Free Will Baptist North American Ministries is dedicated to planting churches across America as well as Canada, Mexico, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Chaplains minister to thousands of men and women serving the nation. And cross cultural church planting specialists connect with people who have come to America from all over the world. Learn more about our ministry: www.FWBNAM.com.

NAM Experiences Growth During a Pandemic

The recent pandemic has left its impact on ministries around the world. North American Ministries is no exception. Some church plants have delayed launching new works, going self-supporting, or getting into new facilities for months. However, we are thankful to see most of those efforts now moving forward. We pray and work with excited anticipation of how the Lord will show Himself strong and build His church in the coming months.

Consider some of the exciting things that have taken place, despite the global pandemic.

Five new church planters were assessed and appointed.

• Kris Willis family to Anchorage, AK
  

• Don Ellerd family to Mariposa, CA
  

• Amos Dillard family to Chula Vista, CA
  

• Jim Kilgore family to Waco, TX
  

• Frank Webster family to The Villages, FL
  

Nearly 60 pastors successfully completed NAM’s intensive two-day Pastor’s Boot Camp training. Topics included growth principles, spiritual warfare, discipleship, security and safety, outreach, and evangelism, leadership, dealing with conflict, developing servant leaders, and more. This training is offered free for Free Will Baptist pastors.


NAM launched a new video training series for pastors and churches. Read the Refresh column by Dr. Brad Ransom to learn more.

Several church plants saw significant advances:

• Purchase and renovation of a new church building in Erie, PA
  

• Renovation of church building, eight baptisms, and doubled church attendance in Waipahu, HI
  

• Launch of new work and purchase of church building in Missoula, MT
  

• Expansion of house churches, with 46 conversions and baptisms in Utah
  

• Completed renovation and launch of church in Sevierville, TN
  

• Groundbreaking for a new church building in Montgomery, TX
  

• Church buildings completed in Winchester, VA
  

• Land donated for a building in Wytheville, VA
  

• Sixteen baptisms in Gilbert, AZ
  

• Extensive community ministry (police chaplain, crisis pregnancy, cancer association) by Pastor Travis in Ashland, OH
  

• Consistent, growing, and faithful discipleship groups contributed to a strong return to in-person worship in Buffalo, NY
  

The chaplaincy ministry continues to grow:

• LT Matthew Saunders commissioned
  

• LT Shaun Hembree commissioned
  

• LT Jonathan Truett commissioned
  

• 2 LT Elliott Deilus commissioned
  

• CH (LTC) Brad Hanna graduated from Army War College
  

• CH (MAJ) Kevin Trimble deployed to serve in Operation Swift Response
  

Masters Men expands ministry through new resources and tools:

• New equipment for DRT; mobile command center
  

• Men’s Bible studies in Spanish
  

• Plans for a new ministry focused on young men
  

I trust you will agree God is still at work building His Kingdom. These things are clear evidence of how He is accomplishing His plan. We give Him all the glory and thank Him for the privilege of being called into this vital ministry.

November 21, 2021, is Mission North America Offering Sunday. Please mark your calendar and plan to give generously. Your gifts help make all the advances described above possible. Your gifts provide resources, training, and encouragement to church planters. They make it possible for us to provide training and resources to all our pastors and churches. They help us partner with states to send church planters to needy areas to begin new churches.

Your gifts are investments in ministries that will reap eternal dividends. We ask you to pray for the various ministries in which NAM is engaged and to plan to give a generous offering on November 21.

About the Writer: Sam McVay is church relations officer for NAM: sam@nafwb.org.

2021 Power Conference: A Hispanic Celebration

Attendees from 12 states, Honduras, and Mexico took part in the first Hispanic Power Conference, May 29- June 1, at The Donelson Fellowship in Nashville, Tennessee. Although the numbers were affected by COVID, over 300 Hispanic speakers still attended the conference. As I saw church planters and pastors bring their people to the conference, I thought about all the labor and tears of these great men of God and was glad they could bring their people to an event like this. Hispanic ministry in the United States is not easy.

They came to worship and rejoice over what God has accomplished in their lives. This was the first Hispanic event ever sponsored by the Free Will Baptist denomination in the States.

Conference services were great. Dr. Noe Martínez from Mexico and Dr. David Crowe preached. Dr. Martínez pastors a church in Mexico City with more than 12,000 parishioners. Dr. Crowe, director of NAM, has worked at the ministry for 25-plus years and has been in hundreds of Free Will Baptist churches. Both men brought their experience and wisdom to the pulpit.

Church planters taught a broad spectrum of seminars related to the Christian life and ministry. All presenters have built multiple mission works across the Americas. All services and seminars were translated into English and Spanish, so everyone attending could understand and participate in all activities.

The Parsons Quartet presented music for the conference, along with a music group from the Hispanic church in Lexington, Kentucky. Both groups sang songs in English and Spanish, and attendees enjoyed these exciting times of praise and worship.

Nicole Hackett, principal of Pleasant View Christian Elementary School (TN), organized a nursery for the conference. More than 50 children brought energy, emotion, and excitement to Nashville. Nicole kept complete control and, despite their energy, taught the children about Jesus. We are thankful for everyone who volunteered to help her.

I am grateful for the success of the first Hispanic Power Conference, and I continue to anticipate how God develops the Hispanic ministry in the Free Will Baptist movement.

About the Writer: Rick Bowling is cross cultural officer for NAM. Learn more: fwbnam.com/cross-cultural.

2021 Chaplain Update

The following is an update on where Free Will Baptist military chaplains are currently serving: