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Message MessengerTHEA periodic publication of the Fellowship of Fundamental Bible Churches

Face to Face 9Tri-State History 13Hymn History 16Pause for Prayer 19Quotable Quotes 21Psalms in Focus 22Messenger Series 4 Vol. 1 No. 3Published byFellowship of FundamentalBible Churchesffbchurches.orgEditorJosh YoheThe Messenger is a freepublication. For comments,questions, or to contributean article, call 850.503.8736. No articles may bereprinted in whole or inpart without obtainingpermission from the editor.Copyright © 2025Fellowship of FundamentalBible Churches From the Editor 1News of the Walkout 4Thoughts on the Walkout 6First Messenger (1939)

iiWelcome to the MessengerA Time to RememberFor over eight decades, the Messenger has existed to proclaim theGospel, inform of relevant issues, and promote unity and fellowshipamong the churches. To celebrate the eighty-fifth anniversary of theFellowship of Fundamental Bible Churches, this edition will focus on thehistory of the fellowship, covering items not mentioned in thedocumentary.If you are a reader of the Messenger and have not yet viewed thedocumentary, I would urge you to watch it. It is available on our website:ffbchurches.org. It can also be sent to you on a USB drive by emailingthe editor. A special thank you to the archives of the FFBC, Community BibleChurch, and Hidden History for the documents and photos.As you peruse this issue, remember to thank God for His faithfulness tothe FFBC, and let us pray for even greater opportunities for the kingdomof God over the next eighty-five years!Josh YoheEditor“I will remember the works of theLord: surely I will remember thywonders of old.” (Psalm 77:11)

Remembering the works of the Lord“I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember thy wonders of old.”—Psalm 77:11A writer of yesteryear once noted: “A generation which ignores history has nopast—and no future.” History is often viewed as something we all need to knowbut is too boring to learn. However, when we take the time to study history, weoften discover the passions which built the present and will preserve the future. The Psalmist calls on his listeners to “remember the works of the Lord,” forremembering brought about faith in God. Consistently throughout the OldTestament, we come across the Israelites being called to remember God’s faithfuldealings to them from their history, and yet they act like there was no God. In oneverse, the Israelites hear God speak and, within just a few days, they call on Aaronto build them a new god. God provides a way through the Red Sea, and the peoplebegin complaining a few verses later. God provided miraculous food, water, andprotection, but when the spies examine the Promised Land, they return declaringthey cannot possibly win.1From the EditorJosh YoheReading the Old Testament canoften be frustrating, as onewonders how the Israelites could soquickly forget the “works of theLord,” but the biblical historyreveals that there is truly “nothingnew under the sun.” How often do we see God workmightily and then almostimmediately find ourselvescomplaining that God doesn’t helpus? Probably more often than weought to if we are being honest withourselves.

We must study our past as a fellowship. Not only does it reveal the purposes,goals, and desires of those who left an apostate body, but also it gives us a reasonto continue. Ignoring our past destroys our future because it clouds our present. The men and women who left the Methodist Union remembered the works Godhad done in the past. Like the “great cloud of witnesses” who went forward infaith, regardless of the consequences, these men and women took a stand topreserve the “faith once delivered.” Rather than just writing a letter or passing aresolution, these men and women took action. They left a body they viewed asapostate. As a world war was fomenting and people were seeking unity, regardlessof the cost, a small group decided to stand firm in the presence of hurt.They knew that, like the three Hebrew children, God could save and preserve themif He so chose and went forward simply with that hope in their hearts. Ourancestors took a stand. Remembering God’s work in their lives ought toinvigorate our current cause. The famed evangelist George Whitefield oncedeclared: “I would rather wear out than rust out.” The men and women who took astand, wore themselves out for the cause of Christ. Are we?Remembering the works of the Lord ought to strengthen our resolve today. Thereare plenty of issues to stand against, both inside and outside of the Church. Thereis no need to sit on the sidelines. When we remember the works of the Lord, weare reminded of his unchangeableness from generation to generation. The Lordwho preserved the FFBC at its founding, is the same Lord of today. Failure toremember this very thing is often the downfall of once-great ministries. Thus, toremember our history is to preserve our future.2“I would rather wear out than rust out.”- George Whitefield

