OPPORTUNITIES IN NEW FIELDS

OPPORTUNITIES IN NEW FIELDS OPPORTUNITIES IN NEW FIELDS
Dan F. Fogarty

Thank you Brother Southern; it is a genuine pleasure to speak on the lectureship . . . and the thrill in my heart is not only because of this opportunity, but for the good which may result for those about whom I will speak. I am deeply indebted to Abilene Christian College, as are the rest of us, because of the principles for which she stands, and am most proud of the theme of the Lectureship, “Back To The Old Paths.” May she ever be a stronghold for the truth.

About a year ago, the congregation for whom I work was issued a challenge by a young man from the congregation in Flushing, New York. It was simply put; “You people could send your preacher to Flushing for a gospel meeting.” After some deliberation it was decided that I should do that very thing, hence last June (51) the work got under way. Since the Coleman Texas congregation also supported the work in Houlton, Maine, it was further decided that we would also preach in a meeting for them. The trip, consisting of better than 7,000 miles gave us a first hand opportunity to observe the work of the Lord in the Northeast. Let me state just here that such a thrilling inspiration it had never before been mine to enjoy. If there is anyone in this audience who is discouraged in the work of the Lord, just take a trip into mission fields, meet the men and women who are there, note the things they have given up to be there, you will come away with a burning desire to do more for Christ than ever before.

New York City ... a metropolis of 131/2 millions of people. Here is a mission field within itself. To work in this city for the Lord for any length of time, one must be in love with the souls of men. You will meet with more things of a discouraging nature in a day than in a month in most cities. New York is a city where people live to make a living while young, for these people living at such a fast clip, makes it very difficult for old people, therefore, many companies transfer their men to other places at that stage of their life. The Flushing congregation, with others, all of them small, are carrying on in spite of the many things which would discourage an ordinary congregation. They are resolved to plant the cause of Christ firmly in this city. They believe the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed. A Texan in the city of New York preaching the simple gospel of Christ. One might think people would fill the building just to see a “thing from Texas” but this is not true. They have already seen Texans, and just about everything else. The gospel? Some who came, did so expecting to see a show of “attempted miracle workers,” for New York City has had her share of this sort of thing. Many of these hearers expressed their gratitude at the preaching of the Bible with no collections taken. These people are slow to confide in anything that has the sound of the word “gospel” to it. It should, however, be kept in mind that they have souls, and are, therefore, precious in the eyes of the Lord. The meeting began with an all-day reading of the New Testament. Using one of the gospels as an account of the life of Christ, the New Testament was completely read, beginning at nine in the morning and ending at nine that This field is unique. New York City is a Catholic city. You do not convert these people by inviting them to the services and preaching the gospel to them. You can invite them, and you can preach the gospel of the Lord, but they likely will not be there to hear it. Yet there have been people converted from Catholicism. How do they do it? They do it by the means of personal work. The following will clarify what I have in mind. At the end of the first sermon, a Roman Catholic priest, in full attire, along with a young Italian surgeon came forward. Accompanying them was Brother Sparagna, ex-priest. Turning the services over to his direction, he was very dynamic in explaining how he, along with others had worked with these men, studied with them, and now they were ready to obey the gospel of Christ. The work of this nature is being carried on today even on a larger scale, for these men now are working hand in hand with the congregation. These men have contacts by the thousands. I mentioned that this field is unique. Consider this phase: When these men obey the gospel of Christ, they are on their own.

What can they do? Very little. They are educated men, steeped in languages, pleasing personalities, they know how to meet people. But this does not enable them to work at anything other than their previous duties. Try telling an automobile manufacturer for instance that you want a job. He asks you for your qualifications, and then tell him that you can speak seven languages, that you could even give the world a new translation of the Bible. You would still be out of a job. That is the status of these men who have turned from darkness to light. There is only one alternative. Christians must give them a home, and something to do! Do you have an extra room? The church in Flushing will not turn them out in the cold, they take them into their homes. These men with proper training can become a valuable asset to the church of the Lord, and since this is true, the Flushing members have given them refuge. Add to this the persecution they suffer from their former companions, and you have a unique problem. Furthermore, the Flushing elders have put them to work, and the results are good.

