Letters
Please forgive me for writing this letter, but I write out of a real necessity, beginning January 1, 1960. A church that has been supporting me in Kentucky wrote informing me that they were ceasing their support at the end of this year. They have been sending me one hundred dollars per month. I will be shy of this at the beginning of the New Year. If you can, please help me in raising this support, and it will be greatly appreciated. The cause in Ireland is slow and we have sixteen members of the body in Belfast. Some of these are not even faithful to the cause, so if I am to continue to work full time in this field, I will need one hundred dollars per month at the beginning of this new year. Whatever help you can render to this need will be greatly appreciated by my wife and me.
Brotherly, Hugh Tinsley
34 Sarajac Crescent Cavehill Road Belfast, North Ireland
Editors note: Hugh Tinsley and Nat Cooper are faithful young men of Ireland who learned the truth, obeyed it, and came to this nation to prepare themselves better to take the gospel to their own people. Both of them are worthy of any help or support that can be given. We hope some good congregation will respond to Brother Tinsley's urgent need.
Abilene, Texas October 26, 1959 Yater:
Some of the members of my family have considered you a good friend. We have never met. I have read things you have written, and listened to a number of tapes of your debates.
When you came to Abilene, you picked the church with the weakest and most ignorant leaders to grace with your membership. Specifically, I name Key, Proctor, Richardson, and Beaver. If brain-power were dynamite, their combined efforts would not serve to blow one nose. I propose to check all four named in the future by supervised standard intellegence tests.
One of the North Park elders, A. E. Key, has unofficially issued me a challenge for a debate in their building in your name, and or that of Roy Cogdill. I have accepted. It merely needs your confirfnation. In the best duelling tradition, Im picking the weapons, and running the show with my rules. I went rattlesnake hunting last spring, and did not use the Marquis of Queensbury rules on those I killed. Neither will I use regular debate rules on you. My relationship with you is that of a Christian with a scoundrel, and that only.
In this debate there will be no publicity. The general public and members of other churches will be barred, with few exceptions. In other words, a tiny audience of North Park Tantis, with a few witnesses, and a recorder. This is for your ego.
Next, you will answer all questions, which will go back to the Houston Music Hall Meeting, and include those of Brother Harper's you so conveniently forgot, others I have stumped one Tanti after another with, obvious lies in your publication, one of your telegrams, and the blasphemous name assigned to the Gospel Gossiper. You will sign the answer sheets, which may later be published in part or in whole.
I would like to hear you tell an audience, after crying for scripture, where in the Bible you find command or example for a church to hold title to the lot and building. Or how some poor widow or orphan, whom you are obliged to help, is taken away from your power to help upon being placed in a "home". And how your teaching against "homes" stops the pain of hunger in a stomack, and eliminates the need for clothing. Also, give scripture for command or example to take orphans into one's home. Then, after answering me about many obvious prevarications in your publication, give an example of error over Herald broadcasts. I have much more to quiz you on, and have no intention of letting you get away without a direct, signed, answer. I figure I'll have only one chance at you, and intend to make it good.
As for myself, I am a carpenter, which is more scriptural than your work, and carpenters are traditionally poor. In other words, any financing the debate may require will have to be done by North Park. I may have a better education than you have, and I come from a much better family than you do. Tangling with you will be a job of pest control only. I just want to destroy your influence, change Tantis to Christians, from following you to following Christ. I want to see the rifts you have caused healed, and build up and edify the church Christ died for.
You are a second-rate imitation Elmer Gantry, with a dash of ranting canting Cotton Mather. To close with Scripture, "0 full of all guile and all villany, thou son of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?"
Sincerely, Allen J. McDaniel, Jr.
(Editor's note: Memo to typesetters and proof-readers: Once again I caution you to respect Brother McDaniel's orthography. This man is a member of the most intellectual church in the brotherhood, and is a graduate of A. C. C. (with almost a major in English!) If you change his spelling, he is liable to put you through one of his "supervised standard intellegence tests"!)
P. O. Box 508 New Bern, N. C.
November 10, 1959 Mr. F. Y. Tant P. O. Box 980 Lufkin, Texas
Dear Brother Tant, Since July 1, 1959 the church of Christ at New Bern, N. C. has been without the services of a preacher. During the months of July, August, September and a part of October our efforts to obtain a preacher were rather discouraging. It seems that Eastern North Carolina is so far off the beaten track that preachers are reluctant to settle here. Unfortunately, we are not financially able to fully support our own preacher, since our monthly contributions are only approximately $125.00. Hence, we must rely on assistance from others.
We feel that we can contribute $75.00 per month towards the support of a preacher. The additional $50.00 per month that makes up our contribution must go towards operating expense and building upkeep. As the membership increases, of course, the additional contributions will go towards his support.
