Opportunities Among the Other Races in the South and Southwest

Opportunities Among the Other Races in the South and Southwest OPPORTUNITIES AMONG THE OTHER
RACES IN THE SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST
By Harry Payne The first word in our title challenges our attention and calls for some explanation, “Opportunities.” My dictionary (Webster's Collegiate, 1936), reveals the following definition: “Fit or convenient time; chance.” We ask, “For what?” Therefore we associate some verbal idea of thought or action with the idea of "fav-orable time or good chance,” and we call the combina-tion “opportunity.” Some have felt and stated that opportunity comes only once or very few times, and goes unretuming on her silent way; but, in my opinion, the truth is more nearly expressed in the following lines from the pen of Walter Malone:
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“They do me wrong who say I come no more,
When once I knock and fail to find you In;
For very day I stand outside your door,
And bid you wake, and rise to fight and win.
“Wall not for precious chances passed away;
Weep not for golden ages on the wane;
Each night I burn the records of the day;
At sunrise erery soul Is born again.
“Art thou a mourner? Rouse thee from thy spell!
Art thou a sinner? Sins may be forgiven!
Each morning gives thee wings to flee from hell,
Each night a star to guide thy feet to heaven.”

Looking- at our title again, what is the meaning of “other races”? Considering the American people as the amalgamation of such a diversity of races, we might with difficulty attempt to draw the line; but in this article we will take “other races” as those who differ most pronouncedly from the general American populace—both or either in color or language.

Again, the limits of our survey are widely extended —almost as boundless as the clear blue skies that cover them—the South and Southwest. This region, to us at the present will comprehend Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, Ok-lahoma and New Mexico, Quite a territory—and one that is filled with possibilities that make for opportuni-ties to preach and teach the unsearchable riches of our Master’s matchless gospel.

Let us glance at some matters connected with the population of our great South and Southwest. According to the latest complete census figures at my command (the 1930 census records) there are approximately 37 million people in this area. Of this number there are in the neighborhood of 9 million Negroes, about one million Mexicans (mostly in Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico), and a generous million or more among other distinct races of people (as Gemans, Czechs, French, Italians, Indians, Japanese, Chinese, Filipinos, Hawaiians, et al). These latter present no very clearly-marked lines of separation from the general population as a rule, through there are exceptions in certain localities—as the German settlements of central Texas, the Indian reservations of Oklahoma, or the French sections of Louisiana.

What of the gospel preachers among these 37 mil- ion people? Here are to be found about four-fifths (4/5) of the total number of our preachers of the church of Christ—approximately 2300 of our 3000 among the white, around 225 of the near 300 among the black, and four out of the seven Mexican preachers. What does this show? It is a startling revelation even for our own white population. There is only one preacher for about every 10,000 among us; but, among the negroes one for every 35,000, and for the Mexicans only one for every 200,000. A deplorable state of affairs! Are there not opportunities outcropping here? Let us notice some of them.

1. To train and support preachers and teachers
Looking at the above, we can certainly find evidences of a need for more trained workers—workers that need "not to be ashamed, handling aright the word of truth.” Is the time ripe? Are the chances good? The answer is apparent. The outstanding work of such powerful proclaimers of the word as Keeble, Hogan, Miller, Paul English (de-ceased), and Vaughner—with many others—has proved itself time and again. We need more such faithful men! True, they are not to be had by the wishing, nor by the wholesale method of selecting. Conscientious, capable young men must be filled with the desire to be leaders. And they must be trained. Where? A pertinent question—where? Here Lady Opportunity certainly beckons to us. Help is sorely needed by those among our colored brethren who are interested in founding a school. Brother G. P. Bowser, of Ft. Smith, Arkansas, has been endeavoring to get one under way for several years. If we are wide-awake, looking for opportunities—here is one. Probably most of our efficient colored preachers (and, brethren, they preach plainer and more forcefully—and, incidentally, with more results—than the great majority of us) obtained their training by going along with and imbibing the methods of some other gospel preacher of more ex-perience among them. A good way, indeed—but they all cannot afford to do this, nor can a very considerable number be trained in this way. A plan surely could be and ought to be developed at this point. An opportunity!

We all know the tendency among the colored people to depend on the ones they are pleased to call “our white brothers.” Their financial condition is usually at a low ebb—and much teaching is needed among them on the great subject of Giving. {Please show me where it is not needed!) At any rate, a large part of the support for their preachers must come from us. And what kind of a program of support for the colored race —that people which is at our very door and in our own kitchens—does the average church among us have? Brethren, the Negro work, in most cases, will have to be nurtured and supported by the white people for many years to come. Call a colored preacher—a good oue—to your city or community (if, of course, there is a Negro population there); support him financially and otherwise; and watch him convert a surprising number of his people—and generally some white people for good meature. For an example : Luke Miller conducted a meeting in Temple, Texas, last summer (1940) through the combined efforts of the two white congregations in that little city. Results: a congregation of 75 souls was established; a short, eye-openmg debate was conducted with a sectarian preacher with good results ; the white Christians were strengthened. There had been no colored church there previously. Such an illustration brings us face to face with another opportunity. But before passing from this thought (our oppor-tunities to train and support preachers), we would fail in our purpose not to take a look at Mexican work. We saw that the major portion of Mexican population is in Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, the latter having only about 8,000, Of this population, numbering near a million, there are only about 400 members of the New Testament church. And only four or five native preachers.

Some of us wag the head and give up with the thought that the great majority of the Mexicans are nominally Roman Catholic. So they are, but that does not lessen the vital force of the Great Commission (Mark 16:15, 16). It only magnifies our obligation to train and support workers for this great and difficult task. To be sure, we need more men who understand the nature and philosophy of these Mexican “strangers within our gates.” We have, in men like Dias, Esquivel, Rodriguez, Cantu, and Zamorano, the nucleus of a pow-erful force of gospel preachers. They need help—and need it bad! Their work has long been done in quietness and relative oblivion—as far as the average one of us is concerned or aware. But there is now a spark of brighter light appearing though slowly it may be coming. More support, yes, much more support, must be forthcoming before the great harvest can be successfully reaped. As with the colored people, this help will have to come from us. Several faithful, hardworking brethren among us have been laboring with our Latin-American people for a number of years. Chief among the “old guard" are Brethren H. L. Schug, John F. Wolfe, Jesse G. Gill, and J. W. Treat. Their perseverance and determination is heartening. Other men are being fired with the zeal—the spirit of true missionaries—and are doing much for the cause among the Mexicans. Among them are Brethren T. R. Atkin-son, H. T. Steadman, W. J. McDonald, and William Mc-Daniel. All of these mentioned, together with the Mexican preachers, should be encouraged and sent to break the Bread of Life to our Catholic friends of the South. To my mind, one of the greatest opportunities we have anywhere is to be found in the support and en-couragement we can give to Brother Wolfe and Brother Atkinson in their noble efforts at El Paso. “The Pass of the North” it is called by the Mexicans—and it can well be that pass through which the “light of the glorious gospel of the Son of God” may be shed abroad into Old Mexico, A strong Mexican congregation at El Paso, supporting and being aided by all of us in supporting the proposed Training School for Boys and young men, under the able guidance of Brother Wolfe and those who will be his assistants as teachers, you accomplish mighty works in our Master’s name. Worthy of our attention and aid? What could be worthier than the possibility of disseminating the word of God, the seed of the kingdom, to the Latin-American populations of Mexico, Central and South America. Let us remember the Escuela de Froftas (School of Prophets) —name of the Boy’s School of El Paso—and support its noble efforts. As to the other races among us—Indian, French, German, et al—even less has been done among them than with the negroes and Mexicans. Much can be done by us in our mother tongue, though many German Lutherans prefer their sermons in Deutsche, though there are many Acadian French in southern Louisiana, and though the Indians of Oklahoma, New Mexico, and North Carolina still hold to their native Cherokee, Hopi, or Creek languages. For the most part, even with the Mexicans, much can be accomplished among them, es-pecially among the later generations, by preaching to them in English. Therefore, preach era and workers for this field ought to be trained and supported. Too many times it is sadly true that a congregation of 200 to 500 members will make such a statement as this: “We can’t spare our regular minister for that sort of work —and we are not able, after we take care of the bills here, to support anyone else in doing such a work. Besides all that, it does not build us up here.” Opportunities crushed to earth by selfishness, stinginess, short-sightedness, spiritual stupor.

