Gospel Guardian Tell-Al-Gram
Reporter — GEORGE T. ELDRIDGE
Gospel Meetings:
INDIANA: Ellettsville — Johnnie Edwards — Jan. 19-25 in Ft. Myers, Florida at the Pine Island Rd. Church. OHIO: Cincinnati. Evandale Church — Jan. 22, 23, 24 with Wright Randolph, local preacher, speaking on the false doctrine of Premillennialism. Blue Ash Church — Jan. 11 thru Jan. 18 with Claude Wilsford of New Albany, Indiana. Lockland Church — B. G. Hope of Beaver Dam, Ky. — Jan. 5 thru 11. Dayton area — Knollwood Church in Xenia — Feb. 27 thru March 1 with Luther Blackmon preaching on the real foundations of faith as opposed to unbelief. Columbus area — Hilliard — Jan. 5 thru Jan. 13 with Aude McKee of Murray, Ky. Roseville — Feb. 9 thru Feb. 13 with Ellis Webb of Columbus, Ohio. Southeast Church, 853 E. Archwood Ave., Akron — week of April 19 — Paul Keller of Moundsville, W. Va.: week of July 26 — VBS: week of October 25 — Austin Mobley. KENTUCKY Bowling Green. 12 St. Church conducts a singing school each Thursday night during the winter months. Weldon Warnock will do the instructing. West End Church spring meeting will be held by Luther Blackmon. Eastland Church, 5017 Bardstown Town Road, Louisville — January 19 thru 25 with Luther Blackmon. Grandview Church in Tompkinsville — January 12 thru Jan. 16 with Edwin Hayes of Birmingham, Alabama.
These "HAVE BELIEVED OUR REPORT" INDIANA: Hobart — 200 N. Liberty St. with Robert C. Archer — Year 1969. 12 baptized, 8 restored, and 6 placed membership. Averages. Sunday a.m. Bible Study 115, Sunday a.m. worship 150, Sunday p.m. worship 92, contribution $342.00, and Wednesday Bible Study 85. Indianapolis — 860 S. Belmont Avenue with Paul M. Caldwell, Sr. — 2 restored and two placed membership. Plainfield — 168 Lawndale Drive with Harry Lewis — 1 baptized and 2 restored. Baptistery of the Plainfield Church was used by the Danville Church; 2 were baptized. Spencer — 702 E. Morgan St. with L. Henry Smith — 2 baptized.
OHIO: Columbus — 3361 West Broad Street with Ellis Webb. Year 1969 — 13 baptized, 16 restored, and 6 placed membership. Dayton — 300 Haynes St. with Edgar Walker. 4 restored. Since brother Walker's arrival in July, 1969, 22 have responded. Tallmadge — 737 Southeast Ave. with Austin Mobley — 2 baptized and 1 restored. For the year 1969, the 737 Southeast Ave. Church reports 15 baptized, 31 restored, and 21 placed membership; the average figures for 1969 are — 205 Sun. a.m. worship, 171 Sun. a.m. Bible study, 160 Sun. p.m. worship, $545.00 contribution, and 134 Wednesday Bible study. West Chester (Cincinnati area) — Route 42 and Dimmick Road with Bernard Bolton reports 5 baptized and 8 restored for the year 1969. Averages for the year 1969 were 115 Sun. a.m. worship, 90 Sun. p.m. worship, 84 Wednesday Bible study, and $367.56 contribution. KENTUCKY: Bowling Green — West End Church with Weldon Warnock — 1 baptized. Louisville. At South End with Kenneth Green — 1 placed membership. At Manslick Road where J. F. Dancer, Jr. has moved from and Connie Adams is moving to — 1 baptized and 2 identified. At Shively with Vestal Chaffin — 2 baptized, 2 restored, and 2 identified. At Shively for the year 1969, 21 were baptized; 10 were restored; 15 identified and placed membership. Murray — Doran Road at Holiday Dr. with Aude McKee — 2 confessed wrongs; 1 baptized. Aude McKee held a meeting in Hilliard, Ohio, Jan. 5 thru Jan. 13. Tompkinsville — Armory Road with Donald Townley — 1 was baptized. Valley Station — 11408 Dixie Highway with Lewis Willis reports 14 baptized, 20 restored, 17 placed membership, and about 20 brethren were withdrawn from during the year 1969.
Leslie Diestelkamp, 401 Woolf Court, Rochelle, Illinois 61068, closes his work with the church in Rochelle and the new S. Main Church in Rockford as of May 1, 1970. After that date, brother Diestelkamp will be available for full-time meeting work and/or other short term work in sowing the seed of the kingdom. His address will remain the same. He now welcomes inquiries from any congregation anywhere that could use his services in preaching the Bible. Brother Diestelkamp wants to especially help congregations who presently don't have a full-time man and those who cannot even fully support a meeting. I indeed endorse brother Diestelkamp in this work and pray that congregations will use him! May God bless him.
MOVING PREACHERS. PAUL CAVENDER, who was a faithful member of the Franklin Road Church in Nashville, Tennessee, moves to work with the Skyline Drive Church in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Paul has taken his retirement from the Post Office to devote full-time to the work of a preacher. May the Lord bless Paul and his work. TOM BUNTING, who has just returned from two years of work in Norway, moves to Savannah, Tennessee, First Street Church. The Savannah work is relatively new. The work was started because of liberalism in the other churches. The Downtown Church of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee will provide Tom's wages and the First Street Church will provide his housing. KEN THOMAS moves from Kirkland, Illinois to Florida, ROBERT PATTON moves from Washington, Illinois to Kirkland, Illinois. RICHARD PENTECOST moves from Roseville, Michigan Church to the Blue Ash Church of Cincinnati, Ohio.
A look at the 3361 West Broad Church of Columbus, Ohio 43204. In addition to the wages provided for Ellis Webb, who is the local preacher, the West Broad Church sends $450.00 per month to Bill Reeves of Fredericktown, Ohio (the $450.00 is scheduled for only 6 months), $200.00 per month to E. C. Koltenbah of Muncie, Indiana (the $200.00 is scheduled for 6 months), $100.00 per month to Ronald Chaffin of Uhrichsville, Ohio, $100.00 per month to John Fant of Newark, Ohio, and $100.00 per month to Paul Williams of South Africa (the $100.00 is scheduled for 4 years; 2 years have already past). $950.00 per month in wages are sent to faithful gospel preachers. West Broad likewise has a radio program, every Saturday on WCOL FM from 2:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Note from Lewis Willis, 11408 Dixie Highway, Valley Station, Ky. 40272. "I had surgery on November 18 (1969 GTE) and this was expected to confine me for 3 or 4 weeks. However, two weeks later I had to enter the hospital for additional emergency surgery. Together, these "two outings" have rather interrupted affairs for me. But, I am doing fine and our work here is beginning to get back to its normal, heavy pace. I would like to thank all our readers for their cards and letters which I have received. Your thoughtfulness has been greatly appreciated."
THE SASSERS IN AUSTRALIA is a monthly report concerning the preaching work of James W. Sasser in Australia. It is published by God's people meeting at 1932 South Weller in Springfield, Missouri 65804. Write and be placed on its mailing list. You will be glad that you did!
A NOTE FROM MY PERSONAL FRIEND, Norton Dye, 132 Roger Circle, Sparks, Nevada 89431. Norton is in his seventh year with the church, 12th & D, Sparks. The church is self-supporting. The membership is around 90 due to moving and other factors. 21 or 22 have been baptized in the past 12 months. Sound churches now meet in Yerington and Fallon.
NEW CHURCH IN ASHLAND, OHIO. Sunday, January 4, 1970 marked the first meeting of the newly formed congregation of saints in Ashland, Ohio. They are meeting in the afternoon, at 3 p.m. each Sunday, in the G. A. R. Hall at 140 Arthur St. Bro. Connie Adams of the Brown St. church in Akron, Ohio is preaching during the month of January for this new church. These brethren tried long and hard to stay the fruits of liberalism in the old established congregation in Ashland, but this church would not return to the "old paths." The brethren, therefore, withdrew themselves and started this faithful church.
News from the states of ILLINOIS, INDIANA, OHIO, and KENTUCKY should be sent to the following address: George T. Eldridge, P. O. Bo: 96, Hilliard, Ohio 43026
— Gospel Meetings —
Paris Avenue Church of Christ, Peoria, Illinois — March 2 through March the 8th — Speaker will be Ray Ferris from Elgin, Illinois.
MEETING SCHEDULE FOR LARRY RAY HAFLEY: March 23-29, Newbern, Tennessee. . . April 6-12, Pontiac, Illinois. . . April 20-26, Danville, Kentucky. . . May 11-17, W. Washington Rd., Indianapolis, Indiana.. June 1-7, Haldeman Ave., Louisville, Kentucky. . . June 15-20, Mendota, Illinois... June 22-28, Paris Ave., Peoria, Illinois, . . . July 6-11, Yorkville, Illinois.
Debate
Mr. Billy W. Lewis and I have signed propositions for a public discussion to be held in Aurora, Illinois, March 9-13.
WHERE? During the first three nights, the discussion will be held at the meeting house of the West Side church of Christ, Galena at Edgelawn in Aurora. The last two nights will be at the First Apostolic Church, Sheffer at McClure Road in Aurora.
TIME? Each session will begin at 7:30 P. M.
FACTS: Each speaker will have one thirty minute and one twenty minute speech each evening. THE PROPOSITIONS —
1. March 9, 1970 — The scriptures teach that there are three separate and distinct persons in the Godhead; namely the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. (Larry Ray Hafley affirms — Billy W. Lewis denies.)
2. March 10, 1970 — The scriptures teach there is only one person in the Godhead, namely, Jesus Christ. (Billy W. Lewis affirms — Larry Ray Hafley denies.)
3. March 11, 1970 — The scriptures teach that the name of Jesus Christ or Lord Jesus is the only name to be orally pronounced when administering water baptism. (Billy W. Lewis affirms — Larry Ray Hafley denies. )
4. March 12, 1970 — The scriptures teach that the Holy Spirit baptism, speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance as recorded in the book of Acts, is for believers today. (Billy W. Lewis affirms — Larry Ray Hafley denies.)
