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From the Memo Board: January 2018

Dates to Know

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

January 11 – 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 2017.

January 31 – W-2 Forms and other tax documentation for the 2017 year will be available.

June 18-21 – Family Fellowship Week with Faith Baptist Church in Shelby, NC. Begin arranging your summer schedule to be with us!

August 20-24 – European Encouragement Conference in Nittendorf, Germany.

SecureCloud Packets

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.

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!

Housing Allowances for 2018

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 2017 and would like to have one for 2018, or if you have questions regarding this, please contact our office.

New Excel Template

A new Excel template for the year 2018 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 2017 template.

New Mileage Rate

Beginning January 1st, the IRS mileage rate has increased to $0.545 per mile for business/ministry miles. This change will be reflected in the new Excel template for 2018.

New Tax Laws

On December 22, President Trump signed legislation that enacts some major changes to tax law. We are working with our CPA to determine what changes may affect our missionaries and will keep our missions family updated with our findings. We would recommend that as you begin working with your tax preparer to file your 2017 taxes, you also consult with them on how these changes may impact you personally.

Uplift for Servants

Devotional excerpts from our Uplift calls are available to the general public at upliftforservants.com. Uplift For Servants will help other Christians benefit from the encouragement provided to us each week. Please feel free to share this resource with your friends and family!

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Visitors at the Office

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:

The McKinney family was here for some initial training and stopped in again to spend the night after a meeting. They are just beginning deputation to go to Bolivia.

 

Each fall, we enjoy hosting the secretarial class from Ambassador Baptist College. We enjoy the opportunity to help train students for future ministry.

 

Nathan & Hannah Fry were in town for Ambassador Baptist College’s missions conference representing their Lens of the Harvest ministry.

 

Jack & Melinda Peeler recently came home on furlough from the island of Nukuoro.

 

Darleen Whetstone brought Pastor and Mrs. Brookshire of Orangeburg Baptist Temple to visit the office. Orangeburg Baptist is the sending church for the Kenney family.
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From the Memo Board: December 2017

Dates to Know

December 1 – October Financial Reports will be due.

December 8 – Revised pay date for those who normally receive funds on the 10th.

December 8 – 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 if you will need funds in your account before Christmas or the end of the year.

December 20-27 – 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 11 – 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 2017.

January 31 – W-2 Forms and other tax documentation for the 2017 year will be available.

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 11th 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 19, you may contact our staff at the following numbers:

John O’Malley: 704-974-6108
Kim O’Malley: 704-974-1008

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!

Utilizing a Tax Professional

We have recently had several requests for information about tax preparers used by other missionaries. Therefore, we wanted to make this available again to everyone in case others are looking for a new tax preparer.

Studies have shown that the average person who uses a tax professional, instead of filing their own taxes, receives a much greater tax return. 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 not obvious in the software may be better for the individual. (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. A list of tax preparers used by other missionaries is available on SecureCloud, under the Forms and Manuals section. Each of these agencies are currently taking new clients. Prices and level of assistance can vary greatly from one agency to another, so it may be beneficial to contact them first to discuss your individual circumstances before choosing a preparer. A less expensive option may not always be the most beneficial for your situation.

Retirement Accounts

Each year we are required to publish to all missionaries the following:

WWNTBM currently offers our missionaries the option of participating in a 403(b) Retirement Plan, the non-profit version of a 401(k) plan. We encourage all of our missionaries to participate in some type of retirement planning. If you do not currently have a 403(b) account and would be interested in opening one, please contact our office for a listing of vendors and more information.

Due to IRS regulations, we are required to use a Third Party Administrator (TPA) to handle all 403(b) accounts. The administrative fee is $50.00 per year, which will be deducted from Support each January or February for those who contribute. The TPA assists us by administering our plan and keeping us in compliance with the Department of Labor and IRS codes.

Please note that loans and hardship withdrawals are not allowed by the companies who manage your 403(b).