2. To Assist in the Regular Services and Building Programs
Connected with the former opportunity—and joined hard to it—there follows the chance and obligation to “see the work through.” Here is where we so frequently fail—even in the mission work we attempt among our own race. A real problem and a golden opportunity is couched here. Who will meet and grasp the opportunity? Who will face the difficult problem? An illustration: Brother Hogan is called to conduct a meeting. A great ingathering results. Then Brother Hogan has to be on his way to other evangelistic en-deavors. The white brethren heartily enter into the support of the colored work for a time. Some of the leaders even go and help conduct services (very few). But about December or January the ardent spirit and helping hand is on the wane—and finally the struggling band of poor and untaught Negroes becomes “that worthless, impossible, thick-headed bunch.” How may we remedy this situation? An injection of perseverance, or more expressively, “stiek-to-it-ive-ness,” would work wonders. Let us work on in the face of and in spite of seeming defeat. Again, a suitable place of worship would prove immensely beneficial. This is recognized in any endeavor—and should be remembered in our work with our “other races.” And, as to the house of worship, let us not erect it or move it to some secluded, out-of-the-way location on an undesirable piece of property—fway over yonder in the back part of town. Our help should always be with the best interests of the cause as a whole at heart in all cases! Help with brotherly love and good common judgment.

All of these are opportunities. Without a doubt they are! They cannot be grasped in a day—but they will still beckon tomorrow, if tomorrow shall be. Let us do what we can with what we have—not forgetting to assist the “other races,” for their souls are precious in the eyes of the Lord.

3. To Furnish Literature and Use the Radio
Had you ever thought of giving a tract or a leaflet containing solid, fundamental gospel truths to a Negro, Mexican, or Indian? Surely you had, for we all know the value and power of the printed page. But do we really and conscientiously grasp our opportunities to use it effectively? Yes, it takes money to print, buy and distribute tracts, pamphlets and other gospel literature ; therefore, it calls for a sacrifice on our part, again and again, in order to supply that worthy reading matter which will pay for itself many fold. Any well-written and simply-worded tract written in English can be profitably given to your Negro cook or wash woman, or can be distributed by the members of the colored church of your community. You could even subscribe to the Christian Counselor, edited by Brother Marshall Keeble at Nashville, Tennessee, or to the Christian Echo, put out by Brother G. P. Bowser of Fort Smith, Arkansas. Put these in the hands of some conscientious colored family, or leader of the church, with the urgent request that they read the papers and pass them on to others- Try it! It will work! On the other hand, among those who can only read or converse in another language, there will have to be some translating as well as printing expenses met— especially of those worthier pieces of gospel literature among tracts and leaflets. We have seen that some commendable work is being done along this line by our brethren, though the most of the material used comes through the American Bible Society. Those who are leading in the Mexican work are planning some t hings at this point. Brother H. R. Zamorano, at the direction of Brother Schug, et al, is now putting out the paper called El Camino (The Way)—a Spanish periodical. This has been the only thing available among the Mexican workers—and even it sometimes failed to show up at the regular time because of lack of support. Besides, it has had to serve the purpose of periodical, tract, pamphlet, etc. Let us help Brother Zamorano put out his paper regularly. Subscribe for the paper and send it to some Mexican family. Again, there is the need for more literature—Bibles, Testaments, tracts, etc. No end of possibilities here, if we are just awake and alive to them! The radio can be a potent element in conversion of the “other races”—though not as many of them possess such a household luxury as do we. Preaching in English will do great good for the Negro and other English-speaking people—but to do the most good among the Latin-Americans the radio teaching should be in Spanish. This could especially be effective at points like El Paso, Del Rio, and along the border. Brother Walter W. Leamon’s proposed program over a valley radio station will certainly bear fruit among the Mexicans there. Is this not an example of a specific opportunity and are there not many others similar or related?

But, brethren, in order for us to grasp the three great opportunities pointed out above, there are some ines-capable needs among ourselves. First, we need a changed attitude—a different spirit in general—toward the work among other races. We hold so tenaciously to the idea of “We’re better than you are"—regardless of our preaching about going “into all the world” and preaching the gospel “to every creature,” God may not be a respecter of persons, but we are! We must cease to hold these narrow prejudicial views which cause us to act out of harmony with God’s eternal truth.

Brethren, we must come to the point that we are as willing to work for and pray fervently for and pay regularly for conscientious laborers among the “other races” as among ourselves. Let us lift up our eyes and raise our vision beyond our home congregation. Let us intensify our efforts along all missionary lines.

Second, and inseparably related to the first, we need to open not only the coffers of our hearts and souls, but those of our earthly material possessions in support of this great and noble work of saving the lost. It takes and will ever take liberal and regular giving to take advantage of our opportunities. Let us put mission work on our church program—on our budget (inflexible though it may have become). And may God help us not to be like the big, able wealthy congregation that was spending $500 per month on its regular work at home, but had found no suitable opportunity to spend more than $10 per month on any sort of mission work among others. Let us not overlook the Mexican, the Negro—nor, indeed, anyone—in our faithful discharging of the Great Commission of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.