WHITE FIELDS...

October, 1979

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Americon Office: P.O. Box 383 Rutlond, Vermont 05701: Phone 802 773 7474 Bernard Doty, agent and secretory F. P. Miller, director

ti

The property at 8 Rutford Rd.

From Left; Fred Jr., Fred Sr., Kennetfi, Celio Von, Charlotte, and George: The Millers

Summer helpers: Poula Gulley, Cheryl Porks, Koren Snell, ond Kenneth

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Hse m

VBS Ir) Streotham

Demasand Aphodia, Nigerians, with

Fred end Charlotte

August 4 Sunday morning church group

in Streotham

BA PTISMS

BA PTISMS

The fjfst Sundoy in September wos a doy that included 5baptisms. Just like theold day i An, 2ng them is a Nigeria lady vs+ ose husband is In Logos. Ot+iers are John Estick andh Js mother with whom we have been working o Icng time, Loto Nelson and VivJoi Blake s frierri Dioine. Neville Shaw did the baptising Interspersed with speeches and achonitions between eaciiimn ersicn. The Balhom church hcs certah ly outgrown its meeting place. Von Miller continues os the assistant minister there. There have beervwponses to fie lasttwo of his messages , a recent one being two of those who were boptised this week, and this Sunday nite oyoung womancovfeijing her sh ful problem of fighting with everyone. Sandro wos omwg the first fob e boptised two years ogo and has had great difficulties v/ ith bitterness and anger. Pray for her.
NEWS AT STREATHAM

Geroge Fletcher, elder at the Fulhom church of Christ has transferred his membership to the newStreatham church. George teacte soyouth doss cn SyrMdayas well os osslsting with the services. -t-H- Yvonne Willloms continues making pr<gress and bringing others, including rielghtor Sandro, mother of Toro tnd Mondy who are regulors, >++ Bill ond Chris Chopman with children Wyne , Dannie, end Byron attend churchond hove been tought with a series of home studies. They are In a decision moking period now. Sotoni sw orking full time so pray for them. +++ Mrs Folkes ccrtocted through correspondence studies (mcoitored by Kerry Decker of Howard, California) is attending and studying.^ + Al^ md Jason
children of Mr and Mrs Godfrled attend regularly and we have friendly relations with the parents with mutual exchange of hospitality.

this increases to more spirltuol levels. +++ Markhom's , hotel owners close to us, are still hoving weekly studies in their home , neighbor Nora, comes to the study. -t-H- Demos and Aphodia, Nigerians, brought friends Steven and Gloria also Nigerians, ond the study was interesting to
P'ease pray for these developments ond contacts.
SUMMER OF 79 INTERNSHIP IS PAST

them Old they promised return. +++ Glyn and Pot Howard ore a young couple with whom we havb een working they ore becoming very close.

Agroup of U people helped with the work In London this summer with results that hove olrocdy bom fruit. We also hove a list of contacts which will keep us busy. VBS was held for two weeks atStreotham with as mony os 58 young people in attendance. The school in Bolham was equoMy well attended. Helping this yeor were Rod Molpert, Cheryl Parks, Gwen Conowoy, Korwi Snell of Nebrosko; Susan Conrad, Soroh
McGuire of Or>gon, Cormel C.nnlnghom of California; Poulo Gulley, Debbie Brood, Renee Barber of Colorado aid the four Miller boys were the teom. Without the group effort there would be n new church In StreathamEoch did his port ond eoch will hove port of Hie reword thot God
will mete out for the good work done in Jesus nome. Thanks in Jesus nome, for o job well dene.
SUMMER OF 1980 EVANGELISTIC THRUST

two young men ond two young women, preferably with

If you are interested in working in next summer's evangelistic work we would like to hear from yoj. We would like os^ helpers o married couple,
Bible college troining or equivilent. If uore interested In a summer of evangelism
We also need - c.o Wbr the summer. Why not combine the

" obrood" write to us fordetoils - cost of room ond board and Incidentals etc.

vacotion you waited -/o take with doing owork for Jesus . You meet more people this way end ly up on everlasting reward os well.

OU R FINANCIAL SITUATION

Severol developments hove diminished the odva^toge which we hod: Chonging currency rote; The dellor is down. When we set our gools o year and a holf ogo the E iglish pour.d cost os '1.80. We must buy money
like c commodity, wo con t spend dollors. Picture this: when we comeSl 1,000.00 purchosed 550.00 sterling. At a recent exchange we received 410.00 which represents o loss ot -1135.00 in mo"'" y power oii ' 1,000.00. I iflation is illustrated In ihe cost of petrol which Is now at 120.00 per gal on ( 2,65). Whei we moved lo London petrol was about /1.45

VAT' which Is a sales tax hos risen from 8o lo I5o.

Aa>i we have needs: Ail our personal cosh and oil cosh raised, and oil we could borrow is invested In the building which thonk Gdd, houses, us, church meeting, mission work, dormitory, ond guest house, which we are using o odvontoge. But we hove needs We do not have proper furriiture We dont liave proper duplicoting equipment song books for three churches, sufficient Bible school literature, or other things taken for gronted in ony smalI church In the U'S'A'., I.e. mops, flanel graph, tiocts., etc.