May we the Fellowship of Fundamental Bible Churches remain true to the purposeof our founding: not just fellowship but the fundamentals of the faith. Not justbeing a church but being a church grounded on the Bible. Not just a group whomakes resolutions but resolves to take a stand. A group who exists just as strongtoday, as it was eighty-five-years ago, and who will remain just as firm over thenext eighty-five years. May we remember the works of the Lord in our history andseek to maintain that which the Lord has given us.“The Walkout”Morris S. AndersonThe Walkout happened in “39”“Blessed Assurance Jesus is mine.”This was the hymn they will never forget,This was the move they will never regret.Traveled to Scullville and vowed to be true.A Gideon band, a valiant fewThere they found refuge, there they were fed,They rejoiced in the Word and there they broke bread.Legal advice was given and thenHome to their churches to battle for them,To retain what was theirs to the Glory of HimWho in His own blood had washed them from sin.Now Scullville remains a very dear placeTo those of this fellowship, saved by His Grace.Most of those valiant ones; “sleep ’neath the sod”Awaiting the rapture, the Trumpet of God!May we keep faith with that Gideon band’Til we gather together in God’s Holy land.3

4News of the Walkout

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7Thoughts on the WalkoutWhen news of the Walkout broke, the views were split. While the small groupstood resolute in their decision, the Methodist Church publicly remained silent.However, privately Rev. James Straughn (last president of the MP Church) wouldwrite: “I am sorry these churches are in such an upset condition, but we have had quite a timeof it with these dissenting brethren in the Eastern Conference. Things worked outinfinitely better than I thought they might, with a very minimum of dissent.”Despite the prominence of the Methodist Union and the suppression of division,some newspapers and magazines, both secular and Christian, did pick up thestory.Time magazine reported:For 16 M. P. churchmen from southern New Jersey, this merger was newfangled andnefarious. . . . The 16 arose, marched out of the room singing Blessed Assurance, whosechorus goes: This is my story, this is my song, praising my Saviour all the day long. The 16dissenters forthwith rumped themselves, declared the rump a “reorganization” of theconference they had bolted.Newsweek wrote:Methodism is a democracy, and Methodist minorities don’t always agree with what theMethodist majority does. . . . The occasion was an Eastern Conference meeting atAtlantic City, N.J., called to dissolve itself and join united Methodists in another meetingat Ocean City. The Rev. N. C. Conant . . . invited “those who want nothing to do with theMethodist Church” to follow him out of the hall. Sixteen clergymen and 59 laymenwalked out, singing the hymn “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name.”The fundamentalist pastor and scholar Paul Woolley exhorted the new group:We wish for the continuing Methodist Protestant Church every blessing. We hope that itsministers will preach the gospel with sincerity and power. Further, we hope that they willnot rely too strongly, as their founder did, upon the feelings and their fruits, but willplace their feet firmly upon the unshakable rock of the doctrines of Holy Scripture.

8Reverend Newton C. Conant’s book How God Delivered34 Churches dives into the history of why, how, andwhen our Fellowship’s split with Methodism occurred. Itgoes into meticulous detail of the events surroundingthe split and extends into the years following, seeking toencourage the current churches of our fellowship topersevere.As Reverend Bill Raymond noted of this book: “Everypastor and every member of our Fellowship’s churchesneed to read and reread this book. We must not forgetour heritage.”Reverend Walter S. Patrick was called a “man ofcharacter and conviction” and one who “was fearless inrefusing to compromise with apostasy.” Walter “Pat”Patrick served for many years as the editor of theMessenger. His final book was Face to Face, themanuscript finished just prior to his passing in 1970. The book consists of twenty devotional sermons byReverend Patrick and covers topics like consecration,glorifying God, fear, salvation, and many other issues stillrelevant for today. You can read two of thesedevotionals in past Messengers. As the fledgling group began to grow in size, PastorNewton C. Conant determined to undertake thechallenge of putting on paper the beliefs of theMethodist church and identify the error in their doctrine.His work was titled: Present Day Methodism and theBible. The book covers many of the major doctrines, highlightssome trends occurring in the Methodist denomination,and requests the reader’s examination of staying in theMethodist church or leave.

9FACE TO FACERev. Walter S. PatrickPublisher’s ForwardOne of the men who spoke out against the Methodist Union at the Eastern Conference was Reverend Walter S. Patrick. Called a man “of character and conviction,” Reverend Patrick was instrumental in leadingthe charge for separation and was the first editor of The Messenger. The BibleProtestant Press published his book Face to Face, filled with twenty devotionalmessages. In the coming publications, various chapters will be reprinted here,with minor grammatical corrections for readability. Chapter 20: Are You Ready? “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.” (2 Timothy 4:6)The Apostle Paul in his second missive to his spiritual son, Timothy, wrote: “For Iam now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand” (2 Tim. 4:6).This statement is immediately followed by three things he had accomplished: “Ihave fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” What avaledictory! What a swan song! What a farewell!Indeed, what a state of readiness for one’s soul and spirit to leave a dissolvingtabernacle and ascend to an eternal heaven, where a building of God, a house notmade with hands, is waiting for occupancy. Paul, no doubt, had more than apremonition that the Lord was about to say, “Come up hither.” Had not the Saviortold the Apostle Peter that he was soon to put off his tabernacle? Then surely Hemust have informed Paul that he soon was to do the same. Both of these NewTestament patriarchs, who were about the same age, were ready for theUppertaker!Neither the reader nor the writer of this little homily are acquainted with eitherthe day or the hour when the Lord will call us Home. Our Savior said to Hisfollowers: “My time is not yet come, but your time is alway ready” (John 7:6).

Jesus knew when His hour was come, that He should depart out of this worldunto the Father, but His disciples didn’t know when their respective hourwould strike. For that reason the Lord told them to be “alway ready.”It’s one thing to be ready when the house rent or car payment comes due; orwhen the insurance agent calls, or the baby comes. These all call for promptreadiness. But to be prepared when the Lord Jesus Christ calls, a condition ofreadiness is imperative; it’s a must; there will be no period of grace; noextension of time.In Luke 12:40 the Lord admonished His own as to being ready when Hereturned: “Be ye therefore ready also, for the Son of man cometh at an hourwhen ye think not.” While this warning related to Christ’s coming to set up Hiskingdom on earth, it might very well and properly be directed also to theChurch, His Body, which is awaiting, not the Second Coming, but rather theRapture, when His mystical Body will be caught up into Heaven to dwell withits glorious Head.Then there is the illustration of the marriage feast as shown in Matthew 25:10relating to the ten virgins: “And while they (the five foolish virgins) went tobuy, the Bridegroom came, and they that were ready (the five wise virgins)went in with Him to the marriage, and the door was shut.” Like the flood ofNoah’s time: Who were ready? Those already IN the ark. 10

11Remember Paul’s answer to those who advised that he not go at a certain timeto Jerusalem because his life had been threatened: “I am ready not to bebound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of Jesus” (Acts 21:13).Although Paul was also told that he faced death if he ventured into the city ofRome, his reply was: “I am debtor both to the Greeks and to the Barbarians,both to the wise and to the unwise. So, as much as is in me, I am ready topreach the Gospel to you that are at Rome also” (Romans 1:14–15). Paul wasalways ready, always prepared: Loins girt about with truth, breastplate ofrighteousness, feet shod with the gospel of peace, shield of faith, helmet ofsalvation, sword of the Spirit! What better accouterments could he have had?The true believer should not only always be ready to die for his Lord, but,harder than that, he should be ready to live for Him. Listen to Peter’s charge:“Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and be ready always to give an answerto every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you withmeekness and fear” (I Peter 3:15).The Prophet Amos warns in his book(4:12) “Prepare to meet thy God.” Inother words, “Be ready!” Sad to relate,the noted Winston Churchill during thetime of his fatal illness was asked if hewas ready to meet the Lord. Hisanswer: “Yes, I am ready to meet Him,but is He ready to meet ME?” What asorry statement that was to climax alife of wonderful service to hiscountry! Dear reader, if your life weresnuffed out this day, would you beready to meet our blessed Lord andSavior Jesus Christ? Go to your room;get down upon your knees and ask Himto make you ready— and He will!Maranatha.

