Bahama Mission
January 2000
We welcome the New Year and are pleased with the growth being experienced in
all of our congregations. Much of the growth is spiritual with various men
and women growing in their abilities to serve both the Lord and their
fellowman. In addition we are teaching a lot of studies and seeing regular
additions to the Body.
Marsh Harbour is enjoying the company of the Frank Sarvers for the 8th year.
Frank and Bea hit the ground running every year. They teach several studies
each day, make trips to the various schools to speak and hand out materials,
and do a lot of visiting with the people of the community. Bea teaches the
Ladies Class on Wednesday evening and a children's class on Sunday. Frank
teaches and preaches. They will be on the Island until March 14.
Gerald Quarles from Peoria, Illinois, came in January to hold a meeting.
Gerald is a tall African American who endeared himself to the congregation.
They have had few opportunities to meet with Americans who are black. There
was one baptism during the meeting. Carl Stewart works for American Eagle
and had delayed his commitment over a number of years. His mother was a
faithful member who died many years ago when Carl was just a child. We are
thankful to the Sarvers for bringing Gerald down.
Todd Brunner, (The new preacher in Marsh Harbour starting in June), will be
coming down for Spring Break and will bring 7 others with him for some
special services with the Church and the community. Todd has been very
successful in the past in reaching out to teenagers, and is very well liked
and respected in the settlement. We are looking forward to seeing him again.
He is being sponsored by the West Broward Church in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
The Abaco brethren have replaced the tile in the bathrooms, and are waiting
for the shingles to arrive from the United States. There are still a lot of
leaks in the roof. We are pleased to have had some dry periods so that the
damage has been minimal. Some more painting is being done this week, and
then Matthew Caldwell from Ft. Myers is taking his Spring Break to come down
the first of March and assist with some more painting. We have several other
brethren from Ft. Myers who have indicated a desire to come and help with
electrical and the replacement of fascia boards. It just takes a long time
to recover from Hurricanes.
Brother Finace, a student from the Jamaica School of Preaching is spending a
five week internship in Abaco working among the Creole people. We have plans
in the future to have a work among these folks. He baptized one man in
Nassau on his way over.
Dinah and I along with several others from Abaco spent the week-end in Rock
Sound last week. I preached and we had a great time of fellowship with the
Brethren there. The attendance Sunday Morning was 48. Lincoln Young is doing
a great job. He was in an automobile accident a couple of weeks ago, and had
to go to Nassau for treatment. That is the nearest hospital. I went and
picked him and his wheelchair up and took him home. He has some torn
ligaments, but they do not plan surgery on him at this time. Bahamas Air
will not let him fly alone, and thus is twice as expensive for him to travel
as others. The Church there is working to repair damages from the Hurricane.
They are replacing the ceiling, repairing walls, painting, replacing some
doors, and preparing for the new addition.
Three brethren from Tennessee came last month to look at and agree to do a
building project in Eleuthera. They will be adding a 14 by 28 room on the
side of the building with handicap facilities as a living space for
Lincoln. They will have a small bedroom, kitchen, and a shower that is
accessible for him. This will allow him to be down town and use his electric
wheelchair to greater advantage. It will also cut his expenses considerably.
He is being supported by Churches and individuals in the Bahamas. Our thanks
to Ken Dye,(My old room-mate from ACU), Rick Wood, and Roger Sidwell for
this assistance. The project should take two weeks with 18 volunteers from
Memphis joining the local men and women and is scheduled for May or June.
The brethren in Cat Island and Long Island are recovering nicely. We still
need to get the parts for the windows in Cat Island and fly the repairman
down to do the work. We hope soon to be back down with these brethren. The
Hurricanes destroyed our schedule as well!
Our thanks to Jerry Pickup for the great job he does on our Web Page. This
takes a lot of time and is an area beyond my expertise. Jerry has just added
some new pictures and more information about our Memorial/Honors Fund. You
will find an archive of past reports, special messages, 10 or more reports
on the Hurricane Recovery efforts, and the latest monthly report. We
encourage you to check it out. http://www.mindspring.com/~flyingpreacher/
Brother William Miller in Nassau reported last week that Trevor Wilson has
come back to the Lord and is worshipping at Highbury Park. Trevor is a
Bahamian graduate of OCU, and a former preacher in Abaco. We rejoice in his
return and pray God's richest blessings on him.
Thank you for your support and your prayers. Checks can be made out to:
Bahama Mission Church of Christ and sent:
Attn: David Caskey Missions
Gulf Coast
Church of Christ
3825 McGregor Blvd.
Ft. Myers, Florida 33901
David Caskey
