Royal Blue with some of his young people, Pat O'Brian, Randy McCarlin, Kathy Barrett.
Y e s ,” it’s true, we do have over a thousand young people in our youth program,” Royal Blue, one of the Southland’s busiest Christian lead ers, declared, “ but we are not interest ed in numbers. We desire first that there might be a consistent spiritual growth among our young people.” Mr. Blue is Minister of Youth at the First Baptist Church of Van Nuys, California. The story of Royal Blue began 33 years ago in Mentone, Indi ana where he was bom. In 1950 he entered the Bible Institute of Los An geles to prepare for Christian service. “ I thank God for His leadership through these years,” Royal testifies, “ God even directed me to the lovely girl He had chosen for my life-part ner. I met her while I was in the serv ice. A buddy and I decided we would meet at the Youth for Christ service at the Church of the Open Door. Merv Rosell spoke that night. When the service was over, we decided to try to meet two girls and go out for a ‘malt.’ As we left the auditorium, we spied two young ladies just leaving. We asked them if they wouldn’t like to have us walk them home. One re plied (the one in whom I later be came interested) that they didn’t want to have anything to do with sail ors. I asked her why. She said, ‘Be cause a drunken sailor followed us to the meeting.’ I told her, ‘Don’t judge the whole Navy by one sailor’s con duct.’ She took her stand for the Lord immediately and began to speak of Him. When the two girls were con vinced that we fellows were Christians too, we finally persuaded them to have that ‘malt.’ We met January 19th, 1946. Five months later, just before I was separated from the serv ice, we were married.” After Royal Blue was discharged from the service, he and his wife went back to his home in Mentone, Indiana where he continued his training as a
carpenter. Soon his wife’s father wrote, asking that he come out and remodel his home. Mrs. Blue was homesick for the Coast and Royal was anxious to try his hand in California. So they came West. “All the while, I knew that some day I was going to take the step for Christian training, but I just wasn’t sure,” Royal declares. “ The second year of our married life, God sent us a youngster whom we called Denny. He has been a real joy to our hearts as well as our other children Karen, now seven and Stevie, five. “After I finished the job for my father-in-law in C a l i f o r n i a , we returned to Indiana. Here the Lord placed an even heavier burden on our hearts for Christian service. A friend of mine in the midwest, Lee Shoe maker, had a family of four children and he too felt the Lord was calling him. He sold his farm and together we, with our families, headed West once more. “When we reached the desert, both of our cars stopped at the same time with a vapor lock. We had a prayer meeting, asking the Lord to show us what we should do. My wife and I had a hundred dollars when we start ed West but by this time only $20.00 of it was left. The Lord answered prayer! After we got our cars started, we stopped at the first filling station some miles away. When we pulled in, the station manager asked ‘Where are you going?’ We told him, ‘To Los Angeles.’ He asked if we had a place to stay. We said “No.” Then he asked a wonderful question: ‘Well, how would you like to use my home?’ I said, ‘Thank you, Lord, for answering our prayers.’ The man said, ‘The Lord sure must have answered your prayer because I just got here an hour ago myself. I wouldn’t have been here if you had come any earlier.’ . So God gave our families a place to live in ad vance; even while we were out on the
desert. He used vapor locks to unlock a real provision for us. The testimony of Royal Blue not only concerns God’s hand of leading in the past but also the many spiritual victories which he has experienced during his work at the First Baptist Church of Van Nuys. “ I was working part time as a carpenter,” Royal ex plained, “When Dr. Porter Barring ton, pastor of the church approached me. He told me later that it is his conviction that when a man works hard with his hands, he will be just as industrious for the Lord. In 1951, at the conclusion of my first semester of Biola training, he asked if I would be interested in a job as visitation pastor in his church. I said that I would and he asked me to pray about it. We did and God gave us a wonder ful opportunity for service for three years. At the end of this time, Dr. Barrington wanted me to accept the position as Youth Director. I said ‘No, I can’t do that type of work.’ He re plied, ‘Royal, you never want to say ‘no,’ when you have the opportunity in the Lord’s service without first of all saturating t ha t ma t t e r w i t h prayer.’ To make a long story short, we prayed about it, and for five and a half years God has richly blessed our service together in the church. Words cannot express the joy o f my heart that has come under Dr. Bar rington’s leadership.” The several hundred youth mem bers and visitors are all active in one or another phase of the church youth program. Royal Blue keeps them busy with a program that includes spirit ual impact, first of all, recreation and social life. The key to his entire min istry is “ action.” The program for the young people is concentrated upon Junior Highs, Senior Highs and Col lege groups. There are prayer meet ings, social evenings, choir rehearsals for the various age groups. “This keeps them busy,” Royal wisely points out,
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
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