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A Quarterly Review of world-wide Pehtecostal Missionary and Revival Activity
EDITED AND PUBLISHED BY DONALD GEE
at the request of the World Conference of Pentecostal churches
held in Zurich in May, 1947.
Not by Might, nor by Power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts" (Zech. 4: 6).
TERMS: Single copies 8d. or 15 cents. Annual Subscription 3/- post free (4 issues).
in U.S.A. and Canada, $1.00 for 6 issues.
CORRESPONDENCE for the Editor should be addressed to Donald Gee, 14 George Street,
Louth, Lincs., England. Remittances and all other correspondence should be
sent to " Pentecost," Victory Press, Clapham Crescent, London, S.W.4.
It was Lewi Pethrus at the World Conference in Zurich who suggested a
worldwide Pentecostal missionary ; agazine, and was kind enough to propose
the present Editor for the task.
Welcome to the New Magazine
Lewi Pethrus (Sweden)
I
N response to your request 1 am glad to give
some opinion about the new mission paper.
A paper, that shall represent the mission of
the pentecostal movemen(in the whole world, has
a great task to fulfil. We thank God that this
paper will be a reality and expect that it will be
very useful for God's work in the pentecostal
movement.
This mission - magazine can
help usi to avoid conflicts on
mission fields. Where other
pentecostal brethren already are
working, we can find another
field, or, if it is possible or
needed, join with pentecostal
rhissions that already have started
a work.
Nobody, according to my
opinion, is better equipped to be
editor of this paper than brother
Donald Gee. He enjoys the
general confidence of the pente-costal
people in the whole world.
He knows the pentecostal move-movement
all over the world
better than most of us, and he is
a man with vision and a deep spiritual knowledge
of the pentecostal movement. When he is editor
for the paper there is no reason to expect other
than that the paper will have real prosperity.
bless the editor, and cver' reader, as
great pentecostal movement all over
May God
well as the
the world.
LEWI PETHRUS.
Lewi Pethrus greets Donald Gee at Stockholm Airport
PENTECOST
ZURI C H - Review of Reviews
BY THE EDITOR
I
'1' has been interesting to receive the official
reports published rcgarding the World Con-ference
of Pentecostal Churches held in Zurich
in May, 1947. They have varied from compara-tive
brevity to the handsomely illustrated volume
published in Norway. The Editor may
pardoned a smile if he has noted how some
sections of the Pentecostal Movement represented
at Zurich could not resist the temptation to stress
their own viewpoint on some matters that were
discussed, and the part their own representatives
played. It has been consistent with the worthy
way in vhi&t he filled the difficult office of Chair-man
that Leonard Steiner has probably given us
the very best objective report of the Conference
as a whole. It is calm and complete, and without
partiality or prejudice.
All reports convey something of the impressive-ness
of the VtTorld Conference in its testimony to
the absolutely world-wide character of the Pente-costal
Revival. The local constituency in
Switzerland is smaller than in Sweden, and it was
inevitable that the gross attendance at the public
meetings did npt attain to the numbers at
Stockholm in 1939. But a maximum of around
3,000 provided a vorthy record for Pentecostat
meetings in Switzerland, and the local response
was enthusiastic in every way. The unstinted
hospitality of our Swiss hosts won the gratitude
of all, and it has been no small comfort to know
that after it was all over our Brother Schneider
and his helpers found that the offerings had more
than covered their heavy expenses. It will be the
wish of all who attended that some lasting spiritual
benefit will remain upon the Pentecostal Assem-blies
in beautiful Switzerland. The saints there
won all our hearts, and not least by their delight-fully
brief spontaneous prayers at the commence-ment
of every public meeting.
The large contingent of delegates from across
the Atlantic ensured that this wits more than just
a European Conference, and for the first time we
were fully able to appreciate the benefit of air
travel for the conferences of this nature. Deep
emotion was aroused by the presence and testi-mony
of beloved Pentecostal brethren from lands
where want or persecution in some form or
another are rampant ; nod the unsettled political
conditions still pertaining over a large part of
Europe had a silent witness in the absence of any
representatives from a few lands where there
is a considerable Pentecostal constituency. In
emotion the Conference was one, but in discussion
of the method by which we should try and meet
the needs of our brethren in distress some con-scientious
differences of opinion threatened to
imperil its unity. This was inevitable. In doing
justice to these various points of view it is helpful
to remember that at least three differing sets of
motives actuated those who travelled from the
ends of the earth to Zurich.
One important group came to Zurich particu-larly
for practical reasons. They, were rightly
burdened with the need of helping our brethren
suffering from physical lack of adequate food and
clothing, and places in which to preach and wor-ship;
and deeper still for those suffering obstruc-tion
or persecution as a despised and rejected
small religious sect. It vas felt that their pleas
for tolerance and liberty might be reinforced if
supported officially from a. world-wide Conference.
1 hese delegates naturally wanted to get organized
for doing things. Their hearts were aflame with
sympathy and holy zeal; and their concern \vas
that the Conference should establish practical
machinery for co-ord mating world-relief, and
speaking \vith world-wide authority.
A second, large group gathered in Zurich
desiring mainly spiritual discussions. Many of
them had long been active in relief work. 'they
felt a deep longing to understand more perfectly
the will of God for the Pentecostal Revival at this
grave hour in human affairs. To them, a gather-ing
of leaders from all over the world uttered an
opportunity for men of ripe judgment, and immedi-ate
knowledge of revival movements, to prayer-fully
confer togethef as to the principles of sup-tamed
spiritual life and power. The best methods
for organizing i'elief, and for maintaining evan-gelical
agencies must fail and wither if the
dynamic of Pentecostal power at their heart ceases
to inspire.
A third group came to Zurich simply for the
thrill and blessing of atteoding a big Convention,
ministered to by men of world-wide reputation,
and held in a lovely natural setting. Memories
of the Stockholm Confereree of 1939 lingered,
and they \vanted a repetition. Yet the original
conception' of the Zurich Conference was for a
comparatively compact, semi-private, gathering of
chief men among the brethren '' in the world-wide
Pentecostal Revival. The influx, beyond all
intention, of those desiring to attend not only
brought temporary embarrassment to our Swiss
hosts, but also altered the whole nature of the
Conference. Delicate questions of proportionate
PENTECOST
representation arose that called for tactful hand-ing,
so that none should feel offended or excluded.
Out of all theseconflicting elements there emerged
a unity of the Spirit that was the more impressive
as the conference.drew to a close. We are thank-ful
to know, as we look back, that the •Zurich
Conference was not born in. the plans and wishes
of any of the three groups referred to, however
earnest and sincere, but in a week of prayer
among our Swiss brothers. To, quote Leonard
Steiner's own moving words: "It was during a
communion service that I felt God put His hands
on me, and I felt it was God's will for me to take
the initiative in calling together God's people
for the Conference." There we touch the co-ordinating
work of the Spirit of God that ultim-ately
ensured the Conference emerging victoriously
from "much disputing" into decisions that
"seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us" (Acts
15: 7, 28); This thought encourages us to believe
that God had His Own objective in Zurich,
deeper than all the partial plans and visions of
those who gathered, and perhaps only yet dimly
perceived.
Behind all the incidental features of such an
International Conference lies the impressive fact
of the Revival itself. From all parts of the world
men and women gathered to Zurich who had
shared in a deep spiritual, experience that was
identical in its essential features. They had sought
and received in prayer a baptism in the Holy
Spirit that had been accompanied by speakin
"with other tongues as the 'Spirit gave them
utterance" as on the Day of Pentecost. These
delegates represented hundreds of thousands of
Christians all over the world who are sharing the
'same blessings; and these things have been con-tinuing,
in spite of determined opposition, for
forty years. Christians rejoicing in these Pente-costal
gifts to-day are no more exempt from human
shortcoming than were their predecessors to whom
were addressed the writings of, the New Testa-ment;
but there are times in their meetings, as
in their private lives, when they also wondrously
share the glory of the same manifestation of the
Spirit of God
The Pentecostal Revival is emphatic in its testi-mony
to all that is fundamental in Evangelical
Christianity. Its particular testimony is to the
tnth that the Living Christ still works super-naturally
in the Church, and that signs still follow
the preaching of the WOrd. "Zurich" was made
possible because of what God hath wrought'
already: the further potentialities are immense.
Our eyes are on the big things that unite: not
Cpn the smaller issues that divide.
In these grave days all, Christians are wise to
emphazise the things upon which they are united,
and there is among them, an often unrealized
degree of perfect agreement upon that which is
truly fundamental to the faith once for all delivered
to the saints. The Pentecostal Movement accepts
such an attitude and emphasis in its relations to-wards
all others who are in Christ Jesus, and
proclaims its distinctive testimony with love and
respect for all. Fellowship in the Gospel is
possible without compromise where conscientious
differences of opinion exist upon secondary matters.
Within the Pentecostal Revival itself a profond,
and indeed unique, unity of the Spirit has been
given to us by Christ Jesus: it leaves nothing
or us to "make," but much that we must zeal-ously
endeavour to "keep." The burning heart
of Pentecostal Fellowship is not an idea, nor a
form of government; nor even a "vision," but
a BAPTISM—in the Holy Ghost and Fire.
Several reports of the Zurich Conference refer'
hopefully to the holding of another 'Vorld Pente-costal
Conference in two or three-. years 'time,
should God permit. That is good. 'It reveals an
understanding that "Zurich" was well 'worth
having, and' that it accomplished far mre than
could ever have been tabulated on paper. The
solid expectation of another World Conference will
hold us all together in growing patience with one
another's differing opinions; in persistent en-deavour
to appreciate what others besides our-selves
are doing in the, work of the Gospel; and
in personal and collective preparation of heart and
mind t get the very most for the glory of God
out of a further opportunity to advance in the
'Revival through fellowship.
It has been a distinctive and significant feature
of the Pentecostal Revival that from the beginning
it has never centred around any one dominant
personality. In other Revivalsthe Lord has been
pleased to use some outstanding spiritual leader,
and we adore Him for that when such is His
method. But it has not been so in this "Pente-cost,"
which in aspecial way has emphasized the
supreme Lordship of Christ through the Spirit.
The unanimous choice of Leonard Steiner of Basel
as chairman' of the Conference' recently held in
Switzerland proved ahappy one, and God-directed.
Appreciations of his' gracious service while the'
Conference was in session are unanimous We are
,happy that after the strenuous weeks of work
culminating in the Conference, ,,Brother and Sister,
Steiner were first the guests' of the Sw&lish
churches, and now are, going on 'a visit to. the'
American Assemblies. Christ 'has given' tp the
whole of the Pentecostal Movement a rich plurality
of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and
teachers; and in the continuance of their varied
ministries, as they speak the truth in love, we are
growing up into Him in, all things, which is the
head, even Christ: The 'Revival still beasts no
human leader. It glories ,in crowning HIM
Lord of all.''
