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to your meeting that he is back again.” Another way God works: W e were pass ing through a certain place and stopped to see if they had any services. W e were told they had a resident pastor, whom we went to see. He received us very cordially, inviting us to tarry over Sunday and occupy his pulpit, with a view to holding a series o f evangelistic meetings. W e were there, and at another point to which he ministers, three weeks, and you can see the results from the following extracts from articles published in a local paper: “ The services ,conducted by Evangelist Wicker ended Sunday night with the best meeting yet. The pastor was gratified with the number who promised to back him up loyally in the work o f the church. Three TA URING the past month we have trav- elled about 700 miles, given out the Word o f God and Scriptural Gospel tracts, preached the Gospel, conducted Bible studies, dealt with men' and women about their souls and done personal work among the men on the rigs in the oil fields. W e try to reach at least ISO persons each week. As the vast majority are utterly careless, it takes a good deal o f effort to arouse the least interest in the things o f God. They will not go to church, so we must go into the highways and byways and compel them to come in. More and more we are impressed with the absolute •necessity o f studying the blessed Book, and preaching its truths, in place o f psychology, sociology and other “ologies,” Preach the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Let us say, with Micaiah o f 'old “As the Lord liveth, what my God saith, that will I speak.” As a great man o f God once said, “I f I take a little diamond out o f God’s mine o f wealth, it doesn’t need much polish ing.”
were added, to the church Sunday by con fession o f faith.” Also another: “Last Sunday evening a very large audience attended the closing meeting o f the series which Evangelist Wicker has been conducting here for two weeks. There was an enlargement o f relig ious activities quite pronounced as a result o f the meetings, and the consequent upbuild ing o f church interests will be permanent. The meetings achieved a success propor tionate to results in larger communities. The evangelist, assisted by Pastor McLen nan, kept up the momentum so well that on the last night there was perhaps the record attendance. There were in all fen awakenings.” ' W e are visiting various camps each day, giving out the Word and calling from house to house. This is really the only sure way to reach the people, and we have been greatly blessed in it. As an illustra tion : Last week we called at a home and found two people there who had been thor oughly worldly all their lives, but two months ago death came into the home and their hearts were so softened that they were glad to listen to God’s Word. We had the joy o f leading them both to the Lord, and they have promised to be at the service next Thursday evening. Calling at another house, we’ found an old man who was formerly a Baptist Sun day school superintendent, but now a back slider. We no sooner asked him if he were saved, than we saw tears come to his eyes and then he told how he had come to the fields and been untrue to God and had gotten off in the world and thought he was lost. W e led him in a prayer o f return to the Lord, which greatly rejoiced our hearts.
-------------- O -------------- WORK IN THE OIL FIELDS By Frank J. Shelley
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