Presiding Chairman: D. E. Venden
Panel Personnel:
Introduction—Robert M. Whitsett
Moderators—Louise C. Kleuser, R. A. Anderson
Mrs. Andrew Fearing
Mrs. C. A. Reeves
Mrs. R. R. Figuhr
E. A. Roy
Mrs. Wayne Hill
Mrs. Thelma Smith
W. B. Ochs
Mary E. Walsh
Mrs. Etheline Porter
Mrs. Thelma Weatherall
MODERATOR, L. C. KLEUSER: "Our panel discussions will emphasize two distinctive ministries in Seventh-day Adventist gospel work. First we will discuss the work of the conference-employed Bible instructor and next, the minister's wife. The Bible instructor should be a well-trained woman capable of assisting the pastor-evangelist as a home visitor. While the evangelist preaches the message publicly, the Bible instructor is his representative personal worker. The minister's wife, however, functions largely in the capacity of a ministerial companion and homemaker. Both types of women render ministerial service and may well be classified as Shepherdesses. There should be much womanly understanding and cooperation between them."
Here the members of the panel were introduced by Miss Kleuser.
R. M. WHITSETT: "Without doubt one of the highest callings in the Adventist ministry is the work of winning souls through personal evangelism. We no longer confine this entirely to women, for there are a number of ministers, too, who make this their special calling and who qualify admirably for this task. Through the years, however, we have been using women as Bible instructors, and God's messenger refers to this type of ministry as a heaven-born idea, opening the way to put hundreds of women into the field to do an important work that otherwise could not have been done. There is need of coming close to people in personal effort, for while public ministry is necessary to bring conviction, personal ministry is certainly necessary to bring decision. Bible instructors have a great influence.
"During my ministry it has been my privilege to be associated with some fifteen different Bible instructors and consequently I am able to draw some comparison. I know the kind of workers that we need the most in public city evangelism. While every pastor-evangelist has the ideal Bible instructor in mind, her ministry cannot be confined to any one particular area. She does not always have to be associated with an evangelistic team or a large city center, or even with the pastor of a church. She may begin work in new areas as Ina Robinson did years ago, raising up churches by her own efforts. She may lay the groundwork for an evangelistic crusade in seeking out the interests and doing the preparatory work. She may serve in one of our sanitariums or schools. She may serve with a group of doctors in a clinic and follow up the interests that have been aroused by their medical work.
"No, there is no limit to the extent of the usefulness of consecrated Bible instructors. Ordinarily, the task of the Bible instructor is intensive soul winning, but she will be called upon to deal with problems of theology, bigotry and prejudice, sin and unrighteousness. She needs an ever-increasing knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, and of the technique of getting decisions from the hearts of interested people. The call to the ministry of evangelism, both public and personal, demands the highest possible qualifications. Above all else, she should be a woman of consecration and devotion to Christ and the gospel message. She should know by personal experience, the ground over which she intends to lead others; she should know what it means to be saved, to be born again in Christ Jesus and know the richness of His grace.
"However, it is not enough that men and women should know; they should also become what they know is right. There are some prime essentials necessary for successful soul winning in this particular line of the ministry. To love God supremely is the first and great commandment, and unless we love God with all our hearts and with all our souls and with all our minds, we cannot truly be successful in this line of activity. Equally important is that of loving people. The Bible instructor must be able to love all classes of people and help them to know that they are dearly loved by God and are His children. Like Jesus, who pitied the multitudes, her heart will be moved with compassion as she watches the hundreds of unsaved souls enter the auditorium on the first night of the evangelistic campaign.
"Next, the Bible instructor must know the Scriptures. People have a right to expect that those who labor in the cause of the Adventist Church should be experts in Bible study. She should be a woman of prayer. Successful soul winning must be accompanied by prayer at every step. She should indeed be baptized with the Holy Spirit so that she may represent Christ and be empowered for His ministry.