E NT E CO ST
I
HAVE been asked to talk about our work in
the Belgian Congo. We were four men who
went out there thirty-two years ago, and I
shall never forget our first night on the Congo
river. We looked for a place to put up our camp
and we came across some res smouldering, large
dishes on the fires and inside the dishes there were
human bodies cooking and human bones on the
ground. We had settled on the site of a cannibal
feast, where the people used to eat other folk. We
often met these kind of people in the folloving
years, and as we cycled through the villages, they
would come running after us, calling to each other
"come along, there is some white meat here on
bicycles." There are no cannibals at this place
now, there are twenty-eight churches there, for
they put up their own buildings and they have
their own Pastors. Instead of a feast of human
flesh, now you can go into any one of twenty-eight
churches. They are self-supporting and
self-governing. Soon one of the
party was ill. I nursed
him for five days and
then I became ill, too.
That man died two
days afterwards, but
I was too ill to attend
the funeral, and when
they had buried the
other missionary, they
stopped the natives
filling the grave in;
they said, "do not fill
that grave in, it will
do for the other one.'
I was the other one.
But while they were lames Salter
having their funeral
service I had a visit from " Doctor" Jesus, and
when they came to see if I were ready for the
grave I was very much alive and they said, 'fill
the grave in, he will not be dead.' Four times
after that God rescued me from the grave. I was
on my bed with the sheet over my face once and
God raised me up. I was left to die in a native
village when a native christian found me and
prayed for me and I got up and preached that
evening. God has been wonderfully good to me.
If God has a favourite on earth, then you are
looking at him now
AN ADDRESS GIVEN AT THE ZURICH CONFERENCE
We commenced work among the people of
whose language I did not know a word. They
poisoned our water and food. But to-day they
have tile whole Bible, many religious books, and
souls have been saved through the reading of the
Scriptures.
It was a wonderful clay when the first'man was
saved. He had been a good man for God. Some-time
afterwards he was married and one day he
came to me and told me his secret. I said you
go and tell Mrs. Salter. He told her and she said,
I am glad Abraham, what is it, a boy or a girl?
It is a boy, madame. " Well,'' she said, '' and
what have you called him?" And he sto9d there
as if she had hit him. He thought surely she
would understand that if the father's name was
Abraham and tile mother's name Sarah, then of
course, the baby must be Isaac, for anyone could
have done that sum. Last time I went over to
the Congo by air, he was one of the first to meet
me. He has been an apostle for God for thirty
years, changing villages, gathering together as-semblies
of nelievers and shepherding them for
God. We did thank God for him. The Lord gave
us some more, and it -was a grand day when the
break came. There was a big crowd of people,
and after I had preached to them I thought they
would just get u.p and go home, but instead of
that they stayed where they were and said, "Do
you not know any more?" "Why yes, we know
a lot more, but we do not know much of your
language." " Tell us some more," they said, so
we told them more of the same thing, and when
we had finished the second time, once again it
was—" tell us some more." So we had to start
over again for the third time, and after the third
time we said, "Have you not heard enough about
Jesus Christ, Gad's Son? When people believe
in Him, it makes their black hearts white and for-g''
ives their sins.'' " Is that right?'' they said, Yes, -that is it,'' we said. '' Then it is what we
want."
We had no church building, but we asked them
to crowd inside the house. As many as could get
inside and the rest gathered around. They were
packed together like cheeses in boxes and we,did
our. best to preach to them. They said, this is
what we want. So we said, tell God what you
want and they did that. What a prayer meeting!
They said, "Oh God, my black heart, my sins,"
James Salter is the Home Director of the Congo Evangelistic Mission.
God's Great Work in the Congo
TWO MISSIONARIES IN 1915—NOW OVER 750 ASSEMBLIES
P E NT E cost
and we could only leave them with God, and when
sometime later they got to their feet, the earth
from the ground all over their bodies, gutters
down their cheeks where tears had run through
the dirt, we knew they had been to Jesus for the
cleansing power. They were filled with the joy of
the Lord and they did not know how to give ex-pression
to it except for one woman. She shrieked
with her mouth, clapped her hands and then began
to dance. " What is it," we said? " Oh, well,
it is God's blessing coming out of my mouth and
out of my fingers." "Yes, but what about the
dancing?" "Well, that is it crning out of my
toes.". She was saved all through. Now, we
thought, we must do something for those people
and get them filled with the Holy Spirit. They
could not bring nice prayers like you di,, they only
had one prayer: "We are hungry, won't you
bless us?'' And that went on from sunrise to mid-day,
and when food was brought to the natives,
they were too hungry to eat. That .went oil day
and night. T.oo hungry to eat and sleep, and then
about he sixth morning at sunrise about 160
people were kneeling, saying, we are hungry,
won't you bless us. Then something hit the build-ing
and rocked it, and these people fell on their
faces, prostrate, and listen to them! . French,
English, Welsh, German, Africans all coming
from natives who knew no language but their own.
They had no Bibles, so they had not read about
it, no one had told them about it. They did not
pray for it, they just said, we are hungry. I
believe if Peter had been there he woUld have
said—" This is that."
Our natives cannot pronounce any word that
has an "r" in it, but that morning they rolled
their "r's" like Scots. You can.do,anything when
the Spirit comes.
Just after the outpouring a big man came and.
stood in front of my house. .He shook like a leaf
in the wind. Tears ran down his cheks, and he
was feeling in his hair, and then he found. some-thing
and pulled it out and said, "Do you think
you can forgive me, I stole that from you?" What-had.
he stolen? A rusty, twisted old nail. He
was in our workshop and when the .awdust and
shavings were brushed outside, he saw that nail,
and so he ran over and took it and.put it in his
hair. No one saw him do it, no pne knew he had
it. He was a saved man when he took it, but you
cannot keep rusty nails when the Spirit of God
comes. Have you any rusty nails? Rusty nails,
you say, what are they? You can find them on
the- street any time, but this. man had one that
belonged to someone else. - God fills with .the Holy
Spirit to get rid of any rusty nails that belong to
othrs. . -
When we arrived in Congo thirty-two years
ago, there were no christians and we were the first
white men they saw, .but now every Sunday,
35,000 are in their churches. There are more than
800 nativ,e missionaries, more than 750'assemIlies,
over 20,000 in our schools, and nearly 60 white
missionaries. God has done that! No one but
God! Many have been healed, numbers have been
cleansed, dead people have been raised to life, and
to-day there is such a revival amongst thse people
that we are baptising as many as 500 in a day.
The Gospel is still God's power. He is saving,
healing, bap{ising in the Holy Ghost, and lam
glad you Swiss folk, have a part in it, for my
interpreter Brother Hartmann) is one of the
workers. We thank you for sending him and his
wife and for supporting them. There is-only one
better thing you ,can do. Send us 'some more of
the same kind.
THE. BASEL CHURCH
The World Conference unanimously agreed to use the
kind services of the Pentecostal Church in' Basel, as a
recognised clearing house for relief 'work in Europe. The
address of the pastor is Leonard Steiner, Colmarerstrasse
120, Basel,. Sw.itzerland: hut we have been notified that
it wilt'not be possiblo for the Office to commence function-ing
until November. One urgent requirement is a helper
in the Office who knows English and German fluently,
and if possible French, and perhaps Swedish. There will
also be'some inevitable expense in furnishing, etc.
Meanwhile all who have been ending help to Pentecostal
friends in Europe should continue using their exiking
channels. The need continues to be urgent, particularly in
Germany Emil HOmburg, the aged chairman of the
[eutschen 'Pfingstgemeinden," has sent the Editor a' list
nd RELIEF WORK. IN, EUROPE
of over fifty Pentecostal Assemblies and leaders in Germafly/
Brçther Humburg s address is Uhlandstrasse 25 Mulheim
Ruhr (Nordrhein-Westfalen: British Zone), Germaliy.
Ihe American and Swedish Pcntecostal Churelse, hay..
done magTiificently in their relief work for Europe.' The
British Assmblies have resonded.gerierously out of their"
still increasing food stringency, ' all help for Germany
comin out of their, own rations. Mention ught.tobe
made of the sonderful kindness of the Australian Pente
costar Churches in sending hundreds of food parcels to
Britain The Lord be praid for all this "grace
Specially moving is a gift of i ooo francs from the Natise
churches.of the Congo to help needy ones in.. Etrope(see
page b)
NEXT stop, Mulsjö!"
says the conductor,
and it would seem
every passenger in the train
prepares to step off. All
going to the Nyhem Con-ference—
coming from as-semblies
in every part of
Sweden. Pastors, Evan-gelists
and Missionaries—
aged folk and young people.
From the lips of everyone
falls the lovely Swedish
greeting ''Frid !" (Peace!)
From Mulsjö station (the
nearest to Nyhern) it seemed
there was a single chain of bicycles all the way for
five miles to the camp grounds where the Confer-ence
was held in a large tent seating over 2,500
people. The road winds through beautiful forests
and crosses over several bridges spanning the.
narrow points of the silent lakes which break the
monotony of the dense forests.
The buses arrive, bicycles arrive and motor
cars arrive from all directions, hour after hour.
The queue at the office where every visitor
registers never seems to shorten allday and all..
evening. What beautiful sceties of charity and
By DAVID J. Du PLESSIS (South Africa)
fellowship one may witness while waiting in the
long line of vistors. Old friends meet and brethren
embrace each other most cordially. Missionaries
from China, Africa, India, and South America
meet again after years of absence. Pastors from
North and South meet again .after one year of
trials and victories since the last great Conference
in 1946. The very atmosphere in the Camp be-comes
impregnated with the Holy Spirit, and it:
must be a very dull person that will not feel the
presence of God in every corner of the activities
of this great Conference. From the office one had
to fall in line once again in a long queue to get
something to eat in the great dining tent with
long rows of tables where over 300 can sit down
and enjoy a light meal, whilst there is the hum
of hundreds of human voices in eager conversa-tion.
All roads lead to Nyhem at this time and once
in Nyhem all footpaths lead to the great tent
pitched in an open patch between the tall fir trees.
Soon every seat is occupied. It is the opening
PENTECOST 5
8,000
at GREAT CAMP MEETING in SWEDEN
The Bible Study Week at Nyhem
PENTECOST
meeting. Pastor Lewi Pethrus—that mighty, yet
humble man of God, from Stockholm, takes the
chaiF with Sven Lidman, Sweden's greatest living
writer, at his side. Visitors from other lands are
invited to the platform. America, England,
Switzerland, Norway, Finland, India, and South
Africa are represented by nationals from these
various countries. After cordial words of welcome
from brother Pethrus on behalf of Sweden, the
various brthren bring greetings from their home-lands
to the Swedish saints. What cordiality—
loud hallelujahs! Praise God for Pentecost.
On Tuesday morning the Conference gets to
business. A chairman and two vice-chairmen are
elected. Votes of greetings to all countries repre-sented,
to all missionaries on the field and to the
Swedish Royal family are passed with acclama-tion.
The greeting to foreign countries is found
in Ephesians 2: 18: "FQr through Him we both
(Sweden and other countries) have access by one
Spirit unto the Father." men and Amen.
Preliminaries are over, and the first question is
placed before th great gathering of over 1,200
pastors, missionaries, evangelists, elders and
members. The Conference is open to all,but by
far the largest number is made up of workers.
Mostly preachers take part in the discussions. The
question was: "Have we understood the work of
redemption thoroughly, and do we give it the
correct place in our preaching? How éan we dis-cover
deeper depths in this great truth of the
Redemptive work of Christ?" During the morn-ing,
midday, and afternOOn sessions of Tuesday
and Wednesday this glorious subject was
thoroughly discussed and studied from all angles.
