Arturo Illia, a moderate pragmatist, was a physician with a long and distinguished history of social and political service. Although organized labor initially supported him, secret plans for Perón’s return turned it into opposition. Big business was made nervous by his economic and social measures20 and the military feared the political freedom21 he allowed. A media campaign was orchestrated to make Illia seem slow, dim-witted and inefficient, and to encourage a coup. Although many years later he was vindicated as one of the most honest and hard-working presidents in Argentine history, political cartoons of the day portrayed him as a turtle or a kind but bumbling grandfather.
With the military running things again, much of what was going on was not made public. Newspapers, radio and television focused on non-controversial topics. Argentines were up to date with sports, books, movies, music and fashion from around the world—no sooner was something new out in New York, London or Paris than it appeared in Buenos Aires. International political news stories were given prominence and often chosen so that careful readers who looked between the lines were able to make interesting parallels with the domestic front.
When their hectic schedules allowed it, perhaps two or three times per year, the Bedfords would make a family outing downtown. It was fun to dress up, because everyone was expected to look their very best. Calle Lavalle was known throughout the twentieth century as the “Movie Street” due to its large number of theaters, and that is where they saw such iconic films as My Fair Lady and The Sound of Music.
However, once in a while something would happen that hinted at the hidden depths. A case in point occurred on one of the numerous occasions when Ben was headed to a committee meeting of some sort. This time he was in a taxi with two old friends, Ignacio Loredo and Ananías González. They were just passing the Congress building, deep in talk, when a Molotov cocktail exploded right behind them. It hadn’t been meant for them; they were unharmed and never knew what it was all about.
Quite an Impact
The vortex of activities into which the Bedfords had been spun was not random. It became apparent that they were merely in one of the hotspots of a complex system. In Rosario, they had seen their church’s Sunday School enlargement program expand into a citywide campaign with unexpected offshoots that spread across the country. They were now at another such moment of convergence and expansion.
Ben’s election as President of the Mission in 1964 automatically placed him in the Convention’s Coordinating Committee for that year. It consisted of an equal number of national and missionary members. Once again he was privileged to be working with an outstandingly talented, committed and visionary group. It came up with a bold idea for growth on a national scale and created the Commission for a Decade of Advance to work on it. Ben was one of its members.
A ten-year plan was put into action immediately. The goal was to grow from 200 churches and 15,000 members in 1964 to 400 churches with 30,000 members by January 1, 1974: 10 new churches in 1964 and 10 more in 1965; 15 new churches each in 1966 and 1967; 20 each in 1968 and 1969; 25 each in 1970 and 1971; and 30 each in 1972 and 1973. These ambitious numbers might not quite have been reached, but there is no doubt that the program had amazing success and gave shape to Baptist work for many years.
Growth was to be achieved through a series of efforts to strengthen the churches’ evangelistic spirit; retain new converts; choose strategic locations for new works; have pastors support a circuit of churches near their own; encourage field missionaries to go to new areas with no work; inspire mission points to become autonomous churches; make financial plans for aid, equipment, prefabricated chapels and building loans; deploy Seminary professors and students; and carry out intensive lay training programs for both men and women. All Convention and Mission activities would be geared to support this plan, under the supervision of the Convention through its Executive Board.
It also went hand in glove with the preparations for the continent-wide 1969 Campaign of the Americas whose slogan was “Christ the Only Hope.” At that time Jacobo Vartagnan was Chairman and Ben Vice Chairman of the Convention’s Evangelism Committee. Vartagnan was ill for a time so a good bit of organization and legwork fell to Ben. Together with Ananías González, he co-authored a practical guide for the churches of the Buenos Aires area for the Simultaneous Campaign of 1968, a lead-in to the Campaign of the Americas the following year.
Meanwhile, encouraged by the success of its initial coordinated effort in Solano and the upsurge of new works, the Buenos Aires South Zone Association planned and executed a Stewardship and Mission emphasis in 1966 and set its sights on opening new home Bible studies as possible mission points and future churches: 66 in ’66, 67 in ’67, 68 in ’68, and so on. Courses were offered throughout the area to prepare laymen, and Ben was pressed into service as a teacher. Enthusiasm was so great that, at the conclusion of his report to the National Convention, Francisco “Pancho” Pluís got a bit carried away: “In the South Zone we have the best association, the best churches, the best pastors and the best missionary!” When Ben returned from a furlough several years later, Daniel Gaydou, who had been in charge of Evangelism that year, caught him up on the South Zone’s progress: “I’m afraid we didn’t start 68 new home Bible studies in ’68,” he said very seriously, before breaking into a huge grin. “There were 84!”
The Mission duly went about gearing its efforts toward supporting the Decade of Advance. At the July Mission Meeting following its implementation, Ben declined reelection as President, but he did offer the suggestion of doing something along the lines of a very successful program carried out in São Paulo, Brazil that he had been privileged to hear about on a bus trip between Santos and that metropolis during a stop on the way back to the field. He was asked to present a proposal the next day, so he and his fellow members on the Evangelism Committee, Charles Campbell and Bill Ferrell, were forced to pull an all-nighter.
What they came up with was a plan to concentrate staff, money and resources in one place to create a veritable “impact.” They suggested Córdoba, with the largest metropolitan area in the country after Buenos Aires and Rosario as well as the advantage of already having several missionaries and quite a few resources. The Mission liked the idea but felt that it was a lot of money to put into only one place so it proposed dividing it into two: Córdoba and Tucumán. A committee was formed to coordinate the “Impact Program” and Ben was elected chairman.
The kickoff would take place at the National Convention in Córdoba in April of 1967, with simultaneous revivals in ten places in that city, and thirty couples would be prepared to do personal work. Tucumán’s kickoff would be in September. Some missionaries were already in place and others were appointed as they arrived: Córdoba had the Malones, Mines, Taylors, Saunkeahs and Johnsons, while the Baileys and the Reeves went to Tucumán.
The Bedfords were able to participate in both initial campaigns. Since it was before the seatbelt law was in force, Ben managed to cram about eight Seminary students into the long-suffering Rambler for the trip to Córdoba, but it was in Tucumán that the appositeness of the program’s name was borne in upon him in a forceful and tangible manner. They were staying with the Baileys and the men left to pick up Pastor Horacio Juárez at the train station. On the way they were struck by another vehicle.
“You go on ahead in a taxi while I deal with this,” suggested Doyle.
Ben flagged down the next cab and climbed in. It had barely gotten under way before it was involved in a second crash. In the end, he and Doyle arrived at the station at about the same time. Ben had received a double impact in less than five minutes!
Rail Jockeys and Dragons
“Why don’t you run on up while I find a place to park the car?”