news around the nation The Home Missions Department exists to communicate the gospel, make disciples, and plant new churches in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Find out more at www.homemissions.net.

Home Missions Launches New Website

Recently, Home Missions launched a new website that provides an in-depth look at
home missionaries—where they minister, facts about their families, and current prayer requests. Use the following brief tour guide to make the most of your next visit to the site:

• On the Home Page you will receive a welcome from General Director Larry Powell and find a quick link to the Prayer & Praise page.
  

• Click on About Home Missions to view staff and board member profiles and find helpful links to all Free Will Baptist agencies.
  

• Get to know individual home missionaries on the Missionaries page. Hover the cursor over each picture to view a description of each missionary. Click on the picture to visit individual missionary pages where you will find photos, addresses, birthdays, and bios for each missionary family.
  

• Click on the Chaplain page to learn more about the ministry of Free Will Baptist chaplains. Learn more about the chaplains who currently represent Free Will Baptists across the world. Click on each photo to view the chaplain’s page for more details.
  

• Interested in Getting Involved in the ministry of Home Missions? This page shares the many different ways you can help.
  

• On the CELF (Church Extension Loan Fund) page, learn more about this important program where Free Will Baptist investments help Home Missionaries purchase properties and buildings.
  

• If you would like to purchase soul winning, church growth, and other Home Missions materials, browse through Resources and place your order through a handy cart system. Your order will be processed and items will be shipped to you along with your invoice. You will not pay for your material until after you have received it.
  

HomeMissions.net is a great place for you to get to know more about the work of this important ministry. Please take a few moments to explore the world of Home Missions today.

Home Missionaries Attend 2012 Summit

Seventy-five church planters from around the nation gathered in Nashville, for the three-day Home Missions Summit, a conference for training and encouragement. Keynote speaker Gary Rohrmayer is associate director of Converge Church Planting and author of six books, including Church Planting Landmines. Over the course of the conference, Rohrmayer went into great detail about building healthy church systems when starting a new church, addressing the topics missionaries indicated they would most like to hear. Many attendees commented on the abundance of practical and timely information they received.

On the third day of the conference, the missionaries and their wives participated in separate sessions. Each group had their own times of interaction and prayer. Free Will Baptist Executive Secretary Keith Burden delivered an encouraging message to the guys. His wife Debbie Burden spoke to the women on the theme, “If Your Shoes Could Talk.” She shared interesting facts about the history of shoes, and how God can use what we possess to minister to others.

Missionaries shared much laughter and many ideas at the lunch and dinner tables (above) and late at night in the hotel lobby. Christian comedian Aaron Wilburn provided entertainment for the missionaries. It was a time of great encouragement, relaxation, fun, sharing, learning, and fellowship for the hardworking church planters.

The Home Missions Summit usually occurs every other year, but one home missionary wife said as she left, “Let’s do this again in six months!”

Richard Adams With the Lord

Richard Adams, retired director of development for Free Will Baptist Home Missions, died unexpectedly at his home on Friday, March 2, 2012. He was 72 years old.

For 18 years, Richard directed the Church Extension Loan Fund (CELF), which enables church planters to buy land and build facilities across North America. Richard also worked tirelessly to expand the Build My Church Campaign, raising a total of $2 million dollars, $1 million for the Build My Church Fund and $1 million for the Dr. Roy Thomas Endowment. In honor of Richard’s work, the Home Mission Board renamed the Build My Church Fund The Richard and Carolyn Adams Endowment.

Richard also emphasized the importance of sharing the early days of Free Will Baptists through annual history tours. He promoted the Benjamin Randall Offering, held each November, (now the Mission: North America Offering). Richard did much to raise Free Will Baptist awareness to the cause of Home Missions.

Richard Adams’ heart beat for winning the lost to Christ. He never met a stranger, and he always asked those he met if they were on their way to Heaven. If not, he would show them the way. Dr. Adams made a tremendous impact for the cause of Christ and for Free Will Baptists everywhere. He is greatly missed, not only by his family but by hundreds of friends across the nation.

Richard and Carolyn had two children, the late James Mark Adams and Bethany Adams Walser. Bethany, Randy, and their daughter, Alana, currently reside in Nashville, Tennessee, where Alana is a student at Free Will Baptist Bible College. Richard's wife Carolyn, also a retired employee of the Home Missions Department, preceded him in death.

