January 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 January. 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.
What are your goals for the coming year? Any time is a good time to consider where we are going, but the beginning of a new year is a very good time. This year we are in not only a new year but a new decade as well. Several years ago, Brother O’Malley and I were in a conversation about the future. He said that we need to lay out our ten-year plans. I told him that I didn’t have too many ten year plans left, but I would consider some two- to five-year plans.
It has been said that we will not hit any higher than we aim. If we set a goal for the future, we might not hit the bullseye, but we will undoubtedly hit higher than we would otherwise. Is your ministry on cruise control? Does one day follow another without any direction at all? Life will see to it that circumstances will constantly control you, and you will more than likely take the path of least resistance. If we are to win, we must fight.
When we get on the road to another destination, we do not leave our travels to chance. We set the goal then follow the best route to get to that specific spot on the earth. Amazingly, we hit that particular spot every time. Now there are times that we come to a detour because of an accident, a landslide, road construction, or any number of unforeseen interruptions. However, we keep our sights on a specific destination. Plans might change, but our final destination remains the same. We cannot just turn down a road because we feel like it if we intend to fulfill our mission.
Let each of us take the challenge to pray and prepare for the coming year. What would the Lord have us accomplish by year’s end? Set the mark, and by the grace of God, go for it with fervency and vitality. I know with this year being 2020, “vision” is going to be overworked in a big-time way. However, drifting is not a viable alternative to having a vision or setting a goal. When our Lord created Adam, He set a goal. He was determined to go all the way to Calvary. Satan did everything in his power to divert Him from His intended purpose, but our Lord was determined to reach His goal. Aren’t we glad He did not take the easy way and leave us to our own end? There are those in the path of your plans, and perhaps you are the only one who can reach them. Go on purpose.
May our Lord’s richest blessings be yours as you serve Him faithfully.
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.
January 1 – November Financial Reports were 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.
March 1 – January Financial Reports will be due.
June 15-18 – Family Fellowship Week in Kinston, NC.
At the end of each month, we scan any mail that has come to the Office and place it in your SecureCloud folder. This would include check stubs for all bills paid by the office, as well as any cards or correspondence from donors. Please be sure to check SecureCloud periodically, especially once you receive the notice that December packets have been uploaded, as many missionaries have received Christmas cards and letters which are available to you there.
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!
Housing allowances previously in place have automatically rolled over to the new year. Missionaries who are ordained are eligible to have a housing allowance in place, which can provide certain tax benefits. If you did not have a housing allowance in 2019 and would like to have one for 2020, or if you have questions regarding this, please contact our office.
A new Excel template for the year 2020 will be available during the second week of February. This will give us time to review the need for any possible updates. January financial reports will be due on March 1. Should you wish to complete your report before the new template is available, you are welcome to submit it on the 2019 template.
Beginning on January 1st, the IRS mileage rate has decreased to $0.575 per mile for business/ministry miles. This change will be reflected in the new Excel template for 2020.
“Fellowship” can be defined as “friendly association, especially with people who share one’s interests; a group of people meeting to pursue a shared interest or aim.” It has been said that fellowship, as described in the Bible, is coming together with other people. Good fellowship is when, as a result of coming together, there is an interchange of encouragement. Such fellowship is the goal of our annual meeting! Please make plans to join us in Kinston, North Carolina, from June 15-18.
We are grateful for the outpouring of love and concern that has been shown for Bro. O’Malley during his recovery from heart surgery. Many continue to ask about his welfare. He is continuing physical therapy and is on track to finish early on January 31. He is slowly regaining strength. Please click here to read his latest newsletter.
Congratulations to Colton and Melodie Lee, who were married on November 23rd! Colton has served as a furlough replacement for several of our missionaries. When not on the mission field, the couple travels in evangelism. Pray for them as they begin their new life together.
Congratulations to Clyde Eborn, who will celebrate his 90th Birthday on January 26th. Bro. Eborn is one of the founders of WWNTBM and continues to serve on our Board of Reference. He and his wife Shelby were instrumental in starting the Grace Baptist Church of Newport in 1962, which he continues to pastor. The ministry grew to include a Christian school in 1970, and a radio station in 1988, which now reaches over 230 countries through its Fundamental Broadcasting Network. We are grateful to Bro. Eborn for his influence on World Wide through the years. Greetings may be sent to him at [email protected], or c/o Grace Baptist Church, 520 Roberts Road, Newport, NC 28570.
The year 2020 will again hold many important elections. While we know the outcome is truly in the Lord’s hands, we encourage all missionaries to take advantage of the freedoms we have in the United States to vote in local and federal elections. We have gathered information on early and absentee voting. Click here to learn more.
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
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
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!
“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!
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 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.
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
It 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.
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.
November 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 November. 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.
Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; 2 Corinthians 8:1
As we teach or preach from this passage, we often place substantial emphasis on the “churches of Macedonia.” While the heart and activity of these churches are undoubtedly commendable, we cannot ignore the actual statement of verse one. The first verse clearly states what and to whom the Spirit of God is calling attention.
2 Corinthians 8:1 says, “Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia.” The actual emphasis here is on the “grace of God.” Some call our Faith Promise Giving, Grace Giving.
God made the apostle and others aware of the dire need of the people. God led the apostle and leaders to make a collection to help meet those needs. God was looking for channels to supply those needs.