"A pleasing personality is expected of the Bible instructor. This is shown by her gentle solicitude for people. She should also be courteous, kind, helpful, and excelling in tact. In her dress the Bible instructor should be neat and representative, and her deportment must be above reproach. She should know the proper amenities and how to be introduced and introduce others to people. She should be cheerful and courageous and confident, never complaining or showing discontent but full of triumphant faith. The ability to get decisions on her own, to lead people successively step by step from decision to decision in the great areas of present truth, is another asset required of the Bible instructor. I recall going to one particular city. There had been a number of months intervening between the departure of my predecessor and my arrival. I was greeted by a most efficient Bible instructor. She said: 'Elder Whitsett, I hope you will not be too disappointed to learn that I have gone ahead and talked to a number of people even though there was no minister directing my activities, and I have fifteen people ready to join the church. Would you see them as soon as possible?' What a grand welcome for any minister!
"I believe that a Bible instructor should be able to talk to people on every level of life, and have good judgment. My father would never have been an Adventist if it hadn't been for a godly Bible instructor who took a commuter train from the city out to our suburban home for a number of weeks until my father gave his heart to the Lord Jesus. Surely we need more women like this in evangelism. Some Bible instructors have talents in the realm of music, thereby making it possible to render added service to evangelism. Others are artists who can serve on the platform. Again, some can take charge of a cooking school, giving instruction in healthful hying to the new candidates for church membership. I believe that a Bible instructor should be well educated and well read.
"God give us more consecrated women, and may our pastors and evangelists understand that they need some time for study, time to take care of their home and attend to other necessary details of homemaking. May the ministers, evangelists, and Bible instructors work together in close harmony. This will make the Bible work for a devoted woman a satisfactory service."
MODERATOR: "We consider it an honor to have W. B. Ochs, North American vice-president, with us. Kindly tell us, Elder Ochs, out of your broad experience, how you feel about our denominational need for Bible instructors."
W. B. Ochs: "Sister Kleuser, I wish that all our local conference presidents could be here today. If they would believe just one half of what Brother Whitsett has said, I am sure we would have many, many more Bible instructors. To the question, 'Does North America still need women Bible instructors? my answer is very brief: 'Yes. A thousand times, yes!' I have been in pastoral-evangelistic work and I know from experience that if in my pastoring I had not had a Bible instructor, I would have baptized only half as many souls as I did and maybe less than that.
"I attend many local workers' meetings all over the North American Division, but I'm sorry to say I don't recall ever hearing a local conference president refer to the importance of the Bible work. Why, brethren, are these women so overlooked? How they would appreciate a kindly word of praise! While we hope that such an oversight is not intentional, it still presses home our responsibility to change such a pattern for our workers' meetings. Try, brethren, assigning a topic to your Bible instructors and it may surprise you how much you might profitably learn from their suggestions.
"In closing my remarks I want to emphasize the point that we should all believe in Bible instructors and should enthusiastically build up this work in our conferences and in our colleges. These soul-winning women have long demonstrated their unique talents in evangelism. They bring a harvest of souls into our churches. I believe in their work for North America."
MODERATOR: "Thank you, Elder Ochs, for these cheering words. I am sure that they will help us as we build wisely for the future. Now, Mrs. Reeves, I would like to ask you because of your tried and wonderful experiences in the Bible work, has it been a very satisfactory profession?"
MRS. C. A. REEVES: "Yes, Miss Kleuser, there are many satisfactions in Bible work, but one of the greatest satisfactions is to hear reports of young people with whom I have studied, growing up to fill places of responsibility in the work. It is always a particular thrill to me to read in our union papers of their exploits for God.
'It has also been a source of great satisfaction to me to study with ministers and leaders of other denominations. There comes to my mind the joy of preparing for baptism an Episcopalian, a Methodist, a Nazarene, and a Plymouth Brethren preacher. Among those of other denominations with whom I have studied was a lady missionary whose husband told her that if she was baptized, she could never come home again. God helped me to guide her through this hard experience. After her baptism she had to leave her home, but eventually her once-bitter husband yielded his will to God and pleaded with her to return to him. These were his words: 'If this truth means so much to you, then I want it too.' Today they are both happy working for souls.