These meetings were rich- in doctrine. As a
stranger to the work in Sweden I enjoyed the
unique opportunity of hearing the most capable
preachers and Bible teachers in their very best
form.
I was greatly impressed by the sound and deep
knowledge that all speakers had' of- the main
subject as well as Other subjects arising out of
this great christian-truth of "Redemption." It
was evident that all was not mere intellectual
knowledge, hut that the unction of the Holy Spirit
was present. Yes, indeed, by tongues and inter-pretation
and by prophecy the Word was con-firmed.
and saints were edified. Praise the' Lord.
The next question was "Has the Pentecostal
Revival maintained the original revival fire of the
beginning? Is, its growth intellectual or-spiritual?
Has co-operation and alliance with other church
bodies been beneficial and has it delivered any
spirituai fruit?" Here the writer- was amazed at
the completely open and frank declarations of the
speakers. One would declare boldly that the whole
revival was -1ecayingspiritually. The next would
prove -that this was not the case generally, but
only in some assemblies, and finally, wise -men
would admonish all -to take warning and not be
satisfied with achievements of the past, but to press
on to deeper experiences. All speakers seemed to
agree that we might expec't -a greater revelation
of God's power in these days. All conceded that
alliance and co-operation with non-Pentecostal
gioups have not been beneficial, but since we have
shown a preparedness to co-operate we should now
press on without the others if they are 'not, pr'e-pared
to share in the revival and accept the -Bap-tism
in t-he Holy Spirit.
At the commencement of each session' some
matters of perhaps a more domestic 'nature were
discussed, and so the daily ,paper "Dagen,"
under the editorship of Lewi Pethrus, was also
discussed. The Conference expressed unanimously
the desire that it should remain thoroughly Pente-costal
and non-political, or at least completely
neutral in all- political reports and news. It was
agreed that the paper was becoming an instru-ment
of great blessing in Pentecost in Sweden.
Friday was missionary day. About 120 mis-si6naries
from Africa, China, India, and South
America were present. The questions were--—
(1) Could-the Swedish Free Pentecostal Assemblies
undertake to do more missionary work? (It was
agreed they could if they would). (2) Should
schools for the children of missionaries be estab-lished
on the fields? (It was agreed this is most -
desirable). (3) Should the European field be con-sidered
as a'new open door for missionary work?
(It was agreed that this should be So.)
The "Workers'" Conference closed Friday
evening with a great Missionary meeting, when
representatives from ten different fields told of
the work in each field. The writer had the privi-lege
of telling what the white assemblies in South
Africa were doing in the South- for the millions
of natives.
-
The evening services and 'the Saturday and
Sunday services were great open meetings at-tended
by recoid ciowds Every evening there
were between 2,000 an4 3,000 present On
Sunday it was estimated that :the cr,owds swelled
to8,000. The Tent was overcrowded. The sides
were let down and under the shady tiees thousands
found seats on the grass and could listen to the
speakers over the very excellent loudspeakers
placed at several points in the grounds
The messages were inspired The singing was
heavenly I he spirit of all services was thoroughly
Pentecostal Indeed it was t glorious Conferenct.
which will undoubtedly have a tremendous in-fluence
on. the whole work throughout Sweden.
Praise the Lord!
PENTECOST 7
4—
A Thrilling Vision, by th well-known Editor of The Pentecostal Evangel,"
Springfield, Mo., U.S.A.
INTERNATIONAL
by
Stanley Howard Frodsham
THE first time I was asked to broadcast the
gospel over the air, I prayed very definitely
for the anointing of the Spirit. Years before,
Smith Wigglesworth said to me: "I am nothing
apart from the anointing," and I knew what he
said was true of all of us. After the broadcast a
sister said with some surprise: "Oh, I perceive
the anointing can go over the air!" Praise God
it can. I heard later that a man who was about
to commit suicide heard the message, called on
God, and was saved.
Last year, at a missionary Rest Home in
Chicago, I met Hubert Mitchell, en roiüe to India.
He had just come from California and he said to
me: "I have been attending a number of Charles
E. Fuller's Sunday afternoon meetings in Long
Beach, and do you know, at nearly every service
there were about a hundred sinners who received
salvation?" Recordings are made of one hour of
each of these Sunday afternoon meetings, and
these are broadcast from a thousand different
stations the world over. At one part of each
service Mr. Fuller always says, " Mrs. Fuller will
now read a few of the letters we have received
during the past few days. Gd ahead, Honey!"
and "Honey" goes ahead and reads a number
RADIO MINISTRY
of letters telling of souls that have been saved the
world over through these broadcasts. Thus we
are reminded every week that the radio ministry
can be a mighty factor in the winning of souls
for our lovely Christ.
Three years ago I heard Clarence Jones tell the
romantic story of "The Voice of the Andes."
The Lord gave him and his co-workers favour in
the eyes of the government of Ecuador, to erect
a broadcasting station at Quito, and gave them a
twenty-years franchise. It was said that they
could not have good broadcasting facilities from
a station ten thousand feet above sea level and
right at the equator, but experts now know what
the Lord knew long before they did, that it is the
very best place on earth to get world coverage.
\Vith their six transmitters from this station they
are sending out over seven hundred gospel pro-grammes
each month, in fifteen different lan-guages,
including Arabic, Czech, Dutch, English,
French, German, Greek, Italian, Portuguese,
Quechua, Russian, Spanish, Swedish and Yiddish.
For the past three years, Mr. Jones has been
crusading to awaken Christian business men, to
arouse them to build broadcasting stations the
world over. As a result, radio stations owned
Radio Choir—Central Bible Instituje, Springfield, Mo.
Sermons in Song " Broadcast.
PENTECOST
and. operated by Evangelical Christians will be
erected shortly in Northern Australia; Ethiopia,
Alaska, South and Central Anierica, China,
Canada and Hawaii. A Chinese business man,
K. S. Lee, of Shanghai, who has seen great
things accomplished through radio ministry, has
gathered fifty leading. Chinese brethren to be
directors of the National Christian Broadcasting
Association of China, and they have petitioned the
Chinese Government for permission to set up
thirty-six Christian radio stations throughout the
length and breadth of China.
Three Pentecostal young men have caught the
ision of broadcasting the gospel in the Far East.
A few weeks ago, I heard John C. Broger, who
served for four years as radio radar officer in the
U.S. Navy, telihis story. Foi nine years he and
Bob Bowman, who for thirteen years has been
singing ever day on a splendid gospel broadcast
in Los Angeles, haveTheen praying. After Broger
was retired from the Navy, he and Bob each put
fIve hundred dollars of their own savings into a
fund, and Broger went on a prospecting tour. He
discovered that because of the dominant spirit of
nationalism in China, it will be impossible for
Americans to erect a station there. He went to
the Philippines and arrived two days after these
islands had been given independence. His first
application for the erection of a broadcasting
station was rejected. But God overruled in a
wonderful way and enabled him to have an inter-view
with the judge to whom all radio matters
had been committed; and the result has been that
a station franchise has been given to erect two
radio stations with four frequency assignments. A
site of 12 acres, just outside the city of Manila,
has been secured, the work of erecting the stations
with the housing of workers has already started,
and it is announced: "We hope to go on the air
soon after the beginning of 1948."
From these stations will be beamed gospel
broadcasts tO the three million who own receiving
sets along the coast of China, to many millions
who own radio sets in Japan, to'the three million
who own them in India, and to the nine hundred
thousand who have short-wave sets in Russia. This
should prove a marvellous outlet for Pentecostal
missionaries of all nations. The Assemblies of
God in America have already appointed their first
two missionaries to the staff of this radio station—
Brother and Sister Kenneth Short, who have been
denied re-admittance to Borneo,, but who can reach
a far larger audience in these islands through the
facilities of these stations.
Incidentally, it might be said that a christian
business man in Chicago is attacking the problem
of manufacturing inexpensive receiving sets, also
an inexpensive hand-cranked phonograph. Miss
joy ,Ridderho, a returned missionary wfio lives
in Los Angeles, is having a unique ministry. She
has produced nine hundred master records in
seventy-eight languages, on which there is a
gospel message. We are planning to make similar
recordings here in Springfield.
About eighteen months ago the American As-semblies
of God began broadcasting on a national
scale. The weekly programme, " Sermons Jn
Song," on which our General Superntendent,
Ernest S. Williams, give a brief message, and on
which a special radio choir from Central Bible
Institute sngs old-fashioned gospel song, is now
going out from ninety-five different stations.
Two of these are in Alaska, one in Chungking
(" l'he Voice of China "), two in Cuba, two in
Hawaii, and one in Labrador. A series of thir-teen
records has recently gone to Station HCJB
in Quito, Ecuador, to be used in days to come.
'Ihos. F. Zimmerman, our Radio Director, sai-d
to me a few minutes -ago: "Every broadcast
reaches a larger audience than DwightL. Moody
preached to in all his large audiences combined."
But to go back to where we started. All gospel
broadcasfing is valueless unless those who preach
and those who sing have the anointing of the
Spirit. There must be prayer, much prayer, and
yet more prayer, back of all evangelistic broad-casts
if there,are to be results for eternity.
The last time I met Adah Wegner, a mighty
missionary to Colombia, South America, I said to
her: "- I suppose you are looking forward to
taking many missionaries with you back to
Colombia." " No," she answered, " the thing I
am asking God for is intercessors. Only mighty
travail inthe Holy Ghost can liberate the captives
of Satan in Clombia." Later she wrote to me,
Hallelujah! Ever'ywhere I go, God is giving
roe intercessors!" May the LOrd give us inter-cessors
to pray that the joyful sound of the gospel
shall go forth into all the world, coming forth
fr anointed lips and reaching opened ears and
hearts that have been prepared by the Spirit of
God: that from hundreds of radi.o stations the
gospel seed may be sown in hearts that the Lord
has made "soft with showers." (Psa. 65: 10).
Costs of Passages have Doubled
Enth'usiasts for missionary wotk must face th
fact that costs have practically doubled, and
especially for'passages. It is a happy thing that
we an report some record missionary incomes,
but they are more than s'wallowed up by increased
expenses. The Methodists in Britain normally
reckon to spend £27,000 a year for passages; but
in 1946 this rose to 53,O00. This is the universal
experience for all Missions, including Pente—
ostals.
A Ir. A chain of Pentecostal Testi-mony
extends from Cairo to the
Cape. In EGYPT there has been
an extensive missionary work
carried on by American and
British Pentecostal missionaries,
hod there is also well-established
indigenous Egyptian Pentecostal
ministry. Duiing the war years
a large number of soldier-boys
have received the baptism in the
Floly Spirit, as Acts z: 4, in the
I'entecostal meetings held in
Egypt, and several of these young men are now preparing
themselves in Bible Schools to become missionaries.
