THE WESTERN MEXICO CHRISTIAN

Including Mexican Bible Seminary News

Vol. XI, Nos. 2, 3, 4

Winter 1959-60

Pedro and Esau Julian

FUTURE

SEMINARY

CAMPUS

Tho only a spiny cactus and a few scrub

palo vcrde trees rise from tiie desert floor
PLAIN TALK ABOUT
LIVING LINK MONEY

at the site pictured above, our heavenly

Father has looked upon this acreage and

By Gerald D. Bowlin, Mission Director

Seldom in the pages of this bulletin have
we spoken of the money needed to sustain
tlie missionaries on the field in the boom

agricultural economy of Hermosillo; we

have stressed the requirements of special
projects, the Seminary or evangelism pro
gram, but not of our very vital personnel
who spark-plug the work for Christ in
Western

/VWe

Mexico.

believe, however, that you

would

to know that some of your mission'

^rics have done without, made do, waited

till the third pink "Please Remit" notice,
and cut their household budgets all year
without a word of complaint (not to men
tion ten-year-old furniture that is disinte

grating!). This because some living-link

pledges were dropped and offerings, which
usually take up the slack between pledged
living link and actual family needs, have

found it fit for the erection of MEXICAN

BIBLE SEMINARY'S first campus build

ings ; it is now Seminary property. God's
providence has provided, thru our forward

looking Seminary

Director, Alex Julifin,

these tw(^^^g^ located only about two

miles~'^ir'Tfie^T*an-American (Guaymas)
highway from where the Seminary classes
are now held. With your continued help
the first buildings can be constructed in
1960. May our Father continue to use you
in the work, side by side with those that
pray and labor in Mexico. May HIS

CHURCH have the glory.

been few and far between. Thus, as the
year draws to a close, some Western Mex
ico missionary families are still one to
two months behind in living link family

(Continued .on page 5)

Page 2

THE

WESTERN

MEXICO

CHRISTIAN

Winter 1959-60

training its members to evangelize their

Director's CoUimn

own people, (d) These churches and others

sufficient to supply a good group of young

people for the sccoiid summer Youth Camp,
(e) Mexican Bible Seminary, native staffed
and directed, a power for Christ in Western
Mexico, its graduates serving churches (and
camp) mentioned and others, with another
minister to graduate; now to build a
campus.

Thank you and God bless you for your

faith in the gospel of Christ which we
preach in this land of Romanism, the
false gospel, the native church which we
help to establish, and in us and our vision
of a Christian Western Mexico in our life
time.
ODE

THE

WESTERN

MEXICO

CHRISTIAN

Published four times each year,

funds permitting, by the Missionaries

II

associated

Gerald D. Bowlin

The past year, in keeping with God's

precious promises, has been a year of
victories

for

Christ's

church

with

Western

Mexico

Christian Mission. Apdo. Postal 350

(Office: Tlaxcala 109 Pte.), Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico.

in

Gerald D. Bowlin

Editor

W. Jack Gilson .. Associate Editor

Western

Mexico.

They say, "the first fifty years arc the

hardest," but after only ten I would like
to report thousands of baptisms as our
Christian missionaries in Africa after their

first half-century, or Seminary building

being built by joint missionary-native

church pledges as in Japan after that first,

long 50 years. I am glad, however, that I
can report victories of progress as the
foundation continues to be laid for a strong
native church which will in time evangelize
Western Mexico. A few arc: (a) The Ranchito church, in a surge of nationalism,
declared itself as able to manage its affairs

and pay its way without Mission help. It

has

weathered

an

anti-instrument

church

of Christ invasion, paid its minister, tho

poorly, and ba3)tized a number of precious
souls, (b) The Nogales church, tho short
on men, beginning to shoulder the respon
sibility of preacher and building, (c) The

La Mesa church taking

surrounding villages and

the gospel to
Ranchos, thus

Mexican Christian Wedding

Winter 1959-60-

THE

WESTERN

MEXICO

Page 3

CHRISTIAN

Page 4

THE

WESTERN

Mh

^owlin, Director <6 Churches

(Mrs.) Geneva S. Bowlin, Benevolence

Alex Julian, Mexican Bible Seminary
(Mrs.) Esther Julian, Seminary
(Miss) Lorene Martin, Mission Office
Watkinson, Evangelism, Bldgs.
(Mrs.) Deloris Watkinson, Bible Schools
Gilson, Youth Groups, Publicity
^ Mrs.) Billie Gilson, Home Industries

By Alex Julian. Director

Today Mexican Bible Seminary, ten years
after her founding, faces a bright future,
tlio we have been nomads all these years,
from the Mexico-U.S. border to the city
we

now find

Winter 1959-60

MISSIONARIES

Seininary*s Bright Buture

where

CXJCO CHRISTIAN

ourselves. But before

leaving each place we erected a house of

God. Now. finally we glimpse the buildings
of which we so often dream, for we own
the land on which to build them.

^OFFERINGSChurch Checks

But oven beyond this great event, the

erection of our own campus, we visualize
an even greater future, that day when the
native Mexicans sustain the Seminary; for
now we must yet leave the finances in your
hands, having done all that is within our
l)owcr. the foimding and establishing of the
Seminary as it now e.xists.
The

students

who

have

attended

Liviir'^'"^
churchl

Service-Link sent via

be made payable to the
individu'' '"'ssionary. Project checks
SeminailT' Benevolence, Evangelism, Constructiovgeneral FUNDshould
be madd" payable to the Mission. Mail to

Mission ^address.

the

Seminary, and those who now attend, preach

in places as far away as 500 miles, and
an even brighter day will dawn for us
and

them

when

we

have the

Julians After the Flood

Mrs. Esther Julian in Seminary Kitchen

satisfaction,

as you now have, of sending missionaries

to other countries, just as you have sent
to us; and of course the culmination of
all our dreams will he the day when the
Church of Christ, as revealed in the New
Testament, reigns in the hearts of all
humanity.

