The Homegoing of Pastor Clyde Eborn

Clyde Eborn
January 26, 1930 – May 7, 2022
 

Clyde I. Eborn was born on January 26th, 1930, in New Bern, NC, to Hugh and Etta Eborn. He honorably served in the U.S. Army. He and his loving wife, Shelby, were married on May 15th, 1954. During their 66 years of marriage, they raised three children and served the Lord faithfully.

In 1962, he founded and pastored Grace Baptist Church in Newport, NC. From its beginning, Grace has been a missionary minded church, supporting missions around the world. Pastor Eborn and the church had a special connection to Haiti, which he visited on many occasions. The church is well known in the community for their extensive bus ministry, as well as their tract ministry.

In 1970 the Lord led him to establish Grace Christian School.  He later established the Fundamental Broadcasting Network in 1988, which features sermons and Christ-honoring music and programing.  FBN continues to reach around the world.

Pastor Eborn was a founding board member for WWNTBM in 1971, along with Bill Wingard, Russell Bell, and Robert Winstead.  He served on the Board of Reference and as Vice President Emeritus since 2012. During his time on the board, he traveled to Africa, Micronesia, New Guinea, Russia, and Haiti. He had extensive outreach and involvement in Africa and Haiti.

He is survived by his wife, Shelby Broughton Eborn; daughters, Cathy Crabtree and Teresa Harris; son, Jerry (Sandra) Eborn; five grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

Funeral services were held on May 12th at Grace Baptist Church in Newport, NC.   A video of the service is available here.

 

Condolences may be sent to the family at [email protected].

Of Whom the World Was Not Worthy

by John O’Malley

This past week, I met with nearly thirty pastors from across the Arabic-speaking world who serve in the 10/40 window.

These men will never have their names in a nationally recognized religious periodical. These men will never have their names heralded from a national religious worker’s conference platform. Instead, they serve in anonymity to man but are known to God.

These men and their families know suffering, persecution, beatings, and death, and are acquainted with difficulty.

These men serve where God called them. They serve in places few would go and where no American could easily go. They serve in their homelands.

These men bring the Gospel to places where hostility for their faith abounds from governments, culture, and religious militants.

These men will continue to serve when their churches are threatened with bombings, imprisonment, and loss of all their possessions.

These men care deeply for each other. They strive to help each other in the ministry. They are raising their families in locations we would call extremely challenging, but they call the same locations home.

World Wide missionaries Edgar Feghaly and Mike Ward work with these nearly 30 men. In fact, there are even more men with whom they work whom I did not meet. These men spoke with affection for our two missionaries and our missions agency. These dear National Partners and Associate Gospel Workers expressed gratitude for the help they receive.

These men reminded me of the unnamed people in Hebrews.

“(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, mountains, and dens, and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:” – Hebrews 11:38–39

Indeed these dear servants of the Lord, known to our God, must be like those of whom the writer of Hebrews wrote.

Yes, some of these men are in hiding. Some serve in nondescriptive locations. These men face an oppressive religious culture, yet they figure out a method to obey the Great Commission. Their townspeople speak of how Islam kills their families, and the Islamic persecution makes them turn to Christianity. Some of these men have been imprisoned, beaten, separated from their families, lost their homes, faced humiliation, and have known personal suffering because of the Gospel.

The men I met told me how they prayed for World Wide New Testament Baptist Missions, the churches who support them, and those in our office who serve them. They asked me to remember to pray for them, their families, and their outreach.

Before the men departed, Brother Feghaly asked me to pray publicly for these dear servants. As these men knelt before the Lord and the congregation of believers, I thought, “The world is not worthy of these beloved servants.”

Dear WW family, you are serving somewhere today. Wherever you serve, remember God sees you. He knows where you are, the sacrifices you make, the distance you are away from your family, and the oppressive religious culture where you serve.

Keep your eyes on Him; His eyes are on 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: June 2022

Dates to Know

June 1 – April Financial Reports will be due for US Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.

June 1 – May Financial Reports will be due for Non-Resident Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.

June 28-July 5 – See The Harvest trip to greater Boston, Massachusetts, in partnership with the Stelzigs.

July 1 – May Financial Reports will be due for US Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.

July 1 – June Financial Reports will be due for Non-Resident Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.

July 4 – The Office will be closed in celebration of Independence Day

April 10-13, 2023 – Family Fellowship Week at Caraway Conference Center in Asheboro, NC.

Investing for Retirement

At Family Week this year Bro. Whetstone emphasized the need to plan for retirement. John O’Malley’s brother David is a financial advisor with Edward Jones, and has helped the Office as well as many of our missionaries with their investments. He produced a short video for our missions family about saving for the future. We trust this will be helpful to you. If you have questions or would like contact information for him or other financial advisors, please contact Kim O’Malley.

Mobile Banking

Mobile banking and mobile deposit are becoming more and more accessible. We have received questions from many of our missionaries in recent months about how to handle funds with regards to mobile deposits. Following are important things for you to know.

    • WWNTBM recommends all checks be payable to the mission office, as it alleviates certain tax reporting requirements both for the church and for the missionary. However, we realize there are times when a donor will write a check payable directly to the missionary.
    • If you receive a check payable to you, it is fine to use Mobile Deposit options to deposit the funds to your bank. Be sure to list the funds as additional income on Line 2 of your financial report, or to track the funds for your own personal tax records. *NOTE: Due to visa restrictions, Non-Resident Alien missionaries should never accept funds in the US payable to them personally. Please contact our office if you have questions about this.
    • If you receive a check payable to WWNTBM, you should never attempt to deposit it to your bank using Mobile Deposit. Doing so could create problems for both you and the donor. Please mail the check(s) to the Office, so we can process the funds and put them into your bank account. If you need the funds immediately, before the check would have time to arrive in the mail, please let us know and we will be happy to advance the funds into your account pending the arrival of the check.
    • When mailing checks to the Office, please be sure to make a note of the donor(s), amounts, check numbers, and dates you mailed the items to us. In the rare event the checks may be lost in the mail, this would be important information so you can contact the donors to ask about a replacement check.

Things to Consider When Mentioning Financial Needs to Donors

You may occasionally have financial needs that are not covered by your regular support funds. It is good for your donors to be aware of the needs of your ministry. However, there are some things that you should think through when mentioning such situations to donors. Because of this, WWNTBM asks that you keep the following information in mind when communicating your needs and contact us prior to seeking designated funds.

When WW receives or receipts funds with a specific designation, we become legally accountable to ensure the funds are used for that specific project. This can create issues, because multiple churches may give more than what is required for one designation, and funds are then not available to be used for another need that may arise. Because of this, our recommendation is that funds always be designated simply “as needed for the missionary,” without any additional designations or specifications attached. Where that is not possible, we recommend the following.

First, if you are asking to raise funds for a specific project, we request that you confirm for us in advance that your sending pastor is aware of and behind the project. In order for WW to issue tax receipts for specially designated funds, the Executive Board has to include it in the official minutes, and they prefer to know that your sending pastor is aware of the situation.

Second, there are many logistical items the Office can assist you with. For instance, it may not be advisable to ask donors to mark a gift as “France Building” because we may already have another missionary raising funds with that designation, and it could create confusion for how we would post the donation. Therefore, it is always best to confer with the Office prior to contacting donors, so that we can help advise on the best way for funds to be designated. In addition to the designation, there may be tax implications to you based on the manner in which funds are designated. We can help ensure the best tax situation for you as funds are received.

Third, we always recommend that donors make checks payable to WW, rather than to the individual missionary. Although we do have the ability to cash checks in your name, this makes for a smoother process and can avoid unnecessary tax paperwork for the church and the missionary. (If a church makes funds payable to you in the amount of $600 or more over the course of the year, they are required to issue a separate 1099 to you, even if the funds came through WW. In addition, if you are not a US citizen, there may be other tax and visa implications for you.)

Finally, we often see situations where designated funds arrive in our office for needs mentioned in passing or in a prayer letter but for which the missionary was not intending to solicit funds. Please be aware that the same procedures for Executive Board approval of designated funds apply regardless of whether you intended to solicit funds or not. Because of this, it is our policy to reach out to you and ensure that it is a legitimate need, and one of which your pastor is aware, before we process the funds. Thank you for your understanding. If you have any questions please reach out to our staff.

Opportunity for High School Juniors and Seniors

Ambassador Baptist College has recently started a Dual-enrollment program, allowing high school juniors and seniors to take up to two classes per semester to get a head start on a Bible degree. These classes are offered tuition-free, and are taught over zoom. Click here to see more information about this program.

