Debbie and I have been called of the Lord and have been sent out by Pastor Matthew LaFave, Calvary Baptist Church, Whitmore Lake, Michigan, to the mission field of America. We have recently joined together with Baptist Ambassadors to America (BATA) in order to facilitate this calling. The vision BATA Missionary Fellowship, under the leadership of Dr. Ron Hodge, is to assist in plant new churches, strengthen existing Churches, and restore struggling churches across America, which would result in more souls saved and more missionaries retaining or gaining support around the world.
I came to Christ at 12 years of age, as a result of one woman’s invitation to my family to attend an Anniversary Sunday Celebration in 1976. The afternoon after the service, the Pastor and Evangelist Johnnie Pope came by to visit my house and led my father and mother to Christ. Within a few weeks, all my brothers and sisters committed their lives to Christ as well. One Sunday, during the invitation, my entire family went to the alter to follow the Lord in believers baptism. Oblivious to what was happening, I simply followed. Before I could get to the dressing room, the associate Pastor, took me aside, and explained the plan of Salvation to me, and I willingly and knowingly repented of my sins and accepted Christ as my Savior. Then and only then, was I allowed to join my family in following Christ in believers baptism. At the age of 18, I knew God called me to the mission field, but ran from Him for 12 years. At 30 years of age, God renewed his calling on my life and I rededicated my life to his service, and went to bible College in Salisbury, MD. Since then, I have worked in church planting, church restoration, teaching, and preaching, but the focus of my heart and my wife’s heart, has always been on winning souls to Christ and teaching others to do the same. Over the years I have learned, through my salvation experience and through my personal soul winning efforts, to never discount the importance of the one…one can make a difference for Christ and His Gospel.
Debbie
When I was 26 years old, the world as I knew it or created, came crashing down around me. A devastating event outside of my control stopped my life in its tracks. One night, disillusioned and disheartened, lost and afraid, I went to my room, I broke down, and just cried. Then, unexpectedly, I found myself praying. I remember praying, “God, if you’re real, then show me what to do, help me, and help my situation. I cannot do this alone. Help me.” A week later, my brother invited me to a Baptist church he had begun to attend. I went that next weekend and listen intently to the preaching. God clearly and unmistakably spoke to me and I turned my heart to Him. It was then that I repented of my sins, received Christ as my Savior, and the emptiness and loneliness left me. I realized that it was Jesus I had been missing all along. As I gave my life over to the Lord, I felt a heavy weight had been lifted and I could finally breathe. The peace that came from that one moment as indescribable! Two weeks later, God gave me the desires of my heart. I met the man I was to marry. Our first date was at church on the Sunday I was to be baptized. Although our life together has not always been easy, he has truly been a wonderful husband to me and I still believe he is my gift from God. Since then, John and I have given our lives over completely to the ministry of the Gospel. It is our hearts desire, that as many souls as possible come to know Christ as their Lord and Savior before His return.