A branch church made solid progress when its members realized that the challenges they faced as a church were similar to those facing their community. But the members had to demonstrate Christly compassion by meeting these challenges, on behalf of the community and the church, as impersonal impositions. Thus they caught a new view of their church's role—that of prayerfully removing burdens falsely placed on their neighbors and friends.
This is the story of how a few faithful workers were able to reverse the belief that their branch church could not progress. The healing, which took place first in their own thought, did not come quickly. Still, as one of the workers writes, "There were many small victories along the way, and God's love for this church was always visible to visitors."
"Christ had to become again the ascendant factor in the hearts of the members," explains another individual who was closely involved.
