The Bible Coach

    

    The beloved Coche Bíblico stands out in my memories like a favorite character. As I traced its ubiquitous presence, I arrived at a fuller understanding of the history of the Brethren church in Argentina.  

    Colportage, traveling about selling and distributing religious tracts and books, became quite common at the time of the Reformation, but goes back centuries before that. The term, from the French, combination of comporter (to peddle) and col (neck), meant “to carry on one’s neck” indicating the early method of transporting literature. Colporteurs’ means of travel have varied throughout the centuries.  

    In Argentina, other Bible peddlers had gone before, some on horseback or sulky (horse and buggy). An early challenge to the Brethren in the USA exhorted parishioners to share in the purchase of a Bible Coach for this new mission field. It  read: “We have only talked Bible Coach while our missionaries have walked. If we thought less of auto-riding and more of ought-to-giving. . .” A plea also went out for workers to be the colporteurs. 

    In 1918 The Brethren Foreign Missionary Society authorized the purchase of a Bible Coach. A fund toward the project had begun in 1917 in North Manchester, IN. The 1919 Easter offerings from the churches provided the rest, with the Muncie Mission being the first to send in its contribution of 25 cents per member.

    A Ford Truck frame, purchased in La Carlota (the same town where my family´s missionary journey began!), served as the chassis. The top, designed by an expert from Barcelona and built in Río Cuarto, cost approximately $2,000. It was a model of compactness and convenience, suited to the ministry, and so well made it could last a lifetime.

    The back of the front seat folds down and a front piece comes up, forming a bed which can be prepared in a moment. Below is the space for books and tracts, while above on one side is the wardrobe and on the other the kitchen outfit. The wardrobe doors open revealing a side seat. A blue-flame kerosene stove serves splendidly for the cooking. At the rear, a narrow tier of shelves and drawers make room for toilet articles, etc.

    Over the side steps on the outside there are cylindrical tanks for water, gasoline, carburo [carbide], and tools. The carbide makes a satisfactory light for the interior of the coach or for a meeting around the coach. The side windows are reversible, and one side is a blackboard, which bears the notices on each side of the coach. The front windows are removable. When they are on, the coach is entirely closed and can be locked up and left like a house. The center is high, to permit standing upright, and windows at each side of the high part give light and ventilation. Three or four persons can live comfortably in the coach but there is a small tent which can be taken along when necessary. The coach has proven its ability to go over all kinds of bad roads where an ordinary auto can go and has carried as many as twenty-five people through mud and rain. (The Brethren Evangelist, July 21, 1921.)

    The Bible Coach was dedicated on Easter Sunday, April 4, 1920. 

    Three workers aboard, el Auto Evangélico left on its maiden trip. Their first destination was La Carlota, “my” town. 

    Clarence Sickel was the new missionary commissioned for this unique ministry. Clarence and Loree had arrived in the country in November of 1919 and were still learning the language and ways of Argentina. Two seasoned workers, Yoder and Edwards, accompanied them. Clarence proved to be a model driver, could sing stirring solos, and even had mechanic skills. Loree remained in La Carlota with the resident missionaries to help them pack for their return to the US.

    As one writer put it, “There’s muckle adae when cadgers ride." (“There is large much ado when carriers ride.” The Brethren Evangelist, October 6, 1920.) A whole lot of preparation took place before the couriers set out--to stock the cupboards with provisions (cold cuts, eggs, tea, etc.), and bed clothing; to load an abundant supply of Bibles, New Testaments, scripture portions and tracts; to fill the fuel and water tanks.

    Then the real work began.

    We find that the auto behaves beautifully with the load it carries. . . people everywhere come out to see the auto that looks more like a streetcar. We can stop most anywhere and have people to talk to from morning to night. (The Brethren Evangelist, June 23, 1920.)

Charles Yoder, the pioneer with a decade of experience who went along for a few days on this first outing, continues: We sleep better in the coach than in a house and have it conveniently arranged for cooking as well. On the way from one town to another we can take all the quails, pheasants, rabbits we want and sometimes armadillos and ducks. [More importantly, however,] we distributed thousands of good tracts and portions of the scriptures and are quite enthusiastic over the work. (The Brethren Evangelist, June 23, 1920.)

