‘Work of Chaplains in Pacific Area’
No Byline
June 10, 1944; p. 4
A chaplain’s work is never done, but the chaplains don’t mind. . . .
Chaplain Charles DeVore carries on a “prep school” for future ministers on some island in the Pacific. With a class that started at five, grew to eight, even to twelve and thirteen, he is thrilling to the challenge of unfolding the four Gospels and Acts to those who “never heard it on this wise.” With danger overhead and surrounding them, these men on the front are actually putting in the mental effort necessary to memorize the chronological outline of Christ’s life, ironically demonstrating to comfortable, but indifferent, Christians at home that in a crisis some men “put first things first.” One of the young men in the group has preached twice in Chaplain DeVore’s absence, and officers and men alike praised him highly.
Students from Cincinnati Bible Seminary (of which Chaplain DeVore is an alumnus) sent him books which he had requested to use as supplemental texts. In writing to thank the givers, Chaplain DeVore says:
“The class has grown in numbers rather than diminished. Recently others on the island have heard of our efforts. Last Sunday night there were thirty-one in the Bible study. This number was made up of personnel from the Army, Navy and Marines and four from the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Interest was keen and questions were forthcoming. Many of these visitors expressed desire to enroll in the class.
“I have recently learned of a fellowship of men here from all branches of the Service who have been having their weekly devotional services. They requested that I be their guest speaker this evening. I just returned home after having preached a thirty-minute sermon to over one hundred of them. Last week I suggested that such a group should be a fine nucleus for an evangelistic effort here on the island. Tonight after the service the time and place was chosen and I am to preach a ten-day or two-week meeting for them. With that group of praying personal workers the meeting can’t help but bring great fruits. Of course, these men come from many different churches, but they are zealous for the Lord and I rejoice in the opportunity tactfully to instruct them in the way of the Lord more perfectly.
“Tonight, after I had preached, a young chap from New Zealand came up and said, ‘You are from the church of Christ, aren’t you?’ ‘Yes,’ I replied, ‘but how did you know?’ He laughed and informed me that I had not preached five minutes until he knew it. Then he handed me a copy of ‘Union in Truth,’ by A. L. Haddon, principal of church of Christ, Bible College of Glen Leith, Dunedin [in southeast New Zealand].”
[Note from the editor: In “The New Zealand Story: The Stone-Campbell Movement in New Zealand,” published in Leaven, 2009, and accessible here, Lindsay Jacobs wrote: “In 1927 the College of the Bible was established . . . . (and) served the churches in educating men and women for ministry until 1971. A. L. Haddon was founding principal and continued in that position until his sudden death (in 1961). . . . A. L. Haddon was a recognized leader in the ecumenical movement in New Zealand and scholar in the worldwide fellowship of Churches of Christ. He was also editor of The New Zealand Christian for twenty-four years.”]
There is another class in progress on the island. One night, after Chaplain DeVore had preached a sermon which touched on the fact of life after death, a group of officers came up to him and asked him to give them what evidence he could on the problem of eternal life. “So five of us began a daily study for one hour. The New Testament is our textbook, and even though they question its inspiration, I suggested that if we would study it together it would speak for itself, even in regard to its divine origin. We are now in the last week of Jesus’ ministry. I am especially interested in getting to the crucifixion and resurrection. It may take years for these studies to bear fruit in these men, but I am sowing the seed and God has promised to give the increase. I have found it necessary to explain even the simplest passages to these men of letters. They have been like children with their elementary questions and eagerness to learn. They have begun to show evidences of a growing faith in the gospel story. Pray for them that this seed will bring forth some thirty some sixty and some a hundred fold.”
Summarizing his work, Chaplain DeVore states, “I have at least three services every Lord’s Day in addition to the Bible study for prospective ministers. The attendance at all services is growing as more and more learn of our services where the gospel is preached in an uncompromising manner. Any man who has the courage and love to preach the gospel in civilian life can also preach it in the Army.” (Chaplain C. L. DeVore . . . from letters of April 18 and 25, 1944.) . . .
Another chaplain in the Pacific, Lertis Ellett, recently promoted to the rank of major, sends this encouraging news letter:
“Though there is one more Sunday in April, the record for the first four months of 1944 is now eleven baptisms. This harvest has resulted in spite of the fact that considerable time has been spent in inspection trips and the groups to which we have preached have been different ones. Again I am impressed with the sowing and the watering that has been done by others and am fully convinced of the efficacy of the prayers of those back home. . . .
[Ellett then wrote of meeting “a Marine sergeant” and then “a young lieutenant, just out from the States” who both expressed interest in being baptized. As Ellett wrote, “We then made a complete study of the entire question.” At a Sunday morning service, both men came forward, and so did a private, rather unexpectedly. Ellett picks up the story . . .]
“We then went to the river and these three men took another step in obedience and entered upon a new life of consecration to our Lord. The private told me he had just received a letter from his mother who, though she belonged to a denomination that mainly practices sprinkling, said, “Son, if you can, be baptized by immersion.’ Now, what if I had been apologetic about adhering to the original form of burial?
“Last night, just at the close of our Bible study, the lieutenant baptized the day before came in and said before all men, ‘Chaplain, I have just received orders transferring me and my crew into a combat group. We leave early in the morning. I want you and the fellows to know that I go with full confidence in the Lord and peace in my heart.’
It’s a great joy to be handy when the Spirit of the Lord motivates men to seek the Lord for their salvation. And how glorious it is just to open up the Book and say, ‘There’s what the Bible says. Don’t do anything because of what my opinion is, do only what you are sure the Word of God tells you to do. You’ll forget me, but you’ll always have the Bible for your assurance.’”
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ONLINE SEARCHES turned up some additional information about these two World War II chaplains.
Here are two links for Charles DeVore: an obituary in The Telegraph and a findagrave.com entry.
And here is a link to a very interesting—some would say “mind-blowing”—article we published in Christian Standard in 2006. The article, called “Beth’s Story,” was written by Lertis Ellett’s daughter.
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