The closing hour of the Missionary Conference is always sobering, impress ive, and unforgettable. It is the hour of life investment and is preceded by much prayer on the part of the pastor of the church, the missionary committee, the speaker and all on whose hearts the Lord has laid the burden of missions. Mr. Harry Owen, in bringing this clos ing message, emphasized in clear and certain terms the tenor of the whole week. There was no glamour connected with missionary service in lands teem ing with unrest and uncertainty. The way ahead was not an easy one. Citing the illustration of a young Communist girl underground worker, caught by the Nationalists before Communist victory, who as she faced the firing squad flung to her executors and those who looked on the arrogant challenge: “ I’m dying for my beliefs; what are you living for?” Mr. Owen pressed home the chal lenge to Christian youth to live for Christ, regardless of the cost. Citing, too, the cold figures of Mission Volunteer statistics: how that of every 100 volun teers only five ever get to the field and only one of that five returns for a second term, he placed the issue squarely before the young people to face the issue—not to be moved by emotion. When the call was given for those young people to whom the Lord had been speaking during the conference particu larly, some 150 responded. From the lower floor and from all over the bal cony, in one’s and two’s, young people moved quietly forward until they stood together at the front of the large audi torium. As one singled out from many will high light any incident, so the ex pression on the face of one girl as she walked determinedly down the stairs to join others at the front, spoke to us. Her face was set. There was no inde cision, no lightness in her manner, and one wondered what the decision was costing her. No emotional appeal had been made, no urging, just the cleai challenge of God’s call for a dedicated life. Across the top of the choir loft, as a part of the decorations and theme of this year’s Conference, marched a com- any of many nationals, painted, life- size figures that seemed almost alive. Some had been painted so that when lights played upon them and then were turned out, the faces of these glowed with light while the others remained in darkness. The message was unmistak able and was a continual reminder through the week, of the scriptural teaching that the heathen are lost with out the light of salvation. We would all like to believe that somehow, some way, God will eventually save those who have never heard the gospel. But beyond human belief and reasoning, God’s Word stands: “ He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that be lieveth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” It has been truly said that no one has a right to hear the gospel twice until
New Field Representative In Los Angeles Area N EWLY appointed field representa tive, Ray C. Weiskopf, 538 Olm sted Drive, Glendale, Calif., began his work with the Bible Institute of Los Angeles on April 15th. Mr. Weiskopf
Specials for July The July issue will contain articles of special interest to all Christians. Mr. Douglas C. Hartley, Bible teacher and official of the Canadian Pacific Railway, will begin a two-part Scriptural study on the subject, “ The Security of the Be liever.” The BIOLA Commencement ad dress by Dr. M. R. De Haan, on the theme, “ Our Most Powerful Weapon,” an article on the Head-hunting Indians of South America, by Mrs. George Moffatt, and other fine material will be included in addition to all regular features. Readers whose subscriptions are about to texpire will want to renew immedi ately n order that they man yot miss the specials of this issue, and those to follow. As the light from the miniature light house on the model of the Bible Institute, and Church of the Open Door, reached out toward that row of pleading figures, the theme song of the Conference echoed through the building: “ There’s a call comes ringing o’er the restless wave, Send the light! Send the light! There are souls to rescue, there are souls to save, Send the light! Send the light!” The hour-glass before the pulpit de manded attention, carrying its message of solemn warning that the sands of time were running out, and we were reminded again that: “ The clock of time ticks on and on— With ev’ry evening’s setting sun A billion souls unreached, unwon, Without one word of Christ the Light, March on toward endless, Christ- less night. For them the hour is very late.” * “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? . . . I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.” *From The Missionary Standard. Crime Rate Up The national crime rate continued to advance in 1951, according to the annual report of the Federal Bureau of Inves tigation. Director J. Edgar Hoover pointed out that “ a tragedy of our times is expressed in 1951’s fingerprint statis tics on youthful offenders. More persons 23 years of age were arrested than any other age group.” The over-all increase was 5.2 per cent in cities and 5 per cent in rural areas. The FBI estimated that there was a total of nearly 2,000,000 serious offenses during 1951, an increase of about 100,- 000 over the previous year. everyone has heard it at least once. What are we doing about that?
Mr. Ray C. Weiskopf will call on friends of the school in Cen tral and Eastern Los Angeles, and in the Long Beach area. Mr. Weiskopf is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute and formerly pastored churches in Illinois and Michigan. Dur ing the past fifteen years he has been actively engaged in the Christian pub lication field. Having served Moody Press for six years, he later was affili ated with Good News Publishers of Chi cago, and the Zondervan Publishing House of Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Weiskopf family, which in cludes his wife, Jean, and two children, Karl and Kathryn, feels that truly this work in the Lord’s vineyard has been of His leading. The kind reception shown by the friends of the school in whose homes he has already visited has been a real source of joy and inspira tion. Mr. Weiskopf looks forward to meeting the hundreds of others in the territory he covers, and requests the prayers of each friend for the further ance of the gospel through the work of BIOLA. In a very real sense the Field Depart ment is the “ lifeline” of the Bible Insti tute. Under Mr. Eugene Poole, its able director, it is accomplishing much in keeping open the doors of the school for consecrated young women and men whose eyes are turned toward the mission fields. T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
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