^UL
t>!
|
1
NASSAU
FOtWARDING AGCNf
G60RGE MEAOOR
449 W LAKE DR(VE SPR(NGF(E10 (L 62703
There is a chill breeze bJ.owing over the Bahamas and the tem-
and Christmas is in the air. Our regular schedule has been spiced up with the practice sessions for the Christmas program. Everyone wants a part so we are working on two people skits and one for puppets. Added to that there will be a concert by our girl's choir and individual recitations. The program should last all night. With a gift like the Christ child, the whole world must give thanks and rejoice in God's love. May all of you have a very Merry Christmas and a victor ious New Year!
One note of uncertainty has worried us at this otherwise happy season. Chris doesn't see well so we naturally assumed he needed
glasses. We had him examined by a very good eye doctor here but he
couldn't determine why he wasn't seeing nor could he correct the problem with glasses. He then set up an appointment with a retina specialist at the Bascom-PaJmer Eye Institute in Miami. We were there a whole day while they ran all sorts of tests but they cou3dn*t
determine the cause of the problem either. We had to go back again the next -week to have
The
We had to come back home and wait another week for the results of all this.
doctors now say there seems to be a deforuiity in the bone structure, maybe from birth. At any rate, we are to have regular sight tests to be sure it doesn't progress. We are so thankful not to be facing surgery. These travels and tests costs nearly a thousand dollars
80 our funds need a boost to catch up. We appreciate the prayers and concern expressed by those who have known what was happening. We especially appreciate the love and hospitality of the South Side Christian Church, Miami, Fla, They gave us rides to and from the airport,
places to stay, meals and rides all the way to down town Miami to the Medical facilities, God's people are great'
(over)
TRIP TO SPRINGFIELD
November was a month of travels. I planned a trip to Springfield to coincide with the appointment at the doctor for Chris. At the last minute the appointment was delayed a week so I went to Illinois anyway. There were several issues to discuss with the elders and mission committee. On the way I stopped at Atlanta to see my parents and Sarah*s folks. My father had thyroid surgery and was in the hospital for some follow
up treatment so I was thankful to see for myself he was progressing.
I'm sure you will be interested in some of the decisions made. They were as follows;
1 As of now our newsletter will be printed and mailed by the church in Springfield. They have the facilities to allow us the option of having photographs. At the same time this will relieve my parents and the school of that responsibility.
2 We will be making a tour to report to our co-operating supporters in the summer of 78. Our children do not get out of school until June 30th so the trip will be shorter than
we'd like. We will begin scheduling speaking engagements^ so that^ there will be no wasted time. On my return trip I stopped in St. Lous for a few hours to confer with Ed and Dona Spencer, former missionaries to the Bahamas. They are planning to come for the month of July. We are working to recruit help for August so our work here will not
suffer.
3. One of the problems here is transportation. The Golden Gates Chapel draws from a wide area and the Lord has given us almost entirely young people to work with. That gives us the necessity of transporting nearly our entire group. Our size is limited to the number we can pick up on a Sunday. We now have a 69 V.W. nine passenger bus with over
102,000 miles on it and a 1966 Morris 1100 \diich is a small four passenger English car. The Morris is completely eaten up with rust and is falling to pieces. In a recent low key test attendance contest our attendance record was toppled repeatedly. We broke the
old 65 mark with 69. Then we went to 90 and then 101. people in the old bus continuously. There's no way I can carry 100
In our meeting it was decided to try to buy a used station wagon to replace the Morris as soon as possible. We would have this put in first class shape before importing it
since the custom tax of 53% is on the book value of the car. This Would greatly expand
our capabilities in Golden Gates. Next summer we would try to locate a good van to replace the V.W. The mission committee at the South Side Christian Church, Springfield,
II, started a fund with $1,000. We trust that others will help contribute to this
transportation fund. Please earmark your checks to the South Side Christian Church
Vehiele Fimd-and send them to our-forwarding -agent-^George Meador^A49- W.-LakeDrive, Springfield, II. 62703.
