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Thankful!

We are so blessed to share our deepest gratitude for each one of the following that has happened here at “Belen” Hispanic Ministry Outreach:

Prayer Network:

40 days of prayer and evangelism now have been completed!!! We have been blessed by each of you who prays for us. We now have a specific person or family that pray for us each day of the week. If you would like to pray for us on a specific day please let us know!

Outreach:

Our Church Bethany members and Bro. and Sis. Hoffmann have spent a good amount of efforts and time to prepare the space for our coming Education Outreach, organizing the space, cleaning tables and chairs, installing a WIFI extender and more. We are so excited to be planning this outreach to our Hispanic friends in the area. My wife Hannah is coordinating this outreach, feel free to reach out to her If you’d like to participate once or twice a week with tutoring students, sharing your testimony, bring some snacks, etc.. You can reach her at (402) 969 0119. This outreach provides many opportunities to connect and meet more people in the area. A huge potential to develop a children’s ministry. This outreach will start on 3/15 Monday and Wednesday from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Visit New Testament Church in Sullivan Mo.

We really enjoyed our visit with Brother Wright and his family an all of the amazing, loving, caring New Testament Baptist in Sullivan! We were Blessed to meet each one of them and enjoyed learning how God is moving and using the leadership in this church for carrying out the great commission and how they are praying for us and our ministry. Bro. Josh and his family made sure we were taken care of with presents for the girls a delicious dinner, wonderful fellowship, and prayer. We were blessed and are planning to visit any church that would like to meet us and hear ministry updates on how the Lord is leading this ministry.Feel free to contact me to schedule us. We have an open agenda starting this coming month of April. Thank you, Bro. Josh Wright and your lovely family, and congregation for such lovely ways to show Jesus to us.

From our family:

By God’s grace we Celebrated our 7th Wedding anniversary, we enjoyed reading so many Facebook posts helping us make that date more and more important. We are praying that the Lord uses our wedding testimony to reach out the younger generation for discipleship and growth in the grace of the Lord Jesus for church. The church must grow, we are expecting our third baby in October of this year. Help us pray for my wife’s health and a healthy baby, Yay!! Thank you, Jesus.

“And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” 2 Timothy 2:2.

Bro. Juan Fernandez & Family

Following are a series of announcements made in the Camp Garwood Facebook group last week. After our trip to camp in the snow I had promised the group some big announcements in the following week. My family and I headed to camp for the big snow storm and had a great time. Playing in the snow beats working in it any day. You can see pictures from that trip on the Facebook page if you are interested. Now that winter is officially over we turn our thoughts to Spring. We are looking forward to seeing everyone at camp. As always we ask that you be praying for us, and all the folks that will be working to make camp possible this year.

Big Announcement #1

Camp has purchased this tractor! We have needed to make this upgrade for awhile. We were not really looking at this time but this opportunity came up and the committee and myself thought it was time. However, Now that we have it, we need to pay for it. We have the funds in the account but rather than wiping out the account we borrowed the money from the loan fund. We will get the old tractor ready to sell along with the implements that we don’t need. We will designate all DEWr funds toward the tractor purchase this year. So with that being said, are you a DEWr? A DEWr is anyone who gives $ 75 annually to camp. That’s roughly .20 a day or $1.50 a week. Will you be a Camp Garwood DEWr?

Camp week in years past cost around $8000.00 we don’t know yet what our food costs will be this year so we are planning for a $10,000.00 week. And we know there will be some extra repair/replace costs to get camp ready. (Freezer, Slide, Archery, etc.)

The tractor loan is $17,500.00. This may be too much info. I could simply say, HEY we need money! But I’d rather lay everything out for you.

Big Announcement #2

Not as “BIG” and NOT requesting money. But still huge in importance. As Spring quickly approaches we are asking groups to adopt a dorm. This will involve a good cleaning, wiping down each bunk and making minor repairs as necessity and ability allows. (Lighting, Toilets, leaking sinks, gutters, painting, cleaning up leaves, etc).

Dorms 1-9, upper shower house, lower shower house, Dining Hall, Kitchen, Canteen and the Tabernacle are all currently available. There are other projects available if your group is larger and more energetic. Things like cleaning and treating woodwork, cleaning off the golf course, setting out tables and trash cans to name a few. There are also more involved projects, if interested just ask.

It’s been awhile. I know everyone is excited to get back to camp. This is your opportunity to get some camp time and help us get ready.

This is getting long, but there’s another reason we are asking groups to adopt a dorm. In the past someone would send a message. Hey, we cleaned this building. Then a couple weeks later someone else would say, We cleaned this building. One year the same building was “cleaned“ three different times by three different people. Hopefully this way we get more accomplished with the same effort.

You can begin after Easter. That’s when the water will be back on. Talk to your groups and let me know where you can help!

Big Announcement #3

Today’s announcement is just a reminder that we have entered a new year. Everyone 18 and older will need to complete an adult screening form. The form can be found at bmamissouri.org

While ON THE WEB SITE out the camp rules and Child Protection policy. Make sure to get all this completed before coming to any overnight activities!

Big Announcement #4

Finally the fun announcements!! This years DEWr retreat is scheduled for August 13-14. This retreat is a fun weekend planned specially for our Camp Garwood DEWrs. A DEWr is anyone who gives $75 annually to Camp Garwood. In the past we have ordered special T-shirts for DEWrs. We will not be doing that this year. While we don’t have all the details worked out. We can promise a great weekend of Fun and Fellowship in one of the most peaceful valleys in the world.

