Jubilee(1948-1998)

By Joseph L. Watkins

"Ye shall set apart the fiftieth year, and...it shall be a "JUBILEE" unto you."  Lev. 25:10

Yes, July 1998 will mark the beginning of the 50th Year of the ministry of Truth For Today, Inc. - 38 years with Mr. and Mrs. Oscar M. Baker at Warsaw, Ind., and for the last 12 years here at Lafayette, Ind.

The English translation of the Hebrew word "yobel", Strong's number 3104 -- "the rams horns" in Jos. 6:4-6, and it is "the trumpet'' in Ex. 19:13. In twenty other occurrences it is rendered "JUBILEE", from which we get our words Jubilant and Jubilation, and for which the 1828 Noah Webster's Dictionary definition is: the act of declaring triumph, and a shouting with joy and rejoicing. To us it means:
"MAKING OUR BOOST IN THE LORD" The humble shall hear - and be glad.  0 magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt his name together. Ps. 34:1-3

From that humble beginning in 1948, with about 100 mimeographed copies of the first newsletter going to the folks on the township tax rolls, to a printing of some 6,700 copies now going to all 50 states in the U.S.A., and to some 63 other nations throughout the world - is indeed the work of the Lord - and not our own.

In 1943, Mr. Baker's purpose was to share with his friends and neighbors the Truth of Gods Word - rightly divided. In l998, that purpose remains unchanged, only our neighborhood is a bit larger, and our friends have increased a few.

The newsletter "Truth For Today" has been, and still is, our principal avenue of communication, with the books and writings of other authors a close second. We are also offering lessons of Mr. Baker, Charles Welch, Stuart Allen, and others on cassette tapes.

And now, as we enter our Jubilee year, we do so with a "cup of " Jubilation and a heart full of thanksgiving unto Him Whose we are and Whom we serve. For our latest avenue of service, we have created a new "address" which goes to the newly created Truth For Today web site. The following features can be found on our web site: A Tribute to our founding editor, an Article Archive, which, at the present time, includes articles by Oscar Baker, Joseph Watkins, and George Feldmann, with more being added all the time. There is also the complete T. F. T. Book list with links to Book Reviews by Robert Guenther, and our e-mail address so that you may contact us that way if you would like. Let us know what you think of it!

jlw