Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 20
March 20, 1969
NUMBER 45, PAGE 10-12

Gospel Guardian Tell-Al-Gram

A VISIT TO THE ABILENE CHRISTIAN COLLEGE LECTURESHIP: The Abilene Christian College annual lectureship is big business. We participated in the 1969 business at ACC by setting up a display "booth" in the huge exhibit tent, to advertise The Gospel Guardian. Our visit to the campus during the lectureship week was personally enlightening and illuminating, as well as advantageous to The Gospel Guardian.

The annual ACC lectureship holds the image of offering the most representative gathering of members of churches of Christ — representative of the currents and cross-currents, trends and controversies, projects and promotions characterizing churches of Christ.

The college lectureship experience of this writer has been limited to the smaller but growing annual gatherings at Florida College. The ACC event overshadows the FC one as Broadway in New York over your neighborhood theater. The management at AC is professional, the elaborate daily program is efficiently operated and the importance of the occasion is manifested in this well planned, well expedited meet.

The huge circus-type exhibition tent in which numerous individuals, institutions, and projects advertise, display and promote their wares, reminds one of a good size county fair. The tent vies with the lecture-coliseum as the center of attraction. As hundreds of people mill through the tent gazing over the displays, there is a carnival climate rising in sound and sight.

The scheduled lectures, classes, and meetings are supplemented with a number of impromptu and off-the-cuff talks.

It occurred to us that the lessening of among brethren on opposites of issues and the de-escalation of unkind exchanges have created a situation in which we would do well to attend the AC lectures precisely to promote the GG. We applied to the director of the lectureship for permission to advertise the paper, and we were readily granted license to do so.

We were received quite well and enjoyed a most cordial association through the several days we were on campus. We detected surprise among some as to our promoting of the GG, on the ACC campus, in the exhibition tent, but there were no incidents to mar the friendly, hospitable services extended to us. We obtained a good many new subscriptions for the GG.

While there were a number of noteworthy lectures, events and meetings, the most significant happening of the week involving the GG editor and this writer, was a meeting called by Ira Rice, Jr. to discuss the problem of modernism in the church. It was an open meeting with various interests in the brotherhood represented in those who attended. There was much generalization about modernism, and some confrontation of views and methods. To us, the most significant thing in the meeting was the enthusiastic reception of some remarks we made. We said, in essence: "We are not about to give up our opposition to the things we have opposed in the past. But brethren who fight the same things ought to fight together. Both 'liberal' and 'conservative' brethren are endangered by modernism, and we believe that we 'conservative' brethren have much we can contribute to the fight against modernism." We had prefaced these remarks with a statement to the effect that we were moving out of an era of bitterness and recrimination. It appears that our brethren on "the other side" are thinking better of us and now realize that we are needed in a time when classical liberalism and modernism pose a major threat to the church of Christ.

The ACC lectureship is the nearest thing to a brotherhood convention presently acceptable to brethren. While it is not such an official assembly, it constitutes a thrust among the people, places and events of the brotherhood similar to that of a convention.

This writer is hardly susceptible to being swept off his feet by the impressiveness of the ACC lectureship because he has been in similar environments where he could have been overwhelmed by the powers and influences of the crowd. We were in such "crowds" in our college work at a Lutheran school and in a four year service with the U. S. Marine Corps. So, while we were not swept off our feet at the ACC lectures, we were impressed, especially with the reception extended to us — Wm. E. Wallace HUBERT SHOWALTER moves to Loveland Heights congregation Loveland, Ohio following ART OGDEN who returns to Kentucky.

MEETINGS: PETER WILSON at Huffman in Birmingham, Ala. April 16-23...J.R. SNELL at Manslick Road, Louisville, Ky March 19-26...Audie McKee at Silver Street, New Albany, Indiana April 6-13...Don Bassett with Shively in Louisville, Ky. April 25 — May 2...J. F. Dancer in Glasgow, Kentucky May 4-11... Ray Votaw with North Main in Vidor, Texas April 20-27...C. D. Plum at West End in Bowling Green, Kentucky April 3-10...A. A. Mclnroe at Southern Oaks in Lake Jackson, Texas April 6...Harold Sharp was with Cahaba Heights in Birmingham, Ala. March 16-23...Robert Jackson at Hueytown in Birmingham March 17-23, Sewell Hall at 77th Street in Birmingham March 23-30, Dave Fraser at 9th St. Bessemer in Birmingham March 23-30, Keith Burnett at Fultondale in Birmingham March 30 to April 6...Farris J. Smith at Gar dendale, Birmingham April 6-13...George T. Jones at Ensley, Birmingham April 6-13...Hollis Creel at Graysville, Birmingham April 13-20...Robert Crawley at North Birmingham April 13-20...Audie McKee at Midfield, Birmingham April 20-27...John Clark at Vestavia Hills in Birmingham May 4-9...Bi11 Cavender at Columbia, Tennessee March 30-April 6...Luther Blackmon at Bedford, Ohio April 14-20...Gene Frost at Southwest in Akron, Ohio beginning April 20...Cecil Willis at Tallmadge, Ohio April 21-27...A. Staggs, Jr. at Youngstown, Ohio April 5 through 11...

