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T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
Christ the Answer on a South Pacific Island
By ANNE HAZELTON
W ITHIN the latticed shade of the palms that overlean th,e cobalt blue water surround and inviting. The sound of the surf,' muted by heavy foliage, made a sanc tuary of the island that 'recently had known violence and bloodshed. It was Sunday, and men in the uni form of the various services were on their way to one of the several chap els that raised sloped roofs toward the sky. Something of the love the Pilgrim Fathers had for a place of worship was theirs since they, like their forefathers, had built each chap el, against odds. They were justly proud of their h a n d i w o r k—hand- hewn from the jungle in some in stances. On another side of the island, a group of men stood quietly, chest- deep in the- water, waiting to follow the Lord in baptism. It was a mo ment never to be forgotten in the lives of those who were testifying in this manner of a new life in Christ, or for those who watched. These were men who, in the danger-filled days preceding the capture of the island, had faced the reality of death on one hand and experienced the miracle of salvation on the other. These were men who had met the Lord Jesus Christ and had found in Him the answer to their need. It was not surprising that t h e thoughts of such men should turn to a program of worship, when the guns had been silenced and the is land was theirs. At first services were held in the open air, the “church” a grassy spot on the valley floor where
the men sat with bared heads and open Bibles and lifted their hearts to God. But soon after the noise of battle had cleared, they began to b u i l d houses of worship. Army chapels be came as indispensable as mess halls. True, they were improvised shelters of creative, ingenious soldiers and no custom-built structures. Most of them were of native style. Typical of the South Pacific, they were thatch- roofed, grass-walled buildings, facing the open sea. Logs and scrap lumber formed the pews. A small folding or gan gave the pitch for hymns and gospel songs in the services, but was soon drowned out by the lusty sing ing, straight from the hearts of men who had'found Christ adequate. True, not all on the island, where there were five large troop areas, had found that all things had become new through the Lord Jesus Christ. But a large number of them had. As military successes in the South Pacific developed, chapels were im proved. Well-constructed buildings took the place of temporary native- styled churches, until few areas on the island were withoiit adequate places of worship. And increased fa cilities produced an accentuated pro gram of worship, exemplified in the following one-month summary; More than 30,000 soldiers attended 319 Sunday services on the island in April, 1944. Their attendance, at 245 mid-week services totaled 3,649. More than 1,000 observed communion. Chaplains, in the meantime, con ducted 2,825 p e r s o n a l interviews. Their military assignments included
2,000 lectures. They found time for more than 14,000 hospital contacts, 230 guard house interviews, and 3,000 official miscellaneous tasks. That Others May Know Him From the time when the Lord Jesus Christ said to His disciples, “Go ye therefore and teach all nations,” His true followers have felt a keen responsibility for world evangelism. Therefore the Christian soldiers o n this island were not satisfied when they had built their own houses of worship. They felt, as their forefath ers before them had felt, that t h e world was their parish. In the early days of island occupa tion, a prayer meeting was called to consider ways of having a part in world missions. Others might have thought them to be justified in hav ing at heart only the spiritual interest of the men on the island. They were men who might be going into battle any time. Those who knew^Christ cer tainly were interested in their com rades who did not have that assur ance, and they endeavored to lose no opportunity to witness. But they went beyond their “Jerusalem.” A movement was born that already has reached large proportions. Since that prayer meeting, mission money has been going out from this one island into all the world. There is scarcely a field of mission endeavor that has not profited from the more t ha n $19,000 the soldiers have contributed. Christ the Answer A few months ago a five-day South P a c i f i c Preaching Mission w a s launched, conceived by Army Chap lains on the island in an effort to vitalize the Christian faith of Ameri can troops. The mission was island wide, in session simultaneously each night at five troop areas. Using the major wartime problems that relate to personal experience, to the home, to the church, to citizen ship, and to history, five chaplains presented the Lord Jesus Christ as the answer, and the only answer, to pertinent factors of life. Behind these messages were men of God with a love for lost souls. They counted it a privilege to preach the unsearphable riches of the gospel of Jesus Christ, who died on behalf of all who. will accept Him by faith. Small wonder is it that the impact of the gospel thus preached to the glory of God was felt throughout the whole island—and to islands beyond.
ing a South Pacific island, it was cool
From a Serviceman Overseas
"Here is a gift of $100 to be used to send THE KING 'S BUSINESS to mission aries." Here is a serviceman thinking of others.
W ill you think of the soldier and others like him? Help send THE KING ’S BUSINESS to men in the armed fortes. Your gift for the soldiers’ free fund is needed NOW . Write to: THE KING’S BUSINESS 558 S. Hope St. Los Angeles 13
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