12LEFT: Cover of The DailyChristian Advocate showingimages of the Methodist Union.Much of the issue discussed themerger and issues of the day.Not a single member from theEastern Conference of theMethodist Protestant Churchattended.BOTTOM: Front page of theChristian Beacon celebrating theone-year anniversary of theWalkout. A copy of this issue is inthe FFBC Archives.

13In 1945, we began searching for a property suitable for a Conference grounds. By1949, we had purchased a property and Tri-State Bible Camp was born. For thelast 75 years, the camp has provided a place for young people and adults to stepaway from the busyness of life, and refresh themselves in the Word.According to Montague historian Alicia C. Batko, many modifications were madeto the grounds. The icehouse became the snack shack while a bar and dance hallwere redone into the chapel. In 1956, a new pool was put in (at a cost of $14,000)and about a decade later, the McCoy Manor was built.

14Make Tri-State— A MelodyMake Tri-State to be, a place of melody,Warning every one of all that is but dross;Make Tri-State to be a glorious symphony,Ever sounding out the message of the cross.Jesus in her midst, no discord can arise,He can make the saddest strain to harmonize.Make Tri-State to be a glorious symphony,Ever sounding out the message of the cross.

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16Hymn History Nearer, My God, to Thee Hymns have always been a vital part of worship. The Bible is full ofverses relating to singing God’s praises. And because of the importantplace within worship that singing has, we must be careful what music weuse in worshipping our Creator and Savior. To that end, the FFBC haspassed resolutions focusing on various aspects of hymn singing andworship. One passed in 1975 is as follows:WHEREAS singing is a major means of teaching and learning (Colossians 3:16) andWHEREAS even our children learn hymns and songs before they learn to read,andWHEREAS confusion and heresy abound in the teaching of the biblical doctrine ofthe Holy Spirit, and WHEREAS hymns and songs that plead for the Holy Spirit to come upon us violatethe truths that believers have been baptized, indwelt, and sealed by the HolySpirit and create a climate that encourages Neo-pentecostalism, BE IT RESOLVED that our churches and ministers review hymn and songsconcerning the Holy Spirit with a discerning and critical eye so as to refrain fromheretical teaching.The teaching of theology behind our hymns is an oft-ignored aspect ofhymns. Many know the history behind songs like “Amazing Grace,” “AMighty Fortress,” and “It is Well with My Soul,” but the songs we fully-know only cover a portion of our hymnbooks. We often trust thetheology of our hymns to the book’s compilers. It is imperative that we examine every song we intend to sing to its fullestextent. Many hymns we sing may even have been written with acompletely different theological viewpoint then we today believe themto have. One example of this is the hymn “Nearer, My God, to Thee.”

