Truth Magazine

By Paul K. Williams

Occasionally I read an article in which elders are taken to task because they do not answer when preachers write to them asking for support. The authors of these articles seem to assume that elders are under an obligation to answer, even when it is not possible for that church to give support to the preacher.

During my 23 years in South Africa I have made a number of appeals for support. I have received a wonderful response and my needs have always been met. I thank God and the brethren for the love they have shown for the preaching of the gospel to the whole world.

In making these appeals, I expected the ones who decided to help me to communicate with me, and this is what happened. I received some replies from those who wished they could help but could not, and those were always encouraging. But I did not expect every church to take the time and spend the money to write me their regrets. I can see no reason why they should, and they have better things to do with their time. It takes a lot of time to answer letters, and it is my understanding that churches receive quite a few appeals for help. It is a proper use of time to reply to those whom the church can help.

Because we preachers do not know which churches can be expected to help and which cannot, we usually send out a large number of letters. This is why churches are burdened with such a large number of appeals. I cannot think of a better system of reaching the churches which may be interested, but it is asking a lot to expect all those churches to reply who are not going to help.

Let’s be charitable, brethren, and put ourselves in the position of those elders who are burdened with countless spiritual problems. It seems ungrateful to complain when they do not reply to every appeal they receive.

Guardian of Truth XXXV: 17, p. 524
September 5, 1991

By Bobby Holmes and Ron Halbrook

As we pointed out earlier, the church of Christ at Sturgis, Mississippi began in 1974 with the conversion of Lela McCarter. This was the result of evangelism by the Lee Blvd. church in nearby Starkville. When the Sturgis church building was constructed about 1984, these brethren were put under the oversight of the Lee Blvd. church. Sturgis was told to send their Lord’s day contribution to Lee Blvd. and the deed to Sturgis’ property was put in Lee Blvd.’s name. The Sturgis brethren learned the truth about the autonomy of the church and requested in early 1988 that their treasury and deed be turned over to them, in keeping with the Scriptures.

The Lee Blvd. church relinquished Sturgis’ treasury but retained the deed to Sturgis’ property, though they offered to sell Sturgis the property for $35,000. When additional efforts were made in late 1990 to persuade Lee Blvd. to give the Sturgis deed to the Sturgis brethren, the deed was transferred instead to a third church: the Hwy. 82 church in Starkville. The Hwy. 82 church planned to sell the property and evict the Sturgis’ brethren. When the Sturgis church asked for help in resolving this injustice, brother Thomas D. Keenum, Sr. of Booneville, Mississippi recommended that Sturgis offer $17,000 to Hwy. 82 to settle for the property. Brother Keenum, an elder in the church at Booneville and an attorney, is working at his own expense to help the Sturgis brethren.

The Hwy. 82 church agreed to sell the Sturgis church building to the Sturgis church for $17,000 but set a deadline of May 1991 to receive the money. Brother Keenum told Hwy. 82 that more time would be needed to raise the money, and understood that Hwy. 82 accepted this arrangement. Appeals for individual help in raising the money began appearing during June and July 1991 in gospel papers published by faithful brethren. The response has been good. As this “Update” is being prepared in mid-July, well over $3,000 has been received by the Sturgis brethren!

Right when the brethren at Sturgis could see light at the end of the tunnel, they received a shocking notification. The Hwy. 82 church notified the Sturgis brethren to vacate the Sturgis church building because it has been sold to a denominational group for S19, 000! Furthermore, Hwy. 82 says they have already spent the money on a building program for themselves!

Rather than take the Lee Blvd. and Hwy. 82 churches to court, brother Keenum urged the Sturgis brethren to suffer the wrong and let the final accounting be made at the Judgment Bar of God. He has urged them to find another piece of land to purchase, offered to provide free any needed legal services to secure a clear deed, and promised to locate brethren who will donate their labor to construct a new meeting place. He estimates that a modest building could be put up for about $20,000, including the land and materials.

