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“search the scriptures” John 5:39
The following reports give cause for rejoicing as we read of souls being saved and a new assembly established. They also present a challenge as to how serious we are in our Gospel witness. When was the last special effort made in our locality to reach those who are without Christ as Saviour, and therefore without hope for eternity?
In April 1974 a sister in the small assembly at Mintlaw, Aberdeenshire, invited an itinerant scrap dealer to the local assembly meetings. He arrived one evening at the Bible Reading, and the brethren decided to study John 3 instead of the intended portion. The burly visitor listened well and the following Saturday, albeit the worse for drink, bought a Bible. On the following Lord’s Day evening he was wonderfully saved at the Gospel meeting.
Encouraged by this the brethren invited J. Thompson and R. Soutar to hold special meetings immediately. During these a cousin of the converted man, impressed by the great change in his life, was also saved. Then the respective wives were saved and soon all were baptized. So far seven other relatives and a friend have since professed to being saved. Some of the menfolk were violent characters, especially when drunk. Having lived an itinerant life, some are already realising the need to settle in assembly life and are trying to establish roots. Many children are affected by the grace of God through these events.
During the same period in 1974 a lady started attending the Gospel meeting at Inverurie. She was soon saved and brought her children to the meetings. Her husband, an elder in the kirk, vowed that he would never attend a ‘Brethren’ meeting. Eventually the Spirit of God, through the children, brought him to the meetings where he was soon saved. This couple are now baptized and in assembly fellowship.
Two weeks of nightly prayer meetings preceded two weeks of Gospel preaching by N. Mellish and D. Richards at Abergavenny. Gospel literature was distributed from door to door and schools were visited with invitations. Quite a number of parents came to the special Parent’s Night, and unsaved were present each evening. Two souls were saved and a brother found restoration.
J. Baker visited from door to door in the areas of Clive Street, Cardiff, Morriston and Heol-y-Gors, Swansea. Many contacts were made and believers were encouraged by seeing folk from the area attending the meetings.
For over five years a number of believers in the Ventnor area have been exercised that a scriptural gathering might be established in that town. The prospects looked hopeless naturally speaking as there was virtually no building land available whilst suitable buildings were not available at realistic prices.
However an antique dealer bought a fine old church hall for storage, but the business then collapsed. The believers were able to guarantee the asking price before it was put on the market. After much toil the hall was restored to a very good condition and was opened as Alpine Road Evangelical Chapel in March, when over two hundred believers were present.
The town of Stevenston, Ayrshire, has three assemblies each of which had a special Gospel effort during the past autumn and winter. J. CIunas was in Bethany Hall, and several people from various parts trusted the Saviour. R. McPheat held an effort in Loan Hall when several young folk from Christian families accepted the Lord Jesus as Saviour.
D. McMaster had most encouraging children’s meetings in Hayocks Gospel Hall. Quite a number of these professed to trust the Saviour and a class was held to help them in divine things. In February one of the local brethren conducted an effort among adults during which a young married man accepted the Saviour as Lord and later a young married woman took the same step.
The Portpatrick assembly, Wigtown District, has known blessing in recent months as believers have obeyed their Lord in baptism. The company has rejoiced that a retired married couple have moved into the area and been added to their number.
Good interest has been seen at the monthly Gospel meetings in the community centre at Bishopton. Recently a young married man was restored to the Lord through such a gathering and the believers are exercised that this may be the start of a movement by the Spirit.
A feature of the Lord’s work in more than one assembly in Lanarkshire of recent days has been the restoration of saints who had gone back into the world. It is a matter of concern that there are so many in this category and they should be the object of our exercise as much as the unsaved.
The small country town of Thornhill has become the centre of Gospel interest and activity for a number of the Lord’s people in the same way as Peebles was a few years ago. A monthly Gospel rally is held and there is good support. Door to door work is carried on beforehand. As a result of all that has been done some folk have been saved.
For many years an active Gospel testimony has been maintained by the assembly at Ballymagarrick, a rural area on the southern outskirts of Belfast, and God has again and again given times of blessing. Recently J. Allen led a special effort when good numbers of local unsaved folk attended, some never having been inside the hall before. God was pleased to bless His Word and a nice number professed to have experienced salvation, including some who had been the subject of many prayers.
Further south in the village of Drumaness, Co. Down, J. Graham and S. Thompson held encouraging meetings for several weeks. Some professed conversion and the small assembly was cheered.
S. Thompson and R. Jordan preached to good numbers in Plantation Hall, Lisburn, Co. Antrim, and a married couple made a profession of faith in the Lord Jesus.
Co. Fermanagh, in the south-west of the province, has much beautiful scenery and is popular with tourists but has not been overpreached. There are but four assemblies in the county — Enniskillen, Lisbellaw, Ballina-malard and Currien — of which the latter three are very small.
A portable hall was used for J. G. Hutchinson and A. Aiken to preach in the village of Brookborough, where assembly folk last had Gospel meetings forty years ago. Quite a cross-section of the local people came during the eight weeks and several stated that they had been saved as a result.
At Currien there is a nice hall but less than a dozen id fellowship. Recently B. Armstrong and D. Kane preached there, visiting the whole area. However it was found almost impossible to get strangers to the meetings.
Ballintoy is a little village on the north coast of Co. Antrim where there is a small assembly. No special Gospel meetings have taken place for some twenty years, but recently T. McNeill and S. Brown were able to preach to good numbers. The meetings continued for eleven weeks and a number of adults professed faith in Christ.
The Harryville assembly in Ballymena carry on an outreach work in a portable hall by a new housing estate. This was used for a special Gospel effort taken by W. Jennings and L. Ballentine. Thousands of tracts were distributed but comparatively few from the estates attended. However others came and some young folk from Christian homes told of accepting the Saviour.
The assembly at Castlereagh Hall, Belfast, was encouraged by six weeks of meetings led by J. Flanigan and E. Wishart. On two occasions about one hundred senior citizens were present. Some professed salvation as a result of the meetings including two elderly people.
The believers gathering at Emmaus Chapel, Severn Beach, are but few in number and find it hard to maintain the witness. The Gospel is preached weekly but only a dozen are present on average, in spite of the tract distribution in the area. The elder ones find transport difficult. Such small companies, of which there are many up and down the land, need every assistance that can be given.
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