target: colorado

by Richard Atwood

To learn more about Free Will Baptist Home Missions, visit www.homemisions.net.

THE HOME MISSIONS DEPARTMENT HAS TARGETED Colorado as an area to plant more churches. Colorado is one of the least churched states in America with one of the highest rates of population claiming no religious affiliation (USA Today). In spite of a rapidly expanding population of 4.7 million, Colorado has only five Free Will Baptist churches. Four are Home Mission churches. My wife and I recently visited these four home missionaries, and I would like to give you a short update on their work.

COLORADO SPRINGS – Home Missionary Dexter Guin (pictured above) reports that hundreds of homes are being built around the church. Attendance and participation are growing steadily, and the congregation is making plans and raising funds for a new building. He recently baptized an 80-year-old lady. Earlier this year, a man in his seventies slowly walked up the aisle to be saved. Seven months later he died. He is in Heaven because this good church made a difference even in the final days of his life.

DENVER – Home Missionary Scott Cheatham and his congregation have recently relocated to a quickly growing area with great potential for a new church. The congregation meets in a new school (pictured above). Like many new churches, the Cheathams arrive early each Sunday to set up chairs, check sound equipment, prepare child care items, etc. The church is looking for property on which to build.

FT.COLLINS - Home Missionary Roger Raper and his people did most of the labor on their recently completed church building (pictured above). The beautiful church campus is located on a main highway in a growing area. The church plans to mother another church in the area when this church goes self-supporting.

GRAND JUNCTION – Chad Kivette has seen his congregation more than double in six months. They have renovated the church building (pictured above), but they are quickly running out of room. While I was out with him one day, Chad started talking to a stranger and invited him to church. The man said, “We aren’t church-going people; we don’t attend church.”

Chad replied, “Good. That’s who we’re looking for— people who don’t go to church.”

COLORADO NEEDS MORE CHURCHES that tell the Good News about Jesus and preach the Bible. Will you consider going there to start a church or to help someone else start a church there? Please pray for and support the men and women who are working hard to build churches in Colorado.