AFRICAN EVANGELIST

Cyril SImklns, Missionary

P. O. Box 1914, Accra Ghana, Africa
Robert L. Mize, Forwarding Agent
Route 4, Admiral Drive
Concord, Tennessee 37720
b
55^
Vol. IV
September, 1968
<
No. 1
PRAYER NEEDED FOR GHANA.
The missionaries,who are in Ghana,
have requested our prayers. A seri
ous circumstance has developed in
Ghana, On July 20, 1968, we received
an urgent telegram from Ron Rife. It
read as follows:
"Action being brought by Universal
Christian Church to expel faculty
from Ghana, May have to leave im
mediately. Request prayers." --Rife.'
We immediately called a niunber of
people requesting prayer. We are
passing this prayer request on to
all of you.
When we went to Ghana, we refused
to take charge of theUnivei^5lA?T!ff^
stian_ Church or any fi3;h.er . church.
However, we did enter the country
under a quota of visas which were
allotted to the Universal Christian
Church, This is what has precipita
ted the present difficulty.
The Universal Christian Church was
in some disrepute because of ba
leadership. had s
ed as Chairman and was under serious ^
criticism in the Universal Chris^aiT
Church, Some years before a man
named^^agM^jjh^ been in^SflJcious
When we
went there, Moses Addai and Sampong
were in a conflict with Hayford. Be -
cause of the bad conditions in the
Universal Christian Church, we did
not limit our activities to this
greup. In fact,this was not our pur
pose when we went there. The announ
ced purpose both in Africa and in
'America was to train Africans to be
Therefore, we worked"
with all groups who were willing to
listen to the New Testament Gospel,
This past spring conditions were
such in the Universal Christian Church
that very few people even attended
e convention meeting. At the
same time, th^e,
in Ghana, was growing very rapic
pel
Because of the """small' attendance at
the Universal Christian Church meet
ing^^^gaaha^^Jlayford were elected
laijnpan an
^Universal
waa'' el^te'd~''^'cretary, These
three, along with Addai and Sampong
evidently began to make plans to ex-
i-hp migc^iona'p-i OR f-rv-im Cihana _ Tho
^ce'tKaTrroan of the
Christia^n '^urch7~'lSaac
[for this
would not givp thenh-^menev. Also
they had requested vehicles, amplifi-
iers and much other equipment. We
told them that all we had was being
used to establish a Bible College,
That it was not the will of the Chis-
tian people, in America, just to take.,
things to individuals over there;ra
ther we went to train leadership for
the New Testament Church, Apparent-
Iv, they have shown no interest in
Idoctrine or the truth or the Gospel,
/ of Christ, Thev-are bitt^ because
we did not give them these material
things. Therefore, they went to
Minister of the Interior asking
that our visas be withdrawn. At
the same time, they made the false
accusations that we were spiesIt
is obvious to all Christians in the
US how unchristian these people are.
This also is a self explanation of
the reason why we did not limit our
activities to dealing with them.
Ten the MihijBfbflaL,jaf.jr.n^erior heard
this accusation, he caliedxhV miss
ionaries in who a're"**??f'1SS^^*anff'
COa^a^pel them within 48
was OTiy'TrnriT'the inter-
cession of other Christian people in
Ghana that saved them from being sent
out of the country. Since that time,
the Minister of Interior has apparent
ly realized the character of the
present leadership of the Universal
Christian Church, These people have
been bitter enemies with each other
but are now together in order to get
the missionaries out of the country
so that they can confiscate all the
property claiming that it belongs to^
them.
The M4m'st.er.u r>;-^4:he .sinterior noWN,^^^
tells us that since we are there un-
der the Universal Christian Church
quota, we must make some kind
doing, it IS quite evideht that he
recognizes that there is no truth to
the political charge because he is
dealing with it wholly as a religious
controversy. If he still believed it
was a political problem, he would
not consider whether we reached an
agreement with Universal Christian
reasonable to expect tteteven if the
missionaries are sent out of Ghana,
they will have more than 48 hours.