4, A number of items of business were explored and will be under consideration by the church leaders. I was thankful for the responsible attitude by our sponsoring church.
One thing about working alone is that you have no one to discuss anything with.
are no substitute,
where we are and where we are going.
Letters
I feel better having even that short time to sit down and reason out
TH^ QUEEN
as the people lined the streets in great crowds for hours just to glimpse Queen Elizabeth II,
People laughed at me but envied me the
chance to get some good photographs As Christian leaders we wish we could arouse as much enthusiasm for the KING, I just pray we will all remember dailyTHE KING IS COMING!
Yours in Him,
Jim and Sarah Redmon
fONSORING CHURCH
NASSAU
SPRINGFIELD
IL
62704
FORWARDING AGENT
<l
.1
JANUARY -
FEBRUARY
Dear Friends,
In our garden
TRANSPORTATION
FUND
this year we have enjoyed cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, tomatoes, radishes, and celery. Some of my favorite vegetables attract too
many bugs to bother with. For our work in Golden Gates this has
been a time of regrouping and preparation. Because of our trans portation problems we are at a standstill in growth. The little 1966 junk car that we bought six years ago for Sarah to drive had
cost $300.
- $8,000.,-
for it. In consultation with our sponsoring church last fall, we decided to try to find a good dependable station wagon, put it in first class condition and import it to here. After considering the comparative costs of this approach and the high cost of upkeep
WHERE THE FUND STANDS
here, we finally found we could get a new Ford Fairmont for about the same price range. Meanwhile, we cannot move but about 50 a
$1,525.-
Christian Church has made the money available for the car and : placing our vehicles will be our major special appeal this yeai
To make the most of our time we have proceeded with several
other projects.
The
church treasury had accumulated some funds since our dedication last year. We now have a nice sign, a large 8 foot combination
HELP
At the same time I have made several trips to Andros and we are getting several projects accomplished in preparation for the
NOW!
You think you*ve had a rough winter with freezing winds and 12 foot snow drifts I Let me tell you its been cold In the Bahamas
too. This is the coldesi: winter we have ever had and our tropical thin blood really suffers! It hasn't snowed like it did last year but we have had winter none-the-less* Now you may think this is satire but to us its serious. We actually had a period of over 24 hours when the temperature did not rise above 60. Also we had a cold spell when it rained continuously for a whole night and day and we didn't even see the sun.
Weather like that brings life to a standstill. For a week now the thermometer has
been plunging into the low fifties every single night. To combat such calorie consum ing excesses, Sarah has resorted to emergency procedures. Since our oven is our source of heating and I'm so mean I won't let her have the oven on less she is cooking, she has been very inventive. She baked a pound cake. She baked a birthday cake for a neighbor girl. She baked bread. She baked peanut butter cookies, toll-house cookies*
and a ham. We'll soon be dangerously fat if the weather doesn't break soon. So when you are tempted to complain about suffering from the cold with your thermostat con
trolled homes, heated cars, and heavy coats and gloves, remember us freezing down here
with our short sleeved sweatshirts and wind-breakers
Honestly, our operation was crippled with the cold last week.
So I guess what you are accustomed.to is what makes an "Unusually cold winter".
m
BACK VIEW OF THE P.EDMON HOME
We go for long periods of time without seeing anyone then we get a flood of com pany. Carl and Eva Hoffman visited for a few days before Christmas. Carl, a retired pilot has his own plane and so he brought my folks down to see us. He also took us for
a delightful aerial tour of our island. On Sunday he gave our church an impressive
With the New Year came Bob and Norma Small. They lead out in the Capstan publi
cation. Another couple came with them and they were attending a medical meeting on
Paradise Island.