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. We hope they will encourage your heart.

That Which is Shaking You is Shaping You by Missionary Adrian Hendricks

Guarding a Glad Heart by Missionary Gabe Eiben

Where is your Focus? by Missionary Daniel Fetter

Forward March by Missionary Guy Grenade

From the Memo Board: May 2022

Dates to Know

May 1 – March Financial Reports will be due for US Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.

May 1 – April Financial Reports will be due for Non-Resident Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.

May 30 – The Office will be closed in celebration of Memorial Day.

June 1 – April Financial Reports will be due for US Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.

June 1 – May Financial Reports will be due for Non-Resident Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.

See the Harvest

WWNTBM has partnered with Ambassador Baptist College to lead a missions trip to the Boston, Massachusetts area this summer for young people ages 15-30. We will be assisting the ministry of WW Missionaries Nick and Lindsey Stelzig. This year, we are focusing on a multi-lingual team ministering in both English and Spanish. We realize that many small churches do not have the resources to provide opportunities for their youth to see missions first hand. If you know of someone who would benefit from this trip, please direct them to our website at seetheharvest.com.

New Babies!

Samuel Ray Smothers was born on April 16, 2022. He weighed 7 pounds 3 ounces and measured 21 inches. Samual is the son of Joel and Noel Smothers. He joins older brother Gabriel. The Smothers are missionaries in Brazil. The Smothers have recently moved to a new location and will be starting a new ministry in the near future. Please pray for them as they begin this endeavor!

Jaxson Levi Conley was born on April 22. He weighed 8 pounds 9 ounces and measured 20 inches. Jaxson is the first child of Garrett and Katlyn Conley. The Conleys are currently in ministry training with a goal of qualifying for a visa to minister in Ireland.

 

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. We hope they will encourage your heart.

God With Us by Pastor David Price

Things to Remember in Difficult Times by Markie Bullock

 

The Unseen Hand Of God

by Ernie Wyrick

On February 28, 2022, I preached at a funeral of the family member of a lady that I had not seen in years. I was recommended by another individual who was asked first, but due to some health issues, I could not preach at the funeral. I preached the graveside service and then met more family and friends afterward. It wasn’t until Sunday, April 17, 2022, that I saw her again. She came forward at church and said she had gotten right with God. Praise the Lord.

On April 19, 2022, I was downtown in Greensboro, NC, with two other men. One of those men is a good friend who could not preach at the funeral. Praise the Lord that he is doing better and faithfully helping with the homeless outreach ministry each week.

I have written all that to give a little background for all that took place on April 22 – 23, 2022.

My friend that helps with the homeless outreach ministry asked me about going down to SC to help him, and another man fix a back porch on his sister’s mobile home. Another man had started the porch but had gotten sick and could not finish the job. I told him I would help him. We left about 6:45 on Friday morning, April 22nd. We got to his sister’s a little after 9:00 am and started work. Not long after we got started, I received a text from the lady that I had preached at her family member’s funeral and had just gotten right with God. The text said for me to call her. I called her, and she asked if I could do her a favor. I said yes if I can. She then told me about a cousin in the hospital in Winston Salem, NC, with cancer and was not expected to live. She wanted to know if I could visit him. I explained that I was in SC, and if she sent me his contact information, I would try to see him as soon as I got back to NC. I told her I would be praying.

I got off the phone, and the men and I prayed for this individual. As soon as we prayed, God laid it on my heart to call a Pastor friend in Winston Salem, NC. I called the number that came up on my phone, not knowing that it was the fax number for the church. The secretary was in the office and saw that the fax machine showed a phone call, and my name came up, so she answered. She told me that I called the church fax number and she saw my name and thought that she should answer it. I asked for the Pastor, but she said he was on the phone. I explained to her what was taking place and asked if He could go or knew someone else that could see this man.

I told her I would get her some more information as soon as I got it from the man’s cousin. She said she would tell the Pastor. She gave me the office number, and I hung up. I received the individual’s room number and phone number at the hospital just as I hung up with her. I then called the church back and gave her the information. I then contacted the individual that had contacted me first and let them know that I had contacted a Pastor in Winston Salem.