The church at Sturgis has suffered the loss of its property but not of its faith in God’s Word, its love of truth, and its hope in the Lord. Like Paul, they can say,

We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed (2 Cor. 4:8-9).

These good brethren are already searching for a new piece of property. In the meantime, they are continuing to faithfully worship and serve the Lord.

Our hearts are touched to the point of tears when we think of how this band of saints has been abused, robbed, and defrauded by people professing to be brethren. Error and liberalism have no ethics. Error and liberalism make great professions of love, but John had such apostate brethren in mind when he warned of their hatred and their abusive conduct:

We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth (1 Jn. 3:14-15,18).

Those who love the Lord, the truth, and the brethren have a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate that love “in deed and in truth” toward the saints in Sturgis. Let us unite our hearts in prayer on their behalf. Let those who have the ability send $5, $25, $50, $ 100, or whatever we can to the Sturgis Church of Christ Building Fund, P.O. Box 418, Booneville, MS 38829. The need is real and urgent! Act without delay!

Guardian of Truth XXXV: 17, p. 517
September 5, 1991

By Steve Wallace

Much has happened in the last five months and things are really hopping here. First to the work here in Ramstein.

We made it through the war without anyone in the church here being sent to the Gulf. Also, no one has had to take part in any of the follow up actions in the Middle East that are still underway.

We have had one baptized. Three have been transferred back to the U.S. We will lose six more in the next three months. We have had one man transferred in and some visitors. . .

Sewell Hall held us a good meeting the 26-28 April. It was good to be with him again and Martin Broadwell, who was traveling with him. There were no visible responses but his preaching encouraged the brethren.

Valerio Marchi, of Udine, Italy, and his wife Patrizia were with us the weekend of the 5th of May, along with Andrea and Elena Miola, also of Udine. Valerio spoke to the church here about the Lord’s work in Italy. It was encouraging for us to hear of the work going on there and the way the brethren there have overcome various trials they have faced. One cannot help but be impressed by the dedication our Italian brethren have shown. In addition to their public and private teaching efforts, Valerio and other preaching brethren there have done good work in publishing various tracts, bulletins, and a magazine. It was wonderful having them in our house. It would be both rewarding and enlightening for American brethren to pay visits to both the Italian and Spanish works.

Around Europe

1. The Lord’s work in Bitburg, Germany. There is now a sound church in Bitburg. Conservative brethren there had tried to work with the liberal brethren in an effort to unite on truth but were unable to change the majority of them. When they left they took with them five brethren who had been members of the liberal church. The brethren there want to give notice of their existence and location in the Bitburg area. They will call themselves “the Eifel Church of Christ” (Address: Gary Sowell, P.O. Box 3025, APO, NY 09132). They are looking for someone to come work with them. They would be happy to have a man interested in the work in eastern Europe to come work with them for a while, while being free to travel to the East every so often.

2. A trip to the USSR. I was contacted by a sister in Tennessee who wanted to spend $ 1,000 on Bibles for the USSR. After talking it over with the brethren in Prague, it was decided that Jeff Young, Bill Bynum and I would go to the cast Ukrainian city of Lvov the third weekend in March. The trip itself was practically a saga that I doubt any of us will ever forget. We spent a good part of two afternoons on the square there in Lvov taking addresses from people who wanted Bibles. (The government will not allow them to be imported but one can mail Bibles into the USSR.) The only thing with which we could compare our experiences there was to Jesus and the multitudes. We were thronged continually for hours. Many of the people would talk to us very happily even though we usually understood none of the things they said. We ended up getting more names than we had Bibles for. It has only been recently that it has started to look like we would get enough Bibles for all them. The men in Prague have gotten Bible lessons translated into the Ukrainian language to put in the Bibles when we mail them.

Incidentally, some have sent Russian New Testament with Helps, which can be had cheaply from the International Bible Society. While the price is good, the “helps” included in the back pages of these Bibles contain denominational teachings, which have to be torn out before we can give them to anyone.

