I hope each of you had a blessed Thanksgiving and were able to take time to think of all the ways God blesses us as we serve Him. Giving thanks causes us to be blessings to others and help bring glory to God! As we approach the celebration of Christ’s Birth we are made to realize how thankful we should be for God’s mercy and grace as He sent His Son to provide the
way for our sins to be forgiven through His death and Resurrection.
This thankfulness should lead us to faithful service each day of our lives. My wife and I visited the morning service of Oak Hill Baptist Church in Alton, MO November 18th. We had never been to Oak Hill and enjoyed being there and hearing Pastor Edward Casey bring an inspiring message and getting acquainted with the good folks under his leadership.They are doing a great work there and are good supporters of our state work. We were impressed with their hospitality. We also visited the morning service at Stony Point Baptist Church in Mineral Point November 25th. You could sense excitement in this service as Bro. Claude preached a challenging message and the good people in the congregation paid close attention. They invited us to
stay for lunch and we would have loved to stay and enjoy their fellowship but we had a funeral to attend and had to leave right after the service was over. This church is also a good supporter of our state work and are reaching souls in their area.
I continue to work a Sunday or two each month with the Temple Baptist Church in Belgrade and are encouraged by the faithfulness of this small congregation as they seek a pastor. We appreciate the preachers who are helping out by flling the
pulpit each month and we ask you to pray for them as they seek someone to lead them on a permanent basis. Also remember to pray for all our churches who are searching for pastors.
Your BMAMO Special Missions Committee and the Meramec Association Missionary Committee are praying for God to lead someone
to plant a church in Missouri. There are some things happening that encourage us in this endeavor and we hope it will not be long until we can see God answering that prayer. You are encouraged to join us in praying each day for God to guide our associations.
Thank you for your support of Missions and for the encouragement you give us. May each of our Churches have a Blessed Christmas and experience growth in all areas of ministry.
by James Hoffman, Missions Director
