A Quick Update on Eastern Kentucky Flood Relief

We praise the Lord for what God is doing through His people in response to the horrific flooding in Eastern Kentucky. Here are some quick updates on the flood relief efforts of which NHIM has been able to be a part:

• Two work teams led by Keith Madill were sent from Wilmore Free Methodist Church this week to do cleanup.
• Two much-needed generators were secured and will be delivered Saturday.
• A load of supplies including pet food is on its way to our staging area at the Bear Pen Community Center.
• A used car was purchased for a family that lives miles from town and whose home was damaged and only vehicle was washed away in the flood waters.
• An air conditioner was purchased to help cool the Bear Pen Community Center where flood victims will be staying.
• Rolls of quarters are being provided for flood victims who have found coins hard to come by and must use a laundromat to wash muddy and soiled clothing.
• A new load of food and supplies will be picked up Tuesday for the Abiding Hope Food Pantry.

We are exceedingly grateful for all who have come alongside NHIM and other ministries to show the love of Jesus to the hurting people of Eastern Kentucky. Please pray that the spirit of service and generosity will continue and consider how God might use you to bring healing and restoration to this flood-ravaged region.

Eastern Kentucky Flooding

When the national news is reporting live from your little corner of the world, it is rarely a good thing. The larger world has turned its eye to the area of Appalachia where NHIM is working in the church planting ministry through coverage of the historic and catastrophic flash flooding that took place this week. Flooding along the North Fork of the Kentucky River surpassed the all-time record set in 1939.

Communication is still difficult, the waters have yet to recede, and more heavy rain is on the way; however, efforts are already underway to meet the challenges of this disaster, and NHIM is working to minister God’s love to those affected.

Many of our partners in the church planting ministry that we have been able to contact are safe. We are still waiting to hear from some families who live in low-lying areas. The area around our friends at Wide Creek Community Church is badly flooded, and loss of and damage to property are expected to be tremendous.

Our friends at Bear Pen Community Church near Campton are serving as a staging area for donations that are already coming in and work teams that will be traveling down in the coming days to help with the cleanup. The Abiding Hope Food Pantry will be serving flood victims by distributing food and other necessities.

Two teams from Wilmore Free Methodist Church are already planned to travel to Eastern Kentucky in partnership with NHIM in the next week to do cleanup. In addition to the team that will put feet on the ground, that church’s benevolence fund has made a large financial contribution to the relief effort. Shiloh Camp Meeting in Georgia has also sent funds through NHIM, and we are deeply grateful. One hundred percent of all funds coming to NHIM for flood relief work will go directly to helping the people impacted by this unfolding tragedy.

How, you may wonder, can I help?

First of all, please pray for the precious people who are experiencing such devastating loss in this natural disaster. More rain is forecast, and there is great concern that the receding waters will rise again. Many people were just recovering from unusually severe flooding in the Spring of 2021 and have now lost everything all over again.

Secondly, you can give. Friends wishing to make tax-deductible donations through New Hope International Ministries may (1) send a check or money order directly to our office: New Hope International Ministries, One Macklem Dr., Wilmore, KY 40390, (2) contribute online via Venmo here, or (3) donate online via PayPal here. Please indicate “FLOOD” as the reason for your contribution.

The driving force behind all New Hope has done through the years has been Jesus’ admonition, “That which you have done for the least of these, you have done for Me.” Thank you for joining us in prayer and giving as we seek to serve Jesus by serving the people of Eastern Kentucky.

Reaching to South Africa from Eastern Kentucky

Raliegh Spencer, a mountain youth, was in his early teens when he talked to me about Africa and our ministry there. He felt the Lord was moving him to reach out and try to help a boy in Africa. He went to work earning money and saving his allowance. By the end of the summer, he had approximately $350. He wanted to know if New Hope could help him find a boy about his age that needed help. My daughter, Lori Wright, was living in South Africa. She was working with a single mom with a son about Raliegh’s age named Aubrey who desperately needed help to stay in school. 

Lori was able to get the money into the hands of the boy’s mother, who was then able to pay her son’s school expenses. Aubrey was able to stay in school, a key to his survival in a country locked in poverty. Aubrey completed his basic public school education in 2021. He took the rigorous government exams to see if there was a chance that he could pursue post-secondary education. After long months of waiting, the results came. This exciting news just came to us — not only did Aubrey qualify to proceed, but amazingly he received a full scholarship to the University of Botswana!