Please see the 403(b) Availability Notice in SecureCloud under the Forms and Manuals folder for the latest information on contribution amounts and limits for 2017 and 2018.

Uplift Podcasts

The following recordings were recently published on Uplift.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.

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From Our President: December 2017

Danny Whetstone

I pray that you have had a prosperous 2017. This has been a very busy year for us and for that we are grateful to the Lord and His people. This is an appropriate time to reflect on just how good the Lord has been to us, our family, and our ministry. Surely we do that on a regular basis anyway, but there is just something about another year passing that gives us pause to look back while planning ahead. As you consider 2017 did it turn out as you had planned? If it did not, what could you do to make things better in 2018? Give some time to consider your prayer time, Bible study, witnessing, and family time. Even if the past year was all that we wanted it to be, it should only be a step forward to help us grow in the year before us.

Sometimes failure will motivate us to press on to be victorious. Don’t permit discouragement to stop you, but rather commit yourself from this day forward to strive with more conviction to give God your best. Also, success can, at times, make us so satisfied that our dreams for the future are diminished. It could very easily cause us to rest in the past instead of pressing ahead expecting greater things from the Lord. Success could also cause us to think we have reached the apex of God working in and through us without considering that He can reach beyond anything that we can ask or think. May we press on for God’s glory and the good of those we minister to.

It is my sincere prayer that you will have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Enjoy some special time with your family during the holiday season. This time of year would be no more special for us than any other month, but this is the time that we set aside to thank the Father for sending Jesus Christ to die for our sins. He can easily be buried under an avalanche of activity if we are not careful and mindful of the significance of these very special days.

May your ministry in 2018 be as fresh and wonderful for you as it was when you first dreamed of following the Lord into it. The days ahead of you were unknown, but with fear and excitement, you pressed forward. You certainly understand more now than you did then. Ask the Lord to give width and depth to your vision for the future and dream beyond what you can see.

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.

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Featured Article: Overcoming Your Devotional Obstacles Part Seven

For the next few months, Bro. John O’Malley will be sharing with us from his book, Overcoming Your Devotional Obstacles. We know that everyone can use some encouragement to stay in the Word of God on a daily basis, and we hope these articles will be a blessing to you in your walk with the Lord.

The Obstacle of Application–I do not know how to apply Scripture to my life.

I know what it is like to struggle with applying Scripture. You begin to feel inadequate and eventually want to stop reading your Bible. You are not alone. I am right there with you; I know this struggle.

Applying Scripture to your life is what brings the Word of God to life. It takes you from drifting and wondering to life engaged with the Bible. I love when I get the sense of the verse and can relate it to someone else. I tend to preach and write as I understand a verse or passage of Scripture.

You can learn to apply any passage to your life with three Bible study methods I personally use in my life. Each of the three methods is designed to take you from personal frustration with your Bible reading to a place where applying the Bible comes naturally. I want you to learn to inspect a passage and determine what God is saying to you. First, we will look at the EXAMINE study method to help you with applying the truth of God’s Word to your life. The EXAMINE Bible study method is what I use when I struggle with applying what I read in the Bible. The word EXAMINE is an acrostic.

This Bible study method is simple and engages both my mind and heart to find the application of a passage as I examine what is there. I developed this method to help me. I hope it helps you. The EXAMINE Bible Study method helps us cut a straight road (the Biblical words–“rightly divide”) through the passage. We do not want to get side-tracked with other things until we figure out what does this passage or verse mean and then how does it apply to me?

To examine something means check every detail of something in order to gain some information. This method is more for verse studies than it is for chapter studies. You may not have an answer for every point of this method. The first time may be hard for you but push through. If you would like help, email or call me, and I will help you through it.

E – Evaluate the context of the verse. Look at the verse in relation to its surrounding verses. What is being said in the five verses before and after? How does the context prepare or conclude the way for the verse you are studying? The sentence you write should start with “The verses before and after are teaching _________.”