NEW LOCATION OF CHURCH IN ALBANY, GEORGIA: Now meeting at 517 Pine Avenue. Telephone 432-6789, or, 435-7987. James H. Spencer.

LUTHER ROBERTS to be with North Park in Abilene, Texas March 17-23, and in Morton, Texas March 9-14, also with West Side in Forth Worth April 6-11.

FREE COMMUNION TRAYS: "The church in Grand Saline has a complete set of trays, cup holders, bread trays and collection plates that we would be happy to donate some group trying to get started. If you know of any one, please let us know and we will ship to them free of any expense." T. E. Webb, Rt. 1 Box 8, Grand Saline, Texas 75140 SASSER RETURNING TO NIGERIA: "Yes, brethren it is true, my wife and I and our four

children, Whit, Jimona, Tami, and Joni Lyn, have decided to return to Nigeria to enter once again into the work that we learned to love so well while we were there two years, 1964-1966.

"We had not intended to return so soon, but brother James Link, the brother that had been preparing to go, was unable to do so because of the condition of his wife after an auto accident.

"We looked around, high and low, for a man to take his place, but was unable to find anyone else to go. So, with brother Wayne Payne coming home this Summer, and with our longing to return to Nigeria anyway, and with the desperate need for at least two white brethren to be there together at all times, we made up our minds to go.

"Well, now brethren, since you know why my family and I are going to Nigeria, it is left up to you to see to it that we get there, are supported well there, and have working funds to work with while there. I am not ashamed or embarrassed to ask you brethren to help financially in this great effort at this time. On the contrary, I am happy to be able to ask. For I know that you need to be involved in such efforts as this for your own good and I know from experience that you will not let me and this effort down. You will be more than happy to have an opportunity to help preach the gospel where it is received so well. Where the fruits are so many fold.

"Brethren, I am an experienced man that has served his Lord in Nigeria before. A man that is mature in age and mind. I love the Nigerian people and know how to work with them. I was with brother George Pennock in the work over there before and will be privileged to be a fellow worker with him again this time the Lord willing.

"I am now engaged in a good work here at Griffith, Indiana. The brethren are paying me a good livable wage. I am living in a nice brick house. I am enjoying the work with these good brethren here. So you see, I am not running from anything or anybody, but I feel that I need to go to a work where I am needed even more and where not many brethren want to go.

"Brethren, here are the needs, and how they can be met by you, and when they should be met: We will need travel funds both ways before we leave the States. We will need a car for transportation while we are there. We will need monthly living support. We will need rent money and working funds.

"Any individual or congregation that will help, can send to any of these needs. We plan to leave September 1969. Our time for raising the necessary funds is very limited. Please do not hold back or delay your sending to this need. Delay is a killer of precious time and a cause of concern on the part of those trying to do this work. Please heed this call now. If there is any congregation that thinks they may be able to take care of my support or rent money themselves, please contact me right away. My address is: James W. Sasser, 630 East Ash Place, Griffith, Indiana 46319. My telephone is Area Code 219 923-3819. Make all checks payable to James W. Sasser and send them to the above address. Thank you in advance, brethren, for your liberal help. Yours in His service, Jim Sasser."

CAPSULE SERMON: "God On Vacation" — "Careful, now. Don't forget your last minute essentials as you load the car! Forgetting the little things often ruins a happy journey. Remember, too, that God does not 'close up shop' on us as we often do on him. Vacations are characterized by failure to study God's word, immodest, shameful dress, and the fulfilling of desires in activities that are not ordinarily done at home. No, we're not 'anti-vacations' because they serve a useful, necessary purpose, but meditation, cleanliness of the flesh and spirit, and abhorring evil is a daily privilege. Abuse it not." Larry Ray Hafley NEW FEATURES: Teaching By Cartoon -- Notice in this issue the cartoon by Victor H. McCormick, 416 Harding Avenue, Portsmouth, Ohio 45662. Brother McCormick is a talented cartoonist and will be submitting cartoons once a month for publication. Well drawn cartoons with real lessons have their place, and we are happy to give place to brother McCormick's teaching by cartoon.