"Time would fail me to tell of my thrilling experience as I helped a woman who was once a nun in Vatican City, Rome, make her decision for baptism. Yes, indeed, no other work brings equal satisfaction. I just love Bible work!"
MODERATOR: "Thank you, Mrs. Reeves. You have refreshed our spirits to see anew the importance of the dedicated Bible instructor. Single or married, a godly Bible instructor is one of God's greatest blessings for His closing work. Larger returns would come to our evangelism if many more women had Mrs. Reeves's vision.
"Next, we have with us Mrs. Etheline Porter, a woman of many talents. Our sister has been an excellent schoolteacher. After some years she wanted to do a larger work for the Lord in winning souls. Mrs. Porter, you tell us, have you found real satisfaction in the Bible work:-
MRS. E. PORTER: "In God's service there are compensations in every field of labor. I especially enjoy working for young people and helping them to become soul winners in our churches. It requires more than just giving Bible readings to the newly interested, although this is a work I greatly enjoy, and it has brought true satisfaction into my life. The Bible instructor who helps to establish the new believer in his new church relationships, who can add to the church developed, dependable, working members, is catching the larger vision of her profession."Here Mrs. Porter told the audience about her organizing "friendship teams" in which young people work for their youthful friends who have lost touch with Adventism. She next related experiences about lay members being trained to bring non-Adventists to our services. It was all very interesting and showed that the work of the progressive Bible instructor knows no monotony.
MODERATOR: "Now let US come to another side of the Bible work. We have with us Mrs. Weatherall, who has very recently come to Washington to help in the follow-up work of the It Is Written program conducted by Elder Vandeman and his team."
MRS. T. WEATHERALL: "We have heard a great deal in this wonderful series of meetings about a new outlook on evangelism. I think we sometimes need a new outlook on Bible work too. Many feel that the Bible instructor's main function in an evangelistic campaign is to go out and ring doorbells, and put literature in the hands of people who could just as easily receive it through the mail. If this sums up evangelistic Bible work, then it is not very much of a challenge for any woman who has a larger vision than that for God's work.
"The world is calling for young women to do social service work as a profession; psychiatry is calling for many others. Great emphasis is placed on counseling of various types. The Seventh-day Adventist Bible instructor needs some knowledge of all of these lines of service, along with the special message she has to give the people."
Mrs. Weatherall, who is skilled in gripping the hearts of inquirers in evangelism, called attention to the Bible instructor's need to be an organizer. To be able to organize your visiting list quickly as well as to learn the best approach to each home, requires more than the ability to give a persuasive Bible study. Today's public evangelism has many needs to be met. We are in a decade of intensive evangelism by various evangelical Christians. We must guard well our own methods, but we may also learn much from other groups in reaching and winning people for Christ. We have come to a new day, and the alert Bible instructor will not attempt to cling to traditional approaches but will keep on learning for her profession.
Elder R. A. Anderson commented on the tasteful floral decorations on the platform, suggesting that a woman's touch was very evident. While efficiency and precision are important for the functioning of any program, a woman's part adds cheer and loveliness in evangelism.
MODERATOR: "Now, Elder Anderson, with your acquaintance of the Bible work in the British Isles, and even more recently at the New Gallery Centre in London, kindly inform us regarding the services of our women Bible instructors in that area. We have become conscious that many of them are very efficient."
R. A. ANDERSON: "If we did not have Bible instructors in England—and this is true of all of Northern Europe—the work would not be where it is today. We have about forty Bible instructors in the British Isles, nearly as many as we have ministers. Every minister who is doing any evangelistic work over there tries to have at least one Bible instructor. It is much more difficult for a minister to get into the home by himself. The people will come and listen to him speak, but they are shy about inviting the minister to their homes. But a woman can go to the home and will be readily received, and will eventually open up the way for the minister to visit. Thus it is a very vital part of our program over there."