X – X-Ray the contents of this passage or verse. Look intensely at the structure of the verse. (Structure means the phrases, clauses, and marks of punctuation. Does the verse have questions? Commands? Principles? Precepts? Promises?) Look at every clause and phrase marked with its punctuation. What do the words mean in their usual definition? What do this passage or verse’s meanings say to you? The sentence you write should start with “The structure of this verse contains _________.”

A – Analyze the passage or verse for any commandments. Look for any command to obey. A commandment is something we are to do. Look for words like say, do, go, be, or must. Ask yourself, “What should I do as a result of reading this passage or verse?” The sentence you write should start with “I will follow God’s command to _________.”

M – Meditate on the comforts of this passage or verse. List the comforts of this passage or verse. A comfort is something that touches your spirit. It is the emotion tied to the truth presented. What comforts do you find in this passage or verse? The sentence you write should start with “God comforts His children with _________.”

I – Investigate the cause of this passage or verse. Why would God choose to include all of the words in this passage or verse in the Bible? What did someone do or miss in their life that prompted the Holy Spirit to inspire the human author to pen these words? Now, look at your life. Does the same condition apply that prompted the passage or verse to be included in Scripture? The sentence you write should start with “God included this verse to help me to _________.”

N – Note your convictions from this passage or verse. By convictions, I mean list what you believe as a result of studying this passage or verse. What is this passage or verse teaching you to do? The sentence you write should start with “Because this verse is in the Bible, I must _________.“

E – Examine your own comments of this passage or verse. Review all that you have written about this passage and write a summary sentence. The sentence you write should start with “Today, because I have studied this passage or verse, I will _________.”

Next month, I will share the PRAY Method and the Best Devotions Ever method. My prayer is that you will begin 2018 with a renewed zeal for studying and applying the Bible.

If these thoughts have been an encouragement to you, you can email Bro. O’Malley here to let him know. If you’d like to purchase the entire Overcoming Your Devotional Obstacles book in PDF, Kindle, or iBooks format, click here.

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Prayer & Dates: December 2017

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.

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Prayer & Dates: November 2017

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.

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Featured Article: Overcoming Your Devotional Obstacles Part Six

For the next few months, Bro. John O’Malley will be sharing with us from his book, Overcoming Your Devotional Obstacles. We know that everyone can use some encouragement to stay in the Word of God on a daily basis, and we hope these articles will be a blessing to you in your walk with the Lord.

The Obstacle of Recollection—I wish I could remember my Devotions thirty minutes later. I tried. I failed. It makes me feel the negative emotions of guilt and sadness.

Jesus spoke of the Word of God as a seed being sown by a sower (Luke 8:5-8). The sower goes out to sow seeds. He casts the same seed on different types of soil. The way Jesus explained it, sometimes the seed hits land that is not ready for growth. He spoke of opponents and obstacles to the seed taking root. Jesus speaks of this to illustrate the Word of God going forth and taking hold in the hearts of men.

I do not like the days when I read and forget what I read thirty minutes later. To me, it is like the birds in the parable Jesus told; they come and take the seed of what I read. Then, as if I needed more guilt to carry around, I end up feeling sorry. I let the seed get snatched from my mind. I was not intentional in my thoughts on His Word.

If this happens, I refer to this axiom: read less to remember more.

When I want to remember what I read more than thirty minutes from now, I follow these tips to engage my spiritual senses:

Tip #1: Engage the spiritual sense of sight–the physical Bible or digital Bible you use for Devotions.

Growing up, I remember hearing people speaking about knowing where a verse was on the page. They would make marks in their favorite Bible. Some people like to underline or put a distinctive mark on the passage.
If you are comfortable with doing so, make marks in your Bible with pens or highlighters. Use specific colors for specific things. You could use:

  • Purple–when God is mentioned.
  • Pink–when women are mentioned.
  • Red–when love, mercy, grace, and compassion are mentioned.
  • Green–when spiritual growth is mentioned.
  • Yellow–when prayer, praise, worship, and heaven are mentioned.
  • Blue–when commands and instructions are mentioned.
  • Orange–when history is mentioned.
  • Grey–when death, sin, hell, and Satan are mentioned.

If you use a digital Bible, you could save your highlights so that they appear in the text. This way of reading your Bible engages your sight which can aid remembering what you read later in the day.

You could also choose, if you are privileged to own more than one Bible, to have a Bible that you use only for reading your Devotions. I prefer a paragraph-based Bible for this type reading if I must use a bound Bible.

Tip #2: Engage the spiritual sense of hearing.

Use an audio Bible:
You could listen to the Bible being read aloud by someone. I know some who holds their Bible open to the passage as the narrator reads it. When you use an audio Bible, it activates three senses: touch, hearing, and sight. Occasionally, I use an audio Bible for my reading to help me connect with His words more. I will also listen to the Bible just for something to listen to while driving, walking, or thinking. I use an audio Bible to help me learn how to pronounce the words. There are excellent recordings of the Bible available. You may have a commute for work and would find this mode of Bible reading helpful.

Reading aloud: You could engage the sense of hearing by reading the Bible aloud. Select your passage and read it aloud. Reading the Bible aloud helps me stay focused like few other things. Yes, it can be weird to do, but it works. Besides, being normal is over-rated! If you are at home when you read, gather your children and read to them. If you and your spouse are alone, read aloud to each other. If you are in a coffee shop, sit outside and read aloud. Engage the sense of hearing when you read to have a memorable reading time.

Tip #3: Engage the spiritual sense of touch.

Your Bible: 
I love the feel of a leather Bible. I love to caress the leather. I like the feel of the Bible’s paper. Holding your Bible while you read engages the sense of touch. It is direct contact with God through His preserved words for you. You are in touch with God. Treat it carefully and respectfully.
You may enjoy taking colored pencils and illuminating your Bible with colors.

Your Bible app: 
The Bible is God’s Word whether it is displayed on a hand-held screen, projected by a projector onto the wall, or on your computer monitor. When you open your Bible app, turn off your notifications if you can and totally engage your mind and hands in the app. You are touching the very words of God. It is not in a museum case or an artifact. It is in your hands; treat it carefully.

Your 3×5 cards: 
I love using 3×5 cards. I enjoy writing ideas, tasks, and thoughts on them. When memorizing Scripture, copy verses onto these cards to help you to meditate, learn, and reflect.

Your notebook:
 I have a personal project I am working on that involves writing with a fountain pen and paper. I practice my handwriting (which needs practice) by copying Scripture from my Bible to paper. This simple act puts me in touch with God’s Word.

Tip #4: Engage the spiritual sense of taste.

Throughout Scripture, God engages the senses through taste. He gave His people manna to taste. He uses the word “taste” figuratively to convey the Word of God is like bread, honey, water, and sweetness. Engaging this sense in Bible reading requires intentional thought. It is taking the words you read and savoring their flavor in your life. Sometimes the Word of God is referred to as bitter taste. Develop taste buds for the Word of God and your taste buds for the world will diminish.

Tip #5: Engage the spiritual sense of smell.

God gave us the sense of smell. Have you considered how important smell is to God? He fills His courts with fragrance. Our praise is a fragrance to Him. Our offerings have a scent to Him. Our sacrifices are a fragrance to Him.

When you read His words, do you catch a fragrance of Him? Your reading of His Word brings you into His presence, and this worship has a fragrance that is pleasant to Him.

If these thoughts have been an encouragement to you, you can email Bro. O’Malley here to let him know. If you’d like to purchase the entire Overcoming Your Devotional Obstacles book in PDF, Kindle, or iBooks format, click here.

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From Our President: November 2017

Danny Whetstone

Brother O’Malley and I spend much of our time encouraging church members to give tithes and offerings to the Lord. We emphasize Faith Promise missions in particular. An offering cannot be given to the Lord until the tithe is first given. Malachi chapter three promises that God will open the windows of heaven and bless if we are faithful to give tithes and offerings to the Lord.