It is our policy to confine our work to our district, and on account of the high price of gasoline (60 centavos per gallon, equivalent $1) to remain in a town until it is thoroughly canvassed before going to another. (The Brethren Evangelist, July 21, 1921.)

The district referred to, an area comparable to the state of Indiana, is in the province of Córdoba in the center of Argentina, with headquarters in Río Cuarto. This city was chosen for several reasons—the largest population (35,000), its centrality and its mild climate, but mostly it was still unoccupied, unreached, in a spiritually dark and hostile area. The idea was to expand out from there along the different lines of the railroad, and the plan for the Bible Coach was to canvass every town in each direction, even stopping along the way at country homes. One colporteur, who had been doing this kind of work for years with his horse and buggy, joined the new team in the beginning to reach remote country homes not accessible to the Coach. 

These colporteurs imitated the pattern Jesus gave the disciples when he sent them out. “Go your way, behold I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves . . . Whatever house. . . if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him.” (Luke 10:3-4)

When a town is entered, if there are people already interested in the gospel, they soon make themselves known and thus form a group or center for further work. A record is kept of all persons interested in each town, so that the work can be followed up in subsequent visits. (The Brethren Evangelist, July 21, 1921)

    This “church on wheels” was entering the domain of the Roman Catholic Church which, at that time, had no competition. Sadly, it was not a robust and pure religion. Although it had lost credibility due to widespread corruption and immorality, it still held cultural and political control. Priests began to organize special events, festivals, dances, loud music, anything to distract and oppose the efforts of the “intruders.” Some resorted to threats, destroying the literature and inciting violence. School teachers could threaten and punish those who associated with the evangélicos. The level of opposition varied depending on whether the town had a resident priest or only a visiting monk. Nuns were considered the worst enemies. 

    However, a welcoming like-minded minority prevailed among the European-born immigrants. The great immigration wave (late nineteenth, early twentieth century) brought people who had been taught the Bible. These were among the first followers, helpers, and leaders in the mission points and churches established as a result of more than thirty years of colportage. Some had long prayed for a Bible-believing fellowship. A few had begun to teach the Bible in their native language until a Spanish helper came along. Interestingly, most of the evangelists who traveled with the Bible Coach had European roots: German, Chech, Spanish, Italian. Reasons for migration were as varied as the nationalities—to seek a better life, to escape hardship and oppression, to find or develop new business opportunities. In some towns, such as La Carlota, the Bible Coach workers conducted separate meetings for the English-speaking population, mostly British, earlier immigrants who played an important role in the development of the Argentine railways.

    The Bible Coach workers were sent out in pairs for a four-month tour and, when possible, spent the winter in one town involved in follow-up ministry. The routine was to first go to the police station and town authorities to inform them of the purpose of their visit and get permission to set up in a choice location for open air meetings or to find a hall they could use for indoor gatherings. Then they wrote the time and place on the reversible blackboard window and canvassed the town to invite people and peddle their literature. 

The advantages afforded by this unique vehicle were listed in an article by field superintendent, C. F. Yoder.

    This method allows for several colporteurs to work together, thus encouraging one another. Second, they remain in one place as long as they wish with little expense and continue the work whether the weather is favorable or not. Third, to follow up their selling by teaching. Fourth, makes possible public meetings. Fifth, to carry a larger variety of Bibles, tracts, and other books suitable. Sixth, to reach the small villages and country places which the colporteur cannot ordinarily reach on account of the difficulty and expense. Seventh, the BC attracts the attention of those who are interested in the work and brings gifts and offerings. (The Brethren Evangelist, July 21, 1921.)

    The beloved Coche Bíblico labored long and hard for more than thirty years, weathering storms of all kinds: médanos, sandstorms during periods of drought; pantanos, deep mud bogs during rainy seasons; and the spiritual opposition.