3. Budapest, Hungary. I was in Budapest, Hungary, the third weekend in February to meet with the brethren there, and to hand out Bibles and Bible lessons in Hungarian. On my trip back through Austria one of the Nigerian brethren in Vienna had made arrangements for me to study with some friends of his in Linz, Austria; I had a study with two of his friends there. Bill Bynum, then in Prague, also helped in doing follow up work with these men. We did not end up baptizing either of them.

I was in Budapest again the third weekend of April. I was able to spend a good amount of time teaching the Nigerian brethren there. There are not many of them left. They leave Nigeria seeking a better life and go wherever they think they can find it. Of the 25-30 that have been baptized there, I only know the whereabouts of maybe three at this time. When Hungarian nationals are converted a more permanent work will exist in that city. I handed out Bibles and Bible lessons in Hungarian and made a real encouraging contact in the man who owned the room I was staying in. We had several hours of discussions and studies. I was also able to have a study with one of his friends. I found a Hungarian lady to help with further translations of Bible lessons into their language.

Lynn Trapp was in Budapest for about a month the last of May and beginning of June. Charlie Brackett, who made a recent trip through some of the eastern countries in preparation for moving there, also spent some time in Budapest. The most encouraging news from their time there is the contacts they made among the Hungarian people. Buddy Payne is now traveling through some of the East European countries with several men interested in working with them. He is now in Budapest and has made contact with at least one contact Lynn and I had given him. Richard Copeland and Jeff Archer will be moving to Budapest in July. Lynn plans to move there next year.

4. Prague, Czechoslovakia and Slovak Republik. The work in Prague is the most encouraging of all the work going on in Eastern Europe. There have been four baptisms in recent months. They have had as many as 16 Czechs visit services. (There has been more work done in CSR than in any other East European country.) Charlie Brackett had extremely encouraging results from work he did in a city north of Prague: he got so many contacts through a contact that Bill Bynum had given him that he could not cover them all in the time he had. Buddy Payne called last night to say that their work in Brno, CSR, had resulted in 10 people studying with them. Dale and Marlene Smelser, their son Scott and his wife, Bertina, and Mike Morrow moved to Prague in February. Bill and Nancy Bynum, having stayed longer than they had planned to stay, but have now gone back to the U.S. Jeff and Melanie Young, who were living with the Bynums, have now moved. Their new address and phone number: Jeff Young, 28 Rijen 9, 1000 Prague, CSR, ph. (0) 2-268214. Sewell Halt and Martin Broadwell visited Prague during their time in Europe. The brethren were greatly encouraged by their coming.

6. East Germany. Brother Trapp’s being in Hungary freed me to go to East Germany the third week of May. Derek Chambers, who preaches at the church in Mainz, went with me. We already had a contact in Eisenhuttenstadt, a city on the border with Poland, so we decided to make that the hub of our work in the area. We met twice with the aforementioned contact, a lady whose address had been given us by a Christian in Texas who knew her. I hope to see her again during my trip to East Germany this week (20-24 June). What she told us in conversation confirmed what I had read about life under communism. Pretty grim. We arrived on a Thursday. We set up the next morning in Eisenhuttenstach with a table full of literature in German. Hardly anyone showed any interest except for one Jehovah’s Witness who made proof of his indoctrination for about 20 minutes. The next day in Frankfurt was better. We were set up there for about seven hours and handed out about 30 packets of literature. On Sunday we drove to Cottbus and set up there for a day. About 15 people took literature. German television had aired a special program warning the East Germans about American sects, especially Scientology and Moonies. We noticed a fairly hostile reaction on the part of many and a marked avoidance at making eye contact on the part of others when they looked at the literature laying on our table. This was especially so in Cottbus. In contrast to this, we found the East Germans to be about the friendliest and most helpful people we had ever met when it came to asking for directions or help in other ways. We quickly learned to have packets of information ready whenever we had to ask someone something. They were always very friendly and had plenty of time to talk. We had a return address on all the material we handed out and hope to hear from those who took it.