In WEST AFRICA the Lord has signally blessed the
efforts of a fine band of misjonaries from Assemblies of
God, U.S.A., in the Gold Coast, the Ivory Coast, Sierra
Leone, Liberia and Nigeria, and the Lord has visited
them with some gracious revivals. H. B. Garlock, Field
Secretary for Africa, has just completed a tour of the whole
of their African Mission Field, that occupied nineteen
months, and in which he visited stations in sixteen diffremit
African countries, and enjoyed fellowship with other
Missions also. In the Gold Coast, and on every hand,
there is an urgent need now for Bible Schools to train native
workers. Hardly less urgent is the need of sound Christian
literature Thousands have been taught to read, and, says
Arnold Weston '' their appetite for reading material staggers
the imagination. Spiritualists and Jehovah's Witnesses
have taken advantage of this hunger for printed matter,
and flooded the countrycide with cheap literature. To
satisfy this hunger for reading material, and to counteract
the undesirable literature, a Christian Publishing House
should be established.'' Mrs. Haold Jones writes of the
First Convention among the Gourounsi, a thieving tribe
in French West Africa: '' What a thrill we had following
the crowd down to the water to see fourteen men, women
and children following their Lord in baptism." On the
Ivory Coast our brethren have been encouraged by their
first graduates from their Central Bible School at Kouberi,
Mossiland. We hope to publish more West African news
later.
In EAST AFRICA our Canadian friends have carried on
for many years a splendid work in Kenya and Mozambique.
while our American assemblies have workers in Tanganyika.
Both BAirn and Assemblies of God in Britain are now
seeking an opening for missionaU work in that great
territory. The challenge of Portuguese East Africa burns
in the heart oF Austin Chawner, and others, who are ready
to seize any open door. The name of Brother Keller, of
the Canadian Pentecostal Assemblies, will long he honoured
in Pentecostal circles. In Kenya there is now a strong native
Church with about ,noo members, and some Io,ooo
children in the schools. The British Government is favour-able
10 this work, and a great opportunity is before our
friends. The Pentecostal testimony is going across the
border into Uganda, and workers from the U.S.A are
helping in this large field. Two members of the Canadian
Executive are to visit Kenya shortly.
BELGIAN CONGO. In the vast stretches of Central
Africa there are many Pentecostal missionaries at work.
The Scandinavian churches have a number of missionaries
in the North-East of the Congo, while the French and the
Swiss Pentecostal churches have representatives in the
North. The American Assemblies have a number of mis-sionaries
; while the British have for many years had a
field beside Lake Tanganyika. Brother Garlok's visit has
been a blessing ro these tcattered workers.
The wave of revival that has visited the Field of the
Cotigo Evangelistic Mission in the South has caused joy
tnroughout the Pentecostal Movement. This itas now
continued for many months, and thousands have been
added to the Churh. Many have been delivered from sin
and from demon power, and many baptized in the Holy
Spirit. Something of the thrilling story of how the Lord
tlped William Burton and James Salter to found this
Mission in i915 may be read in the report on another
page of Mr. Salter's missionary address at Zurich.
The revival broke out in Kipushia, and Mrs. Phyllis Lee
writes in the " Congo Evangelistic Mission Report
It is just a year now since tire Lord began pouring out
His blessings upon us, and gave us a new touch of fire on
our souls. What a wonderful year it has been We thank
God for all the souls that have been saved, and the back-sliders
that have returned, but above all for the wonderfUl,
oversvhelminp sense of His Presence. Never in our eaperi-ence
have we felt the i.oid so near, and the testimony of
the Christians is the same. At times we have been filled
with great awe. Every room in the house, the whole hill,
the school, the church, have been filled with the Presence
of God Nearer to us than breathing, closer than hands
and feet.' How true it can be
Alsiost every night for the whole year prayer meetings
have been held, and are still continuing. The Christians
have spent many days in fasting and prayer, and have often
sent whole nights before the Lord. The result has been
a great deepening of their spiritual lives ; they have longed
after the Lord more than their necessary food. How we
have cried upon God to speed :.p the printing of the New
Testament in this language. The people are so hungry for
God's Word. We have spent many hburs translating pas-ages
of Scripture, and typing and duplicating Bible studies
for them, with all the Scripture references necessarily typed
((Ut in full. But we cannot satisfy their, appetites.
As the blessing spi ends out to the,/villages, the Chris-tians
everywhere felt they must build bigger places of wor-ship,
as the former buildings had become impossibly sniall.
So we had a great demand for brick moulds, and the
Christians set to work willingly and joyfully to build brick
churches. In Kipushia village, where more than 300 were
brought to the Lord, a number of unsaved men volunteered
to bring grass and poles for the church. After the building
bad been finished the elders decided to offer these men pay.
PENTECOST
A REVIEW OF WORLD-WIDE PENTECOSTAL
MISSIONARY & REVIVAL ACTIVITY
P EN T E C 0 S T
ment for their services. They every one refused, saying,
Don't you think we, too, want to give a thank-offering
to God for changing our village? This place, that was so
notorious for drinking, fighting, adultery, and witchcraft,
has been so changed by the power of od that we hadly
recognise it. We want God's blessing,, too I' May God
save every one of these men. The same thing happened
to the Kibangi Chprch, too..
During the Christmas and New Year Meetings the
Lord has been very present with us, and there has been
much blessing. We were aroused at 3 a.m. on Christmas
morning by the sound of singing and praising the Lord.
We went over to the church and found a few, hundred
Christians from three villages gathered together. Most of
them had been up all night in prayer and praise before God,
glorifying Him for sending Jesus into this world. We had
a precious time of fellowship until sunrise. Then they all
left for their villages, singing and clapping, joyfully as they
marched home. At io a.m. we gathered again for .a Com-munion
Service. In the evening meeting th blessing of
the Lord was so much upon the gathering that, after the
Word had been given, they got down to prayer, and the
prayer-meeting !asted until 4 o'clock next morning.
" On- the last Sunday of the old year we had a day of
prayer and fasting. Even young children fasted. Our aim
was to dedicate ourselves afresh 'to God and His service,
and to request God's blessing and presence in 1947. On
New Year's Eve a Watchnight Service was announced to
begin at 10.30, but at 7 o'clock the young people came along
en masse for a prayer meeting, which went on till our
Watchnight Service began. Pastor Patishio gave an in-spiring
word from the Epistle of Jude, which has set us a
very high standard of conduct for this year. May God
help us to be faithful and to keep ourselves in the lov,e
of God. As the bell rang out the old year every soul present
made a fresh covenant with, and a fresh surrender to God.
Just after we came out of church a big band of Katenta
folk came along for the meeting: Having no clocks, they
didn't know the time, aol had kept their prayer meeting
on too long., Nothing discouraged, however, at finding
themselves too late, they entered the church, and Patishio
gave his sermon again for them.
" This week, during our observance of the World Week
of Prayer, one sister prophesied for the first time. Our
hearts thrilled at the message. ' Ask of Me largely, ask
of Me great things. I can do much more than you can
ask. I am in the midst of you.' I am' ever with you to
hear and answer, and to give you the desires of your
hearts.' So. with this promise in our hearts, we go joyful
forward, knowing ' Lo, I am with you alwa', even unto
the end!'"
Further news of' the Revival, and the story of th grace
of God in the Native Churches of the' Congo, out of their
deep poverty, sending i,ooo francs to relieve the want in,
Europe, are contained in the following report by W F. P.
Burton from the "Pentecostal Evangel," U.S.A.
I was telling our believers about the sufferings of the
saints on the European continent, 'and how the cheap meal
schCme was working, whereby the saints in U.S.A. could
seAd them healthful meals for so little. Our Christians
have been praying much for th sufferers, an quite' 'on
their own ' they came to me with a thousand francs, made
up of very small collections, for our folk are pitiably
poor. They want this used to feed Europe's hungry, in
the name of the Lord Jesus.
We continue to see wonderful blessing right across this
work. And God is using it all a a testimony to those who
otherwise would be out of our reach. From time to time,
I have sent back to the tin mine. ioo miles from here, tools,
etc., that had been stolen. When the thieves get converted,
they naturally want to make restitution. Then, a few
weeks ago, I had several sums of money to return to folk,
from a man who had been a notorious, swindler and. 'a
member of a burgling gang. , I recently sent 'to the mine manager to pay for repairs
to my car, but he returned my money, saying: ' When a
man can influence natives for honesty as you are doing, I
count it a privilege to do 'his bits of repair work for
nothing.' This manager is a strict Roman Catholic.
Similarly, when I wished to pay. an Arab, a strict
Mohammedan, for a sack of potatoes, he refused the
money, saying, 'When your religion can make thieves into
honest men, and induce them to return what they have,
stolen, I feel I waot to encourage it. Please accept the
potatoes as a New Year's gift.'
During the New Year's meetings in one village, five
witch-doctors stepped forward and threw all their charms
into the bonfire, saying they' had decided to trust the Lord
Jesus. A sixth in that same village has since followed suit.
We are having' most glorious revival right across this
vast field. Thousands are getting fight with God, and there
is a general desire to know more of God's way of salvation,
so that we are getting crowded meetings wherever we go
to witness. Notorious sinners, swindling old witch-doctors,
abandoned harlots and drunkards, murderers and t1iiev's
are getting right with God.
" But better still, there is a tremendous move among the
young, folk. I was called out at between eleven and mid-night
last night, and I could still hear praying going on
in the villages down at the foot of the mission hill, where
the young folk are pleading with God for the salvation 'of
their relatives. " It does one good to see youngsters of from five to ten
years of age pleading 4with God for th& salvation of their
chums,' while tears run down their little cheeks. And God
is answering, for so often these same wee children return
shortly just as full of gladness as they were of grief, to
say, ' My elder brother is saved,' or ' My mother has got
right with God.' In many cases there has been direct
supernatural intervention, for people' are getting visions,
or hearing voices calling on them to ,repent or perish.
Quite a number declare that' they have 'seen the Lord, or
seen angels, and whatever happened, their whole lives are
changed by the power of God,.'.'
SOUTH AFRICA. There are a number of missionaries
working in South Africa, from America, Canad&, Britain
and other lands, and they have a happy"fellowship among
themselves under 'the name of "Assemblies of God." A
great deal of their work lies among the thickly-populated
native compounds on the Rand, where so many natives
gather for a period of work in the gold mines.' The Swiss
Assemblies carry on work in Basutoland, and there is work
in the Transvaal and elsewhere.
The largest indigenous Pentecostal work is the Apostolic
Faith Mission, with over 570 assemblies among. the Euro-peans,
and a baptized membership of about 25,000. These
assemblies contribute over £xo,000 a year towards mis-sionary
work among the natives. Their missionary work
is supervised' by about forty missionaries, and there are
over 600 native ministers, and a membership of about
6o,ooo baptized native believers. A full report of this work
by David J. du Plessis will be published. The A.F.M. of
South Africa ranks as One of the largest Pentecostal Fellow-ships
in the world, with Headquarters in a large office in
Johannesburg. Their distinctive feature' is that they prac-'
tise triune immersign. The work is necessarily bilingual,
in AfrikaaOs and English. ,The Full Gospel Church also'
maintains the Pentecostal Testimony in Sputh Africa,
vhile Archibald Cooper at Zurich represented a large inde-pendent
church in Durban.
PENTECOST
AS .ift ofCPHeInNtAec.o Tsthael rmeisasrieo nhaurineds riend -s
China, in addition to some large
indigenous Chinese Pentecostal
churches. The greatest concen-tration
of Scandinavian Pente-costal
missionaries is in the
North, whore the American and
Canadian friends also have con-siderable
worlc. In Peiping is the '' Truth Bible Institute
where native Chinese leaders are
trained. Efforts to recommence
the work around Kalgan, and thrust out further into
Mongolia, are hindered at present hy political turmoil.
In Shanghai it is estimated that there are possibly
30,000 Pentecostal people in the city. There are twenty-five
to thirty Chinese independent assemblies that are desiriitg
some closer link of Pentecostal Fellowship. Some of these
churches will accommodate two or three thousand people.
Brother Scratch, a missionary of the Pentecostal Assemblies
of Canada, has now terminated l1is services in association
with UNRRA, and returns to full-time missionary sers ice.
While supervisor of relief for North China he travelled over
vast areas and was able to keep contacts with various
Pentecostal Groups. '' The Pattern,'' the official organ of
the Bible Pattein Church Fellowship in the British Isles, of
which Georg Jeifreys is the President, publishes the fol-lowiog
interesting account from H. Vaughan Rees, their
missionary in China: '' On Sunday I visited one of the
independent churches in Shanghai, and there I saw a
wonderful sight. The crowds packed the roads outside.
One enters '' The Church '' in a crowded Chinese quarter
by two lanes, one leading into the other at right angles.
The Church is simply a lot of tenements knocked into
one with low ceiling and room upstairs. The meeting
commenced and singuig proceeded frein everyhcre ; Irma
upstairs, the lanes, the next door houses, and they had loud
speakers in all sorts of curious corners. ft was only a
small proportion of that eaormous congregation (several
thousands) that we could see—we met them later on in
the lanes and main roads outside Last evening I
went to visit Mr. Watchman Nee (the writer of '' Con-cerning
Our Missions "). It was under Mr. Nec that I
received the baptim in the FInly Spirit Another Group
under chiefly the leadership of a Mr. Ching occupies many
of the intermediate areas. They have the Gifts of he
Spirit, and express the unity of the body organically in
their Church life. Both bodies arc deeply taught and deeply
spiritual. They both have a wonderful woric of God.
Mr. Watchman Nec is now in business, and so gives his
opinion, for the time being, as an observer and not as an
active participant. We discussed the Church undr per-secution
during the Japanese occupation of Manchuria.
\Vhereas the organised churches were swept asvay over-night,
their own indigenous churches were increased by
literally thousands of converts and this work was done
more by the Church itself acting as an instrument than
by individuals. They have never had such an ingathering
as they have experienced iii Manchuria. No meeting was
allowed of more than five persons—-so all the locally
autonomous churches were scattered about in homes,
alternating houses and persons. In country places where
the police supervision was not so strict they defied the
law. There is a true return to the ways of tlte early
Church. They are the organic grouping which is tauPe
especially for the days of persecution.''
Howard Osgood, the China Field Superintendent of
Assemblies of God, U.S.A., has recently been visiting the
Pentecostal work throughout China, and according to our
last news he was on the way from Canton to Hankow. A
welcome closer fellowship is growing between all the
Pentecostal assemblie., and missionaries itt China,
J. Rutherford Spence tells of a touching appeal for hslp
from Hong Kong to preach the gospel as an antidote to'
lawlessness and iniquity. There is great need of relief in
some districts in South- China, as also among a nunibsr
of Russian Pentecostal refugees in the North, and various
agencies have been active in this matter.
In Yunnan, among the British Pentecostal- missionaries
there, a welcome revival has been in progress in Kunming,
and Ray Colley tells of a recent Sunday night when fifty-five
decisions for Christ were registered. The British
Assemblies are again building up a strong team of mission-aries
n what has been one of their principal fields for the last
thirty-five years. British and American nsissionaries are
working side by side, both among the Chinese and also
among the Lisu and other Tribes-People. There are
Pentecostal missions on the borders of Tibet at Wsi-Hsi,
and other centres, and it is hoped to re-open tIme station
at Adentee, while other Brttish missionaries are working
from the Nepal side.
INDIA. - Political uncertainty as to the future of Chris-tian
Missions in India has not been hindering the stsady
work of the large numbers of Pentecostal missionaries from
Scandinavia, America, Britain, Canada and Australia that
are labouring in that great country. No statistics, are
available at the moment regarding the splendid Scandi-navian
work, but Assemblies of God, U.S.A., have about
ninety missionaries under appointment for India; while ths
British Assemblies have fourteen. The largest field for
the American work is in North India, but they also have
workers in Ceylon. The Canadians have work in Lucknow,
while the British missionaries are mostly in the Nizam's
Dominions, or in the South, where there has been a fruitful
field in the gospel. Around Travancore there is also a large
indigenous Indian Full Gospel Work, the leaders of which
were at the great Swedish Bible week in Nyhem in June.
-NETHERLAND EAST INDIES. Here there has been
a considerable indigenous Pentecostal work in Java, while
American Pentecostal missionaries have been labouring in
BORNEO and other Islands of that great archipelago, and
in Singapore. The biennial Conference of Assemblies of
God in NUSTRALIA has decided to send a representative
to investigate the Lake Murray district of PAPUA with a
view to opening up evangelistic work there. The Pente-costal
worlc in the P H I-LI PP IN ES is getting on its feet
again after the var. Our American friends have mission-aries
in PERSIA and quite a group in PALESTINE and
TRANSJORDAIN ; while the British Pentecostal Jewish
Mission now have their first worker from England estab-hshed
in l'alestine. The Danish Pentecostal work for
nmany years has had an orphanage in Jerusalem.
BURMA. It is of particular interest that the Swedish
Pentecostal Mission have plans for opening up missionary
work in Burma. and after the Zurich Confecence, Samuel
Nystrbm made a special visit to London to discuss matters
with the Authorities there We ore happy to know that
the result was encouraging, and we look forward to further
interesting developments in the near future.
JAPAN. Pentecostal missionaries are trickling back into
Japan its opportunity is given. A number of fornoer mis-sionaries
are ready to return. Meanwhile the Holy Spirit
is still working ansong the Japanese themselves, as
evidenced by the good news in this letter in the '' Pente-costal
Evangel '' from Marie Juergensrn in which she
quotes B. Yumiyama : '' We had a very blessed convention
for three days last month in the Chogo Church. The first
day was Sunday and there were 520 Christians came to
the meetings. Brother Kikuchi was the song leader, and
I ha-I to preach, but I felt they needed nmore prayer and
preparation, so I led them in prayer. Four came from
Osaka, three from Shizouka, twenty from Yokohama, nine
from Kofu, one from Sendai, and twenty from Tokyo.
(In each place a native church is being carried on.) We
PENTECOST
were all melted by• the fire of God. Brother Yamada had
no time to give the message. . . The second day some
earnest seekers received the blessed experience of the hap-tishs
in the Holy Spirit. 1 cannot describe how God visited
us during this convention. About twenty were baptised in
the Spirit."
1? SWEDEN. Some of the largest
Pentecostal Churches in the
- world are in Sweden, where
there are altogether about 66o
local assemblies, with an aggie-gate
of about 170,000 members.
These churches send out many
missionaries, their.principal fields
having been Brazil, India, China,,
anØ the Congo. Throughout
No' them Europe the Pentecostal
Movement possesses strong con-scientious
opinion regardipg local
church government, with complete freedom from any
central organization. Each church sends out its own mis-sionaries,
but. for practical purposes in Sweden the great
Filadelfia " Assembly in Stockholm, with over 6,ooo
neeoThers, supports the office of the "Swedish Free Mission"
with Lewi Pethrus as the Chairman and Samuel Nystrom
as the Secretary, and .this local office in Stockholm assists
Swedish missionaries 'in all matters. Somethiog of the
same arrangement pertains in Norway, whore G. Tollefseo
is the Missionary Secretary in the big ''Filadelha'' church
in Oslo. (See page i6.)
We publish separately a fine report of the great blessing
upon the Bible Week in Nyhein. George Jetireys and his
Revival Party followed with special meetings in Stockholm
and elsewhere; and welcome -guests after the strenuous
work in connection with the Zurich Conference were
Leonard Steiner and his wife. A party of Pentecostal
Young People from England were royally entertained in
Sweden this summer, and later a return party of Sedish
Young People went to England. The large new building of the " Smyrna " Assembly in Gnthenburg, only opened
in 1943, continues to thrill all who visit there. Inhe daily
newspaper -" Dagen " SWeden possesses the only Pente-costal
daily paper in the world. We understand that this
bg venture steadily gains ground. It is printed and
published under the leader ship of Lewi Pethrus at Orebro.
In .tIORWAY a splendid sumnier Bible Conference, at-
- tended by thousands, was hold at Drammen. Readers will
find ylsewhere an interesting account of the Norwegian
Pentecostal Missionary' work. At eighty years of age Mrs.
Barratt is still hctive, and now uses air travel quite
frequently.
BRITISH ISLES. Assemblies of God were richly blessed
in their annual General Conference, when- nearly 300
ministers and missionaries gathered in Scarborough. Once
again the Day of Prayer in the midst of Conference week
was a time of power; and this year over forty continued in
prayer all the previous night. ?Fhe British Fellowship was
enriched by the presence and ministry nf Ernest Williams
and Noel Perkin of America, and David du Plessis
of South Africa. After Scarborough they were welcome
visitors to several of the B'ritish Pentecostal churches. The
anointed ministry of Brother E .S. Williams has made a
deep and lasting impression on the British people. Great
Whitsuntide meetings were held in Kingsway FlaIl, Lnndon.
L. F. Woodfard,- the. Missionary Secretary of the British
A.O.G. presented a stirring report to Conference. During
the last sixteen months the Fellowship has sent out on
average of one missionary every fortnight. 'From a home
base of slightly less than 400 assemblies, there are' now
over ioo missionaries, labouring mostly in the "Belgian
Congo, China (Yunnan)- and India. James Salter, Home
I)ireçtor of the Congo Evangelistic Mission', has, been
elected 'Vice-Chairnun of the British Assemblies of God,
and a great missionaryzeal burns in the British Assemblies.
Last year their income exceeded the previous year by over
£4,000 (ifl,ooo,oo). They are seeking to open a 'new
Field in Tanganyika, and to strengthen their fruitful Field
in Yunnan that is still very inadequately occupied. The
C.E.M. work in Africa carries The hearty support of thp
British Assemblies. After a fruitful furlough, Ed. Hodgson,
one of its pioneers and author of outstanding iaissionary
books, is returning to the Field. W. F. P Burton is taking
a furlough in his wife's Homeland of Stuth Africa. John
Beruldsen, the senior British Pentecostal missionary, ha
returned with Mrs. Beruldsen to North China, where 'a
welcome awaits them from the American brethren in their
important Bible School work in Peiping.
The annual Easter meetings of the Elms Foursquare
Gospel Churches in the Royal Albert Hall, London, were
marked with great enthusiasm, and record congregations
since the end of the war. Nearly mo decisions for Christ
were made. A blessed yearly conference, was held in
London in June, when Samuel Gorman was inducttd as
President of the Elim Movement for the ensuing year; and
rn ordination service was held in Kingsway Hall when
brethren were commended - to God for the work of. the,
ministry. An outstanding evangelistic campaign has been
held in Plymouth, with many souls finding Christ,' nnd
divers healings in His Name. 'lire Flim Churches shared
in the anointed ministiy of E. S. Williams..(U.S.A.), David
du Plessis (South Africa) and a brief visit from C. -B.
Smith (Canada).
