HWGA 18

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Section 18 – The Period from 1930 to 1934

There was extensive correspondence over the moving of nearly the whole of the Michigan City meeting to Columbus, Ohio, during the latter part of 1930. Brethren in Chicago, the nearest meeting to the one being abandoned, objected to this movement, but New York leaders supported the move, and those at Chicago and elsewhere who opposed the hasty move acquiesced in time.

On March 29, 1931, Columbus resumed the breaking of bread but continued in a rather unhealthy state without much fellowship with other meetings or brethren and were finally cut off by Indianapolis and then by Cincinnati about November 1, 1937, on account of Mr. Hunter’s unrighteous financial dealings.

The meeting continued independent until Mr. Hunter’s death in 1946, when those remaining mostly returned. However, some of the local brethren withdrew from Mr. Hunter’s meeting about 1942 and formed a small meeting which was recognized as in fellowship and continues meeting to this day.

The principal conference in England yearly during this period were as follows:

1930: Worcester: Taylor and Samuels attended.
1931: Bristol: Taylor, House and Dr. Elliott from abroad.
1932: Birmingham: Taylor, Lock, Moore, O.S.P. from abroad, and Stoney
1933: Edinburgh: Taylor, Dean, Drever, Davenish, Parker, Peterter
1934: London: Taylor Sr., Taylor Jr., Dunne, Kettle, K. Ross, Pfinght and McSween attended from the U.S.

The special meetings held in America during the period and the brethren there taking the lead was as follows:

Los Angeles: 1930: J.T., 1931: H.G., 1932: C.S.P. & W.E., 1933: R.R.T., 1934: J.D.
Knoxville: 1930: H.G., 1931: A.N.W., 1932: J.W.D., 1933: J.T., 1934: A.F.M.
Rochester: 1930: Percy Lyon, 1931: J.T., 1932: R.B., 1933: A.E.M., 1934: A.F.M.
Berkeley: 1930-1931: A.F.M., 1932-1933: H.G., 1934: J.D.
Minneapolis: 1930: H.G., 1931: J.W.D., 1932: I.W.B., 1933: L.E.S., 1934: F.L.
Detroit: 1930: J.T., 1931: A.M.H., 1932-1934: J.T.
Chicago: 1930: F.L., 1931: ____, 1932: ____, 1933: J.T., 1934: J.D.
Regina: 1932: ___, 1933: J.H., 1934: J.W.D.
Vancouver: 1930: Hulburt, 1931-1933: H.G., 1934: J.D.
Winnipeg: 1930: Hulburt, 1931: W.B., 1932: L.E.S., 1933: J.D., 1934: F.I.
Toronto: 1930: J.T., 1931: A.M.H., 1932-1934: J.T.
Council Bluffs: 1930: H.G., 1931: A.M.H., 1932-1934: J.T.

The number of laborers spending their full time in the work of the Lord continued to decrease during this period, as Herbert Gill, William Magowan and Zellweger were the only ones in the field. Those in the field part-time included Taylor, Lock, Samuels, Dean, Dickens, Walker, Moore and Devenish.

During the year 1933, death took Walter Burrows in January, and Zellweger and Joyce in June, although the latter had been out for some time and was buried by Open Brethren.

The London conference in June 1934 was one of the largest ever held, the Central Hall in London being used, and about 4000 attended the addresses in the evening. Some 70 brethren came from abroad.

On November 6, 1932, six brothers, i.e., Dr. Powell from Berkeley, Mr. Barlow and Mr. Mayo from England, Mr. House from Australia, and Mr. Joyce, Ebenezer Phillips also from Australia, broke bread with Chinese brethren at Shanghai, after a short stay and visit with them. It was a remarkable work that had been going on for a number of years, largely through the instrumentality of Mr. Watchman Nee.

At the Birmingham conference in 1932, Mr. Ware and others conferred on the idea of a number of brethren from various countries going to China to interview the remarkable work. The fellowship was short-lived for in 1933 when Mr. Nee visited England, the U.S. and Canada he had fellowship with a so-called Honour Oak group as well as other believers, which brought on correspondence leading to the final cutting off in 1935.

The revision of the hymn book in the early part of 1932 was completed so that the new book was put into use on May 1, 1932 by nearly all the English speaking meetings in the world, about 1000. The brothers who engaged in the work were Messrs. Taylor, Myles, House, Lyon, Biggs, Ware, Wells, Elliott, Coates and Hayward.

During this period the following meetings began, either at a new location, or by what was called hiving:

(?) 1930: Vancouver (West Side) & Somerville, MA
March 1931: Columbus, OH
May 1931: Kalispell, MT
Nov. 1931: Royal Oak, MI
Dec. 1931: Merchants Road, Rochester & Lake Street, Rochester
(?) 1931): Sumner St., Brooklyn, NY
May 1932: Eagle Rock, Los Angeles, CA
March 1933: San Francisco, CA
(?) 1933: Ft. William

The following meeting were closed during this period:

March 1931: Michigan City, IN
(?) 1931: Neligh, NE

Prominent brothers who passed during this period included:

1932: Edward Nelson
1933: Benjamin T. Fawcett

And the following, some not so well-known:

1930: James Barber (Vesta) & H.W. Brown (Ontario) & Dr. W.C. Reid (Detroit)
1931: L.P. Truan (Knoxville)
1932: Alfred Peterson (Neb.) & E.L. Macomber (Minneapolis)
1934: M.L. Holt (Neligh, NE) & Zellweger (____) (67)

In 1932, prayer meetings on Monday evenings and the use of one cup came into general practice as well as the new hymn book.

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HWGA 18

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