At about the same time a former missionary came for a visit. Aubrey and Ruth Payne visited the island for a few days with Mr. &Mrs. Richard Bourne, editor of Hori
zons.
lege.
Also with them was Harcourt Saunders, a professor from Winston-Salem Bible Col
There was also a visit from Mr. &Mrs. Harvey of Augusta. Ga. and another visit of the Lighthouse group of students from Taylor University.
FINANCES
A recent article in the newspaper stated that the rate of inflation in the Baha mas for 1977 was 7%. Looking over some of our expenses we found the following totals for last year. 1. Housing $4,189.00 5. Social Security $1,200,00
2. 3. 4. Andros, U.S. trips Transportation Medical Expenses 964.00 1,520.66 1,387.00 6. 7. Schooling Miscellaneous 810.65 850.18
Without boring you with a lot of details you may be interested to know that income last year from all sources and for all purposes was $23,351.63 of which our sponsoring church was responsible for $8,863.66. Unfortunately, all expenditures amounted to $24,345.74.
SUMMER 1978
Yes, plans are going ahead for our trip to the U.S. in 1978. We will have 9 Sundays in the speaking tour and preference will be given to those churches who are contributing to the work here. Incidentally, we have completed 16 years of service
in the Bahamas.
Slides
and display
Bahama Christian
Missions can
** Have you mailed a gift to the Redmon Bahama Vehicle Fund yet? Why not contact the elder ship or missionary committee of your congre gation and challenge them to mall a contri
bution to the South Side Christian Church
*** Do you know of persons or churches who would appreciate receiving this newsletter? If so>
send the name and address to the South Side
'-hb
sliil"li.a.1li|iilii|ii|ii|n|ii|ii|iifii|ii|ii|ii|i<|. |'<|<I|||||| |ii|ii|<itiitii|ii|ii|li|N|li|ii| |il|H|ii|ii|ii|ii|ii|iilli|ii|iit III|II|II|II|II|II|II|I|||||I||II| llilli|ii|:i|ii|ii|ii|ii|tJtii|<il lij|ii|i>|ii|ii|ii|il|ll|iiaillNI
NASSAU y
New Pa^DCHca Island S
ORWARDING AGENT -
george meador
449 W LAKE DRIVE
SPRINGFIELD IL 62703
iiiiii
MARCH -
MAY 1978
Dear Friends,
REDMON
JUl
7M
TRANSPORTATION
FUND
GOAL - $8,000.,-
We. have an old fort that guards the eastern approach to the Nassau harbor. Fort Montagu was built in 1741 and the unpaved parking area around it is littered with all sorts of interesting historic artifacts. Most Bahamians have tio appreciation for this sort of thing and consider it junk. I find it fascinating to pick up coins and beautiful brass military buttons that are 200 years old but people laugh at me and say, "You can't spend
that".
WHERE THE
FUND
STANDS
$2,580.82
I
JIM NEEDS YOUR HELP
The colorful conch shells of the Bahamas are heaped up in a huge pile to be used for fill or burned to make lime. When you see one used as a decoration in a home it is inevitably painted. Both of these examples may be a matter of taste but the same problem exists with the church. Hundreds of churches are found all over the Bahamas but they seem to have lost their appeal and power to change lives. The major groups have been here for about 200 years but their impact has been lost. Ihls is a difficult time for church growth in the Bahamas. V7e will be visiting our supporting churches during July and August to report on our service. We are often disheartened that what we consider so exciting in the Christian life is viewed so casually. The beauty of simple New Testament Christianity is passed over
now:
TRANSPORTATION
FUNDS VERY
SLOW IN COMING
in;'
in favor of meaningless ritual and binding super-organizations. We need these weeks of fellowship and encouragement. Also, we
look forward to renewing old acquaintances. Our last opportunity to travel among our churches was seven years ago.