The Notional Rally of the Elim YouTh Movement•was
held in the famous Central Hall, Westminister, when young
people attended from all over the British Isles. The London
Crusader Choir under the direction of Douglas B. Gray
continues its great work of Evangelism in Bri4sh'Prisons;
and recently . conducted a ten days' musical campaign in
Guernsey (Channel Islands). Record crowds attended the
meetings, and souls were won for Christ.
The ElIm Missionacy Society is constantly expanding its
work, and now has nineteen missionaries in Africa,. and
twelve in India, besides workers in Egypt, Belgium and
China. About twenty prpspective missiouaries are accepted
for various fields. Mrs. M. C. McGillivray, after serving
herself in North China, 'iow has two children in the work,
and her dpughter Vera has arrived in China to take u
work in the great North-West among the Mongols. Other
"Elim" missionaries have recently gone forth to India and
the Transvaal. -
3. Nelson Parr continues his great work in Bethsltan
Tabernacle, Manchester, with special emphasis upon raching
the youth of the nation. Fred H. Squire, nf the Full
Gospel Testimony, has conducted a successful campaign
in Calais (France), and has seve.'al Continental' campaigns
booked, if God permit. The E.G.T. are seeking to extend
their missionary work overseas. God has given Brother
Souire a splendid building in Leamington Spa, in the centre
of England which has great possibilities for a Bible School
to serve the great need for Continental Pentecostal wozkets
who long for training in the Fnglish language, and in
sound doctrines. The older British Bible Schools , at
Hampstead and at, Claphdm (Elim) in London, have been
full to overflowing with students; while at. Lee, Brother
F. R. Barnes has specially sought to meet the needs of
French and Scandi"iavians Th Bristol Asaemblies of God
are opening a permanent Bible School on October ist, with
John Wallace as the Principal.
Mrs. Murman contidues to do -splendid work an'iong
refugees in London as a Pen tercstal worker 'of, the Russian
and Eastern Eurdpean Mission which has now become inter-denominational.
- ' ' - -
George Jeifreys was strengthened out of sickness, and
.enabled to preach to great gatherings at the Central Hall,
PENTECOST
Westminister, on Easter Monday; where he was assisted by
the other beloved members of the famous " Revival Party."
James McWbirter took his plact for the morning gathering.
After returning from the World Conference at Zurich,
George Jeifreys ministered to large Whitsuatide Meetings
in_Yorkshire, and then left for Scandinavia. He continues
as President of the Bible Pattern Church Fellowship.
The live work at Peniel Chapel in Kensington, London,
continues unabated. Our friends do a great open air work
every day in Hyde Park, but also suQport several mission-aries
in Brazil, China, Egypt, Belgium and elsewhere. Ben
Grifliths, the aged leader of thir iadependent assembly, has
lost none of his zeal. Last year this one church gave to
missionary work the sum of £5,302 (over $20,000.00).
A glowing midsummer Convention was held in Kilsyth,
where the Pentecostal Fire first fell in Scotland in igoh.
The Apostolic Church have held their big annual Con-vention
at Penygrnes, South Wales
FRANCE. Several overseas tisicors to the Zurich Con.
ference took the opportunity to s°e something ot tin' l"cte-costal
work in France, and their mhiistry tvas warmly
welcomed by Brother Nicolle and his fellosv-workecs in
Rouen, and the other fine assemblies in Nndy and
tnrth. In Paris there is a useful evening Bible school
conducted by Ber Fauvel, who also has an assembly
of about 400 at Gambetta. The Fren5h assemblies hate
missionary work in the Gabun. France is attracting quite
a number of Pentacostal evangetists just now.
Douglas Scott, whom the Lord used so signally in plant-ing
the Pentecostal testimony in France, sends the foliosv-ing
good report:—" It was indeed a joy on leaving Zurich
to visit the Assemblies of God in the South of France
after an absen of seven years. The Lord greatly rejoiced
my heart to find that after years of great testing both a ithiii
and without, the Pentecostal Asenihlies were standing and
going forward, and that several small new assemblics have
come into being. Everywhere there is great liberty in the
Spirit. At St. Etienne the hail was filled for every meet-ing,
and thers since sent me a list of confirmed
divine healings. Anon, ancient papal seat, the small
tissenibly. is going strong. Nhnes, the ancient '' Rome
of France ivill always be a diWt town to iiangeiize, but
we had over moo at each meeting. is a small
assembly, hut very solid en the Word of God. In the
Cevennes, at ScjndLrd, the fire of God fell, and
about sixteen svere haptmsed in the Floly Spirit, and hundreds
were curious and came to the public meetings. At Ajs
we have a solid folk, with splendid Elders and a basis
for a biblical assemhly. The assembly at Marseilles, after
having been shaken to its foundations, has once again
caught the vision, and the hail was comfortably filled in
spite of a tram strike. Several were baptized in the Spirir.
At Tuulon also the l,ord was present to he:sl, and also at
the l tosvn of Hyes there was a real move. At Ais,
in Provenee, whre I am tvriting, there is a nice, though
small, assembly meeting in an old 13th-century Catholic
chapel. I cannot remember ONE MEETING during the
last six weeks where there have not been real decisions
for the Lord. Much prayer preceded these missions ; the
Tnulon assmlly meeting at fi a.m. for pra3 er for a fort.
night."
GERMANY. Heartening necvs of the continuance of
the l'enteeustal Churches in Germany conies' teadily to
hand. It was a joy to see Brother Bruno Bartknerht, from
the Russian Zone of Bet un, arrive before the end of tue
Zurichnterence, augh he iooked sadly altered in
ph)siral appearance. A deaconess frons Frankfurt-on-
Mama, a ho eharnmeo all liv her sweet demeanour, cs-as aiso
aveicome delegate. .\Iartin tiensichen is i(tive in
Thuringia : Brother Goete anti others are huty around
• Hamburg Ar tlmr Bergimoic is near Bremen. Emil
Hirg is still at the old address at Uhlandstrasse 25,
Mulheim-Ruhr. The division of die country into Zones,
and the general difficulties of travel, makes it almost ml—
possible for the brethren to coiae together in Conference.
All are ileeply grateful for the practical help in food and
clothiag sent to them from various lands by their Pente-costal
brethren and such help vmll 5tiii he urgently needed.
We are indebted to I. Naumann of England for the
following interesting extracts from private letters. Jacob
Forster, of the R.E.E M., lately working in Hungary, and
now a '' displaced person '' in Bavaria, with wife anti
three children, writes : '' esterday we returned from a
Convention in Stuttart. God worked xvonderfully. About
250 ivere saveWj aliout fifty received the baptism in the
Holy Spirit svitls the biblical sign of ne\v tongues. Demon-possessed
people svere delivered, and the Lord manifested
Himself in prophecy and visions. We seemed to see Christ
svalking in our midst. Several non-Pentecostal preachers
were there too. One front Liebenrell Mission. another
from the Tent Mission, and a Lutheran Pastor. lhte latter
'anie out openly for water—baptism, and for the Baptism
in the Holy Spirit, and spiritual gifts. These all received the
baptism in the Spirit, and so our Mighty Lord moves on in
power over land and sea. Hallelujah." Bro. Naumann
svrites : '' Ills latest letters are full of praise, as the Lord
has given him openings in MjCH (with results in the
first meeting); in NUREMBURG, and in some place not
nanted in SWABIA, svhere about sevemity or etghty people
came out of sirh different churches, and all determined
to stand for the full truth. In another place he baptised
nineteen in ivater.''
Heinrich Woifarth svrites from near Darmstadt : '' In
January I had m'etings in Stuttgart. About 5oo attnded,
all hungry for the full gospel. Many were saved and hap-tised
in the holy Ghost and healed bodily. The .spiritual
hunger is great in the chiferent churches. In February I
held a Bible Course in Sch -mfheim. I had not expected
great numahers, but young and o d got saved, and a demon-possessed
woman was delivered and filled with the Holy
Ghost. Afe w days later I had an invitation to Velbert,
• and about thirty received the baptism in the Holy Trit,
and many returned to their first love of the Saviour. I
then went on to HBjLjk, whore I saw a still mightier
outpouring of the Spirit. People walked four or five hours
young people caine on skis to the nmeetings, the snow was 6 feet thick. But their hunger and thirst was so great
that they oserramne every obstacle, and God r-veahed Him-self
in on 051 rsvhehming way .411 of them being baptised in
the same night. I felt transported to th,' house of Cornelius
who I'eter preached, the Holy Ghost fell, and they praised
the Lord in now tongu s.'
K,irl Fix (l'iehsach) reports that ito June aqth over 250
were haptised in Stuttt—Zpfienhausen. lii says '' This
is hat test time.''
TA LY. '' I was delighted to find antomig the morning
il I handed over li' t hi' lit istni an two days imgo rt brigh
tacit ty page Italian iii agari no a ith a green cover whose
title read : ' Risveglio I'entecos.tale ' (Pentecostal Revival).
Indeed this little pap.'r was not unknow n to me It was
published for the first time last year, graciously offered
to the Italian Brethren by the Ssviss churches of Winterthur
and Zurich. This second issue, svhieh could not be printed
before for lack rif permission, is due to tIle lcindmiess of the
Italian church of Allentown, Pa., and contains somsie thrill-ing
news regarding the work of time Lord in Italy which
1 am prieiboged to pass on.
SIC I t,Y. In a short I apsm' of time several hundreds of
belies ers ss emit thrncmgh the waters rif baptisnm.. In the
town of RAFF.\D.LI, i04 new converts made a public
confessiomm of timeir faith during cite single h.'mptismal scrvic5.
P E N I CC OS I
In TRAPANI and PALERMO the work is progressing
wonderfully and the number of the saints increasing. In
BAGHERIA a new hall has been opened for the spreading
of the full Gospel.
The chuch of NAPLES is developing a large missionary
activity in the surroundings of the city where new com-munities
Ore ariing.
The new hail in the Italian metropolis, ROME, recentry
enlarged, is still too small to seat the large audience which
is pressing in at every meeting. A baptismal service was
held last month on the Tiber banks in fellowship with the
Brethren of the Russian colony. A crowd of people attended
the ceremony and watched with emotion those young be-lievers
(most of them young men and women) giving a
public testimony of the surrender to Christ in a joyful
service.
After the Pentecostal World Conference of Zurich some
American Brothers visited the Italian churches and brought
great spiritual blessings in their midst : A. Mauriello, A. di
Biase, Lester F. Suinrall, Frank J. Linquist, Charles Blair
an his wife, C. B. Smith, Ernest Robinson, Harold Adams
with his wife and sister; a Swedish brother : Alvar
Lindskog. Just before the Conference Ernest Williams and
Noel Perkjn of America came to Rome in order to see the
actual needs of the Italian Assemblies.
MILAN. The church has no building of its own, and
the believers were coming together in private liouses up
to now, but their number having so largely increased, it
seems impossible to go on in this way. Let us pray for a
church building in Milan
PESCARA. The glorious message bf salvation has
reached into that town at last and the small assembly is
counting now over too members.
The National Italian Go,sference will take place in
Naples from August i6th to i8th, 1947.
