Pastor Carr Update

Dear Friends,

What a great time we had this past month as we had our second largest outreach ministry since coming back from Covid.  We were blessed to host a community Easter celebration party, including the sharing of the Gospel, food, egg hunt, prizes, etc., 90 percent of which was all outside!!  We had about 300 people participate and many seeds were sown for the sake of the Kingdom!!

Partnerships have been key for us in our start, our growth, and our perseverance here in the Mountains.  We are grateful for each one of you who partner so faithfully with us.  This month, I was blessed to visit some wonderful people in Maryland and Pennsylvania - people who represent churches and groups who come alongside of us and make what we do here in Westernport possible.  I especially want to thank the churches who were represented - Faith Baptist (Glen Burnie), Severna Park Baptist (Severna Park - this precious church also sent clothing donations for our clothing ministry this month), Whitehall Baptist (Accokeek), Potomac Heights Baptist (Indian Head), North Harford Baptist (Jarrettsville), and New Providence Baptist (Quarryville, PA).  Thank you to Pastor Ron Rush from New Providence, who allowed me to preach from his pulpit and to Brian & Jeanne Akers and John & Debbie Martin for hosting us in their homes. Last, but not least, we are grateful that the decision was made during this trip to bring back our basketball camp this summer!! 

Keeping in the same vein of partnerships, we were grateful for another team from Fearless Church in Dayton, Ohio, as brother Glenn continues to come our way every month or two to work on our Cycle - Breaking apartments ministry!!  Praise the Lord that all three apartments have now been dry-walled, mudded, sanded, and painted!!  Another team will be joining us from this church in July!!  Much of this work is being accomplished thanks to several donations from our partners, including a large gift from our friends at Fearless Church!!  So, thank you to all who have given to help move this vision along!!

Before going to an update on our roof situation, I also wanted to praise God that one of our first-generation Christians, Ms. Kay (some of y’all have heard me tell you hers and her husband Brandon’s story), is now a regular employee at our Bruce Learning Center.  God is blessing this ministry and now our young believers are starting to be raised up to staff it - ain’t God cool!!! 

Of course, when working here in the Mountains (or anywhere in ministry for that matter), the praises are countered by the challenges (or what I like to call, the future praises).  Due to the extreme cost increase of lumber and the increased need of the number of trusses due to the engineer’s specifications, we are not able to work on our roof just yet.  Even if we could get the trusses, we would then not have enough money for the lumber and hardware needed to put up the trusses.  So, we may have to go another winter with the existing roof. 

So, please pray for the Lord’s provision - either in finances or in reduction of costs.  Please also pray for the existing roof to last one more winter here in our Mountains!!  We will keep everybody posted as to the progress of this need in the weeks and months ahead.  We would appreciate it if you would be on “standby” and consider sending teams to help us when we can proceed with this project.  The cool thing is that it is a flat roof and we now have a set of steps to the roof, so climbing ladders is no longer a challenge - YAY!!!

With that all being said, I hope you know how disappointed this makes me as I have had to personally contact teams from sister churches who were planning to come and help this Spring and Summer to cancel their plans.  I know y’all understand, but we had lots of plans together and a lot of work went into making those plans.  So, please forgive us and I hope we can do this together in the months ahead.  If your church would like to send a team our way to help with other projects - like the apartments, do some concrete work, help with some wiring, or do some outreach, etc. - please let me know and we’d love to have you join us in 2021.

Leslie and I really don’t know how we’d make it out here without each of you praying, giving, sending, and encouraging like y’all do!!  Please know how much we appreciate each of you - your sacrifice, your faithfulness, and your generosity.  Please let us know how we can encourage and pray for you!!  What a joy it is to be in partnership with each of y’all!!

In His Service,

Steffan and Leslie Carr