5. March 13, 1970 — The scriptures teach that the Holy Spirit baptism, speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance as recorded in the book of Acts, is not for believers today. (Larry Ray Hafley affirms — Billy W. Lewis denies.)
CONCLUSION — This will not be a mud slinging quarrel. It will be an honorable discussion of our differences. (II Cor. 13:5; I Thess. 5:21; Jude 3) Every one is cordially invited to attend. Bring your Bibles and study with us! Larry R. Hafley.
PREACHER WANTED: "We need a preacher by June or before. If interested, please write to the church of Christ, P. O. Box 283, Susanville, California, 96130, or call 916-257-3870."
JIMMY TUTEN'S BIBLE LAND TOUR: "I am leading a Bible Lands Tour, April 28 — May 12. 'You have a tremendous tour,' says Mr. Reynertson of Travelmaster Tours, Inc. It is that and more! 15 glorious days traveling into Italy, Greece, Egypt, Ammon (for a trip to Petra), Cyprus, Israel and Turkey. On this trip you will walk up the Acropolis in Athens; Visit Corinth, Paul's home for eighteen months; go into places like the Mamertine Prison, from where we believe Paul was sent to his death; Ride camels to Pyramids in Egypt; Visit Jerusalem and many other sites in Israel; Cross the sea of Galilee in a boat; drive to the ancient Philistine cities of Gaza, Ashkelon; Ashdod and Ekron; join others walking Via Dolorosa; and a lot more. The tour is arranged so that preachers will have to be away from their pulpits only two Sundays. Make reservations now. Or you may earn a tour free by securing five paying passengers. For further information write me at 6316 Pernod, St. Louis, Mo., 63139. Brochures will be mailed upon request.
NACO, SONORA — MEXICO: — FIDEL CISNEROS is the preacher here at this place and continues to do an outstanding job. The entire church at Naco is growing stronger each day in the teachings and doctrine of Christ. On the 19th of November, Marvel and I completed our parts in the classes we started there last June. Each member of the church there realizes his responsibility in getting the Gospel out to those who have never heard it, and they are doing something about it. Please continue to pray for these wonderful brethren in Christ.
LAS PALOMAS, CHIHUAHUA: — On the 13th, 14th, and 15th of November, the CHARLES HOUSE family assisted ALEJANDRO HERNANDEZ and his family in moving to this Mexican town, which is directly in front of the American border town of COLUMBUS, NEW MEXICO to begin the new church that had been planned there about fifteen years ago. I am happy to report that the HERNANDEZ'S are now in their own house and are conducting services regularly there. Their new mailing address is: ALEJANDRO HERNANDEZ, P. O. Box 417, Columbus, New Mexico 88029. We are looking forward to great things from Alejandro and Anna, with God's help. Lord willing, my wife MARVEL and I hope to make regular visits to COLUMBUS PALOMAS as opportunity presents. Pray for this new church.
DOUGLAS — AGUA PRIETA: — A recent high of 42 in attendance November 12th, was reached on a Wednesday night here at Douglas. The church here was started with 2 members (Charles and Marvel) on 10 March 1968. Later, Luis & Lydia Trevino identified, bringing the membership up to four by 7 April 1968. Since the beginning, there have been a total of 15 to form the church here, 11 of whom have been baptized. As this report goes to press, of the 15 members, there are now only 8 left. Two were withdrawn from; two left the church entirely; one moved away to a town that had no church; and two others moved away to start a church in another location, leaving a current membership of eight here at DOUGLAS-AQUA PRIETA. Three members live in Douglas, and five live in Agua Prieta. Of the total membership of eight souls, five are men. The men recently planned a vigorous program for the church to carry out. We are all so greatly enthused with the prospects of the future. We solicit your prayers. In the twin cities of DOUGLAS-AGUA PRIETA, there are approximately 40,000. The population of Douglas is 75 to 80% Mexican. — Charles F. House.
Forgetting The Past
Forget the things which are behind, Press onward to your goal,
Debris is harmful to the mind, It but retards the soul.
Let not the things which you have done Cause you to stumble, here,
A better race you will have run, When comes the end, so near.
Though some may cause your heart to break, With efforts to deceive,
You must press on, and progress make, If blessings you'd receive.
Think not again, 0 friend of mine, Of what the past bath wrought,
And keep creative thoughts in line, All others are but naught.
Now let the dead past bury it's dead, Walk on a higher plain,
If you will heed what I have said, A vie-try you will gain.
No need is there for one to have A bitterness of mind,
You have a ransomed soul, to save, Tho others lag behind.
The thoughts I have expressed to you Are not my own, I'm sure,
But they will make you think anew, Forever they'll endure.
No man is there who thinks aright Unless he trusts in God,
But he must wage a bitter fight Ere lying neath the sod.
Trust not your feeling or your thought, Our steps we cannot guide,
If this, we try, we come to naught, But truth will yet abide.
So weary traveler falter not, But heed what God bath said,
Lest doom, eternal be your lot When you rise from the dead.
By Jim W. Middleton Sr. Bridgeport, Texas