While there, we were able to take some time out to seek information for Ivan Valdes, who is moving to East Germany with his family on 20 June.

Many of the church buildings in towns we drove thru had been destroyed in the war and were never rebuilt. This presents an opportunity to start all over in establishing religion in such places – real religion.

About the “Western Standard of Living.” Our visit to East Germany brought to remembrance a conversation I had last year with a man here in Ramstein who had recently come from there. I asked him about the differences between living there and here. One of the things he said was that in East Germany they knew all their neighbors and their needs, and tried to help one another with the difficulties of life under Communism. Whereas, in wealthy West Germany, people often do not even know their neighbors. The people in East Germany are generally not well off and there is much talk of bringing their standard of living up to “western standards.” The many kindnesses shown us during our visit to East Germany, including one couple who insisted on taking us out to dinner and paying for it, brought a question to my mind: Do we really want them to have our standard of living? 7. Mary and I took a week’s vacation to Switzerland at the beginning of this month. While away we visited with the churches in Bern, Swtz., and Alessandria, Italy. In Italy, we stayed a couple of days with Arrigo and Patrizia Corazza, and their family. I was asked to preach during Sunday services and Arrigo translated for me.

Brother Corazza’s needs. Arrigo is doing a good work in a section of Europe where there is no other sound church for about 150 miles in any direction. He lost about $900 of his support as of I April of this year and is having trouble replacing it. Arrigo has a Masters degree in ancient languages and is thinking about finding a job as a teacher if he cannot replace his lost support. He and his wife are already dipping into their savings to make up the difference. It is hoped that a church or churches will come to Arrigo’s aid with the necessary support. He has been preaching for almost 15 years in a country where gospel preachers are scarce and he is a worthy man. If you know of a church willing to help him, Arrigo’s address is: Arrigo Corazza, Via Magellano 32, 15100 Alessandria, Italy; phone: 0131-226639.

Interest in the works going on in Europe continues to increase. Please pray for the efforts being made here. Thank you for reading this report.

Guardian of Truth XXXV: 17, pp. 522-524
September 5, 1991

By Joe R. Price

Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? (Rom. 10:13-15)

The country of Romania desperately needs the gospel of Jesus Christ. While spending almost six weeks in Bucharest, Romania this spring adopting our new daughter (May 15-June 21), many exciting things happened. One of the most exciting was my opportunity to observe its society and to assess the prospects of preaching the gospel in that Eastern European country. While a number of obstacles exist which must be considered by anyone going there to preach the word, I believe that an effective work of spreading the gospel can be done there.

Since the end of World War II, Romania has been ruled by communistic dictators who made no secret of their opposition to Christianity. Children were openly taught in school that they were their own god and that religion is dangerous and destructive. One Romanian told me that this description of religion was reinforced by using examples, such as the Jim Jones massacre in South America. Such atheistic instruction has reaped its harvest of godless values. Materialism, greed and worldliness abound in Romanian society. And, many Romanians are equally skeptical of their own Romanian Orthodox Church (the state church). During the past 45 years, their priests were often informants for the government. As one Romanian woman told me, “How could I trust a priest with my life’s problems, when he might turn my name over to the secret police?!” Besides the error of the Orthodox Church’s priesthood system (Jas. 5:16; 1 Pet. 2:5,9), one can see how such behavior might cause distrust toward others who go there preaching the gospel of Christ.

With the overthrown of the Caucescu regime in December 1989, Romania did open its borders to numerous religious organizations (some had already been granted official status). It is now permitted to take Bibles and religious materials into Romania. Distribution is also permitted and is easily arranged. (I gave away 25 Bibles, 50 Bible correspondence booklets and 250 Bible tracts within the span of 30 minutes on a street corner!) Many religious groups now have a presence there (including an institutionally-minded church of Christ in Bucharest of about 75 members). While I was there, the leader of the Romanian Orthodox Church led a debate in the Romanian Parliament asking why so many missionaries from the West were coming to Romania. Obviously, he does not see the need and wants restrictions placed upon such work. However, interest in other religions appears to be growing. And yet, this interest is hard to accurately access. Many Romanians have a strong desire to leave their country, and the appeal of a religion from the West often carries with it the hope of escaping the political and economic chaos and hardship of Romania. Therefore, any proclamation of the gospel in Romania must emphasize that one obeys the gospel to enter Christ, not to enter the West (1 Cor. 2:1-5; Rom. 6:3; Gal. 3:27; 2 Cor. 5:17).