The axiom, “Little is much when God is in it,” is validated by this account. A mountain youth with a small amount of money reached across the world and across cultures and provided help of inestimable worth to an African boy. May God be praised!

~ Brother Roy

Eastern Kentucky Update: A New Preacher

The Lord is blessing our church planting ministry in Eastern Kentucky. New Hope International Ministries has partnered with local church planter David Spencer in this neglected area. A reliable survey of the area indicated that there were more than 690,000 unchurched people in the 42-county area our ministry is targeting. God is blessing the ministry in spite of an era of church closings and plummeting attendance.

We have experienced a problem along with our success. Where do you find Godly ministers to lead the churches? Small congregations in the Appalachian poverty pocket often struggle financially. Opportunities for work are scarce and unemployment rates are among the highest in the nation. Salaries for ministers are minimal at best. Attracting quality people to join our team is problematic when they have families to support.

The call of the Lord on potential ministers, the effectual fervent prayers of God’s people, and diligent searching for people to join us is our strategy. Our scriptural guide – “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).   

Recently, we redeployed one our most successful pastors. We were faced with the need to find a new couple to lead the church that has been the hub of our church planting ministry. The Lord answered prayer. A graduate of Southern Wesleyan University, Jonathan Herron answered the call. Jonathan is an ordained minister with valuable experience. His wife, Celia, had served as a missionary in the Middle East under World Gospel Mission. She is a registered nurse that brings needed health care expertise as well as spiritual leadership to Bear Pen Community Worship Center. Is God amazing or what? Will you join us in praying for them?

May God be praised!

~ Brother Roy

Spiritual Splitters

New Hope International Ministries helps with the operation of the Abiding Hope Food Pantry at Bear Pen Worship Center in Eastern Kentucky. Approximately 350 families are served by this vital ministry.

To preserve the food in the pantry, it is necessary to maintain both cool temperatures in the summer and above freezing temperatures in winter. Our traditional system was old and inefficient, and utilities costs weighed heavy on the budget. A friend told us of a relatively inexpensive system that would meet our needs and be less expensive to operate. He introduced us to the ‘Mini-Split’ unit. Mini-Split heating and cooling systems are comprised of a small outdoor/indoor unit that requires nothing more than mounting capabilities and access to electricity. It resembles a window mount air conditioner unit and can move efficiently between heating and cooling. The Mini-Split units helped solve our problem.

In the physical world, a unit like the Mini-Split that alternates between cooling and heating can be the answer. Not so much in the spiritual world. Blowing both hot and cold is not a virtue to be cultivated in Christ’s kingdom here on earth:

• “These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:14-16).
• “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24, NIV).

Are you a lukewarm Christian? Scripture says, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?” (2 Corinthians 13:5, NIV). The following are some indicators of a lukewarm Christian:

• No true confession of personal sin, no repentance, no sorrow, and no lasting change
• Only wants to be a Christian because of fear of hell
• Only comes to God when there is a problem
• Goes to church on Sunday, is self-centered the other six days of the week
• Believes Christianity is about God doing things for them and making them happy
• Doesn’t obey the Word of God and may even try to twist Scripture to justify sin
• Compromises with the world because it’s the popular choice and everybody’s doing it
• Spends little time in God’s word and prayer
• Gives little time to reaching out to those in need
• Loves to say things like, “I’m only human;” “Everybody sins every day in thought, word, and deed;” “Nobody is perfect;” “Do not judge;” “It’s not my fault”
• Is unwilling to make sacrifices
• Any sacrifices made are small and won’t affect lifestyle

Do you find items on the above list to be characteristics of your spiritual life? Would the Savior say of you, “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot” (Revelation 3:15, KJV)?

Don’t Be A Spiritual Splitter!

NHIM Newsletter – Christmas 2020

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Blankets? I’ve Got This!

Lori displays some of the blankets headed for South Africa

One of the joys of serving the Lord is that ‘moment’ when you realize, once again, the Lord is walking ahead of you. To put it in modern vernacular, you hear Him say, “I’ve got this.” Let me share one such moment.

