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HOW I WAS CHANGED
This story is not an argument for the Oxford Group. It is not an exposition nor a history of the Movement. But it is a eimple and honest statement
o f the &nest experience that has ever come to me in my Christian ministry. This fulness of joy and power now helps me to be a more eEective minister. Now
I know what Jesus mmnt when He spoke about the more abundant life. Now I know the meaning of His words, "My peace I give unto you." In fact all His
wonderful words of life have a new mean" ing to me that I want to share with others.
Now for our story. 1( anyone had told me that the house party at Banff was to be my funeral party, I would have looked at them and smiled.
I felt secure in my position as a minister of The United Church. My name was known from coast to coast as the Apost1e to the Poor, the Down and Out,
the Unemployed, and to all who needed the belp of God and man. I felt secure in my position as a minister of The United Church. My name was known from coast to coast as the Apost1e to the Poor, the Down and Out,
the Unemployed, and to all who needed the belp of God and man.
Thousands of letters received from my radio audience, and congratu-lations from the great throngs who came to First Church, Vancouver, fully satisfied
my pride and self-conceit. I was proud of my sermons, my prayers, my lectures. I could
make people cry and laugh at will. I had the power to do all that in myself.
Armed with all this knowledge l thought that it was not possible to expect anything more to happen in my life and experience. I must confess that, even after
all my efforts, Sunday after Sunday, preaching eloquent and wonderful sermons, nothing very much happened. It is true that we had large numbers come forward
at Easter. But I am afraid that many of these good people were more concerned about their salvation than I was. I told them to say their prayers, read the Bible,
come to Church, help others, and being Scotch I reminded them about the collection. Wdl, that is enough to give you a picture of this substantial looking minister
going to a house party at Banff. I thought it would require a good charge of dynamite to change me.
HOW DID IT HAPPEN?
Robert Burns long ago said, "The best laid schemes of mice and men gang aft a-gley." Mine certainly did.
First United Church, Vancouver, is one of the important social service centres in Canada
Our Church is known as the "Church of the Open Door." Last year over 14,000 people came to us for help of all kinds. Thousands of them passed through our clinic.
They brought all their problems, Personal, Domestic, Social and Religious. I helped thr.m the best way I could, but 1 did not let God do as much of the ¿vork as
I should have done. I see now how I wasted a lot of time and worried about things which were not important.
We have thousands of unepployed in our pity and I thought it was my duty to assure them the Ghurch was waking up to her task and was passing very daring
rc»lutions that would challenge the politicians and frighten the capitalists.
A
s nobody cared, we went down into the human jungles in our dis-trict in the East End of Vancouver, and distributed tons of food for the starving men. When
Dr. Kagawa of Japan came to Vancouver we talked over the situation and I took him down to the junglw We "sat where they ¿t," among the rats, flies and 61th.
I said, "Isn't this terrible in a Christian country?" He is a man of few words, but one who thinks deeply. Now, remember, I thought we were doing pretty good to feed these men, but no serious effort was made to deal with their deepest need. I had not found the answer.
The whole story of this work is found in my books, "God in the Jungles" and "Canada's Untouchables."
The Communists demanded that we stop, as this was only prolonging the agony. The Government said stap, as we were attracting the men like lies to Vancouver. I said, "Until you find an
answer to this problem, no power on earth will prevent me from feeding hungry men." I thought feeding them was the answer. The Government did awaken to a feeble sense of its responsibility
and promised to look after these homeless men, and we stopped feeding then'. Many other interesting phases of our work might be stated here, but space would not avaiL
Now the Home Mission Board of the United Church loaned my ser-vices to the Missionary and Maintenance Fund, for the purpose of making an itinerary of Eastern Canada, to tell
the story of our work and to stimulate the missionary givings of our people.
I agreed to go and spend a few months at this work. Now it never occurred to me, and the fault lay in myself, that I should think of changing lives on my tour, oh, no, I thought
I was to get more change out of the pockets of the people to carry an the missionary work. of our great Church.
Here the interesting part of the story begins. When I arrived in Montreal the Oxford Group had just stepped off the boat from the Old Land. I had read a little about their work.
Just enough to Ere my ignorance with an unholy leal of resentment. I attended one of their 6rst meetings in the Ritz Carlton Hotel. I was guided not by the Holy Spirit, but by the
Devil to stand up. My absolute misguided honesty made it very uncomfortable for all present. I thought here is my chance to kill this movement before it spreads very far across
Canada. I resented the idea of a group of gay troubadors coming from the Old Country, or any country, to teach the ministers of the United Church how to do their job,
What were our colleges and universities for, staffed with experienced men of culture and devotion? Our pulpits were manned by some of the finest preachers of any church
in the world, We have our departments of Evangelism and Social Service, and our Bmrds of Home and Foreign Missions, guided by able and consecrated men. Mark you, I am not
speak-ing disparagingly of any minister, church, or board. God forbid, I love them too well to do that. It was just what I thought of the whole situa-tion, before God's Holy Spirit 61led my life,
and flooded every area of it with a new joy, peace, and power, and gave me a new passion to change men and women from being a liability to themselves, to the Church, and make
them real assets for the Kingdom of God.
