Missionary Bro. James Dearmore

[Jim_Alaska]

I have moved the posts between weary warrior and myself to this new thread from The Beauty of Creation. My post and the resulting replies were off of the original topic.

weary warrior, are you familiar with the person or work of Bro. James Dearmore who was a missionary to South Africa out of Rodger's Baptist Church for over 50 years? His work among tribal people exemplified Biblical mission work and teaching. He has now gone to be with The Lord, but his work lives on in the form of tribal pastors that he trained. He and his wife worked under the most dangerous and trying conditions a missionary can experience. Many places he worked were very hostile to both missionaries and Americans. They lived and worked under conditions that threatened their very lives on a daily basis.

I was privileged to meet and get to know this man of God in my early years living in Alaska. My church there supported Bro. James for many years. He was one of what I consider the few remaining old school Baptists. When he became too old for the rigors of tribal mission work he refused to retire and spent the remainder of his years as a missionary out of Rodger's Baptist Church, where he worked daily in electronically publishing The Gospel Web. This website is a wealth of information, as well as sermon material. There is also much information there about his work and the trials he and his wife endured. His work is carried on since his death by his Son, James Dearmore, Jr.

[Jim_Alaska]

Reply by weary warrior

Jim, I am not familiar with the work of Bro. Dearmore, though he sounds like he was my kind of servant. I have a tremendous burden for Africa after my trip there, and would go back permanent in a heartbeat if God would allow it. Right now, my children are too old to get a visa into most countries as a dependent, and too young to leave here alone. You know how I feel about letting Bible Colleges finish our job of raising our children . I saw miles and miles of villages like this one in Northern Botswana, and no sign of the gospel.

I included this picture of a village I went through in Botswana, maybe it will qualify as helping us to stay on topic. 

[DaveW]

I have always wondered why God would save a man in a particula church, then grow that man in that church to the point tgat the man wants to serve the Lord in ministry then take that man across the country or across the world to be trained somewhere else????

I am actually a part of a "Bible Institue" where three of us local Pastors are each teaching a class to people in the three churches where we serve - that way the students get a more rounded teaching rather than the single point of view, but as we each sit in all the classes ourselves, we also learn and often have discussion on some points.

We obviously agree closely, but not entirely, and so the discussions can be fun sometimes.

Pro 11:14 Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.

Sometimes we can get over-focussed on a certain point, so working together can be a good thing.

[Jim_Alaska]

Bro. Dave, this was how I was trained in Alaska. This is also how I was used later to train others that had surrendered to preach. It is interesting that our group of instructors also numbered three from three different churches, just like yours.

I was part of this small group of instructors that trained missionaries out of our local churches who went on to become some of the first Baptist missionaries to go into Far East Russia when the wall came down. Our missionaries and their families lived and worked there for five years and the churches they established still stand today with local Russian pastors.

What a blessing it was to be able to have some small part in this kind of work.

[DaveW]

I am not Anti-Bible college by any stretch - I think in some cases it is even a better option than, for instance  being under a pastor who is so exclusionary as to lose sight of some of the important things.

But in my mind (note that this my opinion and therefore worth exactly what you paid for it - nothing!) Big Bible colleges are second best.

They turn out some truly faithful men of God on occasion, but by and large I can't help thinking that God wants a man trained where he is growing, where the Lord planted him.

And of course most of the time men start these colleges with the highest intent, lets not forget that.

But.....

When you send the most faithful, most involved, most growing man (and/or woman) away, it only weakens your church. If God takes them somewhere  else then all good, but to send thrm away as a matter of course??????

Sorry folks - rambling now.......