    After five years the motor broke down. In 1927 it was back in service with a repaired motor and repainted body. There were times when it languished in a garage. Changes, additions, and improvements were made along the way.
In 1928 a half-tent was attached to the side, and the need for a major overhaul was recognized. That same year, Mrs. Lowmann, from Roann, IN, asked that in lieu of memorial flowers, monies go to a fund for the “church on wheels.” She died September 3. The $43.50 that came in started the offering needed for the new chassis. The mission points born from the many visits of the Bible Coach also contributed their support.

    In the winter of 1929, the Bible Coach sat idle. There was a serious flu epidemic. Schools were closed for a whole month. In Río Cuarto alone, fifteen to twenty funerals were conducted daily. When spring weather came around, however, two workers set out with the old coach on a south westerly route. 

    Then in 1930 a new chassis was purchased with a “horse of the proper size which gives a sense of power and security.” (The Brethren Evangelist, January 4, 1930.) With a new coat of paint and the addition of a stereopticon projector and loud speaking equipment, the Coach was ready and loaded for its next tour. 

    A couple of years later a tent and folding benches for two hundred were added, allowing for overflowing crowds to meet inside and out.

    Seventeen years after the beginning of its travels, an annual report from the mission field stated: The high light of our work is, no doubt, the Bible Coach. With its present equipment of loudspeaker and balopticon, and the facility for giving outdoor illustrated messages, we have one of the most efficient ways in all of the Argentine of giving the Gospel message to the people as a whole. The music draws the crowds, the pictures hold the attention, and the message given through the loudspeaker cannot fail to reach the ears, not only of those who draw near, but many more who remain in their homes, refusing to be seen with the “heretics.”  (The Brethren Evangelist, October 9, 1937.)

    Numbers may better express the magnitude of the outreach. That year alone, the tour covered twenty-five towns and held eighty-three meetings (64 open air, 19 in halls) with audiences between 350 and 1200. The written Word went out by the hundreds--850 New Testaments, 175 Bibles, 500 portions. The Lord’s blessing was on the ministry despite a late start due to lack of workers. The late mild fall weather allowed the Coach ministry to continue longer than usual. Far beyond these quantifiable statistics, eternity will reveal the impact of the colporteurs’ visits to each home, their many contacts and conversations.

    The advantages of this ministry have been enumerated thus: each town had the opportunity to hear the Gospel; isolated believers found fellowship and follow up; believers began to meet to study the Bible; Sunday Schools led to mission points and then established churches; the colporteurs were blessed and grew in the process; each visit blessed, encouraged, and grew the mission points; and those who supported the work were blessed. 

    The statement, we have never done a better work in Argentina than to send out the Bible Coach (The Brethren Evangelist, August 3, 1935.) proved true after years of ministry and unnumbered tours that led to mission stations and later established churches. 

    This Gospel work impacted the culture. 

    Writing specifically to the effect on women, one missionary wrote:  

    Evangelical missions have no easy path to tread in Latin America, but they have left a trail of gospel seeds through tracts, leaflets, testaments, Bibles, and lives that have done more than anything else to keep the women of Latin America from the grave danger of swinging away from all religion, as her men did. (The Brethren Evangelist, March 12, 1938.)

    The intense persecution in the beginning and the amazing results years later, reminded me of the promise, “Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them. (Psalm 126:6)"

    The concept of vehicles as means to spread the Gospel has become a recurring theme in my life. 

    I married a man with a heart for God and the mind of an engineer. Convinced that, like Bezalel in the Old Testament (Ex. 35:30-33), he could use his gift for design and invention to help spread the Word,  he outfitted recreational vehicles with secret compartments to carry thousands of units of scriptures and literature to be delivered by dedicated Christian “tourists” to believers in closed countries. He also designed a remotely controlled airplane to drop packets of Gospel literature into Albania, at the time the country most closed to the Gospel. 

    Later, as a family, we lived five years on a missionary ship, yet another vehicle to penetrate many nations with the Good News. As a community of more than three hundred volunteers, our main goal was to make the message of abundant life in Jesus accessible in many lands.

    Jesus Himself took on a human body as a vehicle to dwell among us, reveal God’s nature, and even be delivered for our salvation and life abundant. “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:10b ESV)”