Thoughtful Moments

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 66, 20 April 1945, Page 2

Thoughtful Moments

(Supplied by the Whakatooe Ministers' Association).

WITH THE BOYS OVERSEAS MIDDLE EAST SOLDIERS MAKE CONFESSION OF FAITH

It was a service of confirmation and admission to full communion. During the past short period, we have been fortunate in being concentrated near a sizeable country town where we have had every facility for recreation and ■worship. Sunday by Sunday we have held services:, in the local opera house, a large and beautiful building which can liold upwards of 1000 people and with services on a combined brigade basis completely packed out. l"n all we -had six candidates and on Sunday morning the 19t.h of November, 15)4-1, we gathered to confirm their baptismal vows and admit them to the Church. This service followed the main, brigade voluntary service conducted this particular Sunday by the Anglican padres and was attended by 50 communicants from all units in the 4th brigade and in this area. Padre Burnett presided, admitted the candidates and conducted the Communion service. It was. a most impressive and unforgettable experience as well as a great joy t(> us that these lads should have been led to profess their faith so far from home and in conditions which are always an extreme test of their profession. After the service a social half-hour was spent over a cup of toa when we all had a good opportunity to meet one another. They were all proud to witness to the Faith, the Faith of their fathers and their own fhith and in so doing they paid a living tribute to the homes and churches in which they had been nurtured. The Church has every reason to be proud of its sons wherever they go and this service was additional proof if proof was needed." South-West Pacific Incident We had been pretty busy as the brigade had recently taken up new positions and we had not been able to have a company sports, meeting to select, our representatives. The O.C. asked me my opinion of having the meeting on Sunday. I thought it would be all right to go to a ground a few miles away and have a service followed by the sports.

OUR SUNDAY MESSAGE

and accordingly arrangements were put in hand. All our troops are natives and I realised that, as they ar c very strong in their to start oil" with the service would appeal very much, but 1 did not reckon on what happened on Saturday morning. A number of boys stood outside the orderly room. One, E/Cpl Emori, came in. ''Yes Emori?" said the O-C. "Sir, there is just one thing the boys have asked me to say that they fee: that if you have sports next Sunday they would not think it right to compete." The meeting was cancelled, and there was one former Bible class, member who felt very humble as dark-skinned fuzzyhaired Emori saluted and marched out of the orderly room. "I WOULD RATHER DIE" A brown-skinned island pastor stood before his Japanese and was condemned by them to death. His only crime was that he had protested when the invaders looted the little L.M.S. Churchy destroying the Communion set, Bibles and School material. This had been taken as a sign of hostility to Japan. The execution was fixed for three o'clock in the. afternoon of that day. "Very well " said the pastor, "I would rather die as a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ than live as your slave." Island Christians prayed for his deliverance praying ail through the morning even while doing their forced labour for the Japanese. At abopt noon a Japanese ship arrived and a Japanese doctor landed. He heard that a mission teacher was about to be executed, and after enquiring into the. facts, protested to the Japanese commanding officer. The officer angrily accused the doctor of disloyalty to their Emperor. This he vigorously but said: "If you kill this innocent man you must kill me as well. I cannot tolerate such injustice." The execution, was postponed and after three days the prisoner released. The Japanese doctor was the son of a Christian minister in Japan. The courage of the island pastor had aroused in him an immediate response. They were just two Christians ready to die rather than be false to what they believed to be true-