In practically every village of Romania, the most prominent structure is a Romanian Orthodox Church building. To a Romanian, the church is the building. And, while many Romanians consider themselves Christians, they believe they are granted moral liberty by their church. While talking with one Romanian about true worship and the need to regularly assemble with fellow Christian, he told me that as a member of the Orthodox Church he had “liberty” to do as he pleased. If he wanted to smoke or drink (which practically every Romanian does), it was not sin. It was evident to me that many Romanians separate their religious life from their moral life (this is no different from any other place, including America!). These is little or no concept of sin against God, even among those who consider themselves Christians (Psa. 51:4; Rom. 6:1-2). Anyone preaching the gospel there must be prepared to demonstrate that Christianity produces a radical change in lifestyle and is not a religion of convenience (Acts 26:20; Eph. 4:17-24; Col. 3:5-11). As one Romanian told me, “Our country is lacking a moral foundation. That must change if our society is to improve.”

Preaching the gospel in Romania (particularly Bucharest) will mean dealing with the presence of liberal brethren, who have been there since the first of this year. The Eastern European Missions organization (headquartered in Vienna, Austria and supported by churches in the U.S.) has sent preachers into Romania, and there are also churches in the U.S. which are sponsoring an English School which is conducted during the week at the same location the church meets. This church-operated English School is their major point of contact with native Romanians, as the Bible is their textbook. While teaching English to Romanians may indeed be an expedient means of introducing the gospel to them, such unauthorized arrangements must be avoided, and will have to be addressed by brethren as they preach the gospel there.

Taking the gospel to Romania will mean confronting the economic realities of this third world, communistic society. Its economy is in shambles. There have been two major commodity price increases there this year, yet wages have not kept pace. Romanian currency, the leu, is practically worthless. The exchange rate at the bank during my visit was 60 lei to the dollar.. But, many individuals were exchanging lei for dollars at the rate of 175 to 1. While a monthly salary averages 4000 lei, an average pair of shoes costs about 3000 lei! Consequently, the people are hungry for U. S. dollars. Any American going to Romania can expect to pay for many of the things he needs in dollars (at an inflated price, of course). Housing is mostly found in apartment buildings (called blocks) which rise to heights of 10-15 stories. Foreigners can obtain housing (either rent or buy), but only by using dollars. For a person intending to move there, it would be very helpful to have a Romanian contact assist in arranging a place to live. While single family housing does exist, most Romanians cannot afford it. A possible suggestion for preaching the gospel in the Bucharest area would be to rent or purchase a house which could serve as a meeting place for worship and classes, as well as lodging for preachers.

Food shortages do exist, depending upon the time of year. Romania has rich farmland, but much of its produce is exported for currency (to support its domestic work force). Such items as butter and cooking oil were in short supply during my stay. And, lines can be seen as people wait to buy what is available. Winter is expected to bring with it many more shortages. Don’t expect to find McDonald’s, Denny’s or an American style supermarket in Romania!

Medical care in Romania is archaic by western standards. The hospitals are reminiscent of those of the 1940s and 50s. Even the most common medical supplies are not always available. Syringes am still used for multiple patients (which led to the spread of AIDS among many children there). The doctor I stayed with told me of hospitals without rubbing alcohol! Obviously, one going to Romania to preach the gospel will not receive the level of medical care in Romania we have come to take for granted in America.