Brethren, this is an opportunity, about three of these men were seated on the back row. They never took their eyes off me. They seemed to look right through me. Suspense? Yes! Perhaps a bit nervous? Maybe so. I’ll say this, if ever there was a time in my life that I wanted to preach to people rather than at them, this was it. You preachers know the times when you want to make every word count, being very careful of everything spoken? Here were three Roman priests, fully attired in their robes. . . . I think I preached the best sermon of my life that night! How was I to know that none of them under-stood English? They were there at the interest manifested in them by their friends who had left the teachings of the Roman Church.

Turning north, 600 miles, we came to Houlton, Maine. Here is the farthest flung outpost of the church of the Lord in the United States. This outpost is manned by one man. I doubt if we really believed that the church is really an army if we would scatter our forces so thin. We are an army, but sad as it is, we have most of our equipment out of proportion. Our supply dumps, most of our ammunition, and most of our supplies and resources are far behind the lines. Were an army to conducte a warfare as we are conducting our warfare, I fear it would soon lose the battle. The work at Houlton, Maine, was begun and is supported by the church at Kermit, Texas. Other con-gregations are helping in this work. This man, along with his wife and one daughter, is Brother Marvin R. Martin of Augusta, Kansas. This is a fertile field, as is all of the state of Maine. The people here will come and hear the word of God. In all of our visitation not one bit of prejudice toward the church did I find. Only one thing hindered the work . . . they needed a building. Outsiders are slow to come to a rented hall to worship God. These men decided to build a building. Brethren coming from other congregations pitched in with them, went out into the forest, cut the trees themselves, hauled them to the mill, and began work on the selecting, buying, and obtaining the building permit. Soon, the work at Houlton, Maine, will have a building. If you ever see it, if ever you worship in it, keep in mind that it was built by men who had faith enough in God to undergo many hardships to have that which all struggling congregations have a right to have. This work merits your consideration . . . would you not investigate the work in the state of Maine?

Thanks to the love and belief in the work of God, now, in the very shadow of some of the oldest and best established buildings of men .... the church of the Lord is being planted and will be sustained in this field. An interesting slant on the work here came to the light when Brother Martin and I went out to invite the people to the meeting. Had I known where we were going I would have eaten two breakfasts, and carried a lunch. “We will just visit a few of the members,” he said. The first person to whom we talked lived thirty-eight miles from Houlton. Then a trip of about twenty miles to see another, and it went on all day. Brother Martin wears out a car a year, and I know how he does it. These men are struggling against cold, loneliness, many oppositions, but they carry on. Would you help?
You have heard of people who were hungry to hear the word of God. Do you believe there are people who actually are portrayed in Matthew 5:6? We met some of them in Houlton, Maine. For night after night, these people drove from fifty to one hundred miles to hear the gospel.

What do these people need? Their needs are not unique. They need exactly what all who work in mission fields need—money, clothes, prayers. There are several preachers in the state of Maine, some nine or ten. Most of them, if not all of them, are not supported as they should be. Their families many times do not have the clothing they need to brave the Maine winters. Everything is high in Maine. Groceries are high, so these people, most of whom could preach for large congregations here, simply do without in the line of food. Brethren, I am serious! When they get together for a visit in a home, many families from neighboring congregations, food is served . . . . but all too often it is soup. This isn’t just a course of the meal ... it is the meal. Some of these men have one suit of clothing. I know that it is true that a man can only wear one suit at a time anyway, yet nevertheless I tell you these things to let you know what it is to work in a mission field.

What about the spirit of these men? You couldn’t hope to find a people who were in better spirits. They are not complaining .... they are not of that nature. One of them told me he was going to stay in Maine with or without support .... he was staying, and I truly believe that he was expressing the sentiments of them all. Some of them have buried their loved ones there. They intend to take Maine for Christ. May God give us a deeper sense of responsibility than ever before, and may he forgive us of our neglect to these .... our brethren.