READERS' EXCHANGE

 

A Noble Example

This is a beautiful story I am about to tell you, one mingled with both tragedy and triumph. It is beautiful because it concerns a beautiful soul, the late Bob Haddow of Temple City, California. Ours was a correspondence friendship, for it was never my pleasure to know him face to face. God will grant even that after awhile. Bob was an ardent supporter of this journal and the cause it has espoused. He wrote often, sending in names, making suggestions, or passing along tidbits. My image of him (we always do that of our unseen friends, don’t we?) was of a man in a big hurry to get something done for the brotherhood and the world before the time runs out. I could see him bouncing about the place and attending to several irons in the fire at the same time.

What a shock it was for me to learn that Bob Haddow had been an invalid flat on his back in bed for the last 22 years. His letters spoke of the Christ, the church, the unity of the saints, But never a word that he was writing under such dire circumstances. His mother, Ecile Haddow, told me Bob’s story in a recent letter, and she has given her consent to my repeating it here.

Bob had a severe case of polio back in 1949 when he was 21 years old. He was confined to an iron lung for several months and finally improved enough to breathe on his own, But his vital energies were greatly depleted. His parents moved him from Washington to California in a house trailer, the only way he could be moved, hoping that the new environment would speed his rehabilitation. While he improved considerably he was able to move only his left hand, But could not lift even it.

Despite these handicaps Bob Haddow was not only able to negotiate his own life but also to make an important contribution to the cause he loved so deeply, the realization of Jesus’ prayer for the oneness of his people. By use of a sling to hold his arm he was able to wash his face, shave himself and feed himself. His father designed a special table over his lap so that he could type out with one hand those letters that he sent throughout the country. The last such letter I received from Bob concerned Pat Boone. He expressed hope that the opposition to Pat would not discourage him. I passed the letter along to Pat, explaining who Bob Haddow was.

Though a member of the Temple City Church of Christ, Bob’s concern for unity carried his spirit far beyond party lines. He and his parents were in touch with nearby Rosemead Church of Christ (Christian) and carried on their own ecumenical movement.

His funeral was itself a testimony to his heart’s desire, for it was conducted by men representing different wings of our fractured brotherhood, though held at the Church of Christ.

The bulletin of the Christian Church referred to above contained the following statements in tribute to Bob Haddow:

The one thing for which Bob will be remembered, from our personal point of view, was his undying passion for the unity of brethren of churches of Christ who hold different views in respect to certain areas of doctrine or practice of worship. Probably no one will have done more, both locally and over a wide area to begin to bring about the desire and expectancy of unity amongst local congregations of the faith.

With a kindliness of spirit and humility of mind, coupled with the deepest compassion for the people of God, Bob lost no opportunity to challenge the brotherhood to seek the “unity of the faith” that must one day result in the “unity of the body.”

Bob loved the Holy Scriptures and was so familiar with them that his relationship of them to the Christian’s daily practice was a delight to all who shared these truths with him. He was alert to separate truth from error in the use of the Scriptures, and helped many a preacher to become better acquainted with his message in the application of God’s word.

Bob’s life was a powerful sermon itself in accepting the changing misfortunes of life and still permitting God to radiate through him in obedience and in pattern. No one could know him without being far the richer for the true fellowship he offered and the depth of gratitude he bestowed. The brotherhood will be far poorer because of his going, But far richer in the heritage of faith, his great bequest to us.

YOU CAN HELP

Letters like this are rather common, coming from folk who are delighted to have found out about Restoration Review. I hear the same thing in my travels: “I don’t know who sent me your paper,” they’ll say, “But I’m pleased to have found out about it.” This is something that you can do to help our cause along: send in a list of names of folk, young and old, whom you believe would be interested in what we are saying. Unless it is through you they may never know about some of these ideas. We make it easy for you financially, for at only 50 cents per name, in clubs of 6 or more, you can send this paper for a whole year. Or we’ll send you a bundle so that you can mail them out in your own correspondence at only 10 cents each, if you tell us that is your purpose.

What Readers are Saying

We have recently been put on your subscription list, and we are more than grateful to our brother who did this for us! Where have you been all these years? Or more correctly where have we been? How we thank and praise God for the freedom we now know in Christ Jesus as we came to a knowledge of His indwelling Spirit and realized we didn’t have to “do it ourselves” after all. After three years of painful growth, the Lord has answered our Elijah prayers in many ways --- one was the dear brother who put us on your list! --- Tennessee

May the Lord help you in trying to point out the true and living way more perfectly. How sorely it is needed, and how humble and wise must be the leader. Always keep in mind Gal. 6:1. I will be 80 on May 30th. Awaiting the coming of Christ. --- Florida

It is too bad that more of our churches don’t hand out such fine spiritual reading to its members, instead of worrying them. selves with the beauty of church buildings. --- N orth Carolina

I face what many preachers face today --- a sincere desire to reestablish New Testament Christianity and to seek what the Bible really says while the church I was raised in and love find itself tradition bound and unwilling really to study the Bible to see what it says because of our traditions. One of the elders here made this clear when he said during a lectureship on the Spirit: “This is what the Church of Christ teaches,” not This is what the Bible teaches. --- Ohio

When I first began to read Restoration Review and Mission Messenger and other such papers, I got discouraged, But I have been encouraged lately by the many brothers with whom I have talked who are beginning to see what the gospel really is. --- Texas

Spirit Is Moving

The following verse was written and put to music by a brother associated with our one-cup folk. When Ervin Waters was in my home recently he played this piece to us from his tape recorder. It was accompanied by guitar. I was so impressed by it that I wrote the brother for a copy and asked him if I could pass it along to my readers.

A mighty force is moving all across the land,

It’s bigger than this whole wide universe, brother,

Yet it’s small enough to fit in the heart of man.

It’s moving, moving, feel it moving today,

The Spirit is moving, you better be ready,

Brother, it’s passing your way.

It’s moving on your waters, it’s moving on your land;

It’s writing on the hearts of your sons and your daughters,

And you’ll have to feel it brother if you understand.

It’s moving, moving, feel it moving today.

The Spirit is moving, you better be ready,

Brother, it’s passing your way.

It’s writing down a message sent from God above,

Telling us to turn from the ways of war,

And start our feet to walking in the path of love.

It’s moving, moving, feel it moving today.

The Spirit is moving, you better be ready,

Brother, it’s passing your way.

It’s giving us the faith now to know it’s not too late;

We can open doors that we never could before,

And with it, brother, we can move a mountain of hate.

It’s moving, moving, feel it moving today.

The Spirit is moving, you better be ready,

Brother, it’s passing your way.

Maranatha, sing Maranatha.

To hear it sung would be better, But a study of the above gives us an insight into what disturbs our youth, our guitar-playing youth. That this kind of awareness of the Spirit, put to song, comes out of the Church of Christ, and the far right wing at that, is really something. We’d better get with it or we may be left out, whatever wing we’re riding! This brother wrote me, after receiving his first copies of this journal, that he wanted to know more about Pat Boone’s experiences. He hadn’t heard about it, he explained, being affiliated with one-cup brethren.

More Poetry

Louis C. Medcalf sent us the following from his creative mind. It bears study as well as reading.

Once upon ago I fell from grace of mirror

seeking other’s please and cares,

wandered weak and leery there in terror

making other’s looks my own snares.

My hung head

my ignorant wear

Time and time ago I felt to look up higher,

stumbled onward tripped on eyes

of my own not yet turned, like others, to fire ---

I would not look behind sighs

My flung fled,

dead beneath my lies.

Song, a song, a-going thru my brow,

the dust cleaned from my flinching mirror,

a halo on my now,

my chin sees much clearer

My sung said,

my much, nearer.

Unity Meetings

Two unity efforts of substantial quality are scheduled within the next few months. Those living near the locations of these meetings would do well to make their plans to attend, for one is never quite the same after such an experience.

The first one is to be in Indianapolis, April 29-May 1, and will be held in the Farmers’ Building of the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Speakers will represent the three major wings of our people. John R. Lee is the coordinator and participants include John Clark, Jimmy Tuten, Harold Key, David Bobo, Keith Watkins, and Dale Crain.

The other is the Sixth Annual Unity Forum, scheduled for July 1-3 at Atlanta Christian College. While all the speakers are not confirmed, we can announce for sure that three important leaders of current unity efforts will be on the program: J. Ervin Waters, Carl Ketcherside, and Charles Holt. Families can take rooms at the college. Contact Denver Sizemore, 2587 Woodhill Ln., East Point, Ga. or call him at 404-344-2043.