From the Memo Board: September 2020

Dates to Know

September 7 – The Office will be closed in celebration of Labor Day.

October 1 – August Financial Reports will be due for US Missionaries.

October 1 – September Financial Reports will be due for Non-Resident Missionaries.

November 1 – September Financial Reports will be due for US Missionaries.

November 1 – October Financial Reports will be due for Non-Resident Missionaries.

New Staff Member

Mrs. Hannah Brenneman joined the WWNTBM office staff on Monday, August 17, 2020. She and her family recently moved to Marion, NC, where her husband Daniel is pastoring the Maranatha Baptist Church. The Brennemans have three children: Alec (13), Ariana (9), and Ava (5). As an office assistant, she will review and communicate with you about your monthly financial reports. She will also help schedule you for our online missions conference and Uplift. Her email address is [email protected]. We are excited to have her as a part of our staff! Click here to watch an interview with Bro. O’Malley.

New Baby!


Selicia Leseli Ortiz was born on August 24. Her name means salt and light, and she is the daughter of Rolando and Hannah Ortiz, who minister in Mexico. The Ortizes have three other children: Azelia (6), Viana (5), and Amadeo (2). Selicia is the granddaughter of Fred Jr. and Beth Daniel.

Notice from the IRS about 2019 Tax Returns

If a taxpayer mailed a check with or without a tax return, it may be unopened in the backlog of mail the IRS is processing due to COVID-19.

Any payments will be posted as the date the IRS received them rather than the date the agency processed them. To avoid penalties and interest, taxpayers should not cancel their checks and should ensure funds continue to be available so the IRS can process them.

To provide fair and equitable treatment, the IRS is providing relief from bad check penalties for dishonored checks the agency received between March 1 and July 15 due to delays in this IRS processing. However, interest and penalties may still apply. See www.irs.gov/payments for options to make payments other than by mail.

Uplift Podcasts

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.

We had several problems with the Uplift audio files over the past several months. Many of these were recorded at the end of 2019/beginning of 2020. Thankfully, we were able to get the audio sorted out so that we could share these times of encouragement and idea-sharing with you.

A Great Burden by Jim Davidson

I Feel Alone by Josh Wagar

Biblical Leadership by Joel Dickens

Reasons to be Thankful by Gene Krachenfels

Fear Not by Daniel Fetter

The Birth of Christ and Revival by Edgar Feghaly

A Culture of Exceptionality: September 2020

by John O’Malley

This article is part six in a six-part series on the core values and culture of your missions office. Each article in this series focuses on the values we display when we are at our best. The five values are Selfless, Eager, Responsible, Valuable, and Exceptional.

Customer service experts teach the little things a company does for their customers are the things which make an enormous difference for their customers.

Enterprise Leasing once had an employee suggest they give a bottle of cold water to their cars’ renters. Now, you can expect a cold bottle of water at the time of rental.

The worldwide hotelier, The Ritz-Carlton, teaches their people they are ladies and gentlemen who serve ladies and gentlemen. One of their parking lot attendants who valet parked a guest’s car noticed the driver had a certain flavor of Gatorade (a sports beverage) in his cup holder. Upon check out, the parking attendant had a cold Gatorade of his preferred flavor, waiting in the customer’s cup holder.

Chick-fil-a, an American quick-serve restaurant, follows the same line of thinking as The Ritz-Carlton. The team members in their restaurants learn the value of replying when thanked, “My pleasure.” In the business world, some would say, these are exceptional gestures.

The business world should take note. Christ made clear in His Sermon on the Mount the exceptional principles He expected of His kingdom’s subjects. In Matthew five, we read:
But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. Matthew 5:39–42

Notice the exceptional expectations Christ shares. He expects when we have a loss of dignity that we turn the other cheek. The Lord expects when threatened (sued for our shirt), we go beyond all expectations and give them our outer coat. When compelled by authorities, we are to go the second mile. When people ask, we give. When people need to borrow, we do not ignore them.

When Christ said these words, I am sure His words raised eyebrows amongst His hearers. The areas of exceptionality covered personal, legal, governmental, and financial matters. God calls His people to exceptionality.

When we serve you, we believe every communication, every interaction, every transaction must reach the threshold Jesus set. Choosing to be exceptional in life, ministry, marriage, and with your children will never fail to pay off. When we are exceptional with our co-workers, our church people, the heathen, and each other, we look like Christ requires.

Try this. This month, look for people who may seem prickly and do something exceptional for them. Anyone can be exceptional to the pleasant people in their lives. It takes sacrifice to be exceptional and Christlike.

If we ever miss the mark of being selfless, eager, responsible, valuable, or exceptional, I want to know so we can improve our service to you.

It is a joy to SERVE with you.
Yours for the harvest,

John O’Malley

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

From the Memo Board: August 2020

Dates to Know

September 1 – July Financial Reports will be due for US Missionaries.

September 1 – August Financial Reports will be due for Non-Resident Missionaries.

September 7 – the Office will be closed in celebration of Labor Day.

October 1 – August Financial Reports will be due for US Missionaries.

October 1 – September Financial Reports will be due for Non-Resident Missionaries.

New Baby!

Leire Bonikowsky was born on June 29. She is the first child of David and Raquel Bonikowsky, who minister in the Basque region of Spain. Leire is the granddaughter of Andy and Mimi Bonikowsky, and the great-granddaughter of Al and Helga Bonikowsky, all of whom have served with World Wide for many years.

New Engagement!

Garrett Conley and Katlyn Payton are engaged to be married. Garrett is currently receiving training as an assistant pastor at Southview Baptist Church in Statesville, NC. Their goal is to go to Ireland after they have the qualifications to obtain a visa. Pray for this couple as they prepare to be married and make plans for their future together!

A Culture of Value: August 2020

by John O’Malley

This article is part five in a six-part series on the core values and culture of your missions office. Each article in this series focuses on the values we display when we are at our best. The five values are Selfless, Eager, Responsible, Valuable, and Exceptional.

Two hundred warriors were so faint they could not follow David, their leader. They waited by a brook called Besor while David took other warriors to fight a battle. David recovered the people and possessions stolen by the Philistines. David spoiled the enemies. The two hundred weary men met David on his return. David greeted them.

David’s victory in the battle over the Philistines yielded a spoil. The carnal men in David’s army said they would not share the spoil of war with the weary. These complaining malcontents felt those who stayed behind should only get from the spoils their once-stolen wives and children. These men felt those who remained and did not go into battle should take their wives and kids and go away.

David taught the warriors a lesson on seeing value in others. David taught them: the battle we fought was the Lord’s. David reminded them: we did not get these spoils on our own; God gave us the spoils. As a king and warrior, David taught our Lord preserved us in battle. God gave the enemies into our hands.

David dismissed the negative words. His message was simple: everybody is valuable for who they are and not for what they do. This moment led David to declare a new statute and ordinance in Israel. When David spoke of the men who stayed back and the men who advanced, David did not differentiate or discriminate; the men were all warriors to David.

How David looked at all the warriors is how I see the principle of being valuable.

Valuableness is a core principle I ask our staff to practice. I want our staff to add value to you and everyone we connect with on your behalf. I want all to see value, not by a status (deputation, furlough, medical leave, retired, or semi-retired, church planter, education, medical or orphanages), but by their worth to God. If we are in missions together, we are together and not segmented.

In ministry, you will have many people with whom you will connect and contact. Make sure you see everyone as valuable. Make sure you view others as valuable as God sees them.

Yours for the harvest,
John O’Malley

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