MODERATOR: "The Bible instructor in many lands is making her unique contribution to the winning of new converts. We will be learning more about this at the Bible Instructor Fellowship meeting when we will hear from our Finnish lady evangelists.
"Now, we'd like to have a word from Brother Roy. He works in this wonderful city of Cleveland and is a personal worker from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet. We want him to tell us how men can do personal work in these busy cities."
E. A. ROY then responded enthusiastically to Elder Ochs' earlier suggestion that the Bible work in our ranks receive a new emphasis. He hoped that our college training of young men for ministerial work would include more practical training for those who had interest in personal rather than public evangelism. Suggestions were made relative to the needs of men who would serve as assistants to our evangelists, men who had skill in directing music publicly, who could handle platform presentations. Again, present-day evangelism requires that someone in the evangelistic team can enlist and guide soul-winning laymen in sharing the burdens of evangelism. Brother Roy made suggestions for training new Bible instructors from the lay ranks.
MODERATOR: "We do not think of America alone, for Bible work is also conducted in lands overseas. In fact, these lands promise to give us some surprises. We have some wonderful workers in other countries such as Inter-America and South America where the women are coming to the front in Bible work. We will ask Mts. Smith from Formosa to tell us something about the Bible work in her country."
MRS. T. SMITH: "I am very thankful that God called me to the Bible work. I love the Chinese people and I am very happy to work there. They have some customs that are different, but to work with them gives us the same joy as Bible instructors receive who work here in the States. We use the Voice of Prophecy; we have evangelistic meetings; we follow the colporteur. In Taiwan we have recently opened a new sanitarium, and this is bringing good results. I have been visiting many persons in the sanitarium who have been sick. I visit them in their homes and study with them; then they come to church and later join with us. But there are so few to do this work.
"Miss Abbie Dunn has been in China many years. We are just like sisters and love to work together. We train the Chinese to work for their own people. It gives us great satisfaction when we see a Chinese Bible instructor in action. We work with them to bring people to the truth, and we rejoice with them when they succeed. Miss Dunn and I not only prepare Bible instructors but we prepare ministers' wives, because the Bible workers usually marry ministers. Just before I left Formosa, the girl who has been working with Miss Dunn married a young minister. One who had been working with me will be married soon. Pray for us, for we want to faithfully train Bible instructors for China. The need is so great."
MODERATOR: "Mrs. Smith, America has been liberally sharing with our overseas fields some of its best-trained Bible instructors. We would here urge our training schools everywhere energetically to promote the training of native Bible instructors. We would also urge our American colleges, together with the Potomac University, to lead out in preparing both men and women skilled in personal evangelism. Bible work is a universal need while the gospel is being proclaimed.
"Now, Miss Walsh, you have been a veteran trainer of Bible instructors from the lay ranks. Tell us about your specialized work."
MARY WALSH, Bible instructor in the Pacific Union Conference, here presented some challenging suggestions for the urgent training of our laity. Her work, primarily, is to train lay groups in our churches to do Bible work. Referring to the parable of Jesus, she appealed to our workers to consider seriously the idle talent in our ranks. Many are waiting to be hired for the Lord's service. Some are too timid to begin using their knowledge, and need to be helped in overcoming the fear of meeting non-Adventists. Working with an experienced Bible instructor, they learn how she meets the doctrinal questions that come up, and follow the theoretical instruction provided in a class. Who would not wish that every union conference might have the services of a skilled Bible instructor like Miss Walsh! With the great need for more personal workers to follow up the evangelist's public message, the training of consecrated laymen is a continuous challenge to all our churches. A little knowledge is a dangerous tool in the hands of an unprepared workman, but where lay Bible work has received due attention, the church will develop skilled laymen to supplement our evangelistic worker force.