The past two years have seen a great deal of political unrest in Romania. There was the December 21-22, 1989 revolution which ousted Nicolai Caucescu. Then, the riots of June 13-15, 1990, which saw many Romanians killed when coal miners were hauled into Bucharest to put down the unrest. I witnessed near riot conditions in Bucharest during the anniversary of this event, as eight bus loads of soldiers with riot gear stood by if needed. It is clear that many Romanians are dissatisfied with their current government, which is still very communistic. Unless economic and political reforms show some real progress soon, I fear that more violence will erupt.

Getting into and out of Romania, while possible, is still quite an adventure. Entering by train took three hours at the border. Entering by automobile can take up to 24 hours. Armed guards patrol the borders and the airport. There is no easy access into the country. Expect to be searched and searched again when entering and leaving Romania.

One might be tempted to say “Romania is a lost cause” after considering the religious, moral, economic and political conditions of the country. But remember with me the Roman Empire of the first century. It was religiously and morally bankrupt. It was steeped in paganism and idolatrous immoralities. Economic hardships were a way of life for millions, and political unrest could be found throughout the kingdom. Yet, the gospel of Christ was “preached in all creation under heaven” (Col. 1: 23). Souls were saved, churches were established, and the influence of Christianity spread (Acts 8:4; 1 Thess. 1:7-9; Rom. 1:8; Matt. 5:13-16). Our faith in the power of the gospel of Christ as well as our compassion for lost souls must compel us to give serious consideration to taking the gospel to this country which so desperately needs it. Unless we act, Satan will continue to hold sway over the 22 million souls of that nation.

Can such a task be accomplished? Yes, but two things will be needed. First, churches must be willing to support preachers to go to Romania to preach the gospel (Acts 13:1-3; Phil. 1:3-7; 4:15-17). There is currently a great deal of interest among brethren over Eastern Europe. This must not merely be a momentary concern. Let it be a genuine zeal to do what can be done to spread the gospel to these lost souls. There must be an ongoing commitment to sustain men in Romania to do the work there.

Secondly, there must be preachers who are willing and able to do the work which needs to be done. I had the wonderful opportunity to visit with five fellow preachers in Bucharest before I returned home. Brethren Buddy Payne, Gary Odgen, Joe Rose, Lonnie Fritz and David Teel were touring Eastern Europe to visit brethren, distribute literature, and to survey future opportunities for spreading the gospel. Brethren Rose, Fritz and Teel intend to move to Eastern Europe in the near future. We discussed at length the Romanian situation and the prospects of men going there to preach. Let there be no doubt, sacrifices will have to be made by preachers and their families in order to accomplish the work there. Communication with the West is difficult, food and medicine are not plentiful, and political revolt is possible. But, the rewards will be tremendous! I found the Romanian people to be warm and friendly, eager to help. Although I speak no Romanian, the language barrier was not a problem, since many Romanians also speak English. The gospel must be sown there. It will find receptive hearts (Lk. 8:11-15).

Due to the current situations which exist in Romania, my recommendation is that, if possible, a rotation of preachers alternate going into Romania. Perhaps two or more men could go to Bucharest (a city of about 2 million) and obtain housing, etc. with the help of contacts which already exist there. After staying for a period of several months, they could rotate out as other men move in. This would eliminate the need of taking a family into the difficult circumstances of Romanian society. And, it would allow for some continuity to be maintained in the work. However, this would require the harmonious (not to mention scriptural) working of a number of evangelists. Perhaps brethren based in Germany, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, or some other European country could make such expeditions into Romania to begin and strengthen the work there. Or, brethren from the States could go whenever possible. Any scriptural arrangement is encouraged. I would be happy to discuss this sort of effort with anyone who is interested.

When the Lord sought for one to go to Israel to warn the nation of its sins and to urge repentance, he said “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Isaiah replied, “Here am I; send me” (Isa. 6:8). Who is ready? Who will answer the call to take the gospel to Romania? “How shall they believe in him whom they have not heard And how shall they hear without a preacher?”

Guardian of Truth XXXV: 17, pp. 520-522
September 5, 1991