that first but there is also the matter of training the rank and file and
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that's the thing that's most on my heart as I read over this letter and
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to look as we look forward to the future in the first place
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I think we can all feel that with the establishment of the office of
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student work during these two years that we have made a
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splendid progress in this and it is in
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this matter of training a lot of leaders for the higher level of scholarship use of
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the scholarships the kind of students that are that are coming on particularly that
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that friendliness and and of help to them while they're here which is going
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to make a tremendous difference in the number of those who proportion of those who go back and are really
speaker
useful in building the Kingdom of God after they get out.
speaker
I've had several experiences of having these students come
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to me for something and then they disappear. And I wonder where they are and I know not always where to go and not sit
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down. I do miss his office Miss Parkinson. This boy may not be there but one of the
speaker
other or both of them is there and they just go they like bees to honey. That's their home
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here at 1:56 and they get the help that they walk there. I think we're doing
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a good deal more on that and I don't know just how much water we spent on on
speaker
the

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Title: Buck Hill Falls mission consultation, after 1957, side 2.
Description: Two-sided mono recording. Buck Hill Falls, Pa. consultation on foreign missions, including Chile, Brazil, Cameroon, Syria, Lebanon, after 1957.
Creator: Anderson, L. K. (Llewellyn Kennedy), 1900-1980.
Date: 1957
after 1957
Type of resource: sound recording-nonmusical
Genre: sound recordings
Form: audiotapes
Extent: 1 sound tape reel : analog, 3 3/4 ips ; 7 in.
Language: English
Topics: Missions--Chile.
Missions--Cameroon.
Missions--Lebanon.
Missions--Africa.
Missions--Syria.
Geographic subjects: Chile.
Syria.
Africa.
Lebanon.
Cameroon.
North and Central America--United States--Pennsylvania--Monroe--Buck Hill Falls
Rights status: Contact repository for more information
Note: Recorded sometime before 1977 in Buck Hill Falls, Pa. at a conference of the Board of Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian Church.
Physical location: TAPE 1377; Presbyterian Historical Society, Philadelphia, PA
Related item: Buck Hill Falls mission consultation, [sound recording] after 1957.--https://catalog.history.pcusa.org/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumb...
Identifier (local): tape1377_side2
PID (Persistent Identifier): islandora:116521

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