April 23, 2018
Brothers and Sisters in Christ and fellow laborers in ministry,
This past month has been incredibly difficult, as we said farewell to Pastor Larry Jones, who has led this ministry from it’s inception. Your prayers, kind words, cards, and special gifts to his family mean more than we can possibly express. It is very obvious that he was not only loved by so many, but has a lasting impact on God’s Kingdom through his surrendered life to the work of the Lord.
Baptist Charities has always been a church based charity, and will remain such under the leadership of the Holy Spirit and the authority of Rodgers Baptist Church. Larry’s passing has begun a new chapter for Baptist Charities, one that has a bright future, and much more to accomplish. We are in the planning stages of some new ministry ventures, and we are excited to share the details with you this summer.
Rodgers Baptist Church has made all the funds that were given with the designation of “Larry Jones Work Fund” available to Carol Jones, and we have closed that account. As we move forward and prepare for more joint ministry ventures, please address contributions to “Baptist Charities Work Fund” to assist with the overhead costs of operation.
Amazing Grace Children’s Home – Fiesta Project
For many years now, an annual summer trip is made to Mexico City, made up of members from various churches involved with the Amazing Grace Children’s Home with the purpose of being a blessing to the children, and showing them how much they are loved. Just after the trip was announced, we were flooded with people registering for the trip. We quickly exceeded the number of people we were prepared to take, and had to close registration with a very full group.
Your opportunity to participate and be a blessing to the children is not limited to making the trip yourself. It costs approximately $100 per child to provide them with new shoes, personal gifts at the fiesta, and the field trip events that take place during the week. Please consider sponsoring a child for this wonderful event! If you would like to contribute any amount, please mark “AGCH Fiesta” in the memo of your check and send it to Rodgers Baptist Church, P.O. Box 460639, Garland, TX 75046.
Hurricane Harvey Update
Since the last update was shared in March, all the remaining funds that were given designated for Hurricane Relief have been disbursed through local churches in the disaster area (The November letter detailed the financial report on all of the previous gifts and distributions, and is available by request to
office@rodgersbaptist.net). As we looked to be faithful with the resources entrusted to us, we reached out to the pastors in the disaster area to find what needs were still unmet.
Grace Baptist Church, Vidor, Texas
Baptist Charities contributed an additional $15,172.40 to finish the reconstruction of the house for Pastor David & Sarah Lott. These contributions have made it possible for them to move back into their home and to replace much of the furniture that was destroyed by the flooding of their house. (More details and pictures are on the pages that follow.)
“There simply are no words to express our heartfelt thanks to you, your church, Baptist Charities, and to the many, many wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ who have pulled together to accomplish this project. We will forever be grateful for all you have given and all you have done for us.” – Pastor David Lott
Lighthouse Baptist Church, DIckinson, Texas
In our conversations with Pastor Charles Dill, he told us of three families who were still struggling to recover from the displacement from their homes. Thanks to the kindness of the churches and individuals who contributed to Baptist Charities, $15,172.40 was provided, which was enough to get two of the families back into their homes, and to help the third family move forward in the process of repairs.
Berean Baptist Church, Houston, Texas
In talking with Pastor Roger Thompson, he shared a need for one of the widows in their church. Her roof, which was already in poor condition prior to the storm, had taken a hard hit, causing water and mold damage to the interior of her home. Through the generous giving of churches through Baptist Charities, $10,000.00 was provided to replace her roof and to remediate all mold and water damage inside her home.
Please continue your prayers for this ministry. The Lord has done great things through the partnership of His churches, and “is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” (Ephesians 3:20).
In Christ Alone,
Baptist Charities and Rodgers Baptist Church