Lori and Rich, my daughter and son-in-law, are leading a NHIM mission team to South Africa. They lived in Johannesburg for over three years. During that time, they worked with a vibrant New Testament Church which is committed to serving people in the name of Christ, especially the poorest of the poor. The church will be assisting and working beside the NHIM team as they engage in ministry there. Preparations for the team have included much prayer, team meetings, arrangements for transportation, ground cost, etc.  They knew that the expenses of the trip would be sizable, but believed the spiritual rewards of this ministry would be more than worth the investment.

As preparations were proceeding, my daughter came to me and asked if NHIM might have enough funds available to help buy some blankets for the smaller children who live in Kya Sands Squatter’s Camp. Lori had worked with the children while living there. A part of the NHIM’s team itinerary will be working in this demoralized slum while in Johannesburg. I promised her that we would make every effort to raise the money for the blankets.

The next day, I bumped into an old friend, Tommy Baker, in our local Wal-Mart. Across the years, Tommy and NHIM have worked together on several projects.  During the conversation, Tommy asked if I ever needed blankets in our ministry. I responded with an enthusiastic – YES! Through his contact with the Wal-Mart manager, he had just purchased some fleece coverlets at a remarkably low price. I asked Tommy, “How many blankets do you have?” He told me seven hundred.

Lori, Rich and the NHIM team now have all of the blankets they need. I am almost sure I heard the Lord say, “Relax, Brother Roy. I’ve got this!”

‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ (Matthew 25:40)

~ Brother Roy

Abiding Hope Food Pantry

 

The Abiding Hope Food Pantry has been an important part of our ministry in Eastern Kentucky since the beginning of our partnership there. Eugene Spencer, the pastor of Bear Pen Community Worship Center, oversees this vital ministry. Lewis Roberts manages the day-to-day activities of the pantry and, with other volunteers, provides invaluable service managing the acquisition and distribution of food to needy families. The pantry is located at Bear Pen and currently serves approximately 350 families a month.

The pantry started as an outreach to the community when David Spencer, now director of the church planting ministry, was pastor at the Bear Pen Church. On Sundays after service, the pews in the small church were moved to the platform so the floor of the sanctuary could be used to stack the food. The food was sorted and boxed for distribution by volunteers from the congregation.

Later, a rough shed was constructed on the property.

As time passed and funding became available, a concrete floor was added and other improvements were made.

The building was finally brought to its current condition and shelving was added.

There are other improvements that should be made, and the pantry also needs ongoing financial support. Fuel and upkeep on the box truck as it makes the roundtrip journeys from Bear Pen to God’s Pantry in Lexington necessitate a regular flow of money. Utilities costs for the building also provide a recurring challenge. If you would like to help support this outreach in the name of Jesus, you can make your checks payable to NHIM and mark in the memo line – ‘Abiding Hope Food Pantry’.

Jesus said, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat.” (Matthew 25:35)

New Hope News

It has been a while since we have provided an update here on the website on New Hope’s many ministry activities.  Here are a few ways that the Lord is blessing New Hope in these days.

Over Asbury University’s Spring Break, a team of four students traveled through NHIM to Jamaica where they led devotions for preschoolers and built a home for a family in need.

During last month’s NHIM Board meeting, members voted to increase the expense account funds for David Spencer, our Director of Church Planting. David is driving 204 miles round-trip twice a week from his home at Bear Pen in Wolfe County to work with one of our church plants, Green Hill Community Church, in Harlan County. Green Hill is growing in numbers and spiritual knowledge under David’s leadership. Attendance on Easter Sunday was 70. From ground zero, when the church first opened, to 70 on Easter is a testimony to God’s love for those folks and David’s hard work. Within a few days of approving the increase for David, an unexpected check for $2,500 came in that will help cover the increase. Praise the Lord!

Several months ago the Abiding Hope Food Pantry truck ‘went home to be with Jesus’. The truck was old and tired and threw a rod through the block. Since then it has been a real struggle to get the food from God’s Pantry in Lexington to the food pantry at Bear Pen. Many of you have been praying with us about another truck. In the Lord’s timing, David and his son Eugene located a truck. The price was reasonable, and all we needed was the money. I called the gentleman who had sent us the money we were going to use to help increase David’s expenses account.  I asked him if it was all right to split the money and use half for David and the other half for down payment on the truck.  After a pause, he said to use the full amount he sent to help David. Then he said, “I’ll send you the money for buying the truck shortly.” That was another “Praise the Lord!” moment. As I was sharing this great news with the fellows I drink coffee with, one of the men asked if the truck was road worthy. I told him it was as far as I knew, except the front tires were badly worn. He pulled out his billfold and handed me a $100 bill to help with new tires.