1
CAMP TIME
"Let*s do It again". That's the word as our old V.W. bus went rocking down the road following our week of camp. The
first time we tried a camp program was last summer. It was like pulling teeth to generate any interest but the ice was broken. Because we are going to be gone this summer, we arranged to have
This time I was able to line up some unusual professional help. My brother. Bill, is the manager of Lake Aurora Christian Assembly and Larry Beard is the manager of Gold Coast Camp. I had to have help but getting so much experience
Bill also brought his son Scott and a young lady, Beth
The camp is pretty run down with poor facilities except for a nice paved playing court. The stoves are in a bad state, the gas tank had been stolen, the rusty old fridge was inadequate and the water undrinkable. We planned a day camp
program to reach as many of our youth as possible.
Monday (Easter Monday) was a national holiday so we had a free for all family picnic. This gave Bill and Larry a chance to get acquainted and adjusted. Tuesday and Wednesday were for the teenagers and Thursday and Friday vere for the younger
group. I*m not sure who learned the most, leaders or kids. It was a tremendous
boost to our young people and a real help to me In planning future special programs.
There were 60 campers who participated in the program with Troughly 30 per day.
We had to make a trip with equipment and the leaders go all over town picking up the campers and later go by the time campfire was over and everyone delivered Meals were simple, mostly sandwiches or hot dogs and
over a cocoanut husk fire.
at 7:30 each morning and then haul in the water. At night home we were really weary. hamburgers. Cooking was done
One thing Is clear, for trying to make an impact on these young people, a retreatcamp type program works. We will be preparing and equipping ourselves to handle more
of this type approach and recruit volunteers who can give instruction in key areas.
In April we had another big event. Three yough ministers from central Florida spent a week end with us. Frank Attkisson and Bob Lucky are private pilots and rented
student at Central Florida Bible College. Friday night, Saturday and Sunday were filled with special activities for the older youth. This was an excellent follow up to the March camp. We appreciate all of these who have come to help us at their own
expense. These activities have cost us about $150 above what we collected from the participants but we feel it was well worth the expense.
THE FIRE
A lot of people saw on TV news about the devastating fire in the down town section
of Nassau. It happened at night so we were not aware of anything. Like most of the city, the buildings were very old with wood shingle roofs which caught fire quickly. There were two. amazing features. One was that it didn't Spread much farther. The other was a miracle. Right in the middle of an entire burnt out block are two very old wooden houses that were untouched. Only about,20 people were living in the burned out buildings and they were quickly helped. The businesses can easily relocate in some of the unoccupied buildings around town. I appreciate the concern of many but we
didn't even smell the smoke.
WILL YOU DO THE FOLLOWING FOR THE ONGOING OF CHRIST'S WORK IN THE BAHAMAS?
4. Will you personally bring the transportation needs of the Redmon Mission to your elders and missionary
committee?
MAY THE LORD BLESS YOU AND YOURS AS WE WORK TOGETHER TO FULFILL HIS COMMISSION
TO EVANGELIZE THE ENTIRE WORLD.
WE'i) T,b
5
NASSAU y
New ItLANOg
JUNE -
SEPTEMBER 1978
Dear Friends:
REDMON
transportation
FUND
No newsletter since May. That's a record I hope we never break! Everything since May has been tied in witn our trip to the States. Here is an attempt to bring you up-to-date.
BROTHER ROLLE PASSES
John Rolle was from Cat Island. He had been a school teach er and a tailor. When he became a member of the Grantstown
FUND
Church, he soon started sharing the pulpit. With a religious background in the Anglican, Adventist, and Brethren churches, he developed a good knowledge of the Scriptures. When our mission
ary staff was reduced. Brother Rolle became the pastor of the
Grantstown Church. He was a diabetic and later suffered a stroke
STANDS
$3,483.97 _
as leader at Grantstown came Brother Herman Neely. Brother Neely is also an older gentleman suffering from diabetes. Early this
HELP
now;
If EVERY supporting
the church in Nicholl*s Town. I made a trip in June before our planned trip to the States, In spite of the short distance of
about 40 miles, the trip is always an ordeal with frequent un expected delays or malfunctions of the aircraft. This trip seem
ed to be different. The airlines left on time! The attendance
congregation made
this a matter of
was good for the evening services and the weather was beautiful as I prepared to return. I didn't get too alarmed at 8:00 a.m.