through this song, references to Genesis 28 abound throughout. When thefamous composer Lowell Mason added a new tune to the poem, itspopularity skyrocketed in both the United States and Great Britain. SarahAdams never saw its popularity, as she passed away several years prior.It was reportedly played as the Titanic sunk and has been played at fourpresidential funerals. Its enduring and solemn nature even led Ted Turner(at CNN’s launch) to declare:“Barring satellite problems, we won’t be signing off until the world ends. . . . We’llbe on, and we will cover it [the end of the world] live, and that will be our last,last event. . . . And when the end of the world comes, we’ll play “Nearer My GodTo Thee” before we sign off.”While a hymn that discusses our desire to be nearer to God, you mightnotice as you read through the song that it is very generic in itsterminology. That is because Sarah Flower Adams was a Unitarian, and assuch would not have believed Jesus was God. The hymn was written for aUnitarian service, and was focussing on a completely different god then wewould be singing of in our churches today. 17“Nearer, My God, to Thee” was written bySarah Fuller Flower Adams. Of her many songs,this remains the one still generally known bythe public. It is based on the narrative found inGenesis 28:10-22, where Jacob falls asleep anddreams of angels coming and going fromheaven. After the dream, he built an altar andnamed the place Beth-El (“House of God”).As was common in that day, many writerswrote hymns specifically for a sermon, andthat is the origin of this hymn. When one reads

Because of its origin as a Unitarian hymn, some hymnbooks avoid using it,others have completely rewritten the hymn, while to a lesser extremeadditional verses are added to strengthen the theological meaning andfocus the text on Christ. We sing hymns by a wide array of authors—Catholic, Presbyterian,Anglican, Methodist, Baptist, etc.—with which we would not be doctrinallyaligned. And yet our hymnbooks are replete with these. While the authormay be biblically deficient, the hymn itself may be true to biblical doctrine.It is imperative to review the hymns with which we worship God. Even all the songs of Solomon failed to make it into the Bible or even bepreserved. There were certainly more than 150 Psalms written throughoutIsrael’s extensive history. Hymns must be examined, considered, andweighed for their value in worshipping God and giving Him glory. We canredeem hymns of faulty origin or relatively weak theology; we must simplybe willing to be bold in our worship: pointing out error in our hymnbooks,explaining the origin of the hymn, and focus worship ultimately on Godalone.18

19Pause for PrayerThe prayer life of our Lord is deeply instructive and should become a pattern forthe prayer life of every believer who would be like Christ. . . . “And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, andcontinued all night in prayer to God” (Luke 6:12).Prayer was most costly to the Lord Jesus Christ in both time and energy. Outsideof the actual suffering of the cross, the experience of prayer was perhaps Hismost costly experience. for instance, witness the sufferings of our Saviour in theprayer struggle in Gethsemane. Can prayer be so costly to Christ and yet be socheap to us, His professed followers?Much of the believer’s time in prayer should be taken up with necessary herd-searching. We need time to allow God to search our motives and to reveal to usany evil way in which we may be walking. It is so easy for us to go astray fromGod, and we need daily heart-searching and cleansing to restore us. However,this was not so with our Lord Jesus Christ who knew no sin and who did no sin.Why then did our Lord find it so necessary to spend so much time alone inprayer with His Father? May we suggest at least five reasons:1. The need of such fellowship with His Father which only long periods of time couldsatisfy. 2. The need to learn complete dependence upon the Father and thus to place all thingsin the Father’s hands. 3. The need to replenish strength for His daily ministry in combat with the powers ofdarkness. 4. The need to get the very words from the Father which He should later speak thatday. 5. The need for further light and instruction in God’s will. Are not these valid reasons for us also to spend much time daily in quietness andmediation in the presence of the Lord?. . .Pastor Newton Conant excerpt from Changed by Beholding Him

The believer must also learn to set definitetimes for prayer and devotion to the Lord,and by faith keep these times as sacredunto the Lord. We must so recognize thesupreme importance of prayer as to give itproper precedence over all lesser, thoughseemingly important, matters. Men whohave been greatly used of God have beenmen who set definite times for prayerwhich they kept diligently. . . .All believers must learn from our Lord andfrom the example of men greatly used ofGod, that they must not be haphazard andcareless in their prayer lives, hoping to findtime to fit prayer in somewhere, somehow.This is the pathway of spiritual failure anddefeat. Times for prayer must be set andmust be observed faithfully if we are to 20Changed by Beholding Him was written by Pastor Newton Conant and publishedby Barbour Books. Might we as a Fellowship seriously consider our own prayer lives. Do we, likeChrist, make prayer important? We have a great cloud of witnesses to the powerof prayer in the Bible and throughout history. Reverend Conant and the othermen and women who left the Methodist Union did so only after much prayer,both leading up to the split, during the Walkout, and in persevering through theformation of a new group.Prayer is vital for any person or ministry. Without prayer, we are nothing. One ofthe greatest gifts after salvation is the priviledge of prayer, and all too often weas pastors, we as Christians, we as churches, we as a fellowship neglect to spendserious time praying.follow the example of our Lord. These prayer times will become increasinglyprecious and will be looked forward to with great expectation, and will result intimes of great blessing in the presence of the Lord.

