July 24, 1969 Arkansas Baptist State Convention
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Ouachita Baptist University Scholarly Commons @ Ouachita Arkansas Baptist Newsmagazine, 1965-1969 Arkansas Baptist Newsmagazine 7-24-1969 July 24, 1969 Arkansas Baptist State Convention Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarlycommons.obu.edu/arbn_65-69 Part of the Christian Denominations and Sects Commons, and the Mass Communication Commons Recommended Citation Arkansas Baptist State Convention, "July 24, 1969" (1969). Arkansas Baptist Newsmagazine, 1965-1969. 11. https://scholarlycommons.obu.edu/arbn_65-69/11 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Arkansas Baptist Newsmagazine at Scholarly Commons @ Ouachita. It has been accepted for inclusion in Arkansas Baptist Newsmagazine, 1965-1969 by an authorized administrator of Scholarly Commons @ Ouachita. For more information, please contact [email protected]. friend and brother is going to Arkansas. Arkansas Baptists, we congratulate you upon your choice for your leader. You have ·chosen well-our loss Personally is your gain. ' ' speaking ~,l.hz~•c•U IN THIS ISSUE: REGIONAL MEETINGS are the focal point Congra.tulates Arkansas of the editorial, page 3, and the letter page 4, from Professor Jimmy A., Millikin. Southern Baptist College, \Valnut Ridge. Executive Secretary Charles L. McKay of th~ !- Arizona Southern 'Baptist Convention recently SOAP BOX DERBy, page 5, sponsored by paid tribute to our executive secretary-elect, North Pulaski RA 's is enough to move Mayor Charles Ashcraft, in Dr. McKay's department in William F. Laman, North Little Rock, to declare Baptist Beacon, the Arizona Bap~ist weekly .. ·July 20-26 as Royal Ambassador. .. Week. Dr. McKay said his first reactiou to the news LUCIEN E. COLEMAN, speciaL projects con that Dr. Ashcraft was accepting the Arkansas po sultant for the Brotherhood Commission, page 7, sition was to feel ' i a tremendou~ loss to· the cau~o will retir~ Oct. 1, after a long career of service. of missions in the 'Vest.:' IT'S OFFICIAL: New Orleans record at. "However," he continued, "my love, my ap tendance was 16,678 at the. Southern Baptist Con-. preciation, and my concern for Charles Ashcraft vention, pag·e 12. caused me to rejoice in the Lord that he repays his faithful, devoted servants who are so ready DARWIN E. WELSH has been named acting and willing. to labor in hard and difficult fields. " executive secretary-treasu·rer of the Utah-Idaho Dr. McKay wrote of 13 years of associat.ion Southern Baptist Convention, page 12, to succeed with Dr. Ashcraft during which time ''we pr&yed Dr. Charles H. Ashcraft, who becomes executive together,·· worked together, cried together, B;_nd re secretary of Arkansas Baptist State ·Convention joiced together.!' on Sept. 1. I The Arizona leader recalled that during the 10 GRA'DY NUTT, ,page 12, director of college years .Dr. Ashcraft served as a pastor in Arizona relations at Southern Seminary, Lo,uisville, will Convention territory, "he was thought so much enter the field of professional entertainment Aug. of by the people of the four states involved that 1. they elected him president [two terms] of thP. Arizona Convention. He also headed the Executive COVER story, pag.e 10. .Board for two terms.'' .. McKay recalls that the first time he met Ash craft, just after he had started a Baptist work in Arlansa~ lapfisl Las Vegas with .his own. family as the nucleus, July 24; 1969 Ashcraft said to him : ~ - Volume 68, No. 29 "Chief, I drove more than 300 miles, all .the Editor, ERWIN L. McDONALD,-Lltt. D. way from Las Vegas, to tell you that you are look Associate Editor, MRS. E. F. STOKES ing at your answer and not your problem.' ' And Managing Editor,. FRANKLIN . I. .PRESSON across the years, recalls Dr. McKay, "Ashcraft Secretary to Editor, MRS. HARRY GIBERSON has proved himself to be the answer and never the . Mail Clerk, MRS. WELDON TAYLOR problem." 625 West Capitol Avenue, Little Rock, Arkansas 72201, Pul;lJished weekly except or. July 4 and December 2'5, Second-class post~~~re p~id at Little Rock, ·Arkansas. Concludes McKay: Individual subscription, $2.76 per year. Church budget, 16 eents per month o• $1.92 per year per church family. Club plan (1~ or more "For four years now he [Ashcraft] has served paid annually ln advance), $2.25 per year. Subscriptions to forelll'n address, $4.76 pe.r year. Advertising rates on reQuest. the Utah-Idaho convention faithfully and well. ThP. Opinions expressed in editorials and signed articles are those of the work has never been easy but this good man has wrlter. Member of Southern Baptist Press Association, Associated Church Press, Evangelical Press Association. never asked for easy places. Like Caleb, he has Abbreviations used in crediting news Items: BP BaP.tist Press; CB asked for Hebron. It is wonderful that' God has Church Bulletin : DP Dally Press ; EP Evangellc{LI Press ; LC Loeal Correspondent; AB Assoclatlonal Bulletin : EBPS European Baptist opened a larger door of ~pportunity and my J'ress Service. • Page Two ARKANSAS BAPTIST NEWSMAGAZINE ---~~-. ........