Letters
Dear Brother Tant:
Due to pressure from institutional minded brethren, two of the congregations which have been supporting us have discontinued. In order for us to continue in the work here it is necessary that we receive support to replace that which has been discontinued, and which we have thus far been unable to do. Since you have been in Lexington and know of our work and of the work in this area. We thought perhaps you might be able to suggest some congregations which might be willing to help in this matter.
During the year there have been seven congregations supporting us with a total of $310.00 per month. This has been inadequate since we have to pay our own rent, and travel expenses are heavy in this kind of work. These congregations mailed their support directly to us. However, because of the stand for truth which has been made on the issues presently before the church, and because of the tremendous influence for truth of our daily radio program on WKLR at Paris, Kentucky, some who promote the institutions in the church today have made a determined effort to get these seven churches to discontinue their support. To date two churches have told us they will not support us in 1957; the amount being received from them has been $75.00 per month. We want to remain in this work. In order to do so, however, we will have to find some faithful congregation, or congregations, willing to replace the amount which has been cut off, and perhaps increase it.
We have been working this year with the church in Georgetown, Kentucky, which is a congregation we established last year. We are having about 35 to 50 present each Lord's Day. Also I have been working with several other small churches in the area in an effort to strengthen them and to keep them faithful to the truth. In addition to all this I have either conducted or helped in nine mission meetings in this immediate area, besides two in Tennessee. A number of times I have preached three or four nights at a place between meetings in an effort to give strength and encouragement to a weak congregation. Most Sundays I have preached three times, and a few times have preached four sermons on a Lord's Day. Since last May 7 I have been preaching daily (Monday through Friday) on radio station WKLX in Paris, Kentucky. This is a 1,000 watt station and covers all of northern Kentucky, into Ohio and Indiana, as well as reaching far into east and south Kentucky. It is reputed to be the most widely listened to station in north central Kentucky, even surpassing the stations in Lexington. We have a tremendous radio audience, and our response by way of correspondence and follow up work has been most gratifying. This program is paid for only through the month of December. We desperately need to find additional congregations who would be willing to support such a program through the year 1957. The churcheswhich have supported the program have sent their checks directly to the radio station each month, instructing the station to apply this to the account of the program. This program has been very effective in teaching sinners. There are 13 counties north of Lexington in which there is not a single church of the Lord. All of these counties are covered by this program. It is very important to the work in this area that the program be able to continue.
Thus far in our work this year we have baptized 15, and have had a few more than that to be reclaimed.
If anyone is interested in knowing more of our work, or of our stand for the truth, they might contact Brother R. H. Farish, 2522 Southview Drive, Lexington, Kentucky. Please let us hear from you, and encourage others to write.
Yours for Truth and Right, Howard See
1801-B Spruce Berkeley 9, California November 27, 1956 Dear Yater Tant:
I like to think of myself as an informed member of the church but last Sunday I pulled a boner that gave me an insight as to how fast an erring congregation can fall into line with denominational action.
My wife, two other members, and myself were returning to Richmond from Southern California and decided to stop at Bakersfield for church instead of travelling the coast route and stopping at Santa Barbara. I didn't think too much about the recent trial and assumed that Brother Dickson was still preaching at the East Bakersfield congregation. It didn't even bother me not to see Brother Dickson teaching class, but after services started and it came time for announcements I knew I was in the wrong pew. First, we were informed that the young people of all the churches in the area were meeting together in Bakersfield for the Kern County Young Peoples Meeting, and secondly, that the local ladies sewing class would hold its regular weekly meeting and for the ladies to be sure to attend and support this good work. For a minute I thought I was back in a Christian Church service and thought of all the Young Peoples skating parties and area meetings we used to attend, and how regularly my mother would go to her sewing circle and Missionary Society meeting. After I suppressed my first wave of nausea I reflected on the truth of the statement that once the conscience is seared with the hot iron that nothing else hurts.
After the service was over I learned that Randy "and his bunch" had moved down the street to the Moose Hall. I asked a gentleman if this congregation supported orphan homes. He said it did. I asked him why. He said the church has always supported the homes. I asked him if that made it scriptural. He said it did. I asked the question: if it's scriptural now then it has always been scriptural, so would you please tell me where the orphan homes were located during the time of the early church. He sorta hedged and said that, well, it all went back to where James was teaching . . . . At this point I reached for a Testament and asked him if he meant where James was instructing individuals . And at this point he started for the door, saying that if I had come to argue it would not be with him.
Of course, after we returned home I read the whole tragic story (Guardian, Vol. 18, 29, page 458). Perhaps it was best that I was able to see what a filthy mess apostasy breeds, for it makes me more determined now to use every influence I have to prevent the spread of this terrible disease. If you have found out who is in charge of handing out the Yellow Quarantine buttons please send in my name. It's getting harder and harder to recognize faithful brethren.
Yours in Christ, Lawson L. Winton