CIVILIAN PUBLIC SERVICE PROBLEMS

In a personal letter to me, date of April 26, 1944 Mr. D. C. Frysinger of the National Service Board for Religious Objectors, wrote: "Since we get quite a number of Church of Christ men from your section of the country, I will make it a definite point to assign them to the Fort Collins (Colo.) camp. In other words, the Fort Collins camp will take the place of the Magnolia, Arkansas camp as, far as your denomination is concerned."

My son and another Church of Christ boy are there now, and others are expected soon. So, other boys contemplating going to the camps and have wondered where to go since the Magnolia camp was blown away, I thought they might like to have the above information. Fort Collins camp is under the supervision of the Minnonites.

To my knowledge some have gone into the army, not because they thought it was right, but because it would work a hardship on their loved ones for them to go into the camp. It seems that the Minnonites have solved this problem. They practice what we preach. Personally, I believe that the Church of Christ is duty bound to take care of those who are stranded because of their faith in and obedience to the word of God. Below I give a statement from Mr. Frysinger relative to C. P. S. Dependency, which speaks for itself:

"Repeated attempts have been made to have the national government assume responsibility for dependents of men in Civilian Public Service in the same manner as it provides for dependents of men in the armed forces. Both groups of men are conscripted. To date no such provision has been secured.

Therefore, interested church groups have undertaken to study carefully this whole problem, to submit a workable plan for providing assistance to dependents of men in Civilian Public Service, and to give such immediate assistance to dependents as is necessary.

Sound Christian practice requires that a man provide for his own wherever possible. If he is. unable to do so his immediate family or relationship should come to his aid. Where this is not possible the church as a brotherhood should be ready to follow the injunction of Paul: "Bear ye one anothers burdens." However, where the men under conscription prefers not to make the latter contact, and where he requires assistance, he should contact the Committee on Dependency with headquarters at the National Service Board for Religious Objectors to help in the solution or his urgent problem. Daniel Frysinger, at the NSBRO office, Post Office Box 1636, Washington, D. C., is the contact agent for this area of need. It is specifically urged that economic necessity should not tempt a draftee to a decision which his Christian conscience cannot approve."

Homer A. Gay

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