Yet many people who have had experi
ence in Africa realize that anything
_can he
Tj>jgB4iyAaiQaggi-gs,--.have drawn up a
T>iey have shown. the name of every >"
student, the religious background \
he had when he entered the school
and whether or not he is still in
school. They have shown when each
missionary came or left, They have|
given a financial statement to the\
Minister of the Interior, This
,BBa^au.thAtJ.an.%..nf,,.the money fcr the
y^iaa?fiDjJ^ge was contri -
cunea,, py ,v.nr!J^xxans- nere . in.,Tne
The Universal Christian Churchatno
time controlled the school. They
did not establish it nor did they
support. In short, they have never
had anything to do with the estab
lishment, management or control of
Ghana Christian College, Realizing
that they could not make a material
gain from us they agreed together to
^ expel the missionaries
\ and seize the prooerty themselves,
ft no time did we have Ghana Chri-
stian College subiect to Universal
iristian Church.
The Minister of Interior seems to
W regard the Universal Christian Church
A and Ghana Christian College as the
Vsame thing. The best thing for us
w^Tope^o inror- ^
Ghana Christian f'nitegeTn
****!iin*a recent meeting between the
missionaries who are in Ghana and
the Universal Christian Church lead-
ers, Univer
sal Cfiristl^^^^rarch fully control
the School as the price of their
staying there. I hardly need to add
that the missionaries will not agree
to this.
I would not return to Ghana under
this condition. However, I am going
back to Ghana if I possibly can. If
for any reason, it proves impossible
for me to get into Ghana (I will not
go under a Universal Christian Church
then I will go to_ano.tber Af-
.. rican cQuaJ3v->^ I do not speak for
them but I speak for myself. In all
probability, the situation will be
Mgolved long before then.
We have nothing but the
or the actions of the miss
ionaries now in Ghana. They have
aeted with great wisdom to forestall
this serious threat to the mission
work. I am personally convinced that
we have some dedicated and capable
men in Ghana now. All the communi
cations between us have shown that
they have done everything that it is
possible to do in order to stay in
ja. Both Dick Hostetter and I
"are convinced that thjgy. wil!r"succeed
T?rffr"the Lorcl^s help. We ,pray for
them every day and we need'the pray
ers of all Christians.
>
New Forwarding Agent
For
Ghana Christian College
The missionaries of Ghana have
agreed to choose a forwarding agent
whose responsibility will be the
handling of funds for the *5chool.
"He will not handle funds designated
directly for any one missionary. He
will handle funds for school ex
pense, building fund, etc.
The missionaries have chosen:
Roy L. Lumpkin
371U Rosalee Terrace
Chattanooga, Tennessee 37416
Robert L. Mize, Route 4, Concord,
Tennessee, 37720, is still my For
warding agent. Funds will still
come to us for the mission work
just as in the past. However, funds
intended to go directly to the
school should be sent to Roy L.
Lumpkin. All the missionaries will
have their own forwarding agents.
Brother Lumpkin will be the school^
Forwarding Agent.
DEPARTURE DATE
The Simkins family plans to return
to Ghana in January, 1969. If pos
sible, we will leave early in Janu
ary. The great need in Ghana prompts
us to go back even though we would
like.to finish several other speak
ing dates which we need to make.
Newsletter
,Due.tp changes, there has been a
considerable delay in printing our
.n'ewslef&er. A real debt of grati
tude is owed to Brother Pate, who
'has , now moved to Dodge City. We
-have' '^atcepted the kind offer of
several other people to print this
letter. The layout will be done by
-Vera Mushrush, in Indianapolis. The
printing will be done in Chattanoo
ga.
^ /
t A .
3
Prospective Students
Already this summer, there are
over 90 applications for entrance
into Ghana Christian College during
theX96ff=69-year. A"t least~15" o^f~"
these have already completed every
thing necessary to enroll. It looks
like we will have more incoming stu
dents this year than there were in
the combined first and second years
THE CHRISTIAN MESSENGER
Hickory Valley Christian Church
6^5 Shallowford Road
Chattanooga, Tennessee 37421
last vear. We are giving a high
quality and thorough education for
those who want to preach. Ghana
'Christiarr'Csil'ege ~is be"c6ming more"
known in Ghana, The prospects for
the future_ look very bright. We
'^oald not be surpriseT'^KS^^he
devil would try to destroy this
work. We know that God is able to
give us the victory thru Christ.
