07 ~ On the Eve of World War II
Our adventures in college were bringing many experiences, and during our first month on the campus there were foreshadowings of future events. World War II was advancing [toward us]. On September 21 Winston Churchill warned of the futility of the appeasing Hitler. His quote was, “The belief that security can be obtained by throwing a small steak to the wolves,” he cautioned, “is fatal delusion.” But the government then headed up by Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain did not agree. He stated his position, “However much we may sympathize with the small mission confronted by big and powerful neighbors, we cannot involve the whole British Empire in a war simply on her account.” We huddled around our radio that evening in Marshall, Texas. Two days later we heard again over the radio that Chamberlain and the French Premiere flew to Munich to meet with Hitler and the Italian leader Benito Mussolini. They had been persuaded to meet with Hitler, to hold a conference in hope of averting a war. On September 30, 1938, the four issued a joint agreement granting Hitler’s demand almost to the letter. The Sudetenland and Czechoslovakia were not even consulted.
~ As the Nazis ran roughshod over Central Europe, Chamberlain the Prime Minister returned to London in what he thought was triumph, waving a copy of the Munich agreement. On his return the Prime Minister proclaimed these words that live with me even yet, “This is the second time there has come back from Germany to Downing Street peace and honor. I believe it is peace for our time.” But . . . it was not peace; we were hell-bent for war, which would begin the next September.
~ I’m afraid not many on the college campuses thought about the Munich Agreement. In fact the very next month, all of us on our campus were more excited when Orson Welles broadcast The War of the Worlds, saying, “Incredible as it may seem, these strange beings who landed in the Jersey farmlands tonight are the vanguard of an invading army from the planet Mars.” Schools and communities everywhere were fooled into thinking we had been invaded by Mars. That Halloween scare to most of us was greater than what was happening in Europe.
~ While the war clouds accumulated, we kept busy in our ministry. I remember when Mrs. Morris and I were invited to a Christmas banquet at the First Baptist Church of Corsicana, Texas, only a few miles from our church at Angus. I shall never forget what an impression it made upon my young mind. I thought, “I have never seen such beautiful decoration. I have never seen tables glisten with such white table cloths and decorations of the Christmas season.” I only wondered if would ever pastor a church that could afford to have such an occasion! After that I began 1939 by preaching on the first Sunday at Angus on the subject, “Following Christ through 1939.” . . . . Little were we thinking that this would be the year Great Britain would declare war against Germany and Italy.
~ 1939 was the year that I had the opportunity to drive from Marshall to Linden, Texas, for an evangelistic conference where Dr. C. E. Matthews, the former pastor of Travis Avenue Baptist Church [in Fort Worth], then director of evangelism for the Southern Baptist Convention, preached some moving sermons. One was “The Other Thief.” He took the thief that didn’t repent and made a great sermon out of it. The second message he preached was “Can We Have another Pentecost.” The reason I know these two sermons made a big impression on me is because my notes record that I have preached them several times to my churches. In fact, I went to the Evangelism Conference on February 1st 1939, and on February 4th, 1939, do you know what I preached on in Angus? [Yes, it was] “Can We Have Another Pentecost?”
~ Those little churches I pastored might have been insignificant in the sight of some, but as I reflect on it God used some of those services to bless the world. For instance the old Mt. Zion Baptist Church had only quarter-time preaching, yet in that congregation was Hoyett Lemmon who preached the unsearchable riches of Christ for fifty years. The same could be said about little Angus, Texas, a half-time church. I preached the baccalaureate sermon while I was pastor there. I remember it distinctly because during the service the lights went out. Imagine my surprise many years later when I received a letter from the person who served as the Training Union director in Angus Baptist Church. I was surprised to learn that he was a Baptist preacher, and he was writing to me to ask that I send him the outline of my baccalaureate sermon preached at Angus, Texas, in those early days!
~ Another significant event came out of my ministry at Angus. The Steele family were faithful members of the church. Mr. Steele was a tenant farmer. His daughters were Frances and Maxine. Years later on July the 29th, 1946, I received this letter that told me of Maxine’s experiences. She said, “It has been so long since we have seen each other and so much has happened in between. I guess it wouldn’t hurt if I should go back explain things a little. You’ll remember me of Maxine Steele of Angus and I guess I would never forget you two. You certainly have been an inspiration to me. Many of your sermons I heard at Angus will live with me forever. But now on with the story. After graduation from Corsicana High School in 1941 I took a course in radio, preparing to become a radio engineer. I like to work very much, and during the war I transferred from Waco to Dallas to North American Aviation. I became interested in aircraft mechanics, and for two years I enjoyed the assembling and repairing of the planes. During this time I became convinced the Lord was calling me to give my time and life to full time service on the mission fields. And as each day passed I became more and more anxious to begin my preparations. Then the Lord opened the way for me to go to Honolulu, Hawaii to work there as an aircraft mechanic at Hickham Field. While I thoroughly enjoyed that work, it was nothing compared to serving the Lord the best I could . . . .” She told about her mission work at Olivette Baptist Church in Hawaii and how she met her husband, as the two of them did soul winning work in the church. They married, both of them surrendered to missions and served God in Lebanon.
~ That letter was written July 29, 1946. On July 29, 1996, 50 years later, I received another letter from this wonderful missionary, and in it she told of their work. In it she said, I must say though, that when we came home to retire we faced culture shock, because of the low moral standards. As much as we did when we arrived in Lebanon, unfortunately the Middle East is trying to be like the West now.” She wrote, “Mother, daddy, and sister Francis have all gone to be with the Lord, and I am the last surviving member of our immediate family. As long as they lived Mother and Daddy often spoke of you. Whenever they saw your name in The Baptist Standard or heard from anyone that knew you, they would write us the news. We celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary on May 12. All of our children came to be with us and surprised us with tickets for eight days in Hawaii. So, we revisited memory places and were reunited with friends there who had been at our wedding at Olivette Baptist Church, Honolulu.” In her closing paragraph she said, “I would like to say thank you for the influence you and Fay had on my and my family’s life in those early years. Memories are still fresh and become more precious as the years go by, it seems. Do you remember your sermon, and here I am embarrassed to tell you what sermon, “Seven Ducks in Muddy Water” and “Who Are You Fighting For”? Of course, there were many others, but those two stand out in my memory for some reason.” Her name is Mrs. David King. Thank God for the influence of Angus Baptist Church on their lives.
~ In addition to preaching twice a month at Angus Texas and once a month at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, I was busy with the exciting adventure on the College of Marshall campus. I was elected president of the J. B. Gambrell Society, which is the organization for preachers, and I enjoyed the fellowship very much.