Then again (and here I stamped on the Qoor, clapped my hands to-gether, not having a Bible to thump and ding) I wanted to know why they were meeting in this luxuriously
appomted hotel ballroom, with its soft carpets, dim religious light and every convenience. How easy to be
I was very prouJ of the tact that when the Oxford Group was Erst
spoken of in Vancouver and people began to wonder what it was all about,
I was one of the few who had made a contact with them in the East.
I yieldal enough to nay self conceit to preach a sermon about tie. Movement in which "I damned them with faint praise."
When the Vancouver Ministerial Association met, I was invited with others to tell them something about the work of the Group, before they would decide to invite or endorse them.
I told them to keep an open mind. That "Open mind idea" helped me around many a difficult corner when people were interested and asked questions abouc the Oxford Group. I did
not see that an open mind usually meant a closed heart.
The Vancouver awiisters followed my suggestions, and some of their
minds are still so open that a carriage and pair could drive through. I know
they will forgive me for mying this, because if they fully eurrender their
lives to the complete guidance of the Holy Spirit, they will enjoy this experience.
The writer of V'hc Common Round in one of our Vancouver dailies; took nic severely to task, and expressed his great concern that Andrew Roddan, the Apostle to the Poor,
should dare to endorse this luxurious out6t, "The Oxford Group."
Well, at last the Group crossed the continent, visited the United States, and came to Vancouver. You all know what happened. The im-mense cmwds of people who were interested.
The "Fresh Fish" that were caught. The Miracles of Grace that were performed before our eyes. The witness which was given ae to what can happen to a man or woman who will fully
surr'ender their lives to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
We had Jimmy Watt, the Changed Communist, at Fiat Church. He brought a great message in the sunple story of how he bad found the answer to his deepest needs through the Oxford Gmup.
Not in a point of view, whnher that be in the political, religious or economic realm, but the answer to all our problems was to be found in a quality of life, and that quality uf life was to be
found in a complete surrender to Gad.
You would have thought that Jimmie's witness would have convinced the biggest doubter in Vancouver, but no, like many others from Missouri, "I had to be shown."
The Erst blow to my sdf conceit and confidence came in a very interest ing way. A few Sundays after the Group had been in Vancouver and I was getting back into my old stride,
preparing.and preaching sermons pre pared by mysdf, never having in mind that something might happen. That is, that somebody might be changed by chem.
I was nicely settled in my chair feeling 6ne after tbe cervices, reading the British Wccgly, and 'Thc Scot's Observer, and ‘Thc Montreal Witness, one of the 6nest papers in Canada.
The door of the den opened, and in came one of my boys, we have four and three girls in our family. I did not pay much attention co him until he said, "Well, Dad, I have made a full surrender
of my life to Christ, and I am going in for the ministry."
I sat up and said, "Good for you, boy, I am glad to hear you cay that. Remember, it is a sacred matter, and you alone can hear and answer the call to the service of God." But mind you
I fek a wee bit hurt because he had joined the Chwch with 144 others on profession of Faith. I realigned I had just taken things for granted and that no real change had taken place in his life.
I wonder if this 6ts you, my fellow minister? He went upstairs to tell his mother. That's the gnnd thing about this
new life, you want to share it; not to argue, or criticilc, or doubt, but just to thoroughly enjoy feeling it pulse through your whole being. "The Joy of our Salvation"
as the Psalmist expresses it.
Thai a friend olTered to send me to a house party at Harrison, but I declined. It was a bit hard for a Scotsman to refuse something for nothing. I was still determinrd not to be caught, not knowing
that Christianity is something to be caught not taught. Pinally an invitation came to join a house party at BanE. In a moment of weakness I yielded, and then THINGS BEGAN TO HAPPEN so fast I hardly knew myself. On the train l joined in the
conversation but found I could not, honestly enjoy the evident sincerity of everyone. I was in quite a pickle.
Well, I thought, it wouldn't do me any harm and it would be a nice rest amid the most wonderful mountain scenery in the world. I pictured myeelf in a bigger and better ballroom than the
Rita Carlton, having a real good time, saying nothing, but just taking it all in with an air of superiority.
When we arrival by special train fram Vancouver, we were informed that we would be accommodated in the smaller hotels, cabins, etc.
