Decision At Friendship

this is a quiet corner of the planet Earth place in the west of America near yet not near the town of Lisa a place so remote it doesn't even have a name an old drowsy Sun heaves itself up and begins its morning rounds splashing diamonds down upon the temporal things of man a drop of magic d to set the East on fire though still and Strangely Beautiful this is not a gentle place when the sun slides higher there is revealed a land as dry and Barren as a skeleton's dream harsh empty vast a land where mere survival is a victory this is a story of the land a handful of people a church they built and a remarkable decision they made [Music] there [Music] 22 mil from the grocery store 4 miles from his nearest neighbor a mile and a half from his mailbox lives Norman Travis O'Brien brother NT as his friends call him worked these same Fields nearly 50 years ago with teams of mules we weren't equipped to wrestle with a country like this one really was we had never experienced the storms like we have here in the dry seasons just a third minutes or an hour storm would wipe out most of a Year's work and looked like it is about all loss every effort we'd make look like is a losing game but there was bright times as well as the rough ones the people appreciated one another and worked together appreciated the hardships others were experiencing all in all we didn't count it so hard we thought we was doing fairly well to exist and as I look back now I'm more of that opinion than I ever was I'd hate to have to do that again but families hung together worked together to be honest about the Lord just provided away since time Memorial there have been Harvest seed time and harvest for that reason it has sustained people even in this treacherous part of the [Music] country in the fields of Norman Travis O'Brien there is seed time and there is Harvest Time the winds blow and the seasons ever turn Raymond Carr cotton farmer a man whose survival in this country depends on a delicate balance of probabilities it will probably rain during the next few weeks if it does not there will will be no Harvest there will probably be a late Frost if there is not there will be no harvest the prosperity of this entire area is dependent on cotton and this is not a good year late spring rains delayed plowing and the summer rains have not come much of the field will probably burn up Raymond Carr cultivates on fate well I was born in this community and lived here always except when I was off to the Army a couple years same home I live where my parents live when I was a kid I didn't know I was going to be a farmer said I never would be but after I accepted that and started I had any desire it's a good life good clean life I like to work I like to go out and plow a good wet fi and smell it when you play open you see God make things grow and send the rain Su whatnot it's a good life for you family what [Applause] not there was a time when many families made their home in these sun-scorched dry land Cotton Fields but only the strong remain [Applause] there is a saying here that all those with good judgment have long since pulled up stakes and left for more gentle pastures Homer eage is one of the strong used to be they tell me where there was a house on every quarter section but I doubt there's one to there 10 sections now I moved in December 1953 I long about that time it pretty rough following a sever drought this was almost the middle of the Sahara as far as I was concerned well I've tried other things for a short period of time to me uh uh the life the family life if you can have on Farm is worth the difference and so this is the land and the people a land tormented by the wind and Sun rarely refreshed by rain of people who wrestle with the stubborn Earth merely to [Music] endure [Music] but there is a quiet Miracle going on in these thirsty fields for what these people do here is felt in the farthest corners of the Earth in Africa Thailand the Middle East South America human lives are made more rewarding by the labors and Faith of this handful of Dryland cotton [Music] Farmers this is Friendship Baptist Church in a few moments a remarkable decision will be made here [Music] [Laughter] in 1955 the congregation decided to increase their giving to the Cooperative program 2 and a half% each year and each year through good years and bad they have met their commitment the church now gives 40% of its budget about $10,000 to The Cooperative [Music] program [Music] it's not difficult to see how some of that money might have been used closer to home yet in spite of these obvious needs and the prospects of crop failure the budget committee has recommended another increase today this little church that needs so much will vote on giving to an extent undreamed of by churches with far much more to give we are thankful for the fine work of our budget Committee in preparing presenting this budget for our consideration and approval I believe this to be a challenge to our church we find in Matthew 28: 18-20 these words and Jesus came and spake unto them saying all power is given unto me in heaven and in Earth go you therefore and teach All Nations baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son son and of the Holy Ghost being the faith I am a Baptist we've always been missionary minded and we didn't have much else we could do we wasn't strong enough to sponsor any missions or other project so much I believe that it's the best plan that has been tried so far and it's a way of pleasing God and carrying on his work all the people combined together and all the church Church working together into one pool can reach more of the world there have been some hard C through these years and we had to do a lot of this this giving and setting our goals and raising this 2 and half% stct of buffet because we couldn't see it with our eyeballs out here on the rainfall that we had that particular time we'll be very lucky if we Harvest anything this year we've had several short crop real short crop years in through there and it's been proven to us to experience that you can't out give God as a church I don't believe that we' think we're given sacrificially we might could have had some things here at our church that we don't have would have kept some of that money here but but I know it's been a blessing to our church to send it on out there's been time when it looked like it was a foolish move but every time there'd be a way for us to meet that place I think our church has grown tremendously spiritually through the fact that we've seen our faith demonstrated and and the Lord's promises fulfilled in it I really believe if we'll concentrate on our budget there'll be a way to do it and we're not to the end of the row yet we pledged we'd go to 50% if the Lord is willing and I be a can there may be no Harvest this year in the brittle fields surrounding Friendship Church but there is a richness here beyond [Music] measure over there over there be over there