Every missionary knows that the ministry is great! Each missionary knows with great opportunities comes great adversaries, real opposition, and many questions about how to handle the moments of ministry which leave us seeking answers. Every missionary will have moments where they wonder, “Does anyone understand how lonely I get? Does anyone know how hard it is? Does anyone grasp the toll the ministry takes when facing opposition?”

I do not know a missionary who would not like to have a personal Barnabas available to them on their field at a moment’s notice. How wonderful it would be to have on call a trusted, experienced, mission-field-qualified, battle-tested, and compassionate friend!

How precious it would be to have someone who could be on your field in a few hours time to sit across the table from and to whom you could confidentially pour out your heart!

I believe every John Mark and every Paul needs a Barnabas in their lives. No missionary should ever feel alone, afraid, or without advice. When a missionary begins to feel this way it gives Satan an advantage in his life, family, and ministry. I believe every missionary on deputation, furlough, and on the field should have their own personal Barnabas.

Our missions family needs to have available our own “Barnabas on Call.” We need someone who can counsel a missionary about any aspect of ministry. Knowing this need to have a Barnabas on Call, we asked Brother Elwood Hurst to add this aspect of ministry to his role as Mission Representative.

Brother Elwood Hurst understands every aspect of missions. He entered the ministry in 1978. He brings to every conversation a depth of unparalleled experiences. He speaks with a gracious tone and has a gentle spirit. He is a Barnabas to many. He can speak to a John Mark with gentleness. He can speak to a Paul with graciousness. He can love a missionary with a struggle or seemingly insurmountable issues.

Brother Hurst agreed to be available to you with just a few hours notice. He will use our video conference software to meet you, by appointment and at your convenience to offer advice and counsel to you. He will listen to you. He will love you. He will pray with you. He will be a son of consolation to you.

You will not have to leave your field to come to him; he will meet you virtually from his home in South Carolina. You can visit ebarnabas.org to make an appointment for encouragement with Brother Hurst. Brother Hurst will:

• Write each missionary family to check on you and your well-being in ministry.
• Write articles by email and in Headquarter Happenings to share advice and encouragement.
• Connect with you by phone or virtually at your convenience to listen, pray, counsel, and encourage you.

Elwood Hurst is a Barnabas to World Wide New Testament Baptist Missions. He is a gift to us from God. Please pray for him as encourages and brings consolation to all of our missions family.

Email: [email protected]

Visit ebarnabas.org to make an appointment for encouragement.

We would like to recognize several ministry milestones that are being reached during the year 2018. We are grateful for these individuals who continue to serve faithfully.

In Memory of Norman Johnston
March 23, 1950-May 14, 2018

Norman Lee Johnston entered into the joy of his Lord on Monday, May 14th. He passed away of a heart attack while at home, the day before he was scheduled to travel to share the Gospel in remote unreached mountain villages of Madagascar.

“Pastor J,” as he was affectionately known, was born in Ohio on March 23, 1950, and attended Bob Jones University. He and his wife Joy served for many years as missionaries to Korea, until the Lord closed the door for them to remain in that country. They moved next to Vancouver, where he pastored a Korean congregation. He later pastored in Pennsylvania. In 2002, he joined the faculty of Ambassador Baptist College, where he was the chairman of the missions department.

Bro. Johnston had a burden and passion for reaching the lost, and for encouraging young people in their service for the Lord. He was known for his contagious smile, and his “can do” approach to life. He was a friend and mentor to hundreds of students and loved nothing more than to play matchmaker and see new Christian families established. He could always be counted on to share an encouraging word or to challenge an individual to set aside excuses and simply do the next thing to serve God and spread the Gospel.

In 2005 during a Mission Prayer Band meeting, Bro. Johnston presented the idea of placing the Bible and other Christian resources on the internet in multiple languages. The Alethia Project was born out of this meeting. It continues as a student-led organization at ABC and is a tribute to his memory.

Bro. Johnston came to World Wide as an associate missionary in 2009 while assisting a Korean church, and also planting a multi-language church in Charlotte, NC. Today, Every Nation Baptist Church continues to reach many ethnicities in Charlotte’s inner city area.

Funeral services were held at Ambassador Baptist College on May 18th. A recording of the memorial service is available here.

Bro. Johnston was well known for sharing quotes and poems. Some of his favorites include:
I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And what I can do, I ought to do, and by the grace of God, I will do.
-Edward Everett Hale

All the people,
all the towns,
every need as it is found,
all the people, every one,
all my heart until it is done.

Go forth serving God, loving others, and winning souls.

We really have no excuse for not trying to reach this world with the Gospel.