ImmediatelyJ
2 -
when the local taxi didn't show up. An hour later I finally got a young man to run me out to the airport to catch my plane. Would you believe, the plane had arrived on time and I was left. With a holiday coming up I was going to be stuck
on the island for at least three more days. Someone finally suggested that I beg the captain of the "water barge" for a ride. The government hauls water for our
iisland from Andros in tankers that shuttle back and forth on a twice daily run. Fortunately, the captain was kind and by nightfall I came coasting into the harbor on top of a million and a half gallons of fresh water, I plan to change taxi dri vers next trip!
Since the Spencers left the church in Nicholl's Town, Ken Feyling has been driving up once a month from the AUTSC U.S. Navy Base to preach for the church. Along with my monthly trips we were keeping the church going. Now we have recei
ved word that Ken has had a heart attack and will not be able to come back to
Andros.
us.
When our churches are small and weak, losses, such as we have suffered this
More and more we are thankful to God for providing us with a good number of
young people to train as leaders for the future.
SARAH GETS A WASHER
It served us
well and rusted away as do all metal objects in our salty air.
We bought a wring
er washer which also rusted into oblivion. A "wash house" opened fairly near us with coin operated washers and we decided to get our clothes cleaned that way. Through the years the price has gone up until it was 90c per load and Sarah was coming home with a headache from the loud rock music and exasperated with the mal functioning machines. We finally broke down and bought a washing machine so now she can do our clothes at home. At the rate we were paying, we figure we could buy a new machine every year and still save money. Of course, we hope the washer
lasts a lot longer than that.
THE CAR
Last year otir sponsoring church decided we could replace the JLittle rusty
bug we had been driving. Following information we received from various advisors
we decided that the sensible thing would be to buy a new, small, wagon so we or dered a stripped model of the Ford Fairmont. Because of the shortage of trans
portation, we had to put a number of our growth programs on hold until we could
get the car. Somewhere along the way our car got lost on a railroad siding. The delay meant we could barely get the car here before we left for our tour of sup
porting churches. As a result we kept the car in the States to drive on our trav
els and now have i t here with us in Nassau.
We are so thankful to all the individuals, churches, and youth groups who
have contributed to the transportation fund. I do not have a complete list yet but most of oiir contributing churches have been very generous. Perhaps some
groups will respond yet to make this project complete. The actual cost of the car
was $4,500.
The duty and freight to bring it into the Bahamas was $3,220.
The
same vehicle here would have cost over $9,000 so the saving was worth the wait. Besides that we didn't have to rent a car for the 8,000 miles we drove this summer
visiting churches.
3 -
SUMMER TRIP
When working with four struggling churches it's hard to think of being gone
even one week. Because we work alone we have put off a reporting trip as long as possible. This summer we were able to convince Ed and Dona Spencer to come down
and fill in for us the month of July. We made some local arrangements for August.
Summer time. Independence Day, and vacation time is not the best
What a whirlwind!
time to visit most churches. Nine Sundays can only be divided so many ways but we did our very best. Our bookings were made in the spring and we began speaking the
day after we arrived home. In spite of everything we could do there were about four of our regular supporting churches that we could not visit.
The young people held on pretty well in Golden Gates. We are so thankful to
Sarah's family who provided us with a home during the two months.
Of course, we
enjoyed the hospitality of a host of Christian friends all along the way.
Sarah has been having repeated infections during the last two years. This summer she visited two specialists. As a result she went to the hospital for a few days and had some minor surgery. So far she seems to be improving though the
doctors told us her condition may be chronic.