_-----------~---Editorials Speaking of re'gional meetings Professor Jimmy A. Millikin of Southern Bap passed over in the selection by the various re gion~ tist College- asks some pertinent questions about al meetings of members to serve on the Execu our recent editorial proposal for regional South tive Committee, we do not see this as a hopeless ern Baptist Convention meetings instead of a na situation. Some plan could surely be worked out tional meeting. {See "The People Speak," . page to gu~rantee small churches, town churches, and ~) . rural churches representation along with urban As we envision regional meetings, they would churches. neither conflict with nor duplicate the purpose of The argument that the one annual meetin_g as state conventions. Each regional meeting would be now held affords opportunity for messengers to a Southern Baptist Convention meeting, ~onceril. express their approval or disapproval of issues ing itself not with the usual affairs of state con and policies is so'und in the'ory. But this argument ventions, but with the affairs of the Southern Bap breaks down in the impracticality of all of the 35,- tist Convention as a whole. 000 local churches having messengers at the annual Organizationwise, we envision having one meeting and all of the messengers having oppor Southern Baptist Convention president, elected tunity to be heard. As we {lave previously point by Southern Baptist Convention messengers in all ed <;mt, there Js not much ''pure'' democracy in _of the regional meetings, and presiding·, in turn, the annual meetings as now conducted with only at all . of the regional meetings. All of the other 10 to 15 or 20 thousand attending out of more . SBC officers we now have could likewise be chos than 11 millions. YVe believe that whatever we en, except, perhaps, in the case of the vice presi would lose in opportunity for' messengers to speak dents. Instead of electing a first vice president and their pieces and v-ote their convictions on each and a second vice president for the wbole SBC, as we every issue or policy would· be more than repaid now do, one or two vice presidents might be elect in the more efficient and more effective actions of ed in each region, to serve only in -their respective a smaller governing body such as the Executive regions . Committee. - All of the SBC institutions, agencies, and com Personally, we haye no fear at aU that some change to a more representative form of denqmi missions would make their reports to all of the national organization would make Southern Bap regional meetings as they now do to the one na tional meeting. This would be extra trouble and tists any different biblically or theologically from what we are under the present system of having expense, to be sure, but the greater number of one ·big national meeting each year. Baptists they would be reaching would, we believe, make 'it worthwhile. We appreciate very much the communications - we have had thus far on this matter and welcome· There would be no need at all for ne'w and sep further letters. We are especially interested in any arate headquarters offices and personnel beyond new angles anyone has on the situation. Since the the facilities and personnel now maintained in SBC Executive Committee is going to be making Nashville, for we would continue to have the same a new study in this area, at the direction of the program as now. Convention itself; y9ur suggestions ~ay prove There would be no radical change as to the au helpful in the study. thority of the Executive Committee as over what Sez Clabe the authority of this representative body now has. Instead of being charged wi~h the conduct of SBC A feller talkin to the .annual meetin of the As business between ann_ual national meetings, as at sociation of Southern Baptist College's and present_, the Executive Committee would have full Schools t 'other day got to waxin eloquent on th responsibility except for the limited matters desig great abundance of knowledge. He said frorrt th nated for the regions. birth of Christ to 1750 ' that human knowledge The greater Baptist democracy we envision doubled. And from 1750 to 1900, it doubled. Then comes from the anticipation of many, many thou in the 50 years from 1900 to 1950, it doubled again. sands more Baptists being brought into the an N' ow he is perdictin that by 1975 knowledge will double ever 2lf2 months. nual meetings, with the messengers continuing to I be, elected by the local churches. With all of this great. wealth