Read More Charter Member Biographies: Evelyn Grant and Paul Stuck
Charter Member: Bethel (Bower) Blount
Bethel attended the new church at the Ebell Club on its first Sunday. Her father, Glenn Bower, had been involved in the organization of Calvary Church and was elected to be the first Chairman of the Deacon Board. A young neighbor boy her own age was also there with his family. That neighbor boy, from the adjacent ranch, was Paul Stuck. One of Bethel’s memories from the early days was that of her Sunday School teacher who faithfully prayed for her.
She remembers Cameron Townsend speaking at Calvary, challenging the young people to consider missions. In 1942, she responded by joining Wycliffe and going to Mexico to translate the Bible into the Tepehua language. It was a sixteen-hour, non-stop, mule ride to Huehuetla, the home of 1,500 isolated Tepehua Indians. There were no consultants, back translations, computerized concordances, or other tools and services that translators have today.
The people were friendly, but uninterested in having their language in written form. They were definitely afraid of anything published in their own tongue.
In 1953, one half of the village burned to the ground, including the translators’ home. All of the work, to that time, was lost. In 1954 the work began again, this time with much improved and advanced tools.
A most exciting day for Bethel was the completion and dedication of the Huehuelta Tepehua New Testament on October 16, 1976 in the village of Huehuelta.
Bethel had known Turner Blount since college days at Biola. Turner and his first wife also served with Wycliffe translating the Navajo New Testament. After Turner’s wife died, he and Bethel met again and were married in 1975.
With Turner’s Navajo work completed, and Bethel’s years of translation work in Mexico having been finished, they moved to Phoenix. In Arizona they handled public relations for Wycliffe Arizona, including recruitment for Bible translation teams. They are now retired and are living near San Diego in Spring Valley, California.
We thank the Lord for the many years Bethel served Him as one of Calvary’s partners.
Read More Charter Member Biographies: Evelyn Grant and Paul Stuck