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They say Texans regard people from other states as
"foreigners." But there were no "foreigners" at this conclave--we
were all just one big family of brothers and sisters in Christ!
No, we are not male or female, Jew nor Greek, bond nor free, Texan
nor Californian--we are all ONE in Christ Jesus!
After this feast of good things to eat, we all gathered
in the school auditorium, where two of the young ladies sang a duet
from our forthcoming new hymnbook being composed by my brother,
after which I delivered the Message.
On the Holy Day, Thursday, there were so many written
questions turned in, and others asked orally during the service,
that we never did get to a sermon. The entire time was taken up
answering questions, and in a service of laying on hands for the
receiving of the Holy Spirit on the eleven who were baptised during
this conclave, and the blessing of infants and children, following
the example of Jesus. Toward evening many had to leave, but
several stayed on, and some were still there having their questions
answered, and having private conferences with us until midnight.
Then just a few hours' sleep, and we caught a 5:16 A.M. train, and
here we are, traveling westward thru Big Spring, Midland, and
Odessa in the dust-swept wide open spaces of Texas as I have been
writing these lines.
Now here is something IMPORTANT!
Out of this wonderful gathering we have attended the past
three days has been born an entirely NEW PHASE OF THIS WORK.
We know now--God has shown us plainly and unmistakably--
that we must have an adequate place of our own in this central
location for the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread EVERY
YEAR.
There were probably a few hundred others who would have
wanted to be at this Festival this week, had they known in time,
and if we had an adequate assembly place for so many to meet. On
the wall of our mail receiving room in the office building on the
Ambassador College campus is a map, with various colored-headed
pins dotting the parts of the United States from which we receive
mail. This map reflects the density of our radio listening
population. I will try to publish this, or another map
illustrating this, in the June issue of The GOOD NEWS. It shows
we have more radio listeners in Texas than any other state, and
the greatest listener density is in the eastern half of Texas,
bounded by Dallas, Ft. Worth, San Antonio, Houston, and the east
line of Texas. The area of secondary listener density is
Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma. After that, as the radio
audience thins out slightly, come the states of Kansas, Missouri,
Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, and then Illinois and
Indiana, Colorado, and New Mexico. It thins out a little more in
Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, North and South Carolina and
Florida.
Of course we have dense listening areas on the West
Coast, but I am now considering those east of the Rocky Mountains.