July, 1933
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to Catholicism. Dr. Thomas, the leader of this group, immediately entered Manila, and in two weeks’ time had organized the First Baptist Church of Manila with thir ty-two members, many of them former converts in the Iloilo work. In one year, this church had grown to 120 members, and it now numbers over 400. In addition to this, a girls’ dormitory was established to house students taking university work, and to give them real Christian teaching. The latest development is the Manila Evangelistic Institute, which is now three years old. It has begun to graduate stu
better used in another way* and the ship was sold for a fishing smack. But God had other plans for her. She was never used as a fishing vessel, and lay idle in Kobe Harbor for three years. When the Asso ciation received word from missionaries in Japan suggesting the purchase of this boat for use in the Philippines, it certainly seemed to indicate that the hand o f the Lord was in it. But there was no money ! Thè committee prayed. This work had been begun in faith. Four years o f mar velous progress, had been made on faith. The ship captain had applied and had gone
dents with a full Bible and theological training. These will be the real Philippine evangelists o f the future. Last year, Dr. Russel Bradley Jones, pastor o f the University Baptist Church o f Baltimore, Md., who has for two summers sup plied Spurgeon’s Tabernacle in London, went out as a mis sionary to become pastor o f the First Baptist Church of Manila and superintendent o f the Manila Evangelistic Institute. A C hallenge to F aith Step by step, with absolutely no preconceived plan by any human being, God worked in a marvelous way His won ders to perform. One day there applied as a candidate to the Association a sea captain, named Skolfield. He was a lieutenant in the Navy during the World War, subsequently becoming captain o f a merchant ship, later serving in the Coast Guard Service, and finally feeling the call to the min istry. He holds a Master’s license to sail a ship under the American flag in any waters. A graduate o f Eastern Bap tist Theological Seminary, he was wonderfully qualified in every way. He was appointed as a missionary, and in December, 1930, he and his wife, with their two children, sailed for Manila. This was the first step— the providing of a qualified ship captain who had a heart for the salvation of souls. It did not take long for God to show His hand in a fur ther way. Out o f a clear sky came the offer from the Pres byterian Board to turn over to this Association a large group o f nearly 100 islands comprising the western part o f the Philippine Archipelago and running south nearly to Borneo. These islands are for the most part inhabited by natives in unadulterated heathenism, untouched even by the Catholics except in certain sections. The Presbyterians, hav ing held these islands for twenty-five years without being able to do any extensive work in them because o f lack of resources, asked if this new group could take them over and begin to evangelize them. It did not take long to decide. The islands were accepted. There was the sea captain. There were the islands. There were the unevangelized na tives calling. But there was no boat, and without a boat very little work could be done. There was absolutely no money with which to buy a boat. It seemed foolish even to look for one. What a test o f faith that was! G od ’ s P rovision But God was working. Baptists everywhere know about the famous gospel ship, Fukuin Maru, that sailed the Inland Sea o f Japan for years under Captain Bickel, and then under Captain Laughton, Specially constructed for missionary work, with a splendid dispensary and chapel on board, the Fukuin Maru was first given to the American Baptist Foreign Missionary Society by Mr. Allan o f the Allan Steamship Line. She originally cost $42,000. The Baptist Board, placing more and more emphasis on educa tional missions and less upon evangelistic missions, felt that the money used to keep the gospel ship operating could be
out on faith. The islands had come, and they had been re ceived on faith. Here at last was the ship—and such a ship, just as though it were made to order ! But there was no money. To borrow and incur indebtedness was against the Association’s policy. God seemed to definitely indicate that this ship was to go to the Philippines. But where is the border line between faith and rash presumption ? The only thing to do was to wait and pray in the money. On faith, the committee took a three-months’ option on the ship while negotiating for price. Then one day the mail brought a letter from a lady who had heard about the ship and the Association’s need, and in that letter—does God answer prayer ?Mwas a check for $10,000, just enough to purchase the ship on a cash transaction. It sounds like a romantic piece o f fiction, but God’s truth is often stranger than fiction. To cap the climax, only a few days passed before another person sent in a check for $5,000, which took care o f the overhauling, transfer from Kobe to Manila, and the first few months’ maintenance. P ioneering During the past year, this wonderful little gospel ship has been sailing in and out o f that long chain o f islands in a work o f pioneer evangelism that seems just like a modern replica o f the book o f Acts. Equipped with a native crew o f boys from the Institute, every one on board a Christian, the ship puts in at a harbor, all go ashore and hold meetings, distribute gospels and tracts, give medical attention to the bodies, and feed the multitudes with the Bread o f L ife for their souls. In November, the gospel ship, finding herself at the southern tip o f the island archipelago, and only sixty miles from northern Borneo, sailed over and touched at Sanda- kan, Borneo, establishing first contact with that vast un evangelized field which represents one o f the greatest mis- sionaray challenges in the world today. Who knows but that the Lord may enable this Association to establish a real work in Borneo in the years that lie ahead, should our Lord tarry? The’ Association o f Baptists for Evangelism in the Orient, Inc., stands foursquare on the fundamentals o f the “ faith once delivered to the saints.” It has no sympathy with modernism in any form. It has gone on record as totally repudiating the recent Report o f the Appraisal Com mission of the Laymen’s Foreign Missions Inquiry as being a betrayal o f the whole foreign mission enterprise and an inquisition o f evangelical missions. Its financial basis is one o f real faith, studiously avoiding indebtedness, and looking to God alone to supply needed funds. It makes no appeals.for money. It invites the prayerful interest and cooperation o f God’s people in these days o f apostasy, that the glorious gospel o f “ the Book, the Blood, and the Blessed Hope” may be broadcast to these long-neglected islands o f the sea as speedily as possible. For further information and literature o f the Associa tion, address the office, 705 Schaff Building, Philadel phia, Pa.
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