May, June and July have been set aside by our association for State Missions to have our annual Special Emphasis time. Please make it a priority to give during this special event. Missions, unlike many endeavors, is an unending one. There never comes a time to slack off because souls hang in the balance.
Please remember to pray for your missionaries, and may God find your church faithfully carrying out the Great Commission. The funds help us in expanding our footprint to more neighborhoods throughout Arkansas. As always, I want to thank those who support this Department systematically with your prayers and generous offerings.
On the Road Again
I have had some ask me to come and share the work of your state missionaries, but I still have several dates open. So, consider giving me a call. There are several churches I have never been invited to in my 12 years serving as your director. My purpose for coming is to speak about Missions. While I can preach if you would like, that is not necessary. My number is (501) 859-3329, and I hope to hear from you.
Heaven is Getting Sweeter Everyday
I was saddened to hear of the passing of a long-time friend and mentor, James Coker, who I became acquainted with many years ago at church camp. He was one of the kindest and godliest men God has allowed to cross my path. Never flashy, always faithful, he served his family, country and his God with undying devotion. Whenever I had a question, I knew James would tell me the truth whether I liked it or not. A former pastor, then state missionary, then pastor again, he finished his course and kept the faith. It is my prayer that all pastors, young and old, have someone like James Coker in their corner. Search out someone who you love and who you know loves you and don’t be afraid to ask them for advice. To his lovely wife, Louise and daughter, Tracy and extended family, Vicki and I extend our deepest condolences. Truly the BMA’s loss is Heaven’s gain.
From Our Missionaries
Misión Creciendo en Cristo (Growing in Christ), North Little Rock: Juan Carlos Posadas writes, “On Wednesday, we received a visit from Fredis and his family, who came for their daughter’s graduation in Nashville, Tenn. They are good Honduran friends with whom we have shared the ministry for many years. Thank God, they continue to serve God and obtain family achievements that fill us with satisfaction.
Their daughter, Lisbeth (who graduated) is the young lady we had during the summer in the middle of the COVID pandemic. When Honduras closed its doors, she was unable to return to her country for summer vacations.
“Melvin surprised us Wednesday night by bringing four young guests to discipleship. We had an interesting talk and had fun playing games. Please pray for Melvin. He is a good man who is trying to keep his faith. I want to disciple him, but he is very busy.
“Even though Sayra was suffering from severe lower back pain, and I had a severe flu, we managed to donate eight beds and a dining room set to families who were victims of the tornado. We hope to do something more for them this week. Some that did not have insurance have lost everything and are still living in a hotel.
“Let’s continue to pray for these families and that God will open doors for us to help them, especially the doors of the hearts of the victims.
“We celebrated Mother’s Day on Sunday, and we had nine visitors for the first time ever. The mothers adored God with a special song. We prayed for them, cooked for them and served them at the tables. It was nice to see the husbands and children entertaining the mothers of the church.”
Ebenezer, West Little Rock: Ruben Isturiz writes, “We had a good atmosphere last Sunday with our service with an emphasis on Mother’s Day. It was a good opportunity to make the Word of God known. In our first part, we talked a little bit about the value of the Virtuous Woman. In the sermon, we touched on the importance of values in the friendship between Ruth and Naomi — women full of God’s values.
We ended our celebration time with a cake and some presents to the mothers who attended Ebenezer.
“After the Celebration service, I went to the stadium to give my Bible study to the Hispanic players of the Travelers and the Arkansas Naturals. God is answering prayer for the players. There were many questions from the players in the study we had, and I see a thirst in them. I ask you to continue to pray for this chaplaincy ministry with the Hispanic players. Pray for Juan Then, who is a pitcher from the Dominican Republic who is already with the Major League team. I spoke with him to congratulate him and pray for him.
“Continue to pray for us and for the two new families where we will start a Bible study group in their homes. Pray that the Holy Spirit will touch their lives and come to repentance. My desire is that these two families will be baptized in July as long as they make their decision for Christ. To God be the glory!”
Faith Chapel, Flippin: Johnny Shew writes, “We had a wonderful Mother’s Day at Faith Chapel! It was a beautiful morning, with a good number and two first-time visitors. One of those was the sweetest mother of one of our members, who resides at Twin Lakes Therapy and Living, who was able to come with her daughter and son-in-law to worship with us.
It was such a blessing for us all to meet her and love on her, and we hope and pray that she was blessed, as well.
“Here is some more good news: I spoke to my mother a few different times last week, and in addition to telling her Happy Mother’s Day, we were finally able to get her to agree to come and live with us. She is not getting around as good as she used to, and we just want her to be close so we can try to give her the kind of care she so unselfishly gave everyone else for most of her 88 years. We are so looking forward to her being here full time, and hope to make that happen very soon. Please pray for her, and I know that some of you already are.
“The building is coming along nicely, although I could say the same things about it this week as I did last week. All of those things in progress right now take time and we didn’t complete any of them.
“I didn’t help things progress much either since I caught a bug and was sick with fever, sore throat, a cough and a really bad headache for two days. Then, as fast as I got it, it went away, and I was okay. Praise God that it didn’t linger.
“So, it’s back to work. We thank you sincerely for your support and prayers! Please continue as God is answering them in a mighty way!”
The Table, Springdale: Clinton Morris writes, “We had a great family service. Chris led the service for the second time, and it was great to see the improvements in delivery and confidence. Drew led a young man to Christ on Sunday. He was a first-time guest. It is so amazing to see how God is moving in people’s lives.”
Faith Journey, Benton: Bryan Clay writes “We had a wonderful Mother’s Day celebration at Faith Journey this week! We honored our mothers in attendance with a yummy pasta dinner fellowship and presented each of them with a beautiful arrangement of roses. We also spoke a few words about each of the mothers that were there and how much they do for their families and their love of Christ.
We are so blessed to have this amazing group of ladies in our mission.
“We are excited to share that Faith Journey performed its first ever baptism this week. We had a special time celebrating the baptism of a young lady that was saved on Easter Sunday and wanted to follow that up by believer’s baptism. We are so proud of her decision. Please be in prayer for this young life as she begins her journey as a new believer. What a great day!”
Misión Gracia Soberana (Sovereign Grace), NWA: Roberto Marcelletti writes, “I am very grateful and hopeful with the work we are doing. On Monday, we were able to pray and share the message with six people. The same Monday, I began to disciple Sister Maria Fernandez by Zoom. Since her husband is still very sick and has not been able to go to church, we agreed to start by Zoom.
“Patty continues with her group of women on Wednesday mornings. This time it was at Sister Iris’ house in Springdale, and they had a new visitor. Patty teaches them how to do a devotional, and they are in the book of James.
“On Friday, we were able to begin the second phase of discipleship in our apartment. We talked about the importance of knowing the gospel message ‘power of God.’ On Sunday, despite the heavy rain that fell at the time of the service, a group of brothers and sisters arrived, and we were able to learn about the joy of serving in the home with the role that God gave us. We ended up praying for the mothers, giving them a gift and eating together.”
Epic Life, Pea Ridge: Jake McCandless writes, “Both of our Connection Groups met this week. One was up with two returning guests and the other was down. The thing our Connection Group leaders are coming to grips with is not to get discouraged and instead focus on the ones who are there. Though we’ve had discouragement, we’re learning to be truly happy with even one!
“Unfortunately, I came down with the flu this week for the second time in two months. Due to the flu being in our home, we had to postpone our monthly worship night. That was frustrating. It’s hard to recognize things when they happen to you, but before we started with Epic Life, I was pastor of the mother church for Roberto and Patty in Springdale. Amanda and I were shocked at the resistance to their work they faced. They faced sickness after sickness, strange things that could only add up to spiritual resistance. I can’t fully speak for us, but I saw it with them. Pray for these new works across the state. The enemy seems to want to stop them and discourage us missionaries.”
