By Jeff Herring, Executive Editor • Baptist Trumpet
In December 1938, while most people were planning Christmas vacations, a 29-year-old London stockbroker named Nicholas Winton canceled his ski trip. A friend in Prague had written, “Come help. The situation is desperate.” When he arrived, he found Jewish families trapped as Nazi power spread across Europe. The world was looking away, but Winton didn’t. The decision he made in those few weeks would change hundreds of lives and echo across generations.
With no authority, no training and no organization behind him, he arranged what became his own version of the Kindertransport — rescuing 669 children from Czechoslovakia before the borders closed and Nazi occupation began. Then he went home, lived an ordinary life, and rarely mentioned what he’d done. Fifty years later, his story was rediscovered. Invited to a television program, Winton sat unaware that the audience around him was filled with the grown children he had rescued. As they stood to their feet in gratitude, he wept — overwhelmed, humble, almost embarrassed by the attention and grateful that the children he once rescued now stood before him. When asked why he did it, he simply said, “If something’s not impossible, there must be a way of doing it.”
Around that same time, another man on the other side of the world felt a different kind of burden. W. J. Burgess, the pastor of Temple Baptist Church in Little Rock, began a small publication called the Temple Trumpet. His goal was to keep his congregation connected and informed about what God was doing among them. It started as a local church paper, but God had bigger plans.
As word spread beyond the congregation, the Temple Trumpet began connecting believers across Arkansas. That same heartbeat of connection became even more important when the Baptist Missionary Association of America was formed in 1950. On Feb. 6, 1952, the final Temple Trumpet was printed, and just a week later, on Feb. 13, the first Baptist Trumpet appeared. Two years later, in November 1954, it officially became the publication of the BMA of Arkansas with the same mission — helping people stay connected to what God was doing through their churches and through this growing family of believers we now call the association.
Eighty-six years later, that same mission still matters. The Trumpet is more than ink and paper. It’s a weekly connection point reminding us that we’re part of something bigger than our own church walls. It informs, inspires and involves believers in what God is doing through our churches, missionaries and ministries. But that connection doesn’t happen by accident. Every page we print and every story we tell depends on people who still believe that staying connected to the mission is worth the cost.
In my October 1 article, “Which Pocket?” (page 1 or at baptisttrumpet.com/2025/09/30/which-pocket), I shared more about the Trumpet’s financial needs. This isn’t just about balancing a budget. It’s about keeping the heartbeat of our association strong. As we approach the end of the year, we need immediate help to stay current on expenses and continue doing what this ministry has done faithfully for generations — keeping our churches connected to the mission. If you haven’t already, please consider a special offering or an increase in your regular support this month. Your partnership truly helps us carry this shared work forward.
And while we’re talking about involvement, don’t leave the work of our association to “someone else.” We are the association, and the work only happens when each of us shows up, takes ownership and plays our part. Make it a priority to be at the BMA of Arkansas meeting on November 6. Come ready to worship, pray and celebrate what God is doing through our churches as we invest in the mission together.
Nicholas Winton didn’t wait for permission, and W.J. Burgess didn’t wait for a committee. Both men saw a need and acted. The challenge for us is the same — see the need, refuse apathy and do our part. Doing nothing has never changed the world. Doing something — especially when it costs something — always does.
So, what can you do?
• Pray — Ask God to bless and sustain the work of the Baptist Trumpet and the ministries of the BMA of Arkansas.
• Give — If the Lord allows, send a special offering this month to help the Trumpet meet year-end needs and remain current on expenses. You can give online at BaptistTrumpet.com/Give.
• Encourage — Remind your church and pastor why staying connected through the Trumpet matters.
• Show Up — Be at the BMA of Arkansas meeting on November 6. Don’t leave the work of the association to someone else. Come ready to worship, pray, and participate.
• Stay Engaged — Read, share and talk about what God is doing through our association. Connection takes commitment.
