Gospel Work and other Assembly Activities

Southern Scotland. A group of young believers spent two weeks of their summer holiday in preaching at Creetown> using a tent. A slight interest has been evident in the area subsequent to this effort.

During June and July the areas of Stoneykirk, Leswalt and Portwilliam were visited with the Gospel in connection with the Wigtown County Work. Some gave attention as the Gospel was proclaimed in the open air, and a few decisions were made to accept the Saviour.

The Lanarkshire portable hall was erected in the village of Chapelhall with S. McKenzie in charge. He was given help in the door to door visitation by a brother from Glasgow. The Lord was pleased to save a woman who was brought up as a Roman Catholic. She was first contacted in a Glasgow infirmary by a brother from one of the city assemblies. He passed her address to the local believers, a sister visited her and as a result she went to the meetings and was saved. A teenage girl was saved as well and the assembly was encouraged.

Mid-Scotland. Gospel meetings were conducted in Kennoway during the summer and on each evening unsaved folk were present. Especially was this the case on the Lord’s Day evenings when quite a number of local folk were present.

Believers from the neighbouring assemblies supported the effort well and J. Gordon, who was the evangelist, was greatly encouraged. He was well received by local people as he visited the homes. One young lad together with an older widow made professions of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour.

Due to the interest aroused meetings will be continued during September, supported by open air gatherings.

Northern Scotland. It was in January of this year that D. Giilies commenced meetings in the village of Lithermuir, Kincardineshire, using a mobile hall. The reason for doing so was a call from two sisters in the Lord who at that time were members of the Church of Scotland. Other believers in the area were also found who were similarly dissatisfied because of the lack of proper spiritual food. Together with gospel meetings for children and adults, a weekly gathering for instruction in the Word of God was started in a local farmhouse.

The results of these simple meetings were amazing. Within a four month period fourteen believers have been baptized, some having only recently trusted the Saviour. Following the teaching of the scriptural principles of gathering, they became exercised about gathering to the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the only Divine gathering centre. As a result those who were members of the local Church of Scotland officially separated themselves and a little assembly has come into being. At present there are thirteen in fellowship and they meet in their homes. They look forward to their Lord providing them with a small hall in the future.

J. Smyth preached for three weeks in the town of Buclde during the autumn. The local folk are strong supporters of the established Church and in spite of support from the believers the work was hard. Nevertheless unsaved folk were present each evening and the incorruptible seed of the Word, which alone can be used by the Spirit to the salvation of a soul, was faithfully sown.

In the towns of Invergordon and Cromarty in Easter Ross, regular Gospel services are maintained despite the fact that the nearest assembly is no less than ten miles away in each case.

These services have resulted from the exercise of a servant of the Lord who felt led to hold special Gospel meetings in these two places approximately twelve and eight years ago respectively. In both places it had been well over a quarter of a century since the good news had been preached and there was a ready response to the Word.

When the original meetings were over the brother felt led to maintain contact with the people and started a monthly Gospel service in each place which has been maintained over the intervening years. With the build-up of industry in Easter Ross as a result of North Sea oil, etc., he felt that there was a need of establishing a more definite testimony in the area. After much prayer the Lord wonderfully opened up the way for him and his family to reside in Invergordon.

The work there was augmented and there is now a Sunday School with over fifty scholars on the roll and a mid-week children’s meeting which over the years has often topped the hundred. The monthly Gospel service has been increased to fortnightly and this is preceded by a meeting in the local hospital. This has brought blessing and encouragement to many of the aged patients over the years.

With an exercise of seeing an assembly established a mid-week meeting for prayer and Bible study was convened and although the response has been poor it is still maintained.

The population of the area has more than doubled in recent years and is still growing daily, presenting many new opportunities. Sad to say this new prosperity has lessened the spiritual interest of the people. Yet the Lord’s servants labour on knowing that their labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Camps. The weeks of sunshine proved a blessing to those engaged in camp work among the young. Blessing was seen in those held in the Gower Peninsular by the assemblies in the Swansea area.

The Paisley and District camp at Caliander comprised about one hundred campers. A number of young people were led to trust the Lord as Saviour whilst others were helped spiritually.

A similar number went from Hebron Hall, Port Glasgow, to Midlothian. Nearly twenty young folk yielded to the claims of the Saviour and a series of Saturday evening meetings has been arranged during this winter to encourage and teach them spiritually.

Open Air Work The fine weather has also been a boon for workers in the open air. The believers at Dumfries found many interested listeners as they preached beside the river.

Ministry of the Word. With spiritual darkness descending over the nation there is a vital need for believers to avail themselves of every opportunity of hearing the Word of God expounded, so that we shall be rooted and grounded in the truth and be able to stand in an evil day.

Over one hundred young people from South Wales attended a holiday study conference in Derby, where the ministry was in the hands of J. Baker and P. Widdison.

The believers in the Welsh village of Maesybont and surrounding areas were encouraged during special meetings. Some were unable to get into the hall on August Bank Holiday Monday to listen to the ministry of E. W. Rogers and J. Baker.

Bristol. Following the Bristol Horaeworkers conference and report meetings, the assemblies united together for an outreach crusade in the city. For five nights the believers brought unsaved folk to listen to the preaching of G. Loader and R. Scott-Cook, and all were thankful that some results were seen.

Kent. The assembly at Weald, Sevenoaks, comprising only fifteen believers, used two of their own brethren to maintain three weeks of special Gospel meetings during September. Unsaved were present almost every evening, the greatest number being at four services arranged in the Village Hall at 8.15 p.m. on the Lord’s Day evenings. On the third of these there were about seventy present, of which nearly half were young folk from a local youth club.

Although there were no evident results the assembly was encouraged both by the loyal support of its members, mostly over fifty years of age, and by the good support from a small local assembly. This was their first experience of utilizing local gift for this purpose and they feel that this should be encouraged elsewhere.

Mobile Units. During the past summer the South West London Unit undertook three tours away from the metropolis. These were to the Bulford area of Wiltshire, and Vernham Dean and Bedhampton in Hampshire.

Much of the first of these was to military establishments on Salisbury Plain, and was centred around holiday Bible clubs. These were carried on in the open air and attracted large numbers, the military authorities being most co-operative.

Rain interfered with similar activities during the latter two tours and a good deal of time was spent in door-to-door visitation.

In all nearly one thousand children were contacted, and subsequendy nearly two hundred letters have been received from these young ones.