Delayed Departure
Not long after their arrival at Ararat the young Moyes again completed all the rigmarole that issuing new visas necessitated. Months later the U S Consulate informed them that they could now enter U S A and embark on Gordon’s work and study programme.
The permission could not have come at a worse time. Usually Beverley was one hundred percent behind Gordon in all his plans, but this time she seemed reluctant. Four weeks of possible sea-sickness as well as morning sickness—the prospect was too dreadful to contemplate.
Gordon laid a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. “No, of course not. We’ll cancel our bookings and wait another year. Besides,” he waved his hand around the cluttered room that served as his study, “we’ve got so many things on the go that we couldn’t possibly leave Ararat Church just now.”
Beverley nodded gratefully and her eyes roved to the battered desk piled high with papers and borrowed books—Gordon’s own books were still in their crate somewhere in an American customs’ warehouse. These papers were sermon notes and outlines for his religious instruction classes in the local public schools.
A carton on the chipped lino at the left of the desk overflowed with activity materials the teachers used for the “Happy Hours” after school programme that Gordon organized to lure children to attend Sunday School. She smiled, the plan had succeeded too, a month after they arrived in Ararat the church began a Sunday School with thirty- four children and it had grown enormously.
“Come along, darling,” Beverley stooped to replace the papers that Jenny’s exploring fingers had removed from another carton. “Those are Daddy’s fellowship notes. Let’s go and get dinner ready.” She took the little girl in her arms.
With the proposed move to America postponed for at least a year, Gordon devoted his every thought to the job at hand. He had already accomplished twice as much as anyone expected of him but there was still more to do.
In their first six months at Ararat he won the co-operation of the members and with their backing doubled the attendances at Sunday morning services and trebled them at night.
Almost every night of the week saw some church-related activity in progress. A Boys’ Club of team games and gymnastics kept Gordon and his thirteen helpers fit, as well as keeping scores of potential young trouble-makers off the streets.
A weekly Christian Youth Fellowship for teenagers and a Young Adult Fellowship cared for older youth and newlyweds.
A monthly Men-Only breakfast attracted those whose work prevented them from joining in other activities. Then there was a mid-week Girls’ Club, and table-tennis teams and girls’ netball competitions. With his background of school sports Gordon believed in keeping youngsters active, using up their energy so that they had little left for getting into mischief.
The adults responded to his plans for Bible studies and the idea expanded so rapidly that they formed house-church groups, each studying the same Bible passage under different leaders.
All these activities were open to anyone and the most popular of all were the prayer groups. In order to find times to suit everyone Gordon instituted prayer meetings on several days a week.
“David, the great psalmist said, `Evening, morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice,’ Psalm 55:17” Gordon announced one Sunday morning. “So we also will have prayer meetings at morning, noon and night so that all who wish can attend.”
It was impossible for him to attend each meeting or activity in person but he appointed others to take charge. On Tuesday nights he trained willing men from his church to become lay-evangelists. In between times he and Beverley visited the sick and elderly of their congregation.
Gordon never allowed himself or his church members to `RUST on their laurels.’ He knew the old saying that `Satan finds for idle hands some evil work to do,’ and he certainly lived by it.
Added to these normal activities he saw to it that no special occasion passed unnoticed. Christmas, New Year and Easter were on every church calendar. Then there was Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, Thanksgiving or Harvest Festival, National Day of Prayer, Anzac Day, Visitors’ Day, Sunday School Anniversary, Overseas Missions Day, and if they ran out of important events to commemorate they could always hold a Fathers’ and Sons’ Day or a Mothers’ and Daughters’ Day.
“These celebrations give everyone in the church something to look forward to,” Gordon explained, “particularly the children and young people who have to practise and attend rehearsals.”
Beside all these church commitments, an average of once a week a club or community organization somewhere in the district invited him to speak at one of their functions. So he built up a reputation as a knowledgeable and humorous speaker.
Another activity of those early days that led him to greater things in later years, was radio. In Ararat Gordon discovered that the life of a country parson offered opportunities that otherwise might have taken decades to come his way. “They gave me the go-ahead,” Gordon rushed into the kitchen one afternoon. Beverley looked up from the potato she was peeling. “Who did?”“The radio stations. Chris told me that these country stations sometimes find it hard to find interesting speakers. They’re more tolerant of religious subjects too. When I suggested to the local station that I give a brief presentation of Christian messages over the air, they agreed.”
These radio segments over 3BA Ballarat, 3CV Maryborough and 3CS Colac became so popular that Gordon, always eager to have himself and his church in the limelight, ventured to approach television.
TV stations proved less enthusiastic. Religion was not top- priority among their audience though the law insisted on a specified amount. Gordon turned on his charm but even so, it took a lot of persuading before BTV-6 Ballarat and BCV-8 Maryborough agreed to him having a five-minute segment after the midnight news.
“A coupla other Rev’rends do it now, you can take a turn with them every month or so.”
“It’s not much, but it’s a beginning,” Gordon triumphantly reported to the church. He prepared his material and with faithful Beverley at his side, helping him to stay awake on the long drive to and from the station, he starred in television for five minutes each week night and ten minutes on Sundays.
In later years Garry Rice, a junior executive on the station, was promoted in turn to each of the three major commercial networks in Sydney. Eventually he became one of Australia’s most powerful television executives, and when opportunity presented he helped open doors to Gordon’s growing television ministry. God saw that faithfulness at midnight on a country station led to opportunities on national networks.
Gordon never minded sticking his neck out when a controversy raged. At this time ten o’clock closing of hotels was the question being mooted in Victoria, and like most towns the Ararat populace was sharply divided over the issue. Some public meetings argued FOR, and other public meetings argued AGAINST. Townspeople almost came to blows defending their particular views.
The local Penguin Club organized a `Ten o’clock Closing Forum’ during the annual Golden Gateway Festival and Gordon spoke up. His opening words became screaming headlines for next Tuesday’s newspaper: TEN O’CLOCK CLOSING WON’T BE DISASTROUS. But before the opposition could gird up its loins for battle, Gordon continued: “Many people fear that the later closing hours will lead to increased consumption of alcohol but I think it will only mean a change in the manner in which alcohol is drunk. I am sorry that there will be a change in licencing hours, but it will not be disastrous.”
Gordon neatly straddled the fence without unduly irritating either side.
On the personal side, the young Moyes felt that their cup of joy overflowed on January 28, 1965 when baby Peter greeted the world with a disgusted howl. Born in the Ararat and District Hospital, the notice in the local paper said: “a brother for Jenny,” and it would be hard to know whether parents or sister were most delighted by the young man’s arrival.
