Report Of Evangelist Gus Winter
Over a year ago your reporter felt definitely led to undertake missionary work among his Jewish brethren in the metropolitan area of New York, where he had lived for nearly a quarter of a century. The last week of December in 1954, the congregation at Douglas, Arizona released him from his duties as their minister. At his own expense he went on speaking tours in Oklahoma, Texas, Ohio, Kentucky, Alabama, Tennessee and Washington, D.C. He was given a hearing also at Henderson and Nashville, Tennessee, and Abilene, Texas at the college lectureships. At the end of March, your scribe moved out to Levittown, Long Island, a suburb of nearly 100,000 souls, said to be one-third Jewish. He was accepted as an associate minister of the Church of Christ in E. Meadow, L. I., with nearly 50,000 souls, at least one-third Jewish. Besides teaching an adult Bible class on Lord's Day morning, conducting the mid-week service when called on, and preaching at the regular services when Brother Sumerlin is away, he took refresher courses in Old Testament Hebrew and New Testament Greek at Biblical Seminary in N. Y. in order to be better prepared to render a more effective service in so vast and challenging a field. According to reliable estimates, some three million Jews are now living in this metropolitan area.
In response to a printed appeal sent to over 100 churches and individuals, eight churches are now sending $72.50 monthly for this work. We need an additional $27.50 monthly to bring our support up to $100 per month, the maximum this scribe is permitted to earn in addition to our Social Security allowance of less than $84 per month. Two good friends have recently sent us $5 each and one dear friend who is bed-ridden and totally disabled, recently sent us $10.
My first response to the gospel invitation at East Meadow was a young married lady, mother of two lovely children. She was baptized for the remission of sins at Manhattan Church by Brother Sumerlin. Your reporter has conducted a weekly Bible class in her home every week since she obeyed the gospel, attended by her husband, an army lieutenant.
Have spoken a few times at the mid-week service of the Manhattan Church and at two Sunday services at the Main Street Church in East Orange, N. J. On Wednesday, June 8, I was the guest speaker at our Bayside Church in Queens Borough, N. Y., on which occasion we gave a Bible lecture on the subject "The Messiah Has Come," illustrated with an original Bible chart. In my audience was a promising young Jewish lawyer and a New York business executive, who was reared in an orthodox Jewish home. They gave me a most reverent and attentive hearing and gladly accepted several good gospel tracts.
Have contacted several Jewish families in East Meadow and Levittown and plan to contact other Jewish families who we know to be interested in Christianity and some of whom have made a confession of Christian faith. Brethren, remember that that one soul that has already obeyed the gospel is worth more in God's sight than the world and all its treasures. We rejoice that she has obeyed the gospel and we confidently believe that "in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." We plead with you to be patient, as this is a truly difficult field of labor, and this is a pioneer missionary undertaking. Remember that the soil must be prepared, the pure seed of the gospel sown and the ground cultivated before we can expect a harvest of souls redeemed by the blood of Christ. At present, besides his other duties, your scribe is editing a weekly church bulletin, containing reports of our activities from week to week. On request we will be glad to send it free to anyone interested in Jewish Evangelism in the most populous center of Jewry on earth, New York City and its suburbs.
Humbly submitted in Jesus Worthy name Gus Winter
63 Church Road