Renewed Vision in Texarkana

TEXARKANA, TEX. – As we began the new year, the Texarkana Seventh-day Adventist Church leadership looked back with gratitude, mingled with the sadness of illnesses and deaths. The church looks toward 2022 with expectation as we continue the well-established ministries that have been laid out in the past. 

Vacation Bible School (VBS) and Pathfinder leaders, Luz Salinas and Stacy Sowers, made it through a couple of VBS cancellations and rescheduling, but it got done and they now plan for the new year. Community services, led by Sally Birl, continued its annual gathering of items for holiday food baskets for distribution in November and December 2020 and 2021, and this will stay in place for 2022.

The Texarkana church personal ministries, supported by the local Texarkana Spanish Church, distributed literature at nine different fairs and festivals this year, and since we know ‘no borders’ for God’s work, they accepted an invitation from Mt. Pleasant, Tex., and the Mt. Pleasant Seventh-day Adventist Church assisted with the festival booth Texarkana had set up there. The year 2022 looks good for this ministry, and leader, Brenda Litchfield says, “If they keep inviting us, we will go.” She also stated, “It has been a great blessing and we have seen many ways God has worked with us. The best blessings come when we have someone ask for prayer and we are able to pray with them on the spot.”

Many Bible studies and prayer requests come from the fair booths and the festivals. The church’s Discover Bible Center, coordinated by Loretta Johnson, follows up on the study requests, and all prayer requests are acknowledged by mail, which include a book of prayer promises and GLOW Tracts. The goal for 2022 is to continue expanding this work in partnership with the personal ministries’ department.

In spite of COVID-19, David Farmer, pastor of the Texarkana church, led a well-attended evangelistic meeting in the trying times of 2021, and another is planned for the spring of 2022. Even with the fear of new viruses and some continuing sicknesses, the church’s prayer groups, study groups, personal ministries, community services, VBS and children’s ministry will continue on; although possibly on a smaller scale, they will work with the satisfaction of knowing it’s a job well done for the Master.

By Loretta Johnson