A memorial service for Dr. Adams was held Sunday, March 4, at Cofer’s Chapel FWB Church in Nashville. A funeral service was held Monday, March 5, at East Side FWB Church in Elizabethton, Tennessee.

Home Missionary Updates

Tim Riggs - Mobile, Alabama

Our church recently started two new ministries—Upward Basketball and cheerleading. When God gave us this property, it included a gymnasium. I learned long ago that God will bless our efforts if we only take what He gives us and use it as an instrument to reach the lost. The purpose of the Upward League is to reach the lost. Many parents and grandparents come to see their sons or grandsons play basketball and their daughters or granddaughters cheer at ball games.

As a result, we meet new people and establish relationships with as many as 100 people each week. While some of them are part of our church family already, many are not. We not only build relationships with these people through the sports program, we also share Christ during halftime of the games each Saturday.

We recently hosted our first Operation Outreach. Fourteen people came out on a cool evening to go door-to-door, make other assigned visits, and extend phone calls to church absentees. I enjoyed going door-to-door with several people who had never been on church visitation like that in their lives.

Scott Warren - Salt Lake City, Utah

Our middle school and junior high students are on a regular serving schedule at the Rescue Mission of Salt Lake. The first Wednesday of every other month, we worship with the residents and guests during their evening service then serve the meal and clean up afterward.

The first time we did this, we served almost 100 of our homeless brothers in downtown Salt Lake. In addition, the church donated a 40-gallon barrel full of socks and a 40-gallon barrel of canned food to the Rescue Mission. It is a blessing to our young people to participate in projects such as this.

We recently started three new community Bible study groups, which are going very well.

Jason Weaver - Winchester, Virginia

My wife and I had plenty of time to load sound equipment into our little church trailer and head to Red Bud Run Elementary School for our first service. We set out church signs, and the school janitor met us in the parking lot with a bucket of salt that he spread on the icy sidewalks. Several family members, along with one of our church families, came early to help us set up and get prepared for the service.

I probably would have nervously paced the floor wondering if anyone would show up in spite of the inclement weather, but I didn’t have time. By the time we finished checking the equipment and sound system, people started arriving early—15 to 20 minutes early! The service went smoothly, and one person responded to the invitation. We praise God for a great first service with 46 in attendance.

Dexter Guin - Colorado Springs, CO

We have had an atmosphere of excitement in the church this year. We started hosting a men’s prayer meeting once a month, with one man giving a devotional at each breakfast. They have done a great job. The ladies also started a ladies fellowship where they studied the book Lies Young Women Believe.

The combined groups have a theme, “Operation Link Up,” encouraging our people to get personally involved in knowing others in the church (especially new families) on a more one-on-one basis. It has been exciting to see more families going to each other’s homes, going out to eat, or hanging out (up to an hour and a half after church services) to fellowship. It has been exciting to see new young couples coming as well, with several new babies in the nursery and at least three more on the way.

Introducing New Missionaries

Team Tallahassee

Home Missions once again welcomes Cliff and Kathy Donoho into the church planting family. Cliff answered the call to preach in 1977 and has spent most of his ministry as a church planter, planting three churches. God is leading Cliff and Kathy to plant their fourth Free Will Baptist church in Tallahassee, Florida. Cliff’s son Chad will join him in the first father-son church planting team. They will be joint project missionaries with the Florida State Missions Board.

A graduate of Free Will Baptist Bible College, Chad has served as worship leader and teen pastor for churches in Tennessee and Alabama. He has had opportunities to lead worship at camps, retreats, state meetings, and the Free Will Baptist national convention. Chad and his beautiful wife Jenny have three children: Anna, Luke, and Emma. Please pray for Chad and his family as they help to minister and build a church in Tallahassee, the capitol of Florida and a rapidly growing area.

In addition to their son Chad, Cliff and Kathy have another daughter, Janice Texada.

Chad Kivette—Clarksville, Tennessee

Home Missions welcomes Chad and Paula Kivette and their children, Kinsley and Kylah, to the church-planting family. This will be the second mission work for the Kivettes. They previously ministered in Grand Junction, Colorado, taking West Gate FWB Church to self-supporting status. Chad and Paula will serve as joint project home missionaries with the state of Tennessee and Free Will Baptist Home Missions at Two Rivers FWB Church in Clarksville, Tennessee. Clarksville is listed as the ninth fastest growing city in the nation. It is home to Fort Campbell U.S. Army Base. Please pray for this family as they continue the work in Clarksville.