Month: December 2019

Posted on

From the Memo Board: December 2019

Dates to Know

December 1 – October Financial Reports will be due.

December 9 – All prayer letters should be submitted to our staff in order for your recipients to get them before Christmas.

December 18 – Please contact us by this date via Signal if you will need funds in your account before Christmas or the end of the year.

December 23-27 – The Office will be closed in celebration of Christmas.

January 1 – November Financial Reports will be due.

January 9 – Missionaries will receive their statements of December Support Received.

January 13 – All missionaries will receive their final December support on this day, regardless of the day they normally receive support.

January 15 – December Financial Reports will be due, along with any remaining receipts or financial paperwork for 2019.

January 31 – 1099 Forms and other tax documentation for the 2019 year will be available.

June 15-18 – Family Fellowship Week in Kinston, NC

December Support

Please contact us via Signal by December 18 if you would like funds in your account before Christmas. Final December support distributions will be made on January 13th for all missionaries, regardless of their regular pay date. Contacting us by December 18 will enable us to schedule your funds around bank closings and holiday hours. Should you have an emergency need after December 20, you may contact our staff at the following numbers:

Kim O’Malley: 704-974-1008
Naomi Torberson: 704-692-7237

January Income Totals

During a typical month, we close the books on the 25th, and any checks received after that date are posted to the following month. Due to receipting requirements, we cannot do this in the month of December. As a result, please be aware that your December support total may be higher than normal, while your January support total may be lower than normal. Please be sure to plan ahead for this!

Family Reunion Time

“A family reunion is an occasion when many members of an extended family congregate. Sometimes reunions are held regularly, for example on the same date of every year. A typical family reunion will assemble for a meal, some recreation and discussion. It is also not uncommon for regular family reunions to be sponsored by family organizations.” – Wikipedia

Family Fellowship Week matches the above definition of a reunion! We hope you are making plans to join us for this annual event, which begins on the third Monday of June each year. Come experience the joy of uniting with fellow missionaries from around the world. Taste the delicious cooking provided by the New Testament Baptist Church family. Relax in an atmosphere surrounded by those who *get* what it means to face ministry away from family and friends. Soak up the times of fellowship. Share prayer requests and testimonies of God’s goodness. Learn from the older generations. Encourage the younger generations. Celebrate with us the beginning of our 50th year of ministry. Don’t miss this exciting week, to be held June 15-18 in Kinston, NC!

New Baby

Jeremiah Joseph Town was born on November 14. He weighed 10 pounds 4 ounces and was 22 inches long. Jeremiah is the fifth child of Josh and Joanna Town who work with Arabic-speaking people in Philadelphia, PA. The Towns’ older children are Juliana (8), Jayla (6), Jennifer (3), and Joshua (1). Pray for them as they are working to start a new church.

Missionary Housing Available

Missionary housing is available for rent in the Shelby, NC, area from April 15, 2020 – January 15, 2021. The four-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath home is $625 per month, plus electric utilities. Contact Don Clarke at [email protected] for more details.

Check out our missions resource blog at Missions.Today for more great information. Feel free to submit posts that may help other missionaries.

Uplift Podcast

The following recordings were recently published on uplift.wwntbm.com. You may access the site by entering the username: wwntbm and the password: gospel. These recordings for our missions family contain the Uplift calls in their entirety, including prayer requests and challenges to our missionaries. We hope they will encourage your heart.

Success by Ken Sparks

Counted but Loss by Michael Riffel

Exceeding Abundantly Above by Jeremy Lockhart

Pure Religion by Gene Krachenfels

Enter Into the Rock by Stephen Knickerbocker

Fruit That May Abound by David Landers

Dealing with Discouragement by Matt Brown

Posted on

From Our President: December 2019

Danny WhetstoneIt seems that this time of the year brings so many to an extreme. On the one hand, it brings to many feelings of discouragement or depression. On the other hand, it is almost euphoric for others. This happens because we are so concentrated on self, but should we not instead remember that this is the time that we must especially remember the first coming of our Lord?

It should be so easy for us to witness of Christ before others. I do not know exactly when He was born, but this is as good a time as any for us to remember. It is also a good time for us to remind others of the amazing miracle that took place so long ago. God sent His Son to bear our sins to Calvary, and not just our sins, but the sins of the entire world. Let’s be conscious during this Christmas and New Year season of those around who are lost or Christians who have strayed from the Lord.

Being with friends and family will not be possible for many of you. Make the most of the time with loved ones and friends who you are with. Would it not be a wonderful gift for each of us if we could introduce some sinner to the saving grace of God? Now that would be a special package to unwrap, one that we would remember for all of eternity. If you are fortunate enough to be with your family, begin earnestly praying that you would have the opportunity to help someone who needs the Lord to find their way to Him. Or perhaps you know someone who at one time served the Lord but has grown cold through the years. Make sure that they see in you the blessing of giving one’s self to serve Christ.

Count your blessings with your immediate family, friends, and church people. Avoid the temptation to talk about what you do not have. Instead, take the opportunity to share the joy of rehearsing the things with which the Lord has blessed you. Obviously, one is the Unspeakable Gift that was given for our redemption. Make much of Christ always, but especially at this time of the year.

I pray that the Lord will bless each of us with great opportunities. I heard a pastor just recently tell about an experience that he had while shopping. He met a man in the store who just followed him around talking to him every chance he had. They spoke of a variety of things, and then each went on his way. When the pastor returned to his car, he thought on this and concluded that the Lord had given him an open door to tell this man of the saving grace of God. He returned to the store, but could not find the man. We are often in a sea of people but see no one.

Many years ago, I read something that has never left me. I wish that I could remember the author, but memory fails me. However, I do remember what he said, “Loving everyone in general is oftentimes an excuse for loving no one in particular.” May God awaken us to realize that multitudes are on every hand. Let’s pick some of them out and seek to lead them to our blessed Lord.

In His Service,

Danny A. Whetstone

If this article has been an encouragement to you, you can email Bro. Whetstone here to let him know.

Posted on

Prayer & Dates: December 2019

December Prayer/Praises and Special Dates

Click the link above to download a PDF of prayer requests and praises as well as the birthdays and anniversaries for December. Note: You will need to login to SecureCloud in order to view this document. Once you have logged in, click on Files, Shared, then Headquarter Happenings, then scroll to the month you would like to view. This step protects people with WWNTBM in restricted access fields.