We see the first step in preparing these “channels” in verse five. Here the believers “first gave their own selves.” By giving themselves, they became a vessel of the Lord—a vessel He could use as a channel. There is a great blessing to those who give themselves.
The people were in deep poverty and “in a great trial of affliction” in verse two. Although challenged with issues, they experienced abundant joy and an earnest desire to be used of God to provide for the needs at hand. All of this is to the glory of the grace of God. God does not rebuke them for not having the supply, nor does He ask them to provide the resources. He merely wants channels through which He can supply His resources.
God’s supply of resources did not, and never will be lacking. He just wanted and still wants vessels to be channels through which He might supply the needs of the souls of people. This text is dealing primarily with financial needs, but He still desires channels to carry the gospel to the lost and to serve Him by delivering His vast supply to the needs of the world.
Our first step is to do as the Macedonians did: give ourselves and the lack of resources to God. His grace can not only change the channel, but He can also use that channel to supply His resources where needed. The passage applies not only to financial needs but also to the significant spiritual needs of the world. Yea, millions are in dire need of the gospel. As His channels, we are to take the Word and the good grace of God to them.
Is your life a channel of blessing?
Is the love of God flowing through you?
Are you telling the lost of the Savior?
Are you ready His service to do?
Make me a channel of blessing today,
Make me a channel of blessing, I pray;
My life possessing, my service blessing,
Make me a channel of blessing today.
Is your life a channel of blessing?
Are you burdened for those that are lost?
Have you urged upon those who are straying,
The Savior who died on the cross?
We cannot be channels of blessing
If our lives are not free from all sin;
We will barriers be and a hindrance
To those we are trying to win.
Harper G. Smith 1903
If Bro. Hurst’s article is an encouragement to you, please email him to let him know. You may also visit ebarnabas.org to make an appointment with him for encouragement.
Would you consider this prayer? “Let my position be biblical and my disposition be spiritual.” It would appear that, at times, our position is hidden behind our disposition. Perhaps we are frustrated by those who do not seem to see our biblical interpretation clearly. Could it be that our disposition is screaming so loudly that our position is ignored?
A biblical position should stand on its own. We generally argue over things that we are not really sure to be factual. We are to study the Scriptures sufficiently so that God is pleased with our interpretation. “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (II Timothy 2:15). If God approves, the argument is settled. Getting louder is no substitute for studying the subject to its correct conclusion.
A spiritual disposition displays confidence. Oftentimes things are given in such a way that, even though I agree with the position, I find it hard to concur because of the unChristlike disposition. I have observed this in preaching, but even more so on Facebook. If our message is going to be rejected, let us make sure that it is the truth that they are arguing with and not our sour spirit. Admittedly, there are times that it seems not to be a sour spirit as much as it is arrogance. If we arrive at the correct biblical position, it is only because of the goodness of the Holy Spirit to illuminate our understanding of His Word. There is nothing to be arrogant about in that.
James gives adequate instructions concerning the tongue. May our Lord give us the wisdom to use it in a way that would please Him rather than giving satisfaction to the flesh. “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.” (Psalms 19:14).
I pray that the Lord will bless you with a profitable ministry this month to His glory.
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.
November 1 – September Financial Reports will be due.
November 11 – Most US Banks will be closed for Veterans Day.
November 22 – Please contact us by this date via Signal if you will need funds in your account before Thanksgiving.
November 28-29 – The Office will be closed in celebration of Thanksgiving.
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.
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!
Please prepare now to ensure that your year-end financial reports are submitted on time. October reports are due December 1, November reports are due January 1, and December reports are due January 15. If it is possible for you to submit reports before the due dates, that would greatly assistant our staff. Please note, it is fine to submit a report without waiting for the Line 1 income figure. We can add that for you as needed. Reports should be submitted to [email protected]. Please be sure to include all receipts for expenses $75 and over at the same time you submit your report so there are no delays in processing. Thank you for your help in these areas.
World Wide maintains an office in Canada, to assist our missionaries in raising funds from Canadian donors. We are grateful for Ernie and Darlene Bauserman, who have managed this office for many years. The address has recently changed. Please be sure to update this in your records.
WWNTBM of Canada
PO Box 116
Elliot Lake, ON P5A 2J6
Canada
If you will be visiting churches in Canada, please be aware there are special requirements for accountability of the funds, to ensure you do not have to pay taxes in both countries. Contact our office if you have any questions.
PBC Graphics is a local church design option for new missionaries and veteran missionaries to have prayer cards that look sharp and get the message of their mission across. Call 641-226-0490 or email [email protected] for more information.
Did you know? World Wide hosts a special resource blog, Missions.Today. Its purpose is to provide a place for missionaries to exchange resources and tips about life on the field and deputation. We encourage missionaries to submit suggestions and to make this resource available to other missionaries with whom you come in contact.
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.
The Spiritual Life of a Missionary/Pastor by Freeman Weems
Our Hope by Elwood Hurst
None of These Things Move Me by Mike Smith
A Token for Good by Gabe Eiben
Deputation Obstacles by Jeremy Lockhart
Spiritual Discouragement by Tim Germano
Prayer Letter Tips by Duey Whitfield
No Excuses! by Markie Bullock