MODERATOR: "Thank you, Miss Walsh, for your stimulating thoughts regarding this wonderful work of training the laymen to give Bible studies. We wish that we might devote a whole hour to this important phase of personal evangelism.
"Now, Elder Anderson, this concludes our Bible instructor discussions. Will you take over and introduce our Shepherdesses?"
R. A. ANDERSON: "We are going to deal with a very vital part of our work. Shepherdesses are Bible instructors, too, but they are not giving their full time to one particular type of work. About five years ago we introduced in THE MINISTRY 'The Shepherdess' section, and we have been told by many—not only women but also men, presidents, and union presidents—that it is the most popular section of THE MINISTRY.
"We have with us today some who have been interested in this phase of heavy responsibility. I want to read this scripture. The apostle Paul, closing his letter to the Romans, said: 'I commend unto you Phebe our sister, . . . that ye receive her in the Lord, . . . and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you: for she bath been a succourer of many, and of myself also' (Rom. 16:1, 2). She was evidently a very wonderful woman. Whether she was actually employed as a Bible teacher is not evident, but she was able to assist when a woman's help was needed. Priscilla and Aquila were Bible instructors, helpers in Christ, who 'laid down their own necks.' Then Paul instructs: 'Greet Mary, who bestowed much labour on us.' In the apostolic team there were women who played a very real part. Right now we want to inspire all our women—our ministers' wives and all our workers' wives—to recognize that you are not just part of the goods and chattels that move along with the Advent Movement, but you are a vital part of the actual working force of this denomination.
"Mrs. Figuhr, will you give us that message that is on your heart concerning the work that Shepherdesses can do in a home, in a church, and in a community?"
MRs. R. R. FIGUHR: "It is a privilege to stand before such an august audience. Brother Whitsett has well covered most of the general aspects of a Shepherdess' life, excepting perhaps the most personal matters, which I would like to interpret briefly this afternoon. We are told that being a Shepherdess is a profession of the highest order, because a pastor's wife is expected not only to do all the other things that women do, but to take a leading part in the activities of the church, to teach Sabbath school classes, preside over meetings, conduct study groups, organize social affairs, and in general to undertake any task that no one else has the skill or courage or time or consecration to do. The work of a Shepherdess is manifold and we have to learn how to do these things. We may sometimes feel inadequate for our duties, but we should not feel that way. I have found from experience in the mission field that we can do a great many things that we never thought we could. When a task has to be done, just start out and do it.
"We are told in The Desire of Ages: The Lord is disappointed when His people place a low estimate upon themselves. He desires His chosen heritage to value themselves according to the price He has placed upon them. God wanted them, else He would not have sent His Son on such an expensive errand to redeem them. He has a use for them, and He is well pleased when they make the very highest demands upon Him, that they may glorify His name. They may expect large things if they have faith in His promises.'—Page 668.
"Shepherdesses, as we said before, are not only the ministers' wives but they are also the wives of teachers and all those who are in the work in any capacity. We should be winsome, charming, and attractive. As soon as we get up in the morning should we not comb our hair and dress ourselves neatly? To sit down to breakfast with uncombed hair and slovenly attire is to perhaps cause our husbands to lose respect for us. Dress tastefully. Avoid extremes and let our dress be always modest.
"Someone asked my opinion regarding the use of loud nail polish, lipstick, et cetera. A Shepherdess should not lend her influence in the use of these things. They are very artificial and we should always be as natural as possible. We are told by Mr. Mitchell, who has written a book for the Shepherdess, that man has a deep instinctive loathing, a repulsion, for a painted face. An Indian paints his face to be terrible, and he is. A clown paints his face to be ridiculous, and he is. So we should consider that when we use too much make-up.
"We should show much affection, especially in our homes, and we should respect others. If we loved our husband enough to marry him, we should respect him and honor him, especially in public. Nobody loves a scolding woman. So avoid scolding and nagging.
