An All Time Record

I have had numerous requests of late for a report of my work the past few months and some have insisted that I give an account of myself, so here it is.

The year 1945 has been the fullest year of the more than thirty years that I have been preaching the word. I have held more meetings and covered more territory than any other year of my life. If I am permitted to fill the remaining engagements of the year, when December 31 has come I will have held thirty-five gospel meetings, the shortest in length was seven days and the longest eleven days. That is, I believe, an all time record for gospel meetings in one year. Many of these meetings were among people I have known and loved for many years, others in new places where new associations were enjoyed and friendships formed. Of these thirty-five meetings, half of them were held in Texas, my native state. Others in Oklahoma, Louisiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Alabama, New Mexico, Michigan, Oregon and California. The Texas meetings were at Houston, McLean, Wellington, Beaumont, Sweetwater, Ferris, Rhome, Hamilton, Gatesville, Memphis, Texarkana, Denison, Dallas, Corpus Christi, Fort Worth (two meetings, Polytechnic and Castleberry), and Killeen. In other states, Altus and Shawnee, Oklahoma; Haynesville, Monroe and Tallulah, Louisiana; Memphis, Tennessee (two meetings, McLemore and Bethel churches) ; Birmingham and Florala, Alabama; Roswell, New Mexico; Flint, Michigan; Bowling Green, Kentucky; Indianapolis, Indiana (Irvington church); and on the West Coast, Oregon and California.

In these meetings there was no spectacular success, but the steady preaching of the gospel, to average audiences under prevailing conditions, and I have been assured by sober-minded brethren that the church in every place was made stronger in the fundamentals of the gospel and the basic truths of Christianity.

In the midst of this extra heavy schedule of preaching engagements, I have endeavored to carry on the Bible Banner. The readers of the Bible Banner have come to know that it "his due when it arrives," and to "look for it when they see it coming." But when it comes it is "all there" and every single issue of it is worth the subscription price for the whole year, for the Bible Banner is not just a paper, nor even a mere magazine—it is a book in every issue. It should be remembered, with a degree of forbearance and allowance, that its editor is a traveling preacher, publishes the Bible Banner on his own, without office force or editorial assistance. During the past few months there have been difficulties in printing and problems in publication, besides the inconvenience of constant travel to the editor. In these problems may be found the reasons why the Bible Banner is not altogether regular. That, however, is incidental, as it serves a special purpose, fills a special need, and unlike the regular weeklies, it is not intended to occupy the field of a religious newspaper.

Someone has inquired as to what I do with my spare time-well, between the printing and the sprinting of the foregoing report I spend the rest of the time at leisure! -(F. E. W. Jr.)