We have moved this retreat to after camp. I hope this works out for everyone. We couldn’t get an earlier date to work out.
Be a DEWr, Come to the retreat!

Big Announcement #5

The final and Biggest Big Announcement of all! I’ve been waiting all week to make this one! Tonight’s announcement is about The Spring Retreat! April 9-10. You’re ready to get back to camp, well mark your calendar. You guys do not want to miss this retreat! We will have great food, some exciting activities, and best of all Bro. Doug Mickan will be coming with his pals to lead our worship services and teach us about Jesus. It’s been a while since Doug has been to camp. I’m super excited and truly hope you are too. We are planning a service on Friday night and a service on Saturday morning.
This year registration for camp will be done online only. We want to test the system with this retreat. Each CHURCH planning to attend the retreat should register by March 29th. The retreat registration form can be found on the bmamissouri website. The form can be found under the Camp Garwood tab as Camp Garwood Retreat. Click the Online Registration link.
We will have a donation jar set up in the dining hall. Any help in off setting the retreat costs will be greatly appreciated.

As you can see from the pictures and words of this article we are: Getting Ready • Getting Set • and Inviting YOU to join us working and enjoying Camp Garwood this year!

Are you getting anxious about going to Camp Garwood again? Are you wondering when and what will be happening there this year? Do you want to know if you can do anything to help at Camp Garwood?

Then check out this article and read the 5 BIG Announcements Bro. Chris has made that will interest you!

Dear churches of Missouri:
As you know we have a missions symposium in May each year coupled with the Mid-year Association meeting on the following day. May 14th and 15th will be this year’s dates for the missions symposium on Friday and the Association meeting on Saturday. The meetings will take place at New Testament Baptist Church in Sullivan. Bro. Josh Wright is the pastor and he has made some hotel recommendations that will be included in this article.

We are begging, yes, I said begging all our pastors and pastors wives and their respective church members to come. We are in unprecedented times and many of our churches and church staffs are struggling and need encouragement and the Friday service has been prepared to meet this need
The first hour will be an overview of the missions efforts of the Missouri churches in the Philippines and in St. Louis with Bro. Juan giving a report. We will take a break with some refreshments and then Bro Josh. Wright will share a special message of encouragement for our churches and pastors and their families.

This message will be born out of a heartfelt concern for where our churches and staffs are as a result of the pandemic and the daily struggles of life and ministry.

Pastor, please ask your people to prayerfully consider attending and churches, please ask your pastor to go with you. Bro. Josh and I feel strongly that the need for encouragement is association wide.

Friday Missions Symposium:
6:00-6:40 pm 1st Session
6:40-7:00 pm Break
7:00-8:00 pm 2nd Session

Saturday we will have our Mid-year State Association meeting at New Testament at 9:00 a.m. The schedule for this business meeting and time of fellowship is under the direction of Moderator Jerry Adams.

Each church of the BMA of Missouri is allowed 3 messengers to represent them at this meeting and everyone is welcome to attend as our guests. Meal provided after the meeting.

The hotels we would recommend and their addresses are:

Budget Lodging
866 S. Outer Rd.
St Clair, MO 63077
(636) 629-1000
-and-
Comfort Inn
736 S. Service Rd.
Sullivan, MO 63080
(573) 468-7800

Jason Alexander, owner of the Budget Lodging said he would do this for our group: “reserve at budgetlodging.com and the hotel will donate 15% of your stay to the BMA missions fund. You “must” include “BMA” on your reservation. We are very grateful for this kind gesture from Bro. Jason.

We look forward to seeing you on May 14th and 15th at New Testament Baptist Church in Sullivan, Missouri.

by Ben Kingston, Missions Director, BMA of Missouri

Landmark Missionary Baptist Church, DeSoto
March 6, 2021 • 10:00 a.m.
Come Meet our New Missouri Missionaries
(Juan & Hannah Hernandez)
Morning Message • Bro. James Hoffmann
Alternate • Bro. Benjamin Kingston
Lunch will not be served by the church.

Jeff Swart, BMAA President
Happy New Year!

On the last evening of each year, a celebration is held throughout our land. This celebration climaxes at the stroke of midnight at Times Square in New York City when multitudes of people cheer and shout “Happy New Year!” They blow toy horns and other noisemakers, laugh and embrace and kiss someone. This spectacle is repeated in succession in the various time zones from the Atlantic Seaboard to the far away islands of Hawaii.

For Americans, the new year symbolizes new opportunities, new hopes and new dreams; yet the stroke of the midnight hour simply marks the dawning of another day. Whether the year really will be “new” lies within each person. If, when the celebrating is over, we fall back into the same old life — then nothing has really changed except the date on the calendar. New Year’s only becomes “new” if we make it so.

As you face the new year, I want you to understand that God is far more interested in your future than He is in your past. Some folks think God is fixated on their past, reminding them of the things they’ve done wrong. The simple truth is that God isn’t interested in your past —He is interested in your future. God reminds us that we are to “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!” (Isaiah 43:18-19). In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul made a similar statement: “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead” (Phil. 3:13).

Regardless of the failures you’ve had in your life this year; financial, moral, relational, marriage, etc. God is offering you a new beginning. You are not a failure because you fail, you are only a failure if you quit. You matter to Jesus Christ, and He can make the rest of your life turn out in a whole different way if you give Him the pieces. He wants to exchange His peace for your pieces.

God specializes in new beginnings because He possesses the power to change lives. God doesn’t want you to turn over a new leaf – He wants to give you a whole new life if you will let Him. Give this new year to God and you will be amazed at what He can do with it. Remember, it is never too late to start anew.