Green Hill Community Church

Pray for our upcoming Tent Revival in Harlan County. David will be holding an old fashioned tent revival later this spring a few miles from the Green Hill Community Church. The tent and folding chairs have been moved on-site. We are trusting that the Tent Revival will bring souls into the Kingdom and make people aware of the Green Hill Church. Prayer and fasting is helping prepare the way. Join us as we petition the Lord for revival.

I recently joined David in a meeting with a man who has been attending Green Hill Church for about a year. He has been a pastor and has preached extensively in the Harlan County area. This man has expressed interest in working with us in ministry and possibly becoming one of our pastors. Pray for wisdom as we explore partnerships such as these in our efforts to reach Eastern Kentucky with the Gospel.

Kya Sands

My daughter Lori and my son-in-law Rich are leading a NHIM mission team to South Africa in May. As they were making preparations, Lori asked me if NHIM might be able to help buy some blankets for the small children in Kya Sands, a Squatter’s Camp (a terrible slum) at the edge of Johannesburg. Lori ministered there during the time she lived in Johannesburg. The next day, I ran into Tommy Baker, a dear Christian brother who had worked with NHIM on some previous projects. During our rambling conversation, he asked me if I could ever use some small blankets. I responded with a resounding – YES!  When I inquired about how many he had, he said, “700”. He had secured them from an overstock at Wal-Mart for one dollar apiece.  Can you believe it? The team has all the blankets the need and more.  Again, I want to humbly bow my head and say “Praise the Lord!”

~ Brother Roy

What’s Wrong with Eastern Kentucky?

I was recently asked to speak to a civic organization about NHIM’s work in Eastern Kentucky. I shared a number of newspaper articles and various reports concerning the plight of people in Appalachia. During a Q & A period at the end, I was asked point blank, “What do you think is wrong with Eastern Kentucky”?

Let me share some of the observations with you that I shared then. First, I related to the gathering my recollections of growing up in the hills more than five decades ago. I had been largely absent from the area since graduation from high school. Except for an occasional visit or vacation weekend, I had spent little time there. A few years ago, I started working on a regular basis in Eastern Kentucky, I soon discovered, to my dismay, that it was a far different place than my boyhood memories. I have struggled to determine what had changed. My conclusions are as follows:

• Small churches in many communities were gone, which contributes to a lack of moral fabric and opportunities for healthy social interaction.
• Although there appears to be a number of churches in some areas, they are often totally independent. There is no accountability or oversight as to religious doctrine or financial matters. Heresies and confusion abound.
• High unemployment, lack of job opportunities, and chronic poverty dominate most areas.
• There is a low priority on education and marketable job skill training.
• Welfare and reliance on other government programs have created a mentality of dependence and a sense of entitlement.
• Poor diet, obesity, and lack of accessible medical care exacerbate the situation.
• Drugs are rampant and violent crimes are a major problem. An abundance of ‘Pain Clinics’ greatly contributes to the crisis.
• Breakdown of the basic family unit is leading to large numbers of neglected and abused children.
• Human trafficking is on the rise. Recently a social worker in Eastern Kentucky informed me me of the heartbreaking and rapidly growing problem of human trafficking. Young girls (children) being sold by addict mothers for drugs is common.
• Hopelessness and a fatalistic world view permeates the region.

Take a look at some of these heartbreaking statistical maps:

Economic Levels of Appalachian Counties (source: Appalachian Regional Commission)

Change in life expectancy between 1980 and 2014 (source: Business Insider)

In the face of these overwhelming obstacles, most programs that are meant to help only seek to change the external environment. They are based on a belief that people change from the outside in – change the environment, change the man. This failed philosophy is repeated over and over again as things continue to deteriorate in the mountains.

NHIM takes a completely different approach. We believe that the only way to truly change a person is for change to take place from the inside out. There needs to be a ‘new birth’ of moral conviction, principled life styles, and a strong work ethic in individual hearts. We rest solidly on the premise that when people become new creatures in Christ old things pass away and things become new.

Our church plants are positioned in communities where little, if any, Biblical teaching takes place. They are centers for moral instruction, healthy social interactions, and community-building. As individuals make internal changes, they link with others in the church who have also changed. They then form the building blocks for a better community and a better way of life through Christ who strengthens them.

~ Brother Roy