"Will You Help Send Me?"
Every day we read of the need to go to the mission fields in the East and the North and West. We hear of missionaries appealing for funds to enter these fields, but there is one field that has been overlooked, the South-East By the South-East is meant North Carolina, South Carolina and Eastern Georgia. This area is virgin territory as far as the gospel having been preached there. For instance in Georgia there are 159 counties, but there are 108 counties in which there are not churches. This may seem unbelievable, but it is true. There are even fewer churches in North and South Carolina.
For the past three years I have held mission meetings in South Carolina and only last month concluded a meeting in Anderson, South Carolina. Anderson is located near the border of Georgia and while in this last meeting some brethren from Hartwell Georgia, who drove over to Anderson to worship, asked that I move to Hartwell and start a congregation there. Their appeal was so strong that I drove over to Hartwell and looked over the possibilities for the work there. I decided that truly a wonderful harvest could be reaped and so I told the brethren I would move there.
There is no church in Hartwell, but during the past few years four families have moved there and desire to start a congregation. They are very zealous and interested in the Lord's cause. Besides the four families for a wonderful nucleus to start with, there is a man and his wife who moved to Texas from Hartwell and were converted to Christ after moving to Texas. Somehow they contacted one of the Christians in Hartwell and said they wanted to help them get started and would personally buy the lot for the church.
There is one other reason that made me believe this was a perfect opportunity and that was the people in that area. They are very humble and deeply religious, but they know absolutely nothing about the church. Truly they are like the Eunuch in Acts 8 for being sincere and religious they need only someone to guide them. They are not prejudiced but open minded to the truth. That is why I say truly the harvest is ready to be reaped there and why I told the brethren I would move there and help them in the work.
I do not have all the support needed, but I have faith that the Lord will provide if I do my part and that is the purpose of this article. The Central church in Beaumont, Texas where Brother Stanley J. Lovett preaches has promised to help support me, but they cannot do so alone. Will you help send me? I can supply you with references as to my ability and integrity as a gospel preacher. I will be most happy to visit with any individual or church who is interested and discuss this work with them. Please telephone or write to Barney Cargile, Jr., Church of Christ, Opelousas, Louisiana.