phipps charles maryfrances 1958 italy

8/17/2019 Phipps Charles MaryFrances 1958 Italy

1/4

visr

S t J r

They of Italy Salute You

Hebrcv/o

13s24

ITMilAN

CHRISTIAN .JSSION

Charles

and liary Francos Phipps

1018

Eighth

Street

Columbua,

Indi

na

It is urgent that llary Francos and I return to Italy. We dc

not

have

the

time

to scour the

entire United States

for

funds> hoping

that

the contacts made

will

eventually result in

some

ld.nd of con

tribution

sporadic, temporary, insufficient

or

otheimse*

There are some Icnotty problems

in

missions operation that deserve

repeated attempts

at

solution.

Being very much

aware

of

these

facts, we have

devised

a

means

of

setting up our work efficiently, eoonoqiically, effectively and

in

warm fellowship.

Support

We have

estimated

the annual

expenditure

anticipated in our

v/ork,

and

by making

a

logical division

of the

total

v e

have

arrived at

the

fact that a

relatively

small

group of

people could provide

for

the majority

of our

program.

For this reason, we are looking for 25 men

of

specific qualifications*

They

must

be Christian, consecrated and active

in

their Christian

lives.

They should be alert and agressiv e.

They

ought to have some

definite

views on the

work

of

world evangelism. They must be

men

of

responsible character because

the

conduct

of

our work will depend

upon

their

constancy and enthusiasm.

Each

of

these

25 men v;ill be responsible to provide a minimum

of

10

dollars every

week

for our work. They

are

free to

obtain

this in

any

w y

they

choose

or

devise

(as

long as

it

is

honestl)*

They may

en

list the aid of a congregation, a Bible School class, a Young People's

group,

individuals, or they may give the

entire

amount themselves.

As

far

as

the

financial arrangements

are

concerned,

the vital

thing

is that

the amount

be on

hand

at

the

appointed time.

The weekly schedule need not be maintained if

for

some reason

it

proves more convenient

to

remit the

amount monthly,

quarterly or by

similar periods. In such an

event,

the

larger

sum should be

made

in

advance, or

the

work v/ould

not

have

the

necessary funds for use when

needed.


2/4

m i i l T T Y F I V L i 2)

Envelopes

will

be supplied

to

the T 1 7

,iviTY-PIVE

for

their

contributors*

Each donor will thus be able to make his weekly

designated

contribu

tion in the regular offering

plate in

the

church services,

providing

him

v/ith

a record of his

gift

for i ncome tax purposes T he congre

gation will realize

the

benefit

of a

welcome increase

in

its total

missionary giving

in

addition

to

its previous program.

Each of the

25

will

emphasize

that the

contribution

made

by

each of

his group must be

in

addition to that whi ch he is already giv ing.

The

current

program

of

stev/ardship

of the individual

must

not suffer

at the

hands

of

the work

we are

doing.

Our aim is to

increase the

sense

of

responsibility, not

merely

to shift

its

focus to our mission.

In order to

insure

the weekly minimum of 10 dollars, it is

suggested

that more than this

be arranged for. Thus

an

emergency

that would

prevent a contributor

from making

his regular offering

would

not

create

an emergency

on

the field.

Each of

the 25 /ill arrive

at

his o v / n tactful method

of

knowing

that the offering is

actually being

made on

schedule.

Arrangements need to

be

made with

the

church

to issue the

check

for

the funds designated to

the

Italian Christian :dssion regularly each

v/eek, or

in

advance for a

longer

period as mentioned

above.

It

will be

up

to each

of

the

25

to

see that

the

check is issued

promptly and mailed as promptly. Personal attention

to

this v;ill

be

necessary.

No

Christian

intends to

procrastinate

and

the personnel of the

church

much less

than

most,

but

people

V i r i t h

the

best

of intentions sometimes

miss

the

mailbox. With the

daily survival of

the v/ork dependent upon

continuity

of

arriving funds, even

the most

sincere person failing to

act

promptly and regularly woulu. bo responsible

for

failure on the field.

Information

These

25

men

v/ill

be

our

contact with those whom they cause to become

contributors. We will

write

directly

to

each

of

the 25

and

they

will

in

turn

relay

the

nev/s to each of their

contributors. One of

the

several

benefits

resulting from

this

will be that by

the time

he

has

informed

his group

individually,

he v/ill be very thoroughly acquainted

vath the work

being

done on the

foreign

field. Any questions

that his

contributors have

he will relay to us, if he

does

not 3 a i o v / the answer^

so that everyone involved in the

work may

knov/ anything ho feels he

ought

to

or

wants

to

about

it.

romot on

Each of the 25 v/ill develop in his ovm way

various

means of promoting


3/4

T V f f i W T Y - F I V E (3)

the

work.

Ho

may

devise a

simple but

effective

display

that

ho

will

send to missionary rallies? conventions? etc. He might mimeo

graph

a brief

nows

letter for distribution in his own

congregation,

or

among other

friends.

