Paul White, Executive Director
First, I want to thank each of you for allowing me to serve our association as both a missionary and as your Executive Director for the past 20 years. Time flies when you are having fun. Missions have always been close to my heart, and God has given me a love for the families he has given me the privilege to work with. Currently, you have 6 men on the field in the following places: Pea Ridge, Flippin, Benton, Jacksonville, Springdale, and West Little Rock. We have been blessed to see a slight increase in the number of professions this year and feel the best is yet to come. We have a couple of our plants inching ever closer to maturity and will be going off mission status in the near future.
We do not have any men being considered at this time, but we are preparing and praying for more soon. For this to happen, we need your help. Churches are born from churches, not the office. We only come alongside to help facilitate their success.
I am currently working on a new approach to planting that we have not yet tried and will be presenting it to our Advisory Committee, hopefully by the end of the year. Once completed, we will share it with the Missionary Committee. Should they accept this new approach, it will be brought to the whole body. This plan will consist of sending two or three-man teams to a location to help cover the needs of a new developing ministry. Yes, while it will mean we may not have as many started at the same time, the odds of its success will be tremendously increased through a team environment, as well as being able to accomplish this in a much faster time period. Two are better than one. More details are coming.
Financially, we are holding our own, maintaining healthy balances in both the general and Revolving Loan Fund Inc. accounts. This is made possible through your generous offerings and your love for souls, and seeing new churches established.
On a sad note, we are having some of our churches disband and shut their doors. And while this is heartbreaking, I am truly humbled by their desire that any remaining funds and proceeds from the sale of their property be reinvested in the Lord’s work through the Ministry of State Missions. May we be mindful to pass on what is God’s to His ministries.
I remember the late I.V. Hight sharing with me how he prayed that one day he would receive a larger-than-life donation to further the work. I, like him, can only imagine the souls that might be reached through such an offering. Just thought I would ask you to join me in prayer, after all, you have not for you asked not.
For the Sake of Souls.