Nonprofit Organization
U. S. Postage
PAID
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Permit No. 92
Hlsaions Service
Box 963
509 W- Jefferson St.
Jolidt* Illiaois 60434
RETURN REQUESTED
AFRICAN EVANGELIST
Cyril Simkins, Missionary
P. O. Box 1914, Accra Ghana, Africa
Robert L. Mize, Forwarding Agent
Route 4, Admiral Drive
Concord, Tennessee 37720
DECEMBER, 1968
O^O
v||
GHANA IMl?EPENPENr AKCH, ACCRA, GHANA, AFRICA
return to GHANA
Cyril and Mary Simkins have ser
the end of January as a date for r^
turning to Ghana, Originally it was
intended that January 1 should be
the approximate date. The delay
caused over the visa or permission
to enter the country has caused a
brief postponement. We still expect
to leave in January.
It now looks like Mary Ann will
remain for 5-6 months and stay with
her older brother, Ronald. She will
probably come on to Ghana at the end
of her first year in high school.
The primary reason for her delay in
leaving is due to the fact that she
is having her teeth braced. We do
not know of an orthodontist in Ghana.
We are hoping that her dental work
will be finished by next summer.
As much as we hate to leave her,
and her two older brothers, Ronald
and James, we are nevertheless
thinking of Ghana and looking for
ward toward being back in the work
on the mission field. We do need
your prayers as we return to this
field.
Work Still Progressing
In Ghana
At Thanksgiving time we can think
of so many things to be thankful
for. We are thankful for our coun
try, our Christian heritage,and our
many other blessings. At this time
we are also thankful that the work
in Ghana is progressing well. The
difficulties have thus far been
overcome and the work continues to
grow. We believe that it will be
stronger because of the tests which
have been met, Altho God permits
our faith to be tested,He is always
during the trial trying to help us
to overcome the world. We do not
want to be lacking in our faith in
God.
The reports from the missionaries
who are on the field look brighter.
They have incorporated the school
as a Ghanaian institution so that
they can file for a quota of miss
ionaries in Ghana for the school.
It is--absolutely -necessary-that we-
get off of the quota which we prev
iously used so that the work may
progress without interference. The
application for a quota to be grant
ed to the school is now in the hands
of the Ministry. It will probably
take some time for this to be pro
cessed, When it is granted, we can
come into the country with a visa
that is given on the school's quota.
This is what we are hoping for, and
it is what we pray for. It will be
the best possible solution to the
visa difficulty. The Ghana Govern
ment requires that the visa (permi
ssion to take residence in a fore
ign country) be given upon someone^
quota,
This fall,our third academic year
began. The enrollment is about the
same this year as last school year.
We had to do this because of the
problem over the visas. We were
already equipped to take car of
the 32 students which we had full
time last year. If we had greatly
increased our enrollment, it would
have required a considerable expan
sion of our facilities. This would
have been especially acute so far
as dormitory space is concerned. We
would have had to secure another
dormitory, more dormitory furniture,
etc. Therefore, we did not take
all the applications for admission
to the school. We concluded that it
was better to go along another year
with the facilities already at hand
and wait until next year to expand.
The more pressing problem was to
solve the visa requirements so that
the missionaries would be able lat
er to progress upon a more sure
foundation. Therefore, this is the
course of action we have taken.
This school year, we have a third
year class as well as Freshman and
Sophcxnore classes. Next year, we
will add our final year. We are op-
-t-imistic as we -think--ofChe great
amount of good that has been achiev
ed in so short a time. Already it
has had an influence upon Ghana, We
know that it will be impossible to
measure the influence for good that
can be made thru the School,
. :.n
Cyiil S^r\iUru> and ion, RonaZd
African Mission Evangelism
Now Incorporated
The mission work has now been in
corporated in the State of Tennessee
under the name,AFRICAN MISSION EVAN
GELISM, The incorporators had to be
resident in the State of Tennessee,
but all of the forwarding agents
have been voted members of the Board
of Directors. The Board will be
/ made up of all of the forwarding
/ agents plus all of the missionaries,
^^ The President of the Corporation
is Robert L, Mize, Route 4, Concord,
Tennessee, 37720. The Secretary-
^TEgajsucer of the mission is Roy
' Liimpkin, 3714 Rosalee Terrace, Chat
tanooga, Tennessee 37416, Roy Lump-
kin does not take the place of any
forwarding agent for any of the mis
sionaries, He will, however, take
charge of the building funds, and
also handle any funds for the Coll
ege which anyone may care to send
directly to the College without
-sending them thru any of the indiv
idual missionary's fund,
Robert L, Mize, Route 4, Conco]?d,
Tennessee 37720 is still the For
warding Agent for the Simkins fami
ly, All funds intended to be sent
to the Simkins mission fund should
be sent to Robert L, Mize, just as
has been done in the past. The same
applies to the other missionaries
and to their Forwarding Agents ,
However, it is also possible to send
funds directly for College use to
Roy Lumpkin, We may also say that
whenever Mr, Mize receives funds de
signated for the school he will, of
course, forward them on to Mr, Dump-
kin,
The formation of African Mission
Evangelism was due to the necessity
for having some committee in the US
which could speak for the mission
aries on the field. We needed to
have such an organization to write
to the Ghana government on behalf
of the missionaries in Ghana when
they were faced with the visa prob
lem, We also need to have a non
profit organization to protect in
dividual donors, as well as oursel
ves, in matters concerned with in
come tax. It is even possible now
to purchase items in the US without
having to pay a sales tax.