"A Shepherdess should have a close walk with God. The husband and wife should pray together, work together, and play together. The wife should respect the husband's periods of study and moments of absorption. Do not think he is neglecting you when his thoughts are on something else.
"A Shepherdess should be a good housekeeper. I have known of men who have lost their positions in the work because their wives were slovenly housekeepers. We should not be fussy housekeepers, but neat and clean always. It is important that we keep ourselves physically fit, and know how to cook and prepare nourishing, delicious food. We should teach our children obedience and respect.
"The talent of common sense in dealing with others is most valuable to a minister's wife. We must be able to put ourselves in the place of other people. Diplomacy is a true virtue to the Shepherdess. It does not do to speak out too frankly before we make certain that our counsel will be accepted. A Shepherdess should remember to keep confidences to herself. In her ministerial capacity she dare not gossip, and yet she must not be abrupt with any who seek her counsel.
"Does the Shepherdess lead a lonely life? Hardly; it is her right to have friends, but intimate friendships will be few, for her mission is to blend her life with many. It is important that she consider her church business as sacred and not for discussion among even her most trusted friends. A good sense of humor is essential. The minister's wife should be adaptable, not stiff-minded and inflexible. She should always be courteous to everybody—and—sincerely sympathetic. Love feels with others whether it be in smiles or tears.
"It would seem, of course, that the minister's wife must be a courageous woman, and that is true. Shepherdesses, your courage is found at the foot of the cross. Jesus will be your closest and best counselor. As you keep close to Him you will receive the wisdom and sufficiency for your work, so lean on Him daily."
MODERATOR: "Thank you, MTS. Figuhr. That is a high standard, isn't it? And yet there is not one of us who would want to lower that standard.
"Now, there are several other ladies that we wish to hear. We are going to ask them to tell us what they are doing with regard to the Shepherdess fellowship. Sometimes we call them Shepherdess Clubs. I was down South when this work was organized. Sister Fearing, tell us what Shepherdesses discuss in their groups in the Southland."
MRS. A. C. FEARING: "Every minister's wife here will agree that when she married a minister, she also married his work, and this is more true of that occupation than of any other. But when we are married to a minister, we also need to know what we may or may not do. And so these presentations and discussions in Shepherdess groups are of real benefit to us. In the South we had a helpful Shepherdess fellowship at our recent camp meeting. Also we had some inspiring gatherings at our workers' meetings. At our camp meeting we invited the wives of our college faculty, our teachers, our Bible instructors, and also our doctors' wives to come in."
MODERATOR: "I am glad you mentioned that, Mrs. Fearing, because it is important that we are thinking of more than just the actual pastor's wife. We are thinking of the worker's wife in every profession. Those are all part of our Shepherdess group. I wanted to emphasize that while we were thinking of it. This is a women's fellowship, remember."
MRS. FEARING: "When we had our gatherings at the camp meeting, we were fortunate in having Miss Van Gundy of the International Nutrition Laboratory meet with us for three classes. In these he gave us counsel on health classes and cooking schools that was very helpful. Sometimes we have our own ministers' wives prepare topics for discussion, other times we have had guest speakers. We have dealt with the following topics: caring for the home; being a proper example to church members; laying food plans for large groups; personal relationship in the church; the place of the minister's wife in the departments of the church; the minister's family; the Shepherdess' appearance; how the Shepherdess can be a help to her husband as his secretary, as an encouraging critic, as an inspiration. These subjects produced profitable discussion. Classes for young people along the line of courtesy, dress, and association could be conducted by the Shepherdess. The minister's family as good neighbors in the community; guiding wedding plans within the church; fostering friendliness in the churches; and building reverence and worship are also good subjects for discussion."
MODERATOR: "Mrs. Fearing, you know, is the wife of one of our conference presidents. We would now like to hear from Mrs. Wayne Hill. She also is the wife of a president and has carried a heavy responsibility in this Shepherdess work for a few years. Mrs. Hill, you tell us what you have been doing in the Chicago area."