As Christians our partings are never good-byes, they are only “see you later.”

In addition to his wife Joy, he is survived by four children: Ahna Johnston, Rebecca (and husband Robert) Harr, Seth Johnston, and Benjamin Johnston. Please be in prayer for the family, and especially for Mrs. Joy.

In Memory of Dr. Eric Franks
October 27, 1939-April 11, 2018

Eric (Bobby) Wilfred Franks was born in southern India on October 27, 1939. Although he lost his father at a young age, his mother saw to it that he and his siblings received a good education. He attended the National College in Bombay and studied to pursue a career as a medical doctor. On April 15, 1960, at the age of 20, he was saved under the ministry of a single lady missionary. Within a few months, the Lord called him into a life of ministry. As he described it, “The Lord stole my heart in 1960 and my life changed for the better.”

He married Molly Dorcas Suttle on May 2, 1964. That same year he began pastoring the Chembar Baptist Church, the first of many he would shepherd through the years. He began teaching at the Biblical Baptist Theological College and Seminary in 1970, where he eventually became Dean of Academics. The Franks were blessed with six children: Leena (and Francis) Newton; Leah (and Richard) Jacobs; Abigail (and Charles) David; Emma (and Adrian) Hendricks; Lemuel Franks; and Stephen (and Geena) Franks (not pictured).

As his ministry grew, so did his passion for education. In 1977, he left his family and went to California to continue his studies at the San Francisco Baptist Theological Seminary, where he graduated in 1980. During this time the Lord gave him a burden to begin extensive church planting throughout India.

In 1986 the Franks joined WWNTBM. They based their deputation out of Trinity Baptist Church in Wilson, NC, which was pastored by one of our founding board members, Robert Winstead. Herb and Ruby Kersey became close friends during this time and assisted them with their travels.

In 1987 he began the Grace Baptist Trust, along with the Calvary Baptist Bible College and Seminary. In the following years he also founded the Grace Baptist School for the Underprivileged, Hearing Impaired, and Physically Handicapped. He also started several other churches, among them the Heritage Baptist Church, Kuramberi Baptist Church, the Jawadhi Hills ministry, the Tiruapttur Baptist Church, and the Whitefield Baptist Church. Many students have graduated from their programs and started other ministries throughout India.

Dr. Franks lived a life of service to others. He knew that “a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth,” and he preferred to use his resources to make others comfortable, often at the expense of his own comfort. Dr. Franks has been quoted as saying, “When God’s got a great work to do, he looks for a man, and often his family. God’s methods are men!” This truth has been evidenced in his own family, and his legacy is continuing in future generations as his children and grandchildren are active in ministry.

When Parkinson’s Disease began to slow his physical body in 2008, Dr. Franks did not allow it to distract from the work that the Lord still had for him to do. He faithfully continued to travel, preaching and teaching the gospel for ten more years, until the week of his death. On April 11, 2018, he laid down to cease from his labors on earth and to wake in the presence of his Lord and Savior.

 

 

World Wide Missionary List April 2018

Click the link above to download a PDF of the current list of World Wide missionaries.

Note: You will need to login to SecureCloud in order to view this document.  Once you have logged in, click on the Headquarter Happenings folder, then “Missionary List Apr 2018”. This step protects people with WWNTBM in restricted access fields.

Tax season is once again upon us! Here are several reminders concerning tax issues that you may face. We trust that this information will be useful to you, both in giving you a better understanding of your reports and helping you to be aware of items that may affect your personal taxes.

Tax Paperwork for 2017

Tax-related paperwork generated by WWNTBM is in your SecureCloud folder. This includes W-2 forms, MFR Summary Reports, and Estimated Tax letters. Please be sure to look at the 2nd page of the MFR Summary, to see if there are any specific notes for you and your tax preparer. If you requested that we submit your tax information directly to your tax preparer, please note that those documents will be sent in late February. This is to ensure that there is time for us to include any forms that may arrive in our office from other sources. If you have any questions, please contact Naomi.

1099 Forms

If churches issued funds payable to you in excess of $600 during the year 2017, they may issue you a 1099 form. If those funds were either mailed to the office, or included on Line 2 of your MFR as extra income, they are already included in the total of your W-2. Our office can assist you in verifying whether the funds were included on your W-2. Your tax preparer can assist you on your return in recording this so that you are not taxed twice on the same income. We recommend that you request churches to make checks payable to WWNTBM to avoid this issue in the future.

Foreign Tax Exclusion

In order to claim the foreign tax exclusion, you must be out of the US for 330 days over a 12 month period of time; however, these days do not have to be in the same calendar year. In order to gain the full benefit of the foreign tax exclusion, your tax preparer may be able to revise your returns based on the actual time you have spent overseas. Because of this, it is vital to provide your tax preparer with all of your travel dates to and from the US. You may also wish to discuss with your tax preparer what dates would be the best travel dates when planning to leave for the field or return on furlough, as this could affect how much you are allowed to claim under the foreign tax exclusion.

It is our understanding that, while the Foreign Tax Exclusion does benefit many of our missionaries, it may not always be the best solution, as there are other situations which may give a greater benefit. Some of those options may affect taxes not only for this year, but for future years as well. This is another reason we recommend consulting a tax professional who can advise you in relation to your unique circumstance.

Healthcare and your taxes

Our financial report gives a location for you to track ‘heath insurance costs.’ However, each individual situation is different. Some use this area to record traditional health insurance, some use it to record expenses through the MarketPlace, and others use it to record details for a health care sharing ministry such as Samaritan Ministries. While all of these are heath related costs, each of the examples affects your taxes in a different way. Please be sure that your tax preparer is aware of the details of your health coverage, as it may affect how they complete your tax return.

Estimated Tax Payments

Missionaries are considered to be self-employed, and are therefore subject to self-employment taxes. Submitting quarterly estimated tax payments throughout the year will help to prevent having a large tax payment due each April. Estimated tax payments can be submitted on your own, or, if you are interested, you may contact our office for information on how we can submit them for you.

Tax Paperwork for those with Foreign Bank Accounts

US Treasury Dept. regulations require that if you have any foreign bank accounts, and if the sum total of all of your foreign accounts has ever been $10,000 at any given time during the past year, you must complete the IRS Foreign Bank and Financial Account Form (FBAR) and give it to your tax preparer. This includes all foreign accounts on which you are a signatory, such as a ministry account. This form, and further information about it, is available on the IRS website at www.irs.gov. It is our understanding that there have been several changes to these requirements in recent years, and you may also need to complete Form 8938. Please refer to the IRS website and your tax preparer if you have any questions.

Ministry Bank Accounts

If your ministry has been chartered and established as a non-profit organization, we recommend having your ministry get a bank account in its name. Funds for purchases such as land may be able to be sent directly to your ministry, thus eliminating your personal tax liability. Please note that there are limitations to this option. Of course, regular support could never be sent this way. Please contact our office for more information.

Utilizing a Tax Professional

Studies have shown that the average person who uses a tax professional, instead of filing their own taxes, receives a much greater tax return. When comparing the returns of those who self file vs. those who use a tax professional, it is estimated that a self-filer loses between $297 and $791 in missed refunds. The savings far exceed the amount spent to hire a professional. Many have also found that using tax software does not always compare to the benefits of using a professional, either. In many instances it is not that the software or the self-filer is wrong, but that other choices may be better. (Information taken from daveramsey.com.)

It is also good to note that not all professionals are familiar with tax situations that might affect you. We encourage all missionaries to use a certified tax preparer who is familiar with special tax situations that affect missionaries and those living overseas. A listing of tax preparers used by other missionaries is available on SecureCloud, under the Forms and Manuals section.

Praise the Lord, He is continuing to bring new missionaries to join our family at World Wide! Here are two new families who have been interviewed in recent weeks. Pray for these as they begin deputation, as well as others still in the application process!

Jed and Gloria Duarte are sent out of the Maranatha Baptist Church in Shelby, NC, pastored by Jim Davidson. They have a daughter, Eliana, who is just a few weeks old. Bro. Duarte is originally from Brazil, where his father is a pastor. Gloria was born in Kenya, where her family served as missionaries. They are both graduates of Ambassador Baptist College and plan to go to the Moto Grosso area of Brazil.

Ethan and Brittany Prater are sent out of the Emmanuel Baptist Church in Abingdon, VA, with Pastor Bryan Treadway. He is a graduate of Grace Baptist Bible Institute of Dennis, MS. The Praters have three sons: Enoch (5), Silas (3), and Jude (1). They will soon be starting deputation to go to the Dominican Republic.

We love having people stop by the Office! In the last few weeks, we’ve had visits from several of our missionaries, as well as some larger groups. If you are ever in the area please come by and see us. Here are pictures of some of our recent guests:

 

 

 

 

World Wide Missionary List October 2017

Click the link above to download a PDF of the current list of World Wide missionaries.

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 “Missionary List Oct 2017”. This step protects people with WWNTBM in restricted access fields.

We would like to recognize several ministry milestones that are being reached during the year 2017. We are grateful for these individuals who continue to serve faithfully.