The Corporation was not formed in
order to dominate the mission work.
Mission policy on the foreign field
is still in the hands of the miss
ionaries, The mission does not even
attempt to control the forwarding
agents. Its puyppse is to l^p^with
''the legal requirements andto pro
tect the missionaries as well as do
nors to the mission.
Building Fund
The building fund now stands at
more than $7,900, We hope that it
will be more than $10,000 before we
leave to return to Africa, Altho
work can begin anytime after the
school is on a sound basis^ it would
be j'i^fMJ'OO before
beginning the" actual building, A
part of this will have to be paid
for land. We have a need for an
adequate classroom building, but
along with it also adequate domi-
tory space. It is very doubtful
that this can all be done with
$20,000 even above the price of the
land. However, it would be a good
start to have $20p00 over and above,
the price of the land. This would
give great confidence in completing
the whole project in a reasonable
time.
All of the building fund money is
now in the hands of a very fine
Christian engineer, who loves the
Lord's work on the mission field as
well as at home. He is Roy L, Lump-
kin, 3714 Rosalee Terrace, Chatta
nooga, Tennessee 37416, Since Roy
Lumpkin is holding all building
funds against the time we begin
building, all building funds which
may be sent to my Forwarding Agent,
Robert L, Mize, will be forwarded
on to Roy Lumpkin if they are so de
signated, Mr, Mize, will continue
to handle all of our mission funds.
THE CHRISTMAS STORY
The Christmas Story is a story of
God's Missionary who came to men.
God so loved the world that He gave
His only Son. He sent Him in order
to save mankind from the sin that de
stroys his life. What other reason
is there for any of us to go as a
missionary. If we want to be miss
ionaries, we need His example of what
a missionary should be and do. Un
less this is our goal, we are not del
ing what God is doing. If our miss
ionary efforts are to be like His,
the salvation of the world should be
our supreme work. God says that it
is to be done thru the preaching of
the Gospel of Christ. The mission
ary's commission is the Great Commis
sion, God wants it carried over the
world.
The great significance of Christ's
birth lies in the life which follow
ed the birth. Because of His birth,
we have His cross and His resurrec
tion. Because of His birth, we have
His church and His salvation. These
things make the event which took
place in Bethlehem of m^entous im
portance. In the same way, it is
what follows our going to the mission
field that makes our going meaning
ful. There are all sorts of tasks
THE CHRISTIAN MESSENGER
Hickory Valley Christian Church
6605 Shaliowford Road
Chattanooga, Tennessee 37421
which a missionary can do, but he
must not neglect the supreme task.
The value of our commission lies in
what we go to do. Like our Master,
we must proclaim the cross and resur
rection. We must plant the church
and preach salvation.
The gospel is good news which the
world cannot be without and live. It
is still good news today. In a world
where there is so much bad news we
need to be proclaiming the good news.
It was worth being announced by an
gels. Surely it is worth our efforts.
The gospel means that Satan will not
be victorious, but that Christ will.
It means that Christ will destroy
him, no matter how things sometimes
look. The gospel means that life has
conquered death. It means that
righteousness will triumph over sin.
Such good news could only come from
God, It has to cane from One who
sees the end from the beginning. Be
cause of its wonderful significance,
the Birth of Christ will never be
erased from man's memory. It is the
message from God which mankind needs.
We can sing as the angels did when
we realize that we can have a part
in proclaiming this good news.
Nonprofit Organization
U. S. Postage
PAID
Chattanoogo, Tennessee
Permit No. 92
Uisslons Service
Box 968
509 W. Jefferson St.
JoXiete Illtnoia 60434
JAN 2
ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED