m X i f i v F
A Report of the Recent Missionary Conference
The platform of the Church of the Open Door transformed into an African hut occupied by an All Nations Choir in costumes of many lands. Missionaries are seated toward the front. T HE Nineteenth Annual Mission ary Conference of the Church of the Open Door and the Bible Insti
By Betty Bruechert
The platform of the Church of the Open Door was transformed into a fa miliar African scene, complete with a thatched-roof native hut in the center, in front of which lay an expanse of sandy beach and an abandoned canoe, with appropriate background of waving palms and other tropical vegetation. In this native dwelling sat the All Nations choir, robed in colorful costumes from all parts of the world, singing mission ary hymns under Dr. Tovey’s direction. Impressive, too, were the missionary booths, erected in the Lyceum and Fish ermen Club Rooms, where the mission aries lavishly displayed their “ wares”— translations of the Scriptures and hymn- books in many languages; slides and moving pictures of the fields; replicas of native homes and clothing and samples of handwork. These and hundreds of other interesting items made more real the distant lands and people to whom the missionaries minister. Not only were the meetings for the general public inspiring and well-at tended, but the addresses to the students and the symposiums conducted between missionaries and students under the di rection of Dr. James Cuthbertson of the Japan Evangelistic Bands made a deep and lasting impression as well. The dis cussion of missionary policy and polity took second place to the more vital mat ter of the actual making of the mission ary candidate himself, and the fitting him for the work. Two of the topics par ticularly, “ The Student Wants to Know”
and “ The Missionary Wants to Know,” led to most heart-searching sessions dur ing which many serious problems were cleared up. In all meetings, the empha sis was upon the need for deeper spirit uality to meet the increasing godlessness in the world. It was a cause for great thanksgiving to God, and a real high light of the con ference, that Dr. Louis T. Talbot, be loved pastor and president, who had re cently undergone a serious major opera tion, was able to be present for the closing meeting, his first public appear ance for nearly two months. He added his moving appeal to those of the mis sionaries that there might be no count ing of the cost, but decisive and final action, in evangelizing the mission fields before the coming of that black night when no man will be able to work. With serious faces, and tear-filled eyes, the people responded. Mothers and fathers dedicated their sons and daughters for foreign service; business men pledged financial support; hundreds covenanted to pray faithfully for the fields and in dividual missionaries; and nearly one thousand young people came down the aisles of the Church, offering themselves as living sacrifices upon the altar of God for service wherever He should lead. It was a solemn consecration service and eternity alone will reveal its final results. Certainly no one who attended the sessions of this missionary confer ence can ever again be indifferent to the claims of Christ’s Great Commission upon his life and possessions. Page Eleven
tute of Los Angeles, held April 4-11, 1948, has passed into history, but its in spiration and influence linger on. The unanimous opinion of those who attended was that it was the best conference that had ever been conducted here. The missionary speakers, representing forty-three mission boards, were above the average in ability tp picture the needs and to present the challenge of their fields. Due possibly to the grave situation in many parts of the world to day, and the conviction that these may be the last days for missionary effort in an atomic age, there was upon the mis sionaries a strange sense of urgency which they communicated to their hear ers. From the keynote address on the first Sunday by the vigorous Veteran missionary, Rev. “Tommy” Titcom.be, of ' the Sudan Interior Mission, to the final message on the closing Sunday by the dead-in-earnest Mr. George M. Cowan, of the Wycliffe Translators, the voice of the Lord was heard unmistakably, call ing believers, young and old, to accept their God-given responsibility of sending the gospel to the ends of the earth. In addition to the many guest speak ers, it was a joy to see and hear an un usually large number of the missionaries who had graduated from the Bible Insti tute and are supported by the Church of the Open Door, whose furloughs coin cided with the conference. J U N E , 1 94 8
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