Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 8
December 20, 1956
NUMBER 33, PAGE 12a

"Billions For Bakersfield"

By I. M. A. Promoter

A few of us out here in the far regions of the West want our brethren to know we are on the march and that we have started to think BIG. Everyone knows that in a big money raising campaign you need a slogan like, "Millions For Manhattan," "Bundles For Britain," "Dollars For Defense," etc., etc. But we must be careful and not use ideas that are old and have been used by the denominations or someone will accuse us of having aped the sects. I noted recently in The Church Cyclopedia, ("an aid to the laity of The Protestant Episcopal Church") by Benton, the following explanation of their American Church Building Fund Commission:

"Its object is to create, by an annual offering from every congregation for three years, and by individual gifts, a fund of ONE MILLION DOLLARS " (Emphasis mine, DRM).

This book was copyrighted in 1883. Alas and alack, my poor promotin' brethren of the East are 75 years behind the Episcopal Church in this respect. (At the rate some of them are going it won't take them five years to catch up.) It just goes to show you some of us are not thinking BIG enough!

It's really too bad that Paul did not have the advantage of the promoters of today. He might not have had to write what he did to the Corinthians if he could have campaigned with a slogan like, "Jillions For Jerusalem," or maybe, "Anything For Antioch?".

It probably is a shock to some promoters of today to learn Stephen was killed for defending the Church rather than some promotional scheme of man. As a matter of fact he was accused of speaking "blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law." My, My, Stephen should have known better than to oppose something the "stiff-necked and un-circumcised in heart and ears" Jew had been doing for years. And how ridiculous to suppose to change the customs. (Acts 6:13, 14.) I feel sure Stephen would have lived many years longer if he had just kept quiet and not opposed the big promoters of his day.

I suppose in the eyes of some today the Christians of that era were not on the MARCH. To really let folks know we are on the march and are thinking BIG here in the West I have suggested to some of the brethren in Bakersfield that they adopt the slogan, "Billions For Bakersfield," and I have been entertaining the idea of "Some For Selma." Brethren, think what we can do with "Billions For Bakersfield." We could build and form every kind of a society under the sun and promote institutions until they run out our ears. We could build a building in Bakersfield that would put all denominations to shame. And that's important, you know! Selah, we take courage and press on!

First Corinthians 3:10 teaches that we should all be careful how we build our buildings. (This is the way some apply scripture in this modern age.) So let's all get behind this project and build the biggest, bestest, finest building in all the world. Remember your duty. Remember, "Billions For Bakersfield."