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Pastor Carr Update

BOC

Dear Friends,

 

Leslie and I are so grateful for all of our partners, contributors, and prayer warriors!!  Let’s start by sharing a couple of praise reports from our requests back in January.

1 - Praise the Lord that all of our folks who were hit with Covid in December, January, and early February are now all healed up and back into life!!  We had one hospitalization (74-year-old man with some pre-existing health issues who is now home and getting stronger day by day) and no deaths!!  We currently have ZERO cases of Covid in our Church Family - praise the Lord!!

2 - Praise the Lord that through one generous individual, as well as the generosity of a sister church (Center Baptist Church in LaFayette, Alabama), we were able to receive all of the funding necessary to complete the winterizing of our key ministry rooms here at BOC.  We can now move our coal furnace towards retirement for next winter!!  Praise the Lord!!

 

February was an eventful month for us at BOC as we continue to be busy trying to navigate these Covid-19 waters, be faithful to our calling, and maintain the building through its various challenges.  The Covid-19 pandemic gave us a surprise turn this month as one of our children at the Learning Center tested positive for the virus, so we had to shut down the entire Learning Center for two weeks - a real burden for the parents who use the ministry, for the staff who had to deal with no pay, and the Center which had to deal with no funding.  But, they made it through and are now running back at full capacity at the time this letter is being written!!

 

We continue to work at staying faithful to our mission as well in the midst of the waves!!  We were blessed to go on a mission trip to our friends at Millbrook Baptist Church (Millbrook, Alabama) this month.  Our team was small, but it sure was productive, as we served many Covid shut-ins for our sister church, preached revival, provided a little childcare, and painted three classrooms.  This was our first mission trip since Covid set in last year!!  We were truly blessed by our experience with our friends at Millbrook!!  

We did get hit with some challenges with the building, as our roof started to spring leaks in our auditorium.  We got them temporarily patched, but due to the snow and ice, had to move worship to the gymnasium for a couple of weeks!!  I love the heart of our people, as the first night we had to move to the gym was a hard hit for our folks, so they turned it into prayer and worship time.  We turned up the upper bleachers and wrote Scriptures on them, anointed them, and prayed for God’s blessings upon the ministry of BOC in that place!!  How cool!!

 

Our Cycle-Breaking apartments continue to be developed on the fast track, thanks to the surprise passion of a couple of friends (Glenn and Bev Anspach) and the generosity of a new partner - Fearless Church in Dayton, Ohio.  There is still much to be done, but Glenn has parked his RV outside of our apartments and is setting up camp for a little while with us.  Praise the Lord!!



I mentioned above regarding our roof leaks.  Please pray for us as we start the overwhelming and arduous task of trying to build a brand new truss and metal roof on our own.  Please pray for finances, manpower, resources, and protection through the coming months.  If you’d like to join us for a few days of swinging a hammer, let me know!!  We start on March 15!!





Below are a few prayer requests to keep in mind as we move into the month of March and the glorious arrival of Spring!!! 

1 - Please pray for Steffan as he travels to Alabama to connect with some of our faithful partners (and hopefully forge a new partnership or two) at the end of this month.  Pray for safety, opportunities to encourage pastors and congregations, as well as the strengthening of existing partnerships and the establishment of new ones!!

2 - Please pray for our cycle-breaking apartment ministry  - for God’s timing and blessing in regards to both the labor and finances.  I hope to have an update on the amount still needed to complete this project in next month’s newsletter after I get a better handle on our progress.

3 - Please pray for our “raising the roof” project as we try to protect our auditorium and gym as our roof becomes increasingly compromised.  Pray for the manpower, the finances, and the safety of such a large project.

4 - Please pray for Leslie and me as we continue to work at raising our financial support while serving here in the Mountains!!!  If anyone would want more information on how to participate or know of a church that would like to receive a video about our ministry, please let us know.

5 - Ultimately, through God’s answers to these requests, please pray that the Lost in our community will come to know the Lord through the life-giving and life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Pray that we are able to continue to “build bridges, pave roads, and hang signs” pointing people to Jesus; and that those who do know Him will grow in their faith and become mature, viable, and effective disciples of Jesus Christ!!

 

As you can see, it’s been an eventful month!!  I hope you can see that your investment here in the work at BOC in the Appalachia Mountains of Western Maryland is paying dividends!!  Leslie and I are so grateful for your partnership and your ongoing friendship - none of this would be possible without you and your vision for the Great Commission here in our mountains.  THANK YOU!!  If there is any way we can pray for YOU, YOUR family, YOUR ministry, etc., please never hesitate to let us know.  We are blessed to call y’all friends and family!! 

(Pic is from a wedding I had the honor of doing for the daughter of some dear friends back in January)

 

Your Partners in the Harvest,



Steffan and Leslie Carr