21Quotable Quotes“There are basically two types of followers of Jesus: those who seek Him forblessings and those who follow Him because of who He is.”- Ernest Brodie,Sr.“In these difficult and uncertain days in which we live, I am glad that I servea God who is in total control.”- Dan Boyce“We face the future unafraid, counting it a privilege to suffer the loss of allthings if necessary to be loyal to the Word of God and the Son of God.”-Newton Conant“What we believe determines our behavior. Let’s reaffirm out loyalty to theabsolute, eternal truth of His Word. Tamper with this foundation to our faith,and it is to our own peril.”- Terry Smith“One of the most encouraging evidences of the hand of God upon us is themanner in which He directs us to solve our problems and meet our crises inunited dependent prayer. Scores of times over the years we have spread ourvarious difficulties before Him and He has without fail solved our problemsand led us into deeper unity.”- Newton Conant“Those who realize that the Lord is their portion will both hope and wait forHim. They realize that God has new mercies every morning! They realizeGod’s great faithfulness, even in these days of great apostasy. This is theremedy to lethargy and complacency. The only remedy is the Lord JesusChrist.”- Dan Boyce“We are grateful for the stand that these men took for the truth in thosedays of apostasy. May we continue to stand for the truth asFundamentalists, regardless of the cost.”- Mark Franklin

22Psalms in FocusPastor Ron Whitehead(Bethel Bible Baptist)Psalm 91 — The Blessing of AbidingThe following was originally published in 2007.There is a big difference between one who says that he is a Christian and one whoreally is a Christian. It is a matter of the heart and it is impossible to know anybodyelse’s heart except your own. When you are truly saved you will know it by therelationship that you have with Jesus Christ. One of the most exciting ways to knowfor sure is by answered prayer. We are told in Psalm 91:15, “He shall call upon me,and I will answer him.” This is not speaking of the vague answers to vague prayers,but the knowledge that God is concerned about what is on your heart. It is truly arelationship with your heavenly Father in a similar way that you have with yourearthly father. God delights in giving good gifts to His children just as a loving fatherdelights in giving good gifts to his children. You see, a genuine Christian will talk toGod each and every day and will develop a common bond with his heavenly Father.Another great truth in this verse in Psalm 91:15 is, “I will be with him in trouble; Iwill deliver him, and honor him.” How comforting to know that when you are introuble, you have an opportunity to turn to God and He will help you every time. Itis a marvel to me how an unbeliever can go through a trial without a relationshipwith God. A true believer in Christ has the personal knowledge that his life has seenGod’s comforting hand holding him continually through the deep dark valleys oflife. His life is marked by a peace that will pass over you that you cannot explain. Itis more than just being able to endure the trouble, everyone has to do that, but it ishandling the trouble in someone else’s strength. God gives us His strength to handlethe trouble. I like what Warren Wiersbe once said concerning trials when heremarked that when a child of God goes through the furnace of life, “God keeps Hiseye on the clock and His hand on the thermostat.” He knows how much each of Hischildren can endure, and He will never allow us to go beyond our breaking point.What a blessing to know that God cares that much about us and that we have morethan just religion, but a personal relationship with Him. Remember that this promiseis not for everybody; it is only for the child of God who is walking in obedience toGod. The contexts suggest that this was written for the one who is habituallydwelling in the secret place of the Most High.