ARIZONA TRIP

Sandy and I just got back from visiting our FWB church planters in Arizona. On Thursday and Friday we visited with the Goodmans and Bennetts in Marana (just north of Tucson). Jeff and Josh took me out to see the area and then to have a Sonoran Hot Dog for lunch. It was, I mean they were good.
On Thursday night, we attended their weekly Bible study. They meet at their apartment complex and here is their sign and the room they meet in.




Everyone is invited to a free meal before the study. Here is Jeff, Josh, Heather, and Ashley getting everything ready.




Singing




Jeff is teaching.



After another song, Josh finished the teaching.
They both did a good job and told it straight. There was a record attendance of 41!
On Easter Sunday, they start meeting on Sunday mornings in a local school.



We had a great breakfast on Friday. You can eat outdoors in February in Arizona.
On the left is Jeff and Heather with their daughter, Ava.
In the center is Josh and Ashley Bennett.
My wife, Sandy, is on the right.





Here is Sandy and Ava with some beautiful desert scenery. Ava was a little sweetie the whole time. (Sandy was, too)

Cactus are bigger than they look on TV.

Arizona has a beauty of its own.

In the center right of this picture is Old Tucson, the location of many movie westerns.

On Saturday we drove up to Florence to be with Howard and Patsy Gwartney.
They took us out to see the property for their new church.

Here is another picture of the property. It was a rare occasion and actually rained.

Of course we had to eat out. Here we are with Howard and Patsy.

This is Sunday morning at the school. You can see the church's truck. They started unpacking it about 6:30 that morning.

Before church

Mrs. Pat Thomas mans the information table. She also plays a clarinet in the band, sang in a trio, and teaches a weekly Bible study at an RV park. She is Patsy's mother and the wife of former Home Missions Director, Roy Thomas.

They have a pretty big orchestra for a new church. They sounded good, too!

Howard during the service.

At the end the chairs are all stacked up to go back in the truck. A lot of people pitched in and take down was like a well-oiled machine.

It was very exciting to be with these families and new churches! We had a lot of fun together. I also enjoyed our times of serious discussion. The Bennetts, Goodmans, and Gwartneys all have a heart for God and for starting new churches.

BOOT CAMP

Every new home missionary goes through a week of training here in Nashville called Boot Camp. Here is a picture of the 6 men who met last week along with the Home Missions Staff.
From left to right:
David Crowe, Director of Development
Richard Atwood, Director of Missionary Assistance
Mark McCraney, Castle Rock, Colorado
Daryl Grimes, Erie, Pennsylvania
Randall Wright, Dallas, Texas
Tim York, Buffalo, New York
Heath Webb, Boise, Idaho
Darin Alvis, Buffalo, New York
Larry Powell, General Director

I appreciate all the people who helped out. We skyped with present church planters David Sexton and Macr Neppl in Suffolk, VA; Tim Riggs in Mobile, AL; and Jeff Goodman and Josh Bennett in Marana, AZ. All the guys commented on how helpful they were. My wife, Sandy, spoke to the guys about helping their wives and women's ministries. Janice Donoho did a good job of getting everything ready for the meeting, including the food. Here she is getting the pizza ready for lunch one day.

Can you see Randall Wright hamming it up for the camera in the picture below? He kept us all laughing with his funny comments. To be fair, he had several intelligent comments, too.

Everyone came over for dinner at our house one night. Tim York's wife Amanda was able to come and also Mark McCraney's family: wife, Danielle, and their two boys, Ethan and Lucas. Sandy made a great meal. After dinner we have a wonderful time of prayer together and then talked and laughed. I really enjoyed spending time with these folks and getting to know them better. I'm encouraged about how God is going to use them.

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE HOME MISSIONS BOARD AND STAFF

Here is a picture of the Home Missions Board meeting in December, 2010.
These men take time out of their busy schedule to serve for no pay. They have a heart for starting new churches and for the home missionary families. Thank you, Board members!
From left to right:
Bob Lewis, Tennessee
Earl Hanna, South Carolina
Bob Thebeau, Missouri
Matt Upton, California (Board Clerk)
Randy Wright, Alabama (Board Chairman)
(Standing is General Director Larry Powell)
Ron Parker, Louisiana (Board Assistant Chairman)
Tim Stout, Ohio
Bobby Shepherd, Arkansas
Jerry Atwell, Mississippi





Sue Hayes and Janice Donoho
Sue is CELF Accounting Administrator and Assistant to the Director.
Janice is Assistant to the Director of Missionary Assistance.



