God’s Faithfulness Over 70 Years to Source of Light Ministries
By Ray Walker
Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” I am thankful that God raised up a man of vision and prayer, with a heart for missions, Cam Thompson. God used this man to cast the vision for Source of Light Mission.
I am thankful for the Faithfulness of Charles Gilmore and Ed Steele, who caught the vision and ran with it. They did this at great sacrifice to themselves and to their families. At one point, they were seen picking up pecans to sell to buy a loaf of bread. I am thankful for all who caught the vision to come alongside those early servants, as well as those over the years who joined the ministry, some for a short time and some for many years. I am thankful for God’s faithfulness to raise up donors to support the ministry, and each of the missionaries He called to be a part of this ministry.
I am thankful for God raising up the Dix family to be a part of this work and to continue with the vision when the founders were no longer able to do so. Brother Glenn Dix was the General Director of Source of Light from 1963 to 2002. Then 10 years later, God in His faithfulness brought Glenn’s grandson, Ron Barnes, to carry the torch of the leadership of the ministry.
I am thankful to the Lord for bringing me and my family aboard in late 1961 to become a vital part of the team, as I became the number two man alongside Brother Dix for those years he served as Director, having the oversight of both the finances and the literature ministry. Together Glenn and I developed the literature policies of operation, as I timidly made decisions on how to handle each request for literature, once I was given the responsibility for it.
I am thankful for God raising up the Weyman Carmichael family, who gave the land for Source of Light to establish its headquarters, gave the loan of funds to buy the first printing equipment, and eventually cancelling the loan.
I am thankful that Source of Light was established on the Word of God and in prayer. I am grateful that the ministry of the mission has continued to center around the Word of God and getting it to as many people as possible both for evangelism and for discipleship. Each step of growth for the ministry was bathed in prayer and was a distinct step of faith. Whether it was for a new typewriter, mimeograph machine, automatic typewriter, printing press, skid of paper, later on a truck load of paper, or addition to the building, it was all bathed in prayer.
Charles Gilmore in his ingenuity, made a machine that would bring a line of lessons to the stitcher which stapled the books as they went through. After years with Dottie Jackson using volunteers to flip open the freshly printed unfolded lesson sheets so others, including staff children, could put them on the belt that would bring them to her to stitch (staple), we decided we had found just the collator stitcher to replace all of that. I had reluctantly agreed with the decision, although the Lord had not given me total peace about it. So, we prayed and took the step of faith to make it happen. It was a two-pocket feeder attached to a two-headed stitcher, along with a 10-pocket collator. To do most of our books we had to run them through the collator before we ran them through the collator stitcher. Richard Beam was used of God to take two pockets off the collator and join them on with the two pockets attached to the stitcher, thus giving a four-pocket collator and stitcher. This worked, after a fashion, as it was still very finicky to run, with a great many stalls, as it took a very light touch to put the signatures in the pockets of this gravity-fed machine. Later there was an upgrade to that, which God provided. Glenn and I went to look at a collator stitcher trimmer that was being replaced. We were delighted at what it could do for us, and at the price of $6,000, which we trusted the Lord for.
We also prayed for each new staff member, as we were very short of staff. Sometimes it was years before God provided what or who we were praying for, but even though it was a LMD (last minute deliverance), He always was faithful. I would often think that there were lots of people better trained for what I was doing, but they were not here. I concluded that God wanted things done the way I was doing them, until He provided those who could do it better.
I praise God for raising up George Eager and The Mailbox Club with the vision to prepare simple Bible lessons for all ages. With them preparing materials and Source of Light printing for them and for us, we were able to have a tremendous worldwide outreach with God’s Word.
In the earlier days, we only had a couple of Branch offices, so we developed a large network of Associate Discipleship Schools. These would get material from us to grade and handle with their own contacts and students. We developed guidelines for these ADSs so the Order Department could approve those that fell within those guidelines without me working directly with them. We often furnished the materials to these schools without charge to them, but they had to handle them at their own expense and with their own personnel.
After our children were grown, my wife Peggy was able to take over the Order Department which she handled for 40 years with others God provided. This took a tremendous load off me. Betty Ingalsbe, my secretary for 42 years, was the other part of the team and a tremendous help in caring for the correspondence and secretarial duties. If I looked like I was doing a good job in my responsibilities, I give a great deal of credit to these two faithful ladies.
God’s hand in faithfulness was very much in view over these past 70 years of ministry, for which we give Him all the glory and praise.