During the past 5 years attendance has grown from approximately 5 people to approximately 48 at this time. In absence of a regular preacher, the brethren here have been carrying on by conducting services themselves. However, it becomes increasingly apparent that we are not growing, in fact we are not currently replacing members who have moved from this area. Hence, the problem of acquiring the services of a preacher appears to be critical.
During October, 1959 we contacted Oscar Walters, currently located at Concord, N. C. and he evidenced a desire to return to New Bern, N. C. Brother Walters was located here until June 1957, when he was forced to leave due to insufficient support. Brother Walters had laid a great deal of ground work in this area and was highly thought of and respected. We feel that he will be a great asset to the church here in New Bern.
In order for Brother Walters to rent a house and meet living expenses, we feel that we must obtain at the minimum an additional $325.00 per month support. Although Brother Walters cannot leave Concord until January 1, 1960, we are attempting to obtain commitments for his support now. This, of course, leaves us only two months to obtain adequate support for our preacher.
We earnestly hope that we might count on you for a portion of the $325.00 monthly support required. In the event you wish additional information, you may write Charles M. Stringer, J,.
P. O. Box 508 New Bern, N. C.
or call collect, Melrose 7-6677.
May we please hear from you at your earliest convenience on this matter, as we are desperately seeking assistance.
Yours in Christ, Charles M. Stringer, Jr.
(Editor's note: This is a most worthy appeal. Personal acquaintance with the fine little New Bern Congregation, from two gospel meetings there, enables us to speak with confidence in saying that this offers one of the best opportunities we know of anywhere for supporting a gospel preacher. J. O. Walters is acquainted with New Bern, is known and respected there, and is sound in his life and teaching. Can some congregation help here?)
Palmtto, Florida November 13, 1959 Dear Brother Tant:
I am in my 84th year, and have preached 48 years of that time. I have seen many departures from the plain teaching of God's word, and many innovations have crept into the church in the last few years. Now we have the second denomination being formed out of the Church the Lord built. How will it end? From what I can find out, we have less than ten percent of the churches in Florida who are going along with the Herald of Truth. But those who do are usually the larger churches who have more money than they know how to use. So they are following along with the dictates of the Gospel Advocate and the great scholars (?) on the Advocate staff.
Also I see they are building more orphan homes to do the work of the church. Benevolence is always a local obligation, and to my knowledge has been practiced by the churches in Florida for all the years I have been here. We have had widows and orphans here during that time, but have never permitted any of them to be sent away to some "home", but have seen to it that they were kept together as a happy family till they were able to become self supporting again. We contend that that is the way it ought to be done.
Now concerning the Herald of Truth: if the money that is sent to Herald of Truth were locally spent to spread the gospel, many more churches would be established, and much more good done. When I came to Tampa fifty-three years ago, there were just two families meeting from house to house. And now there are twenty-five congregations in Tampa, besides many churches outside the City — all came about since the small beginning through local work. I came to Bradenton, Florida, forty-eight years ago and began to preach for the small congregation there. At the same time I worked six days a week at the plumbing and sheet metal business, preaching two sermons and teaching two Bible classes each week. From this small beginning, and by the labors and sacrifices of many faithful brethren, eight new congregations have been established in this section within the past twenty-five years. Six years ago we started a new congregation in East Bradenton with only four families. There have been over 100 additions there, and we have built a nice building that will seat 200 or more people. It has four class-rooms and cost us about $32,000.00 Tom Miller, whom I baptized seven years ago, is preaching for us, and is doing much personal work in the area. This has been very productive of good. We have just closed a seven day meeting in which five were baptized and twelve were restored.
We know this simple, local way is the New Testament way; and we pray that the day will soon come when the "big" promotion with all their modernism will be a thing of the past.
Your brother in Christ, D. B. Whittle Gallipolis, Ohio November 19, 1959
Dear Yater:
I enclose a letter I wrote to the Urbandale church in Dallas; to which, up to this date I have had no reply at all. It would seem they do not want contributions sent direct, Buff Scott
Urbandale Church of Christ 7200 Military Parkway Dallas 27, Texas
Dear Brethren:
In the "Christian Chronicle" of August 11, I read of the account of brother Josef Naumiuk's trial. A footnote says that assistance can be mailed to you brethren. Would you be so kind as to mail me his address in Poland, as I am thinking about sending him a donation. I would rather it go direct, as I feel it would express better love and friendship on my part.
If I were to send it to you, he would perhaps never know of my assistance. Thanking you in advance, and enclosing a self-addressed stamped envelope.
In Him, Buff Scott, Jr.