MRS. W. B. HILL: "Mrs. Fearing and I have something in common—we both have been minister's wives for about twenty-seven years. So we have enjoyed working together. First of all, Miss Kleuser, I'd like to say that when you talked about the work of the Bible instructor I became conscious that I spent my first ten years of married life in that work, and I wasn't on the payroll, either. I enjoyed working right along with my husband in this way, and I think there is a field for the minister's wife in doing that type of work."
MODERATOR: "Do you believe in that, folks? Let all the people say, Amen. [Enthusiastic response.] I believe it is important that we recognize the vital place that these ministers' wives have in getting into the homes of the people."
MRS. W. B. HILL: "A minister's wife should realize the importance of the position she holds. Sometimes our younger wives have not appreciated this fact. But when my husband became a conference president, I felt I ought to help these young wives to find their place. The young minister may keep busy with his new responsibilities, but what about the young wife? She needs much guidance, and the sisterly help of an experienced Shepherdess may mean much to her success.
"The life of a minister's wife can be a lonely one. For example, the Illinois Conference is about four hundred miles long, and sometimes young people are sent away down to the southern tip where they don't see others very often, and they do get lonely. Unless they have some contact with the home base it is just a little discouraging. The wife may stay at home and let her husband go visiting alone. Maybe she has small children and cannot go, but if circumstances permit, she should be out with him visiting his people.
"It has been my happy privilege to work with these young women to help them get started in Sabbath school divisions, in the Pathfinder youth program, or some other work, and to acquaint them with their church responsibilities. The minister's wife does not necessarily need to take a prominent position. But she can enjoy her husband's position, and appreciate the fact that he is being a success. This he will never be, however, until she helps him."
Here Mrs. Hill referred to The Shepherdess Exchange, which has become the link to tie the Shepherdesses of the Chicago area together. She sends this helpful bulletin into the field and gathers ideas from near and far. This newsy letter makes many tactful suggestions especially for the younger Shepherdesses. Under Mrs. Hill's direction, birthdays are remembered and special occasions provide a social touch, which helps to weld workers' wives into a helpful fellowship. The MODERATOR called attention to our sisters who are influential in training college women to become strong, sympathetic church leaders. There are many in almost every corner of the world whose noble ideals are shaping the lives of the Shepherdesses of tomorrow.
Mention was made of the fact that the Shepherdess section in THE MINISTRY leads in popularity because of the interest of our ministers' wives in their own column. The Ministerial Association is featuring this section of our journal with continued enthusiasm and can promise good direction from this source in the future. The importance of the minister's wife's reading and studying should receive new emphasis in our midst. Our times require that she be an intelligent, cultured church leader besides being his companion, a good mother, and homemaker. It is vital that she keep abreast of her husband's work.
MODERATOR: "A few years ago I joined a few workers on a visit to Mount Sinai. Some of you have taken the same tour and know there are no certain roads to follow. After tramping twelve miles, our party rested to discuss directions. We had been out of touch with life two days: hadn't even seen a jack rabbit. Then we heard a girl's voice and tried to detect from which direction it came. Elder Neal Wilson suggested we stay where we were and he would try to find her. it meant walking perhaps a mile and a half. He found a frightened little Arab woman, perhaps seventeen -!,ears of age, and with the customary veiling of the face. Who was she? A shepherdess in the Sinai desert! She could well direct us to Moses' mount. How good it seemed to hear her shepherdess voice through the mountainous corridors of sandstone. While tending her father's sheep, her voice provided security to the flock and incidentally to us, strangers in an unknown desert. This little Arab woman is a symbol of our own spiritual Shepherdesses whose voices echo the love of God in life's wilderness. God has entrusted to your care His straying sheep, and in whatever capacity you serve His children, there let your voice bring comfort and cheer. Sisters, consider well the influence of your mission and exalt your calling."
We regret to announce that Mrs. Reeves, a loyal, consecrated worker, has since passed to her rest.