The party was held, not in the spacious ballroom, but in the Opera House, well, honestly it was more like a barn than anything ebe. Then it began to snow, and only a little beat came from
an old etove in the corner. My vision of luxurious'surmundings vanished.
I thus realit,ed that Gad does not dwell in temples made with hands. Everybody was happy; they forgot about the cold; the windows had to be opened frequently to let out the stagnant air.
There they were, on the window, on tbe stairs, on the piano. Happy facee everywhere and not a sad one ia the bunch.
I listened to the absolute honesty and sincerity of the young men and women as they witnessed, that a full surrender to Christ had brought a real thrill into their lives. Now they did not
want the dances, the cocktails, or tbe fast crawds. This was the wast wonderful experience in all their lives.
A young business man from Vancouver told of how he had wasted his time and substance, lied to his father, and now felt the thrill of a full surrender to Christ. Parents told of the
change in their borneo since they had made the full surrender.
Husbands and wives told how their home relations had been at the breaking point, and now for the first time in their experience they had been absolutdy honest, and had been guided
to share with, and not swear at, each other; they were so happy that they wanted to witness to the good news.
Even preachers witnessed that they had been wearing masLs and sailing under fabe mlors. They had not been honest with their congregations.
How refreshing it was to hear an Anglican Parson thoroughly enjoy confes.ing what a enob bc had been. Just what we had all believed, but dare not say. That was a real thrill.
The romance, the releaie, the joy of a new power 6lling all their lives. There they were from Edmonton, Calgary, Lethbridge, Vancouver, Coraox, Courtney, Ontario, Toronto, and the
Group members from Scotland, England, Europe, South Africa and other parts of the world.The unemployed, some of chem had not worked for two years, just managed to keep
ofF relief, witnessing to the release from fear and worry.Clerks, stenographers, teachers, artiams, admirals, generals, my, what a
cross section of social and religious life. Roman Catholics, Salvation Anny, Friends, Presbyterian, Baptist, Anglican United Church. It was another Pentecost.
THEN SOMETHING HAPPENED My old self died within me. I completely and fully surrendered every area of my life. I realized now as never before that the cost of absolute freedom was based on absolute surrender. I realized the meaning in a fuller measure of absolute honesty, absolute purity,
absolute unselfishness and abso-lute love.
I WAS CHANGED
I caw as never before the possibility of a life absolutely surrendered to Gad. The sovereignty of God linked up with the free will of man,
in a new and living way for the needs of this modem world.Moral and spiritual determinism for economic determinism. Less anxiety for a point of view, and more zeal for a quality of life. Here was
a plan by which we could outlive, outlaugh, outlove the other fellow who is worried and perplexed about the problems of the world.
A deeper hatred of injustice, greed, graft, sel6shness an4 sin, and by the help of Gml I mean to strike harder than ever at these sins. It was
all there, but I was looking at the problem from Gad's end of the telescope, and how small they seemed in comparison with the power of love
to over-come them.
Don't forget, my friends, that before this new vision of life came to me I had to challenge my own life. I realized that I must surrender, I must share,
I must die. God's Holy Spirit must live.
Now that'does not mean that I repudiate my fellowship with Christ all these years. No, but it does mean being absolutely honest that Christ had not
full possession. It does mean that self had guided and not the Holy Spirit, and thus my life and ministry had been shorn of its power.
I thank Gad for this wonderful new release. Now as I look over the world I can say I have found the answer to the
world's need. A world suffering, a world perplexed, a world over which the clouds of war still hang like a funeral pall.
A world cursed by the greed and eel6shness of man.
Ta all this and far more, Christ is the answer. To a ¿utile ministry, Christ is the answer.
Por the broken home, Christ is the answer. For a rotten and corrupt political system, Christ is the answer. For the gay
and beautiful but unsatislied eeekers after pleasure, Christ is the answer. For a cut throat, price cutting competitive system,
Christ is the answer. Fnr the Prodigal Son and Daughter, Christ is the answer. Por the Prodigal Father and Mother, Christ is the
answer. In short, a Gad guided life, a God guided home, a God guided Church, a God guided nation.
Now I can sincerely thank Gad that He sent forth a man whose name is Frank, and for his
noble company of fe)low workers who have led me to surrender my life completely to God.
So to all who etill doubt and stand ehivering on the brink, questioning and wondering in their minds as to the value
of the message of the Oxford Group, I can cay, "Take the plunge, right oE the deep end, and make a full surrender of your life to God
and experience the greatest thrill in all your life. Then go and share it with others."
"Yeast and oh',Por there's no other way,Yo bc happy in Jesus,But to tnist and obey."
ANDREW RODIN.
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