The work of the Christadelphian Bible Mission has been concentrated on the preaching of the Truth in distant lands, and, with God’s blessing, ecclesias and groups of believers have been established in a number of countries. It is our desire that this effort shall continue, but though we put the spiritual welfare of our converts first, there is good scriptural precedent for relieving their material distress also. The C.B.M. ‘has, therefore, striven both to preach the Truth and to care for the newly formed ecclesias. At the same time, it has endeavoured to avoid even the appearance of attracting converts by the material benefits that might follow, and it has certainly never been over-generous in the financial assistance that it has given to its own missionary workers.
The ecclesias have always contributed freely and cheerfully for the relief of distress and hardship, and of recent years this generosity has been extended to our less affluent members within the field of the C.B.M’s missionary activities. Such help has been mainly in the form of gifts sent direct in response to appeals from overseas, and it is probably true to say that aid of this character greatly exceeds that which has been provided either by the C.B.M. itself or by other bodies such as the Christadelphian Benevolent Fund. Nevertheless, this in itself has created certain difficulties. Overall, financial help has tended to be both spasmodic in form and uneven in distribution, and cases are known where one ecclesia has had so much at its disposal that it has been constrained to refuse further offers of help, while another ecclesia has been desperately in need. However, recipients of appeals have sometimes had great difficulty in assessing their merits and even their genuineness.
Clearly, what is required is some means of distributing to each according to his need”. The C.B.M. believes that with its special knowledge of local conditions, and with its workers actually in the areas concerned, it is in a unique position to administer relief in such areas both to converts and to its own missionary workers. A new committee has, therefore, been formed consisting initially of three members appointed by the C.B.M. itself, one by the C.B.F., so that the Committee can draw upon the long experience of that organisation in welfare administration and ensure that there is no duplication of effort, and another who has been appointed by the A.L.S., not only because that society is, in a sense, the parent of the C.B.M. but also because there is advantage in extending the administrative links between the A.L.S. and the C.B.M. to include the new committee.
The C.B.M. Welfare Committee now proposes, in consultation with the overseas ecclesias in the Caribbean and elsewhere and with its workers in the field, to appoint representatives in each of the areas concerned. The representatives will be able to give help at once in an emergency, but will account and report upon continuing needs to the main Committee. In this manner it is hoped and believed that the present confusion and inequality of distribution will be overcome, that indiscriminate aid detrimental to the best interests of the Truth will be avoided, but that help will be available promptly in cases of real distress. Indeed, the C.B.M. Welfare Committee, although only in process of formation, has already stepped in to help the distressed ecclesias in British Guiana during recent troubles there, and has made available no less than £400 to meet desperate needs.
The new Committee has also taken over from the C.B.M. responsibility for the welfare of C.B.M. Missionary workers. As is well known to the brotherhood, these workers are expected to be as far as possible self-supporting. This has inevitably entailed considerable sacrifice on their part, always as regards material possessions, and often as regards health also. When, as sometimes happens, illness overtakes them, or they are unable to earn sufficient to support even a very low standard of living, or when after a long tour of duty they return to their homeland either temporarily or permanently, it would be quite wrong to ignore their needs completely. The Welfare Committee will, therefore, regard itself as being in at least some degree responsible for their welfare and rehabilitation.
No Committee of this kind, however, can operate without funds, and it is already known that in some areas conditions are so acute that aid is required on a massive scale. There are already many “good causes” deserving of help—it would be invidious, even by way of example, to mention any by name—and we would not wish this letter to reduce the support to such. But we believe that ecclesias and individual brethren and sisters would be acting wisely if they placed any financial assistance that they can offer for Overseas Welfare at the disposal of the C.B.M. Welfare Committee. We hope and trust that your ecclesia will see fit to follow this course. We appeal for your help, and also for your prayers, that we may prove to be both sympathetic to the needs of our distressed brethren and sisters overseas but truly wise in our administration.
(Individual brethren and sisters, and Ecclesias, are invited to channel donations to this fund through the Australian Christadelphian Bible Mission, which accepts the responsibility of forwarding these to Great Britain for use in Welfare work in the areas which lie within the scope of C.B.M. activities.
The General Committee of the Australian Christadelphian Bible Mission desire to make it clear that cases of distress or need occurring within the area for which the Australian Bible Mission has accepted responsibility will be relieved from A.C.B.M. funds as part of such responsibility.
In view of the urgency for funds to meet present needs, the General Committee decided to make immediately available to the C.B.M. Welfare Fund an amount of £100 Sterling as a contribution from A.C.B.M. funds.)
Lord, What wilt thou have me to do?