Larry Powell, General Director




David Crowe, Director of Development





Kathy Brown (on the left) is the Home Missions Accounting Administrator.
Ida Lewis (on the right) is the Publications Editor.
In the middle is me, Richard Atwood, Director of Missionary Assistance.

I'm thankful to work on the same team with all these good people on the Home Missions staff. They do a great job, work hard, and love home missions.

I'm also thankful for all the home missionary families. They are salt of the earth Christians trying to shine their light in dark places.

From all of us on the Board and Staff, we hope for you a happy time with your family and friends over the Christmas holidays!
We pray for God's blessings and direction for you for 2011.

A New Church in Greenfield, California

Jim and Tracy Kilgore moved to Greenfield, California to start a new Free Will Baptist Church. On Saturday, October 3, they had an Operation Saturation to spread the word about the church. On Sunday, October 4, they had their launch service. Masters Men Director, Ken Akers, and my wife, Sandy, and I went to California to be with the Kilgores for this special weekend.
Here is a picture of the Kilgore family with Ken and us. We ate together at a local restaurant. Three of the Kilgore children are here - Hannah, Samuel, and Daniel. Their oldest, Caleb, is in college.



About 70 people showed up on Saturday for the Operation Saturation. Several pastors of other FWB churches came with several people in their churches. Some drove 2-3 hours to be there.




Here are some of the folks who went door to door that day. The guy with the beard and glasses is Tracy's first pastor - Sam Hensley, with his wife Bobbie. Sandy is beside them.




Here is Jim and me beside his church sign.



We are gathered to hear instruction.

That's Hannah Kilgore facing the camera.

Jim is handing out assignments. The guy with the glasses is Stan Barron, brother of home missionary, Jerry Barron.

Jim's neighbor cooked lunch for all of us.

This is Sunday morning as the crowd gathers. 57 people came that morning! A few were visitors from out of town, but over 40 were from Greenfield. That's a good attendance for their opening service.

I was honored to pray a prayer of dedication for the new church.

Tracy did a good job leading the singing.

Jim preached a great message.

Of course, we ate again after church. Jim is waving because he is excited and relieved that the service went so well.

Colorado Trip

Sandy and I just got back from a 9 day trip to Colorado. We visited several home missionaries there and held a Regional Meeting in Colorado Springs.

On the first Sunday, we went to church with Scott Cheatham in Denver. Here is their building:




Scott is not ashamed that he is Free Will Baptist.



I like churches that have signs that let me know where to go.




Here is Scott and Becky and Sandy and me in their auditorium.




Here is Scott and Becky with their 3 children, son-in-law, and grandson.

Aurora is a suburb of Denver. The Longs have recently moved there and are meeting people as they work to start a new church. This is Barry, Jessica, and Austin with Sandy in the Longs home.

Naturally, we had to all go out to eat.

You don't go too far south of Denver before you get to Castle Rock, where the Burkes have moved to start a church.

Here is Sandy and me in front of the namesake of the town.

Donnie and Susan with the town of Castle Rock behind them. This is almost at the top of the rock.

The trail ended near the top, but Donnie and I climbed on up to the top.

Here is Donnie pointing out something to me.

Proof that I climbed to the top.

We took a picture of Sandy and Susan down on the trail.

We went to a local cafe to eat. They had great food.

This is a picture of the auditorium of the new building in Colorado Springs. Dexter Guin, Tim Hodges, and their people have done a lot of work. The building is beautiful. Already they are having a lot of visitors.

It was Pastor Appreciation Day that Sunday. Tim Hodges is presenting gifts to Dexter, Dennise, Keilah, and Kristin. His wife and two daughters are also a big part of the ministry.

Our regional meeting was held at the Colorado Springs church. The old auditorium is now the fellowship hall. Here is a picture as we are getting ready to start our meeting.

This is a picture of all the guys at the meeting - Tim Hodges, Barry Long, Scott Cheatham, Dexter Guin, Mark Thomas, Richard Atwood, and Donnie Burke.

One afternoon we all loaded up into the church van and Dexter took us on a ride through some beautiful Colorado scenery.

At 11 Mile Canyon, Sandy had to put her feet in the water. It was cold.

Of course, we had to eat together one more time before everyone went home.

These Colorado church planters are a great bunch of people! We loved spending time with them. Pray for their success in reaching people for Christ and building churches.