In August we were happy to be reunited with my sister and her family. Bar bara and Bob Miller and their three children returned from three years of ser
vice in New Zealand.
We had to be back in Nassau for the opening of school. God blessed us in many ways and our home was spared a visit from thieves. We thank all of you who
made our brief tour possible.
FORWARDING AGENT
George and Alice Meador are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. They have acted as our forwarding agents for about seven years and we are so
a new couple to work in this capacity. Jim and Peggy Blakley are long time friends and we are thankful for their assistance. We are asking that all funds be sent to us in care of SOUTH SIDE CHRISTIAN CHURCH, 2600 SOUTH MacARTHUR BLVD. SPRINGFIELD, ILL. 62704. This change is to take place immediately. In case
your church treasurer may not notice this announcement, please check that this
change is made. We wish George and Alice the best as they move south.
lots
liiiiiiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiiinaiiiiii iMiM|ii|iiiii|iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii itiiiiiiiiiiiitiMiiiiitiiiiiiiiii iitiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin hMittiitiiiiiiiniciitiiitiitiiii 'iiiiitiiiiiifiiiiiiiiiiii>"ii'{ i<*i>(iiiiii<itiitittiititiiNiiii
3bi,
NASSAU
ImI
|iiii|ii|itliiaiiliititiiliilii| .iiliitnliiliittii|iilnlli|
liitiiliil'iliiinaiilillxttW^
Dear Friends,
alive again after the energy sapping days of September and October. We have been taking
stock of our position in the Bahamas, our successes and failures. What a wonderful time to realize how much God has blessed us and cared
for us! During this Christmas season we trust that all of you can have a vision of what great things our God has done for you! May
May you serve the Lord with gladness as you face the challenge of the New Year.
CATCHING UP
Having been gone this summer to visit our churches in the States was wonderful
again. Attendance fell off. Individuals who were showing interest went elsewhere. Problems mushroomed and we had to get our things in gear and moving.
A number of projects around our buildings had piled up and repairs needed.
visited the church on Andros twice.
platform area.
The only glue available was contact cement which required buttering
Now they want some new benches but so far none of the
lumber yards here have any ifl pine so I can put that off until the new year.
ferings have picked up so they had money in the bank but no initiative. Expensive new front doors were getting badly weathered. To get things moving I had a meeting with the leaders. They hired a man to paint inside and out and I agreed to help one
The church in Coconut Grove had allowed their building to run down.
Their of
of their members build a porch to protect the entrance. Finding material in Nassau
^
'
A 1^
base to allow the trapped hot air to escape the attic. I woried on the spire at home, doing sanding and additional coats fiberglas every day that I had a little time. I constructed the base down at the
church. What great fun we had pulling it
We
busy for several months to come. We eveii have several truck loads of fill to level over the back of our property so that we can maintain it with a power mower. I find
these little projects more fulfilling than jogging.
The people at Grantstown are moving right along with an addition to their build
ing.
For the first time they will have restrooms and a classroom or two.
So far I've
only supplied forms and tools we had left from our construction in Golden Gates.
With the various property improvements I hope to get the churches active and ready to grow in the coming year. Please pray with us that we can fill all our faci lities and plant new churches in the near future.
DISCOVERER'S DAY
' T
ONE OF OUR HIKES
car and the V.W. we were able to squeeze in 28 and drove to a track road where there
planning another longer hike for New Year'a Day. This time we have a list of script ures to memorize in order to qualify.
Speaking of discoveries. Gifts to the transportation fund this year have been
fantastic!
who have shared so generously in this pro ject. It is a wonderful feeling to realize how we have been sustained through the
DISCOVERY DAY HIKE
Let's all
REDMON
TRANSPORTATION
FUND
JJ? FUND
STANDS
$5681. -
SPRINGFIELD, IL.
62704
JIM NEEDS
YOUR HELP
NOW!