Missions Director Kyle McQuillen (right) presents a flag display to Robert Arnold.
The display includes flags from all of the countries in which Bibles, bought through
Arnold's fund, have been distributed by the UB church.

The Man with the Bib Overalls and a Passion for the Scripture

Steve Dennie

June 2001

In 1987, Robert Arnold came to see Jerry Datema, the Overseas Bishop. Wearing his bib overalls and a farming cap, this retired farmer from Decatur, Ind., said he wanted to have some money invested, with the interest used to provide Bibles. Would the United Brethren church be interested in doing this for him?

Arnold had already talked to another group about this idea, but they didn't seem very enthusiastic about it. Maybe they wondered if this nondescript, simple, somewhat backward-seeming man really had any money.

But Bishop Datema's response was more favorable. Yes, United Brethren Missions would be glad to create a Bible fund with his money. Arnold was really taken with Bishop Datema. Here, he felt, was a sincere man who would take good care of his money.

That day, Arnold pulled about $18,000 cash out of his overalls and gave it to Bishop Datema. The fund was started.

Over the years, Arnold frequently stopped in the Mission Office. He enjoyed coming just to talk to these people to whom he had entrusted his money--Jerry Datema, Hazel McCray, Carlson Becker, Harold Wust, Mabel Mundy, more recently Kyle McQuillen and Donna Hollopeter. And many times, he would give more money toward the Bible fund.

When Robert Arnold died earlier this year, the trust stood at $42,000.

The interest totals $2000-$3000 a year. "We've provided Bibles in India, Macau, Hong Kong, Honduras, Jamaica, Haiti--in fact, on every United Brethren field," says Kyle McQuillen. "That was his passion--Bibles, or something related to the Scriptures. He didn't want the money used for administration, buildings, or salaries. He wanted to get the Bible out."

According to Arnold's will, the entire trust will remain with the Missions Department, with the stipulation that the interest continue being used to buy Bibles.

"He gave us enough latitude that I could buy a set of tapes with the Bible on cassette, or something like that. I would call him to ask, 'Robert, is it okay if I use money for this?' If it was based on the Bible, he would agree to it.

"I usually gave him a report on the amount of money in the fund and how we had used the interest. I always tried to involve him in spending money from the fund so he would feel ownership of it. I knew that if a request was reasonable, he wouldn't say no. But I always would call him and say, 'Robert, I would like to get 500 Bibles for the English Language Program in Macau. Would that be okay?' and he would say 'Yes.' He appreciated being involved in the decision."

Robert Arnold never married, lived alone, and died without any immediate family--just a few nephews scattered around. He was not a United Brethren, but often, because of his interest in our investment, he would attend a United Brethren church in the Decatur area.

"You would never know, by looking at him, that he had a lot of money. He used to tell us he had money hidden in jars under his chicken coop. He was always asking if we needed more money or had special needs. It was difficult, because we didn't want to take advantage of him. But if we had a need for $1000, he would find it right away."

"He was quite an unusual person," says Kyle. "Sometimes he came over just to sit down and talk. He liked coming to the Headquarters. He'd come over to talk to Mabel or me, and just chat. He enjoyed that.

"We didn't know a whole lot about him, and he didn't talk a lot about himself. But I can tell you that thousands of Bibles have been distributed by his fund. In March, I received a request from Macau for 570 Bibles to be used with the outreach to Chinese students at the high school, on Taipa, and in the churches. We just sent them $2000 to purchase Bibles.

"Worldwide, I couldn't begin to count the Bibles we have distributed over the past 14 years. I'll guess that it exceeds 5000 Bibles."

In the year 2000, the Missions staff gave Robert Arnold a set of flags representing all of the countries in which the United Brethren church has distributed Bibles using Arnold's fund. "He took pride in that, and he enjoyed showing it to people," Kyle says.