Greetings in the name of our Lord!
What a blessing it is to be able to work every day in the Kingdom!
It was on February 1, 2008, that J.C. left us for that eternal world. I admit that there is a sense of loneliness, and of the need to rely on his strength and singular focus, but there is also the continual consciousness of his presence in my life because everything I do every day is built on the foundation of the work we did together for 52 years. I am so very thankful that God still has use for me, and that the work initiated and built through J.C.’s vision and efforts has continued without interruption.
Foreign Work
The Wayne Barriers (including their sons, Jeremy and Joey), Jerry and Paula Bates, and Louis and Martha Rushmore work with the men overseas in the radio/TV and literature programs, as well as in Bible training schools and church development. The partnership among American supporters, our brethren in India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, China, the Philippines, Guyana, Viet Nam, and other countries, and the American members of the “World Evangelism” team is an on-going force for good. Though I have been able to return to that part of the world only twice since J.C.’s death, our co-workers make two or three trips each year to coordinate those efforts and to participate in seminars. The overall scope of the work is growing.
The Voice of Truth International
Byron Nichols has retired as the Editor of The Voice of Truth International. Louis Rushmore is the current Editor, with Jerry Bates serving as the Associate Editor. All issues of the magazine are on our website and can be viewed and used freely. The format for the magazine lends itself well to publication in church bulletins, and for daily devotionals, which we encourage. Currently, we print 22,000, or so, copies of each issue for use here in the States, of which many are sent to approximately 60 countries, free of charge. In addition, about 29,000 copies are printed in India and Nepal, in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, English, and Paite for distribution in those areas. We also print 6,000 copies in Nigeria and Ghana for distribution in Africa.
Global Harvest
We had done one issue of the mission magazine, Global Harvest, before J.C.’s recurrence of cancer. Since his death, Volumes 2-13 have been printed. Wayne Barrier is the new Editor. Because of time and money restraints, we currently print only one issue a year. The Lord’s church needs to know more of what is being done around the world, and this is the purpose of publishing Global Harvest. We pray that more can be done in the future.
“Into God’s World”
Our important new project was to be the development of graded classroom materials, written by Christians for use in Bible classes in the church, both here in the States and in churches overseas. For now, this work is “on hold” until some complications have been resolved. To learn more about the entirety of the proposed project, go to “Into God’s World”.
We have been searching for the man (more than one will be needed for the huge project) we call “Gideon” to provide leadership in pulling the work together and presenting it to churches throughout the brotherhood. Experience with writing, digital publishing, and with many of the tools available in today’s cutting-edge technology will be invaluable in much of the development.
As the materials are being developed, it will be necessary for others to provide leadership in organizing the various part of the work: the editing, the visuals, contact with printers, etc. This is a huge undertaking and the talents of many will be needed.
We have also been looking for Gideon’s “300″ – volunteers who see the great necessity for better equipping the church for its work in this world. Experienced teachers, writers, artists, graphics designers, editors, and proofreaders are needed to do this great work. For too long, the church as a whole has depended on materials written by denominational people for interdenominational use, and these have been used to teach our own children. Because of the lack of definitive truths, many of our younger generations do not know the distinctiveness of the Lord’s church, or the specifics of the Gospel, or other biblical truths that are vital for our Christian walk. It will be our goal to fill that void with the best of materials, developed by passionate Christians who want to make a difference in this world. If you are one of these soldiers of the cross, contact us and let us know what you want to do to help.
Please be praying for us.
In Him, Betty Choate