A Report from Sparta, Missouri

We just returned from an eleven-day road trip to Texas where we trained three congregations and introduced the school to another one. Soon, we will leave for a 21-day trip out west to train three more congregations in Nebraska, Idaho, and Kansas.

We ask for your family to keep us in prayer as we will be covering a lot of road miles. We are so thankful for the support some have sent to help cover the expenses of smaller congregations who are unable to afford the training they desperately need. Lord willing, we will put this to good use soon!

Each week, we get reports from congregations enrolled in the House to House/Heart to Heart School of Evangelism. Even during COVID, congregations continue to developing bringers by using the tools taught in the school curriculum. House to House/Heart to Heart, cards, and New Movers’ program are all virus friendly! Additionally, many Christians conduct Back to the Bible virtual studies with Zoom. They mail a set to a family or friend and schedule a time to study. Back to the Bible/Does It Matter/Believe the Bible, unlike correspondence courses, are not designed for students to do on their own. They are designed for personal interaction. Admittedly, a virtual study is not as good as an in-person study, but it is more effective than a correspondence course, tract, or video because it still gives a teacher an opportunity to interact with a student.

Last week we received an urgent phone call from Brother Ted Spencer from Sparta, Missouri, where we conducted a Personal Evangelism seminar about ten months ago. They have had several baptisms, but this one was special. This report comes from Ted’s wife, Sherry.

Rob introduced us to Back to the Bible, and I used it to teach my sister, Pam. She lives in Maryland and I live in Missouri, so we used Zoom to do our studies. After several weeks of study, Pam made the decision to obey the gospel! Due to COVID, the church nearest my sister was doing only live-streaming, and there was no one answering the phone. I had no idea how we were going to get her baptized. My husband called Rob about possible contacts in that area. It just so happened that he had recently been working with the Suitland church of Christ in Maryland. He called one of the members there who was able to contact the minister of the Silver Spring Church of Christ, only fifteen minutes from my sister’s house. Pam was baptized into Christ at 2:00 P.M. on September 4, 2020. Everything fell into place, and God is the reason!

Wow! Isn’t this great news? You may remember RTL 11 highlighted Brother Eric Sykes’ work in Maryland. This preacher has taken the congregation through HTHSOE evangelism training. He provided a bridge to connect brethren from Missouri to Maryland and facilitate a baptism. Praise God! HTHSOE is not only a school that trains Saints how to teach Sinners, it is also a way to connect soul-saving brethren together to accomplish the mission of the gospel.

In His Service,
Rob Whitacre, Director HTHSOE