by Keith Bassham
There is a reason why automobile windshields are so much larger than rearview mirrors — and the Fellowship’s forward look should always be correspondingly larger. That does not, however, mean we ignore history.
Therefore, we have some bits of history in this Tribune. The meeting in Cebu City, Philippines, of which we have been writing for some time, is historic for our Fellowship. For that reason, we are also reprinting a biographical article about Bob Hughes, the founder of the Baptist Bible Fellowship church-planting movement in Cebu. Bob’s early connections with our Fellowship, and his family’s ongoing connections, make him a pivotal figure in the historic spread of the gospel along the Pacific Rim. And then, in our Digressions section, we are reproducing a missive from the government of Ethiopia, sent 50 years ago this month, to the then fledgling Baptist Bible Fellowship inviting us to send our missionaries to their nation.
And all along the way, the Tribune was there recording the history, cheering the successes, and pointing the way forward, most of the time short-staffed and underfunded. A short time before his death in 1974, Tribune Founding Editor Noel Smith reminisced in an editorial:
And more than 20 years on The Tribune haven’t been easy years. In addition to the work on The Tribune I have always carried a full teaching load. I do all my research, and most of what I write is pecked out on my personal typewriter. It is hard work. And the hours are long, day and night. And it’s lonely work. Most all my work, from my childhood, has been lonely work. But I have no complaints. And my work has had, and is having, its rewards. I choose to do what I am doing. And because I know it is worthwhile.
“I choose to do what I am doing because I know it is worthwhile.” It was and continues to be a worthwhile work to provide a communication tool for our Fellowship, to link our preachers and churches by way of the printed page, to tell the world what God is doing through the people of the Baptist Bible Fellowship.
As I wrote last month, this is the time of year we receive our annual February Tribune Offering from the churches and pastors. I know it sounds like I’m beating this drum quite a lot, but the lack of a midwinter Tribune meeting makes the reminder necessary. Our regular subscribers and advertisers account for about a fourth of our budget. Half our budget comes from churches who support us monthly, usually in exchange for a bundle subscription (most of our magazines are distributed in churches this way). And the annual offering makes up the last of what we need to continue publishing.
Pastors, if you believe the Tribune continues to be worthwhile, I will so much appreciate your partnership in the work. That partnership is itself one of my many rewards serving the Baptist Bible Tribune these 16 years.