/1 Curse of Bible Studies will be held in aples from
August 5th to i5th. Henry H. Ness, Principal of the
North-west Bible Institute, Seattj, will give Bible Teach-ings
three times a day tn the leading Brethren and Pastors
of Italy. The studies will be translated into Italian by
Hermann A. Parli of Tessin (Switzerland).
This is some of the news which I read in the attractive•
magazine " Risveglio Pentecostale " whose back cover
shows a list of 218 Italian localities where revival meetings
are being held.
• A MISSIONARY COMMITTEE has been established in
order to enlarge the evangelistic work in Italy, for, though
there are flourishing churches in many a town, still a great
part of the country is remaining untouched. I have always
been moved to see the zeal of our Italian Brethren and
theiI readiness to give their testimony that other precious
souls might be brought to the Saviour. This is the real
scope of the Missionary Committee: To help the various
churches in developing their evangelistic activity.. Funds
have been received from Pentecostal Assemblies of other
nations which have already helped in a large measure in
the spreading of the gospel.
The Italian Missionary Committee is divided into three
branches :----
For Southern and Central Italy, the responsible brother
is the President of the Italian Pentecostal Movement:
Pastor Nello U. Gorietti, Via Frattina 35, Roma.
For Northern Italy:
I'astor Maria Lucini, Via Bovisasca 8, Milano.
For Sicily:
Pastor Rossario di Palermo, Via Firmaturi 52, Corleone
(Palerino).
If there i someone who would gladly receive the Italian
•I'aper " Risveglio Pentecostale," please apply to the editor
-who is the pastor of the church in Rome: Pastor Roberto
Bracco, Via Eritrea 34, Roma.
As it has already been stated during the Pentecostal
World Conference in Zurich, the most pressing need for
Italy is die granting of full liberty of worship, the publish"
ing of spiritual literature, and the purchasing of own church
buildings.
The Lord, who has assisted our beloved Italian Brethrei
in times of troubles and persecutions, will also be with
them now and bless their effort to spread out His word
among their countrymen."
The Editor is indebted to Brother Parli of Tessin, in
Italian Switzerland. for this valuable and inspiring report.
The Editor has received his first copy of a full gospel
paper from AUSTRIA with news of a baptismal serviCe
and a visit from Brother Schnieder of Switzerland, and
a Conference in Salzburg blessed by the presence of Joseph
Wannenmacher of Milwaukee, U.S.A. The work continues
in BELGIUM and HOLLANfl, where Stanley Damon
sends pictures of a particularly live witness in the open-air
by the young people of the Liege Assembly. In
DENMARK the gifted ministry of George Jeffreys and his
party has been made a great blessing; andJohn Woodhead,
also from England, reports 148 conversions during eight
days meetings in Aarhus, and many cases of healing.
In FINLAND there have been some large midsummer
Conferences, both among the 4,000 Swedish members, and
the 25,000 Finnish members. David J. du Plessis of South
Africa has been a welcome visitor to Finland, and confirms
the witness of others that " The folk are very poor, and
there is no great variety of food, but they are nevertheless
on fire for God and full of spiritual life and power. Indeed
there is revival in Finland. Praise the Lord!" The Finnish
Assemblies have a small missionary trining home in.
Helsinki, but need much help at the moment to get their
missionaries placed overseas.
SWITZERLAND. Leonard Steiner is also Missionary
Secretary for the Swiss Pentecostal Assemblies, who sup-port
missionaries in different parts of the Congo, Basuto-land
and elsewhere. Fritz de Rougemont, and other pastors
of the Reformed Church, rejoice in the Pentecostal Blessing.
Attractive Retreats " are Orranged in hotels overlQuking
the Lakes. The Editor was privileged to preach in the
beautiful parish church in Neuchhtel just before "Zurich":
and many Pehtecostal preachers from all over the world
ministered throughout Switzerland. GREECE is still dis-turbed
by political strife, but our Pentecostal preachers there
are carrying on. The work in BULGARIA continues also;
and in HUNGARY. A small witnesS, under Swedish
auspices, has been maintained in Madrid, SPAIN, and
now Brother and Sister Ronman Perruc are trying to
open a work in LA CORUNA. There is a much
larger Pentecostal work in PORTUGAL. It is not
easy to get news from POLAND, where there was
such a large Revival work before the war, but we do
know tha some of the preachers are still alive and
active, and enjoying liberty in the work of the Gospel. -
J. Czerski writes that " God is still working in our midst.
The meetings are well attended. n Zoppot six were im-mersed;
thirty in Bialystok and . fourteen in Czystkow. A
sister was operated upon for cancef and the doctors sent
her home as hopeless. In her intense suffering she asked
us to pray that the will of the Lord might be done, for
she did not expect a miracle. Yet last week she was
sitting up, and now she walks around and is gaining
strength every day. The Lord has seen fit to raise her ui
when she did not expect it." in RUSSIA the Pentecostal
believers have united with other Evangelical bodies, and
have now secured government, recognition, and appear to be
enjoying a greatef' measure of religious liberty. We hope
fo further news shortly.-
PENTECOST 15
iNorik U.S.A. God continues to bless
A iiicrica the Pentecostal Movement in America. There are now about
7,000 churches in fellowship with
Assemblies of God, with Head-quartei
s at Springfield, Mo. Their
biennial General Council is to be
held at Grand Rapids, Michigan
from September 4 to ii (D.V.),
when they expect several foreign
visitors. A great work through
literature is done by the Gospel
Publishing House of Springfield,
and under its able and prayerful Editor, our beloved friend
Stanley H. Frodsham, the " Pentecostal Evangel," now has
a circulation of about 110,000 copies weekly; while other
publications have proportionately large figures. 'The usual
large Camp Meetings throughout all the various District
Councils from the Atlantic to the Pacific have again been
a feature of the hot summer weeks when 'meetings in
town churches are difficult. These are always times of rich
spiritual blessing, and also of generous pledges for mis-sionary
work throughout the ensuing year. Last year the
total missionary giving of Assemblies of God, U.S.A.,
approached Two Million Dollars (actually it was about
£400,000). These friends now have 6i7 missionaries under
appointment, but their goal is i,ooo. In " The Missionary Challenge," the American Assem-blies
of God publish an outstanding missionary quarterly,
which for beauty of production must rank an easy first in
the world among at least our Pentecostal missionary
magazines. The great missionary work from " Spring- field " owes thore than can ever be expressed tot its wise
and gracious Secretary, our universally esteemed brother,
Noel Perkin, whose missionary heart has made him God's
man for his position.
Several Bible Schools endeavour to meet the need' of
American Youth longing for training as Christian workers
and witneses. An urgent appeal is being issued for help
to enlarge the Central Bible Ios'itute at Springfield in
order to avoid turning away hundret's of applicants unable
to gain admission for lack of space. Originally built for
a maximum ol oo students it crowded in boo this qcar,
but still i totally inadequate.
American Pentecostal Churches carry an a regular and
wide ministry of broadcasting the Full Gospel. Assemblies
of God send out a weekly message from Ernest S. Williams
over a large net-work of stations. Aimee Semple
- Macpherson commenced her radio work in 1924, and the
Angelus Temple's own station is now the third oldest in
the Los Angeles area. Her son, Rolf K. McPherson has
succeeded his mother as President of the International
Church of the Foursquare Gospel. Angelus Temple has a
membership of about 20,000. The prayer tower deals with
• some 54,400 requests from all over the world every month;
men, praying the night shifts of two hours each, and the
women taking the day shifts. During the past year some
m,Ioo men and women have fitted the altars of Angelus
Temple seeking salvation. There are 458 branch churches
in American cities, and 250 mission stations around the
globe, eighteen of which are in Jamaica. They have work
in Cuba and other points in the Caribbean area. The
President 'recently dedicated a Foursquare Church in
Monterrey, Mexico. Chaplain Howard Rusthoi is associate
pastor of Angelus Temple, and his presence at the Zurich
World Conference of Pentecostal Churches was felt to be
an enrichment of the whole gathering. On the Friday night
he 'preached one of the outstanding messages of the
Conference.
The Church of God is another large American Pentecostal
organization; and we understand that it comprises about
2,000 churches, with missionaries working in thirty-four
different lands, with a missionary income last year of about
$700,000.00. The Headquarters of this work is at Cleve-land,
Tennessee; and their missionary magazine is called
The Macedonian Call." There are other Pentecostal
Gfoups in the U.S.A., besides some large independent
Pentecostal churches, niainly among the Scandinavians.
In future issues if God permit, we hope to publish fuller
details about the missionary work of these friends.
The Editor hopes to make a brief visit to America during
October, and refresh his information about the various
Pentecostal activities in the U.S.A. as he visits with many
old, and some new, friends.
CANADA. The Pentecosal Assemblies of Canada are a
fellowship of about 6nn churches right across the Dominion.
They have a fine missionry vision, and support about xoo
missionaries in China, India, various parts of Africa, South
America and the West Indies. At home they have their
Headquarters in Toronto, and about six Bible Schools in
strategic centres. They have had their usual large Camp
Meetings in the different districts; and C. B. Smith, their
General Superintendent was a welcome visitor at Zurich.
They publish an attractive quarterly called " Missionary
ActIon" that almost rivals the "Challenge" of Springfield.
Good evangelistic work is done by boat in British
Columbia; while away up in ALASKA the, American
assemblies have about six missionaries carrying the Light.
CENTRAL AMERICA AND
WEST INDIES. There has been
a great forward move throughout
Latin America by many Pente-costal
missionaries from North
America. Some of the foremost
F.vangelists of America have been
ministering in the West Indies.
Watson Argue of Winnipeg has
recently been in Trinidad and
Cuba; and A. J. Richey of
Houston, Texas, as tveil as Gayle
F. Lewis from Springfield Mo.,
attended the First Conference of the " Pentecostal Fellow-ship
of the Caribbean." In Puerto Rico there are over
ioo assemblies, a Bible Institute, a monthly magazine with
fi,ooo subscribers, and a flsely Christ's 'Ambassatlor's
organization. There are over io,00d Pentecostal believers
in Puerto Rico. In MEXICO there are over 280 Assemblies
of God church buildings, and over 350 Pentecostal ministers,
with five Bible Institutes in various provinces of Mexico.
Persecution is still a dark reality in Mexico, and when five
of the Pentecostal brethren with their pastor were return-ing
from a service they were attacked by an infuriated
religious mob, and foar of them were murdered on the spot.
A bullet penetrated the pastor's coat and Bible, stopping at
the leather cover. But this new Caribbean Pentecostal
Fellowship has decided to hold its next Conference in i949
(D.V.) right in Mexico City. There are Pentecostal mis-sionaries
in all of Central America.
BRAZIL. The great Pentecostal Fellowship known
as Assemblies of God, owes its beginning to two
Swedish brethren from America, and the Swedish Pente-costa!
churches in Europe have done magnificent work
there until now the Brazilian church has becorae truly'
indigenous. In Recife there ie an assembly 01 4,000
members; in Belem one of 3,500 members, and there
are several assemblies of over i ,ooo members. There is
now a Pentecostal witness in every gaod-sized town in
Brazil, and all told it is computed that there are over
100,000 baptised Pentecostal believers. i'heir General
Conference this year unanimously decided to establish a
Bible Institute, and also an adequate printing plant.