MISSION

RESULTS

IN

land

ing of a water storage tank preparatory

to construction of the first clinic buildings
are the big events. An average of 15 peoi)le
treatment

and

medicines

in

her

the Seminary campus has been

YOUTHYoung people's meetings are held

EV.ANGELISM: Beginning to see results

of our teaching concerning the Native

"Sunday school children grown tall" says

One churcli in Hermosillo held

DVBS: another was held in a

CHURCH

CONSTRUCTIONThe

Villa

de Seris had a kitchen added for SeminaryChurch usea joint project in construction.
The La Mesa buildings were repaired, after
the rains forced a move into a

home. Still

waiting for title on Bacobampo land.3.000

bricks ready.
SEMINARYOnly one

new student and

his wife were enrolled for the fall semester

others

wish

to enroll

in

the

Spring

scholarships are needed$30 a month. The

Federally 'i.^-Exempt recppration. This

will avoid di.^'-'^dties in case of spot-check-

.Always list afL-VBlif' contributions when

filing tax form as paid to MEXICAN
BIBLE

.SEMINARY.

in the San Benito church and this church

sent 2 girls to Suininer camp. The camp.

August, had at least cue representative

tiny pueblo in the mountains by a woman

baptized in Nogales. (Also see "Evangelism
Program Fruitful.")

Alejandro (Alex) Julian

for

fenced.
calling program and one of in
dividual teaching in homes was carried
out under supervision. Students are active
in some phase of church activity all year,

back yard clinic each Tuesday and Thurs

day. God has repeatedly smoothed the way
with this good work of the Church.

Church:
its own

Make all , V""" personal checks payable

to MEXIC,>N BIBLE SEMINARY, our

BRIEF

BENEVOLENCB-Three babies horn with

Geneva Bowlin's assistance, and the build

receive

OFI^^^NGSPersonal Checks
\
Income Tax

from

each

congregation

in

our

group

Bro. Julian! The camp had 20 young

Mexican students, two Seminary student
helpers, 3 teachers, with the program
carried by the ministers. Next year our
Mexican brethren hope to promote and
finance the entire camp thru the youth and
churches.

MISSION OFFICENerve-center of our

labor for Christ. Printed DVBS material
for all schools; catalogued hundreds of
used Bible School materials; renovated and

improved mailing list (6.000) ; and other

activities we've accepted as routinecounsel
workers; interview sick, needy, beggars;
conduct tours of inspection for visitors;

staff meetings for information, fellowship,

crisis and what have you!
WJG

Seminary Student

PAN 1 s l5tJ5
tVinter 19SS'60

THE WESTERN JM eXICO CHRISTIAN

for

another

Page 5

Vacation

Bible

School

Page 6

THE WESTERN MEXICO CHRISTIAN

at

Christmas time even before they finished

this

one!

The

first

services

has

in

scries

been

held

of
in

evangelistic
San

Benito,

Hermosillo. Others are to follow in other

areas. These services, with the aid of charts,/

tracts, and recorded hymns, are intendeds,

to give the people a solid foundation in

the

fundamental

teachings

of the

Bible.

Our goal is both to reach new people and

to teaph the Christians more so that they '
can reach others. The average attendance
was about double the regular Sunday at
tendance.

Your prayers and support are requested

as Western Mexico Christian Mission
continues her evangeli.sm program. Please/

mark

your

checks

for

these

EVANGELISM.

Summer Youth Camp

evangelism ' PROGRAM 'FRUITFUL

^ Sometimes the temperatui^ reaches 125

y1)ut we take advaiJta^e^,^ these summer

/ months, despite the heat, for all the workers

/
and students are free from Seminary activ/
ities and we can intensify our efforts to
^
evangelize all of the preacliing points and
/

L..-

organized groups as well. We feel that

through your help, much has been accomplished for the Lord, both in summer

Bible School Class. Bacobampo

MAILING ADDRESSLETTERS

Western

Mexico

Christian

Mission

Apdo. Postal 350

Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico.
FORWARDING

AGENTPACKAGES

Western Mexico
P.O. Box 1S30

Christian

Nogales,

Arizona

Mission

U.S.A.

No packages can be accepted at our Mexico

address due to lack of an import permit, and

In La Mesa, special services were held

with slides from the Life of Christ series.

duty above 100 percent. All parcel post, freight

Under the leadership of Brother Atondo,

and express shipments must be sent to

services have been started in another home

are obtained.

services.

On one of our visits to Bacobampo we

held services with

the aid of slides. .At-

tendance was 162 in an evening service,

Vacation Bible Schools, one of the high

points of the summer work, were held in

eight different localities, with an average
total

attendance

of 300. This means

that

./something over 400 children had at least

some teaching. In Bacobampo alone there
were 103 registered the first day, some

coming as early as six in the morning to

/ be sure to be on time. They were asking

our U.S.

Agent who holds them until permits to

with fifty attending the first meeting. A

neighboring village has asked to have

JDVf

(Continued from page 1)

expenses! (Imagine the hardship this would
work on your family?).
I feel sure that you will want to send
your favorite family a special, generous
check so that each may end the year "owing
no man anything, but to love one another,"
and especially the brethren who keep us
on the field. Include a note of encourage
ment, won't you? God bless you.

and fall.

projects/

Missionary Lorene Martin

j'njporf

Wiater 19S9-60