Needs: We need to pay off property +++ /, loons must be repaid this year. The Balhom church lent' 3,000 which they need for .'heir own building venture. +++ We owe over i40,000 here In England wid the rote of repay is Increasing with the rising exchange rote. I t Is currently costing us over ^600.00 for the mcnthly repoy. Your help to retire these mortgages is needed. +++ Ws should have cosh buffers In our U'S'

occoont? and a reserve for immergency travel. dont all ccsh went into the building purchase. If I hod to bring my family home now, I couldn't , the money Is not there. +++ Basically the problem is not enough money. Wedo not hove enough regulor support. +++ To meet regular -xpenses we need on additional 360.00 per month. -t-H- We must hove /6,000 this year to pay pressing loan repayments which helped to
buy the building .or home, work, church meeting, and guest house.
FRED MILLER TO VISIT THE U.S. IN NOVEMBER

To rolse odditionol needed funding it will be necessary to visit churches who have expressed an interest in the work. Wehove onlyobout 5 Invitotlons ond need hospitality and Invltotions from interested groups while in the U. S. I wo-.ild rother not moke the journey os it will interfere with the new troinlng classes to start in September. One sololuticn: Increased support from those alreody helping. Some churches hove conddered giving more to this vAork. Some churches giving ^25 per month could give j50 and some givingl50 per month could increose it to #80 4100. Some churches not giving ot olI could begin what they hove been thinking oboutand put us cn regular monthly support. In a very real sense your giving or seme one elses hos pold foi 'He stolting of 3 churches in England which meeteoch week for the Lord's supper In Balhom,
Oxford, ond Streathom. Will you consider increasing support?

Lsndon Mission, P'O' Box 383 Rutland, Vermont, U'S'A' 05701. Prey for Bill Doty's heolth. We need him and he isdoing a greot job.

Wemiss Amerlco ond look for the moil man every day. Write to us at 8 Rutford Rood, Streathom, London SW16 England. Send all mcrey to

iI

mm

Donnle and WoyneC hapmon regulars at P Rutford Rood, Sundoy and otherwise.
RELATIONS WITH ENGLISH CHURCHES OF CHRIST

Karen Srel' and Gwen Conawoy preparing o VBS croft.

Fred and

the front of 8

Rutford Rood

The Associatlcn of Churches of Chrfe t in Englobd is in the lost stages of dissoluticn. A new grouping Is being formed from those who ore left ofter the moin bodys'merger with th United Reformed denomlnotion is complete. The United Reformed Church practices infont m'^mbershlp with o broad spectrum of theological thought including sceptical attitudes toward Biblical inerrancy. A progrom now exists to drew the churches which have repudiated the mei^er into a new grouping reputedly being the ccrtinuoticn of fie old ossocioticn. Some of the leaders ofthe regrouping are known to me and their motives ore respected by me. There ore reosons why this would be the most natural development for these remaining English churcks of Christ. There is olso presure by government for orgonizotlcn In church fellowships. We hove received no "'formol'Invitation to join' the new as ociotion, however we have been approoched by three different individual nvolved in he new attempt at association about our interest in being a port cfthe ^ucture. Therefore It seems necessory to me fhot we moke+he position of the church of Christ Lindon Misslcn clear.

Although we have great appreciation for the speciol problemd of English Churches of Christ we ore deeply committed to the principle of Autonomy of local churches, and further, thotthere is no opostollc authority for o denominational super structure through which all congregations cooperote in their ml5Ion giving, benevolent work, and education of the ministry. We are deeply committed to the principle of freedom, end what has been colled in the post'^^directsupport In mir.ion giving. We ore further committedto the prininciple of local church responsibility of roising up leadership and of evangelists troinlng other evangelists. When ese, things ore centralised It is impossible to appeal directly -to churches for support of o new plan of action this loss of freedom In principle. People inthe fields which the churcheS; in association hove organized a central agency to direct. We ore opposed in Amerlcon churches will understand what I am saying while those In English churches have never enjoyec' he level of freedom that is token for granted In Am4"1can churches, thus they will hove greater difficulty seeing the picture without o demonstroticn.

Therefore: we intend to establish fully outonomous congregoticns which will ultimately be independent of any earthly oversight except vhe officats.
revealed tn he Naw Testament, churches who cwi then be free to cooperote and ossociote and fellowship with all who will mutually reclprooate. Free to cooperate with other congregations in mutually beneficial work for Christ , but who hopefully not join on associotion cloiming oversight of any function of the churches as Its exclusive right thereby making , with all due respect, what oppeors "fo us a step in returning to ""Babylon Y The some path already trodden further by the deporting churches.

Staying out of on association is not necessarily o ticket on -fhe right train. However, joining another religious organization just now coming into
existence would se m like toking o step backwards for Ni?-// Testament churches. What do you think?

Churches fnd Individuals who feel the ^^Church of Christ- United Reformed "merger is a tep bockword would do well to Investigate other methods of intercongregationa! fellowship before joining o new organization destined to repeat the some human mistakesof the past. Why not meet in association for fellowship ond encouragement through preaching and oilow independent ogenclos to develop? Why not evcngelize and allow the Spirit of Jesus to
move among us and rose up leoders to meei ihe obvious needs.

brethren pray for us . . .