Ho might

make

or

have made posters to

be

used in the

church

building, in a near-by

Bible College, or in

local

store windows to advertise the work.

Ideas

will develop as each

makes use

of his ovm

talent in

his

own

environment.

Prayer

Because of their intimate understanding of and participation in the

actual operation of the work, each of the

25

/ i l l bo especially v/oll-

preparod to pray intelligently and constructively for

the

missionaries,

the contributors, the people a f p o n g whom the missionaries work

and

for

tho American church members increasing understanding of their global

obligation and

joy

in service. Last listed but fundamental in

signi

ficance,

they

T / i l l know better

how

to

pray that they

themselves might

become

more surely and entirely

God's

men

in

God's business*

Advico

In addition to the support

sent

to

the field, the 25

v;ill

bo called

upon

to

help

the missionaries in

the

making of decisions

whore their

particular

competence

is indicated. There will be times

when

their

advico

will

be important, and

tho missionaries

v / i l l

fool free to write

in tho complete confidence that problems can be

shared and faced

in

a

spirit of optimism and mutual trust.

lleoting of

the

Twonty-Jlve

We

hope

that tho 25 will be able

to

moot

together once

or

perhaps

twice

a

year. They

could

thus share their

ideas,

stimulate activity

and enthusiasm, improve their

o v / n methods

of promotion, and in general

keep tho v/ork fresh and alive in their thinking,

preventing its becom

ing

a distant,

foreign,

somehow bothersome, adjunct

to

their

lives.

Visit

to

tho I>iold

Every

f e v /

years,

perhaps

every

five,

four

or

even three

years,

tho

25

should choose from among their number, one

or

possibly

two,

who

would bo sent

to

tho field

to

investigate tho

work

we

arc doing there.

These

visitors

should come ready to evaluate without prejudice and to

report

factually v/hat

they find there. By thus having

been

given every

opportunity thoroughly to examine the work,

they

will bo able to re

port

to tho rest of tho 25 and to the

contributors

as eyo-witncssos.

Tho money

spent

in

this

segment of

tho

program

will

be repaid

a

hundred

times

over throvighout

the

lives

of the

observers.

Their enthusiasm

and tho

impact

of

an

eye-v/itncss report v/ill send at

least that

many

dollars to

world evangelism

somowhoro

over t heir lifetime.


4/4

TSJEHTY-FIVB (4)

Furlough

As

the missionaries

return to

tho

States

on furlough, they

will

spend

a T/ook

with

oach

of tho

25* During that time, ho

will

introduce us

to

his contributors*

Wo

will spend that v/ook with him and thom, giving

ample opportunity

for a

full

discussion

of

the

work*

This

unusually

comploto

report

will bo

a

tremendous

improvement

over tho half-hour

speech to tho

congregation,

which

is

too often tho maximum

opportunity

tho missionary has* Tho contributor will hav e

a

far more cleaivcut

picture

in mind

of what tho missionary \7ork actually

is

and what

it

accomplishes* An additional

bonofit

will bo the

intensified

personal

relationship established between the niissionaries and the contributors*

This in itself is

a definite step

toward the

solution

of

some

of

tho

problems inherent in tho missionary

picture

today*

Problem

Eliminated

The consistent v/ork

of all

tho TWENTY-FIVE

will

eliminate one

of

the

most

crippling

crises

direct-support missionary work faces:

the

financial

crisis created

by the dropping off

of incomo*

This

is

fre

quently due to careless lack of attention to regular giving, and often

to un-Christian, irresponsible sv/itching or cessation of interest

and

support*

It is inconceivable that the saving of people from agonizing, wasted

lives and

eternal Hell should have to dopond upon such factors*

Wo are

convinced

that our approach puts tho work on tho firm basis

it

dosorvos

by

establishing tho

lino of

responsibility

for

tho

lost

and by maintaining a constant check on tho discharge of

the

duties of

oach

one

involved****from

contributor, through each of the

T I V E N T Y - F E V E ,

to tho

missionaries

on

tho

field*

FUNCTION

vs*

PRESTIGE

I n gathering this

group,

we

are

seeking

to

solvo a

problem

of fxmction*

Wo

arc

not

intorostod

in forming a prestige

group

where

tho honor

of

tho

office

is the concern*

Thoro

is no room for politicking , and none for politicians*

Wo need

and

want men

to

do

a

job of v/ork* The v/ork is absolutely

essential,

therefore, the job dosorvos

top priority* This job

can only

bo done by men ork*

I n this

enterprise,

wo

all

\ i l l

look

to God for

approval

or judgment*

Wo cannot afford to risk

the

opportimity to save lost men

by

indulging

ourselves in tho trivia of personal pride*

Functioning on tho job the

Lord

gives

each

of us

will

bo the tost of

tho

service

of

all

of

us*

X

phipps charles maryfrances 1958 italy

Documents