Reports of Gospel Work

Worthing

The assembly meeting at Bedford Road Gospel Hall has recently concluded a series of twelve weekly addresses on the fundamentals of Scripture. These have been very helpful and well attended and the believers have therefore decided to arrange a further series dealing with the Minor Prophets.

Such solid teaching is essential if the Lord’s people are to be grounded and built up in the truth. Series such as these are for the spiritual profit of both young and old.

North-east Scotland

Many people from every part of Aberdeen found their way to Victoria Hall during February. The Gospel was proclaimed by S. Ford, and some of the believers could not remember a campaign with better attendances by strangers, many of whom were unsaved. The evangelist went the rounds of the fish market and various businesses where he had the opportunity of speaking to workpeople. It is believed that several were blessed as a result.

During April the assembly in the Woodside district, on the north side of Aberdeen, had three weeks of Gospel meetings taken by F. Whitmore. Attendances were good and some professed conversion. An unusual feature was the interest shown on the part of teenagers, so much so that a special meeting was arranged for them after the usual meeting on the evening of the Lord’s Day. The evangelist enjoyed a respectful hearing from these young people.

Missionary week-end in Wales

Over one hundred young people from assemblies in South Wales and the West of England gathered at Barry, Glamorgan, in March for a missionary week-end – the fifth that has been held.

The speakers on this occasion were H. Mackay, R. Beckett and H. Beattie. These gatherings have become known for their presentation of missionary subjects from a different angle and this year was no exception. In one session H. Mackay gave a very interesting demonstration of how a new language could be acquired without the medium of English. He used Igala and R. Beckett Urdu.

The ministry of the Word from H. Beattie was practical and helpful, and the whole week-end was felt by all to be most challenging.

Hertfordshire

Some nine years ago in St. Albans some believers meeting with the old established assembly at Lattimore Hall commenced regular gatherings for children in the developing estate off the London road. The work prospered and six years later, after prayerful consideration, a hall was built and an assembly witness commenced under the name of the Thirlmere Christian Fellowship. This hall was erected on a central and prominent site and is both pleasing in appearance and functional for a building where work among the young occupies an important place.

From its inception the believers have been concerned to reach families rather than specific age groups. With this in mind the gathering to remember the Lord starts at 10 a.m. which enables them to hold a Family Service later in the morning. This has proved a blessing to many and the hall is filled by those of all ages, from the elderly to babes in arms.

A good proportion of these services are taken by local brethren, in a definite attempt to make their visitors feel at home. Even if there is a visiting speaker a local brother opens the gathering.

Dumfries and Kirkcudbright

The Sunday School at Dumfries has been proving a fruitful ground, since for several weeks there were professions of faith in the Saviour. Then at a Saturday rally in May a young man also spoke of salvation, together with a girl of twelve.

The few believers in Creetown were encouraged recently when a sister gave pleasure to her Lord by being baptised. She had shown interest last summer when some young brethren spent their holiday camping in the area and making the Gospel known; since then she had come to a knowledge of Christ as Saviour.

Swansea

A Gospel work commenced on the housing estate at Penlan, Swansea, in 1950 resulted in a permanent building being erected in 1963 for work among young and old. The Lord has been pleased to save souls and most of them have been obedient to Him in baptism. It became the exercise of a number that they should gather in assembly witness and so, in December last year, they gathered to remember their Lord for the first time in Bethany Evangelistic Chapel, Eiddwen Road, Penlan.

Three weeks of intensive effort with the Gospel resulted in blessing among several of all ages at Ebenezer Hall, Swansea, as they listened to the message of the cross told forth by P. Brandon. Early morning prayer meetings were a feature of this effort.

Cardiff

During the last twelve months the believers gathering at Bethesda Gospel Hall, Whitchurch, have continued to experience die good hand of the Lord. Without any special effort they have had the joy of baptising thirteen teenagers, ten of whom have been received into assembly fellowship. In addition three adults who previously had no connection with any assembly, came out from the Church of England and Presbyterian movements after considerable waiting upon God and searching enquiry regarding scriptural baptism. Whilst not believing in the ritual of household baptism, the assembly in April had the joy of baptising and receiving into fellowship a whole family of believers. It has been a cause of thanksgiving that those mentioned have continued steadfastly in the faith to the praise of His name.

Northern Ireland

Londonderry is a city of fifty thousand souls, more than half being Roman Catholics. For a good many years the assembly testimony was carried on in a large building on the city wall which was unsuitable for many reasons, the main one being that it was not in the residential area. Recently the comparatively small assembly erected a good hall in an excellent situation, and the opening series of Gospel meetings was conducted by R. Beattie and J. G. Hutchinson. More local folk attended than had been the case in recent years and several professed conversion.

The Gospel hall at Growell, Co. Down, is in a pleasant rural district where for many years God has been pleased to bless the telling forth of the Gospel and a goodly sized assembly has been maintained in godly simplicity. Recently A. McShane and N. Turkington held a series of well attended meetings in the hall and all have been cheered to see signs following the preaching of the Word.

The assembly in the village of Clough, Co. Antrim, has been consistently active in the Gospel for many years. This spring the hall was filled to capacity nightly as the Gospel was told out by A. Lyttle and J. Brown. The interest shown caused the series to be extended and a number professed faith in the Saviour.

R. Johnston, who has recently been commended to the work of the Lord, had a series of Gospel meetings with the small assembly at Ardmore. The area around was carefully visited, resulting in fairly good gatherings, and God granted a little blessing.

Fifeshire

A vigorous Gospel campaign was conducted by H. Murphy at Innerleven during the last two weeks of April. Numbers were good, many of the believers being most diligent in bringing their friends. The three Lord’s Day evening services were held in a neutral hall and attracted between two and three hundred. Two informal coffee bar services were also held when about one hundred teenagers came along. Six of these professed to have exercised faith in the Lord Jesus. The Word was presented in power at all the meetings and it was felt that God had spoken to many hearts.

Lanarkshire

A fortnight of Gospel meetings at Forth was conducted by A. Leckie assisted by M. Wishart. The latter took a fortnight of his holidays to devote to the Lord’s work in this way. Many unsaved attended and some were seen to leave in tears. A young man of nineteen, brought by friends from West Lothian, professed to be saved.

T. Bentley, on furlough from Malaysia, was responsible for a campaign in Airdrie. Good support was given by believers from surrounding areas, and every effort was made to reach the unsaved by open air work and personal visitation. While many came to hear the message there was no visible evidence of salvation. Yet the good seed has been sown, and will without doubt accomplish the divine purpose.

Falkirk

The assemblies in Mid-Scotland united for a campaign held in the Town Hall at Falkirk under the care of S. Ford. The opening children’s service was attended by over six hundred youngsters, and the numbers of adults ranged upwards from three hundred. On Fridays and Saturdays a special late meeting was held for the younger generation: these proved popular and were felt to have been worth while. The workers had the joy of hearing ten profess faith in the Saviour, mostly in their late teens or early twenties, and all seem to be persevering in attendance at the assembly gatherings.

Renfrewshire

The believers meeting at Hebron Hall, Port Glasgow, hold a Gospel campaign every two years. This April R. Walker was the evangelist, and a good interest was aroused among the unsaved. A late meeting on Lord’s Day evenings was especially popular. A goodly number of those coming were young people and five of these accepted the Saviour. The children were catered for on two evenings each week and open air testimonies held on two other evenings.

Dunbartonshire

The believers at Dunbarton continue the Gospel testimony at Aitkenbar, holding a Sunday School and Bible Class each Lord’s Day in the local school. There are some one hundred scholars at the former and twenty attend the latter.

At Helensburgh, open air meetings on the esplanade commenced in June, and an all out effort is being made this summer to bring the Gospel before both visitors and naval personnel.

Cardiff

During April a Gospel crusade was held by R. Saunders in Emmaus Chapel, Llanishen. On most nights the hall was filled to capacity, its normal seating for two hundred being stretched to three hundred. Much blessing was experienced, and one reason for this is felt to have been the active participation of all the believers. Over twenty gave indication of their acceptance of the Lord as their Saviour, and sixteen obeyed Him in the waters of baptism.

Essex

For some fifty years a party of believers has gone from Waltham Abbey each Easter to the small village of Finchingfield in the north of Essex, distributing tracts and having open-air meetings in both directions. This year sixteen young workers gathered for prayer at 8 a.m. Good numbers of children listened attentively as they were spoken to with the aid of flannelgraphs, and there was on the whole a very good interest shown by adults.

In this way a few villages were contacted, but what of the vast number in every county still waiting for some believers to give up some of their time to take the Gospel to them?