Help For Frank Worgan
Many American Christians will remember with pleasure the visit to our shores last year of brother Frank Worgan and the year before of brother Len Channing, both of England. There are only a handful of faithful gospel preachers in the British Isles; and they work under handicaps and hardships that are simply appalling to an American mind. But with men like Channing and Worgan holding forth for the truth, we can have no real apprehension as to the stability of the cause and the sure, certain growth of the church, however slow and difficult it may be and however tortuous and winding the path.
Great Britain (particularly England) suffered incredible damage from the war. Even if no future wars come, it may well take her fifty to a hundred years just to regain the economic position she had before the war. And the church of Christ, along with that pitiably few loyal preachers, must slowly and painfully forge ahead against cruel odds. Just as an example of the sacrifices some of these brethren are making, Frank Worgan, as an unmarried preacher in 1941 was being paid four pounds, ten shillings a week — about $18.00 in our money; but in 1952, as a married man and with two children to support, he is receiving five pounds, ten shillings, which (since devaluation of the pound) is worth approximately $17.00 in American money! So critical has the situation become that some of the British preachers are being compelled to withdraw from full time preaching work and make a living at secular work, while devoting whatever time they can manage from their jobs to the doing of evangelistic work. Not that they are ashamed or reluctant to do it that way, but it does seem a waste of talent for a man like Len Channing to be spending fifty or sixty hours a week in secular work when, with proper support, every one of those hours could be spent directly in the furtherance of New Testament Christianity in the British Isles.
One serious handicap under which our British preachers labor is the lack of adequate transportation. They are so few; the little groups needing their help are so many, and so scattered. Brother Worgan has been hoping that within a year or two he could save up enough money to buy some sort of motor-bike to go from one town to another and to make calls over the general area of Lancashire, where he lives. But even a motorbike is a gigantic undertaking to a man with a family to support — and $17.00 a week on which to do it.
In view of these things, and with the hope of providing a means of transportation for brother Worgan in his work, Charles L. Reinhardt of Oakland, California, has volunteered to brother Worgan that he is going to try to interest enough American brethren in the matter to provide some kind of second-hand car for his use in gospel work. A new car is simply out of the question, for there is already a ten year (that's right — ten years) waiting period for those whose orders are even now on file. But a small British used car can be had for about $2,500.00. And this is the amount brother Reinhardt is hoping to raise. Such a machine would greatly multiply brother Worgan's usefulness and increase his effectiveness in doing the work. Indeed, one man with a car could probably do as much work as two or three men without transportation.
Readers of the Gospel Guardian know that it is not our policy nor our practice to be making appeals for help. There are other journals among us that do a pretty good job in keeping the brethren informed as to opportunities and places that need help; and we have conceived of our work rather as that of teaching. But this is an exception. And we are making known the appeal of brother Reinhardt for help in the matter of securing this car for Frank Worgan. We know brother Worgan and we know he needs the help. And we know Charles Reinhardt (one of the most faithful and zealous workers in the whole San Francisco Bay area), and we know he will handle all details satisfactorily. If any reader of this page desires to have part in this worthy endeavor, you many send your remittance to Chas. L. Reinhardt, 172 West McArthur Blvd., Oakland 11, California. Each contribution will be duly acknowledged; and by the help of many the job can shortly be done. The editor's own check is already in the mail, and we hope it will be followed by many others from our readers. We can't think of a much more practical way of doing "mission" work than by helping to increase the effectiveness of these faithful men in Britain who are so unselfishly giving their lives to the preaching of the word.