I intentionally attempt to never let a day pass without thinking of the hundreds of hard-working people that make my ministry possible. Sometimes I wonder what they would purchase for themselves if they had that money in their bank account. With the exception of my first few years of marriage the Lord’s people have financed my family. The funds that they give me are actually their gift to God.

Your faithfulness to Christ is so commendable that words fail me to express my admiration for you and your ministry. However, I feel the same about those that “stay by the stuff” so that we can press forward with the light of the Gospel of Christ. It is easier for me to be reminded of this multitude of amazing church members because I am with them much of the time. Electricians, nurses, attorneys, mechanics, housewives, doctors and many more support our work. A few can certainly afford what they give, but the vast majority give up something to give willingly to the Lord. In turn, that wonderful gift is passed on to us for the support of our families and ministries.

I want to challenge us to think about them often. Pray that indeed the windows of heaven will be open to them that they might be blessed abundantly for their love for the Lord and His servants.

One question before I go. Do you give tithes and offerings to the Lord? It would be so wrong for us to live and serve on the gifts of others and then be unfaithful in our own giving to the Lord. I’m not referring to paying school bills or ministry expenses. I mean do you tithe and support missions with your money through a local church? God bless you if you do and shame on you if you don’t. You see, the servants of the Lord can rob God also. May it never be said of us.

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.

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From the Memo Board: November 2017

Dates to Know

November 1 – September Financial Reports will be due.

November 11 – Most US Banks will be closed for Veterans Day.

November 20 – Please contact us by this date if you will need funds in your account before Thanksgiving.

November 23-24 – The Office will be closed in celebration of Thanksgiving.

November 30 – Revised pay date for those who normally receive funds on the 29th.

December 1 – October Financial Reports will be due.

December 8 – Revised pay date for those who normally receive funds on the 10th.

December 8 – 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 if you will need funds in your account before Christmas or the end of the year.

December 20-27 – 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 11 – 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 2017.

January 31 – W-2 Forms and other tax documentation for the 2017 year will be available.

Executive Board Member

Pastor Chad Estep has been appointed to the Executive Board of WWNTBM. Bro. Estep has served on our Board of Reference since 2007. He has pastored Valley Baptist Church in Edinburg, VA, since 2015, where he previously served as assistant pastor under Bro. Jim Bailey since 1997. He and his wife, Becky, have three children: Jeremiah, LauraBecca, and Hunter.

Deputation Director

Bro. Jeremy Lockhart has recently been appointed as Director of Deputation for WWNTBM. He and his wife, Esther, have served with WWNTBM as missionaries in Brazil for the past ten years, where they have ministered alongside Omar and Tracey Schrock. The Lord has closed the door for them to return to Brazil but has opened up this new avenue of ministry for them to assist others in getting to the field. The Lockharts are graduates of Ambassador Baptist College and are sent out of Maranatha Baptist Church in Shelby, NC, with Pastor Jim Davidson. They are currently in the process of reporting to their supporting churches and have begun representing WWNTBM as well. They have four children: Allie (12), Bethany (10), Judah (8), and Levi (3). Please pray for them as they transition into their new responsibilities. Should you wish to reach Bro. Lockhart, you may do so by email or by phone at 704-434-6152.

Financial Status Reports

We have uploaded a Financial Status Report to your SecureCloud account. This is meant to show you the financial details that we have on file, such as your support estimate and the average amount of support you received this past quarter. This is information we provide to pastors who may call about your ministry. We ask that you update your support estimate once every four years, or as your lives and ministries change. Please review this information and contact us if you have any questions or changes.

Uplift Podcasts

The following recordings were recently published on Uplift.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.

Do you have any topics you would especially like to hear covered during these Uplift calls? If so, please let us know. We would appreciate any feedback you can provide us.

Please help spread the word about our public podcast, Uplift For Servants. Each episode averages 10 minutes in length. These short devotional excerpts are a perfect length for listening on the go.