0. 5. Boyer, from Assemblies of God, U.S.A., has been
requested to take over the editing of their paper "0
(Concluded at foot of page x6)
Latin
America
E NT E COST
Noirwiy
The long ministry of that great man of God, T. B. Burralt, has given Norway
a warm place in the affection of the l'entecostal Revival throughout the world.
It was a privilege to have Sister liarratt at the Zurich C'onference. The
Pentecostal work in Norway continues as strongly as ever. They now have
nearly 13o missionaries, and G. Tollefsen, the Missionary Secretary in Oslo,
has kindly contributed the following interesting retort.
DURING the German occupation of our country,
we were officially informed that we could not
continue with our foreign missionary work.
Consequently sonic of our people did not think
it worth while continuing to collect missionary
funds. But it did not take long before we realised
that we had to continue, for when the time would
open again to send money abroad we would be
in need of funds. When the
money registration came after
tile liberation we were surprised
to discover that our people
had collected nearly 1 million
crowns (50,OO0 or $200,000)
during the occupation
We are sery glad to state
that when we could not send
money out of the country be-cause
of the Germans, our
exiled Government in London
gave a free offering of 2 million
crowns to all Norwegian
missionaries abroad, including
Pentecostal missionaries.
Later, it loaned the missionary societies every
year during tile occupation large amounts of
money to support the missionaries abroad.
Remarkably enough when the outlook in Nor-way
was darkest ;'when we could not support our
own missionaries; when our collecting offerings
were in danger to be taken by the Germans; and
when we had no means of sending prospective
missionaries to the field; a missionary revival
Mensageiro cia Paz '' (The Messenger of Peace) that has
a circulation of 29,000. Their Sunday School Quarterly
has a circulation of 25,000. There are j35 students study-ing
correspondence courses, but as sortie of these flri,iliiii
brethren can scarcely write a lot of work is involved. They
are keen for the work of the Gospel, and the great nits—
sionary need in Brazil now is for missionaries who can
help to train native ministers.
An ever-increasing force of Pentecostal missionaries from
,tmerica, as well as some -front Europe is battling with
the spiritual darlcncss and superstition of all the South
American Republics, and news comes of I'entecostal work
in VENEZUELA, COLUMB!A, ECUADOR, PERU,
CHILE, BOLIVIA and the ARGENTINE. We hope to
publish fuller details in future issues. -An \ssembly of God
church was dedicated last year at Huaracaca in Peru, at
an elevation of 11,000 feet. '' Missionary Action,'' the
Canadian paper, gives an interesting account by E. I-toward
I-err of a 2.000 luiles trip in Argentina, in which hi'
ministered at a Bible \V€-ek in Cordoba with the Swedish
missionaries, and refer to the Pentecostal Church in
broke out in our country ! I daresay at least 200
candidates volunteered for the missionary fleld.
Nearly 100 candidates were taking our missionary
preparation courses. So when the war was over,
and our missionaries with overdue terms could
come home, we were ready to send out tile first
year about sixty missionaries. Praise the Lord.
On account of this revival our missionary force
was redoubled. At thc present
time we have 125 active mis-sionaries;
and we are sending
missionaries as fast as we have
opportunity. Despite the fact
that our foreign money allow-ances
are very low, yet our
Government has been very
liberal towards the missionary
societies.
Our foreign fields are in
China, India, Africa and South
America, as well as in other
European countries. We have
more than thirty headstations,
not counting minor outstations
and supporting native workers as well. On a
whole, our work is prospering, and the cry for
more workers and financial help is very great.
All our missionaries are supported by their own
churches, and our Pentecostal churches are
missionary churches for which we praise God.
I welcome the paper of Br. Donald Gee, which
will give us the view of the Pentecostal missionary
work the world over.
Montevideo, URUGUAY. Referring to the work of Canoe
Fredrickson from Ssvecltn in Cordoba, lIro. Kerr says,.
Out from this central church have gone believers who
voluntarily sought employnient in other cities attn lawns,
tiid have gathered together a group of saved people in earh
town, uitil there tire now nine groups in nine different parts
of the Province, unch r tile leadership of deacons wOo are
supporting themselves and guiding the wet Ic of the church
under the supervision of Brother Fredrickson.''
Reference is made to the interesting Methodist Pente-costal
Clic,rch of ('bile that attracted tittendon several
years ago as the largest evangelical iii ave nient in that land.
It appears that this scct has new spread over into the
wee Le rn port of .\rgea Lina. Mention is also ni title of an
Italian I'entecostal Church working in Rosario; while there
are some Russian stnd Polish Pen' ecostat churches in those
parts, led by-preachers who graduated from the old Danzig
Bible Institute in Europe and emigrated to South Aittenica
hefore the war .\s eml,lies of God, U.S.A., apart front
other strong Penterostal Nissions to South America, have
sixty-five missionaries under appointment there.
Mrs. Barratt
Missionary and Revival Activity (concluded from Jage 15)
Forty Years' Ministry Together in New York
The world-wide Pentecostal Revival congratulates Mr. and Mrs. Roben Brown
Report f ron "New York Herald Tribune"
-' husband and wiG, both ministers, 'a ill celebrate to-day
the fortieth anniversary of their "baring of tho pulpit
of Glad Tidings (Pentecostal), at West Thirty-third
Street.
It was on Sunday, May 1907, that Robert A. I3rown,
aatit e of Ulster, Ireland. and a former British ' bobby,''
preached he initial sermon at (,lad tidings Hall, a former
store, at 410, %Veet Forty-setond Street. The afternoon
s'roion was preached by his to-worker, Marie E. Burgess,
of Eau Claire, Wisc. Tes o years liter, the two ministers
married, and together developed the little mission they
founded into a large church.
Mr. Brown, now seventy-three, still tall and straight,
and Mrs. Brown, now sixty-flv, recalled yesterday the high-lights
of their long career.
Burned Mortgage in Four Years
In tsj2 i, with few resources eaci Pt '' endless prayer,
courage and faith in God,'' their growing congregation
bought the present tnhei tiarle, the old Calvary Baptist
('hurch, for Sto,noo, and spent another $to,ooo on
reaos it ions. The red brick church, which sta ntis in a ri st
of brow n-stone bouscs across the street front the Genet al
Post Ofitre, can sent 1,500, and has an average Sunday
School attendance ot 325.
We took out a mortgage tar $S,ono at 6 per ctnt.''
.\Ir. Brown said, '' and made a promise to God that if
He should enable us to pay it off we would moire this n soul-saving
missionary church. God tact our challenge, and the
mortgr ge was hurnod in four years.''
In 1927 the late Mrs. Aimee Semple McPherson drew
large crowds to a series of revival nisetings in the Glad
Tidings Tabernacle.
Now Have Fifty Missionaries
There are nosy enore than fifty missionaries, trained at
GlatI Tidings Tabernarie, tarrying the Peoterostal taith to
many rauntriea, th" Brosvns said.. U the tabernacle, the
custom of the two ministers, called l'astor Brown and
Sister Brown by their congregation, is to .ottdoet alternate
s"rvices.
Id'. lirnw a was hoctt itt I relan'i. He t an<e to tite U nited
States tn tSqS, determined to be a preacher. He attended
night school and worked as a civil engineer, but preached
iii his fret time, and evenettally is as ordained a rniasister
in the \Vealeyan Methodist Church. Soon after, he became
interested in tite Penterostnl movement.
\lrs. Brosvn was trained at the Moody Bible Institute, in
Chicago She had planned to pass her lile as a foreign
tnissittnttry, but alter meeting Mr. l3rown she decided that
sharing his work in New York would be her " foreign
field."
PASTOR AND MRS. BROWN AND TRUSTEES
) IFOI YOUI
QN the last day of the Zurich Confer-ence
consideration was given to ways
and means of closer Pentecostal
missionary co-operation. There must be
considerably over 1,300 Pentecostal mission-aries
throughout the various Fields, and it
is clear that our Lord would have us all
endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit in
the bond of peace, while we labour side by
side in His great harvest until He come.
Any proposal to establish some kind of
Central Board was repugnant to the mind
of the Conference; and the following pro-posal
made by James Salter (Congo), and
seconded by George Jeifreys (Britain), was
carried unanimously :—" That we all recog-nise
what already has been done on the
various Fields, such as Brazil, Congo, and
elsewhere; and suggest to our Home
Councils that they give liberty to their
missionaries to continue such Fellowships
without imposing any restrictions or
qualifications: that they encourage their
missionaries to mingle with and enjoy such
unorganised Fellowships; that the Home
Councils be kept fully supplied with all up-to-
date information on all such Fellow-ships.''
Lewi Pethrus (Sweden) then suggested a
world-wide Pentecostal Missionary Maga-zine
that could publish information and facts
of. general interest. Much unnecessary
overlapping in missionary work arises
through lack of knowledge of what others
are doing, and attempting to do. Great
encouragement can come to all when they
learn of the Lord's blessing upon other parts
of the Field. A vision of the work as a
whole is inspiring to isolated workers, and
even to whole sections of the work that up
till now have had little knowledge of what
God is doing elsewhere. In such testimony
God is glorified, and the truth is declared.
Noçl Perkin (U.S.A.) proposed that the
missionary magazine should include news
of the Pentecostal Revival throughout the
world, including what are usually termed
the Homelands. The Field is one.
It may seem strange to some, especially
those not at the Zurich Conference, that a
task of such magnitude and responsibility
from several angles shourd be entrusted to
II N IF 0 I IM AT 0 0 N
one man. The Conference especially
stressed that the Editor and Publisher should
be answerable to God alone. A moment's
reflection makes it clear, however, that onh.
such a procedure could establish an organ
that would be above association with any of
the many sections into which the one
essential Pentecostal Revival has developed.
The Editor will endeavour, according to the
grace given unto him, to keep loyal to his
trust, and avoid all partiality. Our intention
is to seek the glory of God alone by review-ing
Pentecostal activity irrespective of any
denominational or ideological connection.
The task is exacting and immense. The
Editor is very conscious of shortcomings in
this first issue, in which some large sections
of the Pentecostal Movement receive a very
inadequate review. Others may seem over-emphasised.
Indulgence is asked, and ati
assurance given of endeavours to rectify the
balance in following issues, by God's help.
The Editor pleads for the co-operation of
all Pentecostal workers, but particularly all
accredited Missionary Secretaries, in supply-ing
him with news of their respective Fields
that will accomplish the purpose of the
Magazine. It will help if these can be
supplied in the English language. Those
for No. 2 should reach the Editor by
November 1st.
It was quite impossible for the Editor,
in view of his itinerating ministry, to handle
directly the distribution of such a world-wide
magazine; and he isgrateful to the
Victory Press, of London, for their willing-ness
to undertake this ttsk. It should he
clearly understood that, in terms of the
pledge given at Zurich, the Editor remains
personally responsible for both the editing
and publishing of the Magazine, and that the
Victory Press act only on his behalf.
Somebody at Zurich said that perhaps this
decision to publish a world-wide Pentecostal
missionary magazine was one of the mOst
important that the Conference had made.
The Editor inclines to the same view. His
one desire is that the Lord shall accomplish
His purpose in the venture. It is hardly
necessary to add that both the privilege and
the responsibility were quite unsought.
Brethren : pray for us.''
Printed for DonaJd Gee !,y Victory Press, Clapham Crescent, London, S.W.4.