On Jan. 27, I attended the pastor’s ReFresh Training hosted by Healthy Church Solutions and Larry Barker at Central Baptist College in Conway, along with several other pastors and four of our current missionaries. I know I am old, and some may wonder why, in my present situation, I attend workshops and various trainings. Well, the Lord knows I need all the help I can get.
I, for one, am a firm believer that iron sharpens iron. My experience over the years is that, while I seldom come away retaining the firehose of knowledge presented, I attend, hoping to take just one thing away I can incorporate into my ministry for the rest of my life. I like to think of them as tools of the trade. Gradually, you will develop a complete set from which to draw. No matter how long a training might take, getting one suggestion, idea, method or viewpoint will have been well worth your time.
When I say I am glad to be a part, I mean of an organization such as the BMA of America and her churches. There is an attitude of wanting to help others succeed. To see men like Larry Barker (a former missionary, pastor and teacher) surrender their lives to help men be all they can be makes me proud that he is one of us. We are blessed to have many thoughtful individuals who also give their time and effort to minister to our pastors and churches. Please take advantage of the opportunities afforded you. God forbid, never come to the place that you think you know it all, for I assure you that you don’t.
From Our Missionaries
Misión Creciendo en Cristo (Growing in Christ), North Little Rock: Juan Carlos Posadas writes, “On Tuesday night, we started classes at the Bible Institute. I have the privilege of teaching the class ‘Ecclesiastical Ministry Administration and Education,’ and 11 students are taking the class, and 5 are from our congregation. I thank God for allowing us to equip brothers and sisters for service in His work.
“I also thank God for the training provided on Saturday by BMA Global for pastors and church leaders. It was very informative and provided very useful resources for the ministry.”
Ebenezer, West Little Rock: Ruben Isturiz writes, “Thank God for January. We had the opportunity to visit several homes to pray for the leader of each home, put them in God’s hand and, in turn, they will be praying for all the members of their family.
“Doña Sayra took advantage of her artistic ability to give the sisters relaxation time, painting and studying the Word. On Saturday evening, they gathered to study the wisdom of God and develop their skills in the art of painting. For many of them, it was their first time painting, and they spontaneously expressed how much fun they had and the need for a special time that would make them get out of their routine and focus on their personal development. At the end of the session, each one took away a good souvenir, which she could hang on the wall of her house and remember the good time of communion surrounding the artistic evening. Thank God for those details that allow us to cultivate our being.
“This week, I will be praying for the last ones on my agenda to visit them. We began a series of studies in the book of the Acts of the Apostles. Thanks to God, we have been learning about the beginning of the first-century church, and how the Holy Spirit was guiding the church and it spread throughout the Roman Empire. There are many things our Ebenezer Mission has to learn from the book of Acts.
“Thank God, our sick people are recovering. Out of love for them, we are broadcasting via online.
“We will start our Home Groups again in February. We have had them on hold so we can pray for all the homes in Ebenezer. Pray that, through the groups, others will hear the gospel.
“Thank you for your support and prayers. Glory to God!”
Faith Chapel, Flippin: Johnny Shew writes, “What a great week we had at Faith Chapel! The temperatures were above freezing all week. Praise God! And we got plenty of rain, thank you, Lord! A bug has been going around that has afflicted several of our members and visitors. People seem to be taking turns getting it, so we had several out this week, but we still had a good number and a great time of worship.
“We were totally blessed when a dearly beloved couple that has been coming faithfully for over a year decided to join us and become members. Praise God! Most people were surprised and said, ‘I thought they were already members.’ We already love them dearly and welcome them sincerely as fellow laborers to the harvest. I love the way God adds to His church! We have several more ‘faithful visitors’ we are praying will also join us.
“We are still waiting for the drywall on the new building. The contractors had told us they were beginning to catch up, but that was before the snow, ice and brutal cold. We just pray the Lord will help them work their way to us soon, and we trust He will.
“Thank you all again for your prayers and support. Please continue. God is answering in a mighty way, and we will continue to pray for you all as well!”
Faith Journey, Benton: Bryan Clay writes, “I attended the Refresh Training this week for pastors and missionaries that was held at Central Baptist College in Conway. We enjoyed fellowshipping together and learning about our God-ordained profession. I was able to gather vital information from seasoned pastors about how to minister to others and grow as a person while serving an amazing, faithful Father. It was a great time, and I am glad I got to be a part of it.
This week, I started back with my continual education in a course called Faith Bible Institute. It is a college-level study of the entire Bible that is done over six semesters. It is online, and our sending church has a meeting every week to facilitate the class. If you are ever interested in studying the Scriptures and the theology that comes with it, I highly recommend this class. Have a blessed week!
Misión Gracia Soberana (Sovereign Grace), NWA:Roberto Marcelletti writes, “What a wonderful week the Lord gave us. We were very well attended in the Grace Groups, our connection groups, in three different cities of Northwest Arkansas. We can see how love and devotion to the Lord grows and the commitment is only by grace. In each meeting, we have a time of accountability, where we can get to know each other better, know the situations our brothers and sisters struggle with, intentionally pray for each other and learn the importance of each other that the Word of God speaks so much about.
“Saturday morning, the women’s ministry, led by my wife, Patty went to clean the church and decorate it so it was ready for our Sunday service. They had a great time together and had a devotional, prayed and ate together.
“On Sunday, we had a very good attendance. We had our largest attendance in the children’s Sunday School class with 11 children.
“We need a TV for the children’s class and also an electroacoustic guitar since the one we have is not working well.
“Blessings to you all, and we are grateful for your prayers.”
Epic Life, Pea Ridge: Jake McCandless writes, “The theme this week was training! Along with that, let’s add trusting God! One of the key components of how we’re doing ministry at Epic Life is training leaders to be missionaries in their neighborhoods and networks. We have been calling them coaches. We have six who have committed to being coaches (three households). Since we launched, I have wanted to start training, but nothing has felt right.
Then, two weeks ago, Amanda and I attended a training session with South City. A group doing ministry like we are, KC Underground, led the training. We decided we would try to lean into that group’s terminology and training. We returned and shared that excitement with our group, and they got fired up about training. They asked for it! I didn’t have to push it.
“We have our first official ‘coaches’ meeting this coming Sunday, but two coaches and I are taking a seven-week training with KC Underground via Zoom. It was a dream come true for two of the coaches to do that. Then, this weekend, I had the chance to go training with our Healthy Church Solutions team at CBC. On top of that, I’m in the middle of a nine-week leadership coaching class — lots of training.
“This week was also great in that we had a family who attended our worship night last week come to our preview night this week! You won’t believe this, but the husband trains missionaries in Africa to use the same method we are. Oh, I forgot the most exciting thing this week — my daughters created a Bible trivia game and led one of the Connection Groups!”
El Faro #2 Hispanic Mission, Cabot/Jacksonville: Michael Hight writes, “The last couple of weeks have been a little slow due to the weather and some health issues, but I think we made some real progress on a meeting location. I met with a church that is centrally located between Jacksonville and Cabot. I am supposed to meet with the entire church next week. Please keep this in your prayers. The first meeting went very well.”