I didn’t hear anything else until around 12:30 Saturday afternoon, April 23rd. The Pastor from Winston Salem called and told me that the individual had gotten saved. I rejoiced with him. He then began to explain to me what had taken place. His secretary had given him the message that I had called, but something had come up with one of his elderly church members. That something was a backed-up toilet. She called her Pastor because he was a servant, and the elderly lady did not know who else to call. So, he went to this elderly lady’s home to help. But during this time, the Pastor and his wife were also working getting ready for a luncheon for the ladies of the church that was to be held the following day, Saturday, April 23rd. This Pastor had his hands full.

He was not able to make it to the hospital on Friday. But he was determined to go while they had the luncheon at the church on Saturday. And another thing, the Pastor was also leaving town after the luncheon for Ohio for a meeting. A lot was going on, but praise the Lord, the door opened, and he took the time to walk through it.

He made it to the hospital, introduced himself to the patient, and found out that he would not have been able to see the individual if he had come on Friday. The individual was in a procedure and couldn’t have been seen—what a God we serve.

When I called the Pastor on Friday, I didn’t know anything about the individual’s background, other than that he was lost, nor did I know much about the Pastor’s background. I had just felt led to contact this Pastor. Well, God knew exactly why I needed to contact this particular Pastor. When he got to the hospital and met the individual, the patient began telling the Pastor about his Holiness background and how he had just given up on it. He couldn’t live up to the expectations and had gotten discouraged and just walked away from that religion. Well, I know now why God wanted this, Pastor. Any Pastor could have probably helped this individual, but this Pastor was the one God wanted.

The Pastor’s dad was in the Holiness church before he got saved. This Pastor had dealt with his dad about it and was able to lead him to the Lord. So, you see, this Pastor knew exactly where this individual was coming from and could help him, with the Holy Spirit’s help, understand the Gospel and lead him to the Lord.

It is exciting to see how God worked everything out in His timing and according to His plan. From preaching a funeral and then seeing an individual from that graveside service get right with God weeks later. Then to see that same individual get a burden for a loved one, who then calls me, but I am out of town helping someone else, an inconvenience I thought because I wanted to rush over to the hospital to see this individual. But then God opened the door for a Pastor in Winston Salem to get involved. Then to see another inconvenience come up, at least we thought so. But then, to see God in His perfect timing bring everything together and a soul is saved, and another hears the Gospel message as well. What a God! What a Savior!

Don’t give up, no matter what may come into your path. God can take what we might think is an inconvenience and use it for His honor and glory. If we will be sensitive to His leading and follow through with His leading, there is no telling what God can do.

God be the glory!

Ernie Wyrick

Bro. Ernie and his wife, Nancy, serve as our missionaries in Delta Junction, Alaska. They have spent the last several months in NC caring for her parents. If this article has been an encouragement to you, you can email Bro. Wyrick here to let him know.

Why not me?

by John O’Malley

And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:7–9

If you live with an infirmity, you may find yourself saying, “Why me? Why do I have to suffer with this ailment? Why must I go through this trial?”

You may question God. You seek answers from others. You wonder, “What possible good could come from this infirmity?” You may look at others who do not have your infirmity and wonder, “Why do I have to suffer and they do not?”

When Paul spoke of his infirmity, he quantified his infirmity in three ways. He saw it as a thorn in his flesh. He declared it a messenger of Satan. He wrote of it as something which was meant to keep him humble.

Paul knew what he saw in the revelation from God when he was caught up into the third heaven. What he saw was so amazing that it could have gone to his head and made him boastful. God forbade Paul from speaking of what he witnessed.

Paul’s inspired words speak to me. From his words, I learn God’s presence, power, and promises are linked to my infirmities. When Paul spoke of his infirmity, he spoke of glorying in his infirmities. Glorying in our infirmities is not a natural reaction to affliction. Paul saw his affliction as the path for him to have the power of Christ rest upon his life.

The sense of this word rest is that God’s power tabernacles or dwells with us in our infirmity. What a beautiful picture! Like the Shekinah glory shown through the badger skins in the wilderness tabernacle, Paul’s thorn in the flesh teaches me God tabernacles with us in our affliction. He brings His power, presence, and promises as He sets up a tent over my life and dwells with me in my affliction.

If you live with an infirmity, you might say, “Why me?” But, since the power of Christ is known through our infirmities, perhaps we should say, “Why not me?”

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.