There was a very poor attendance on the opening day, but as word got around of the high calibre of the meetings, the attendance increased. On February 7, the evangelistic crusade opened its meetings in the Randolph Hotel Ballroom. Stanley Harris and his associates held a series of evangelistic meetings in El Dorado early in 1954. Construction of a new church building was started in 1947 by Elder Martin C.

The original church and lot were sold that year and another lot was purchased. In 1946, Claude Reed sold his home in Little Rock, purchased a fully-equipped trailer and relocated at El Dorado where he put in a good winter working to spread the gospel ( Record, 1946). Membership DoublesĮvangelistic meetings were held in the ballroom in 1954 The El Dorado church members furnished the meals, charging a reasonable rate, and helped provide lodging for guests ( Record, 1941).

Camp meeting was held in the El Dorado High School auditorium August 1 – 9, 1941. Buddy Rogers and his wife had been won to the truth in the effort held at El Dorado the year before ( Record, 1941). Between two and three hundred people were present the first night, opening a large opportunity for these young men to proclaim the message. In April 1941, Carl Pine and Buddy Rogers began a lay evangelistic effort near El Dorado. In preparation for this effort the local church systematically placed nearly 32,000 copies of the Present Truth in the homes of the people in El Dorado and surrounding areas ( Record, 1940). A lot was secured near the center of town upon which a tent was erected for the meeting. In 1940, an evangelistic effort was held in El Dorado beginning June 18. Finally by December 1938, they had remodeled, painted, ceiled and floored the building and given it an attractive appearance ( Pound, 1938). The members met in a rough, unpainted building with a sawdust and shaving floor. Hartwell, visited and organized a church of twenty-six members ( Hartwell, 1935). On August 10, 1935, the conference president, Elder H. The following summer, Elder Wilson again held meetings in El Dorado, with Charles Beeler as his assistant.

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