July 2018 – The Armor Bearer

“Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” ~Matthew 9:37-38

Dear Praying Friends,

Thank you for your faithful support and prayers. The Lord uses you greatly to encourage us.

Every few years we like to send out our Armor Bearer with the mission of Armed Forces Baptist Missions. We do this for two reasons: First, to remind our faithful supporters about our shared mission and, second, to seek laborers from the local churches to complete our mission. Below, please find a description of the many facets of AFBM’s Mission:

1. Planting Churches at Home and Abroad. Where there is a need, AFBM seeks to start local, independent, fundamental Baptist churches near military bases both at home and on the foreign field for the purpose of reaching the military for Christ, edifying believers in the faith, and increasing the worldwide missionary outreach of the local church.
2. Starting Servicemen Centers near Military Bases. Starting military servicemen centers under local church authority near bases assists churches both at home and abroad in developing a military outreach. Servicemen centers are an ideal means to reach young, single military men and women with the gospel of Christ. The center becomes their “home away from home” as they seek a loving, Christian atmosphere and a discipleship program helping them grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord.
3. Distributing Bibles to our Military, Veterans and their Families. For 150 years our nation considered Bibles to be an issue item and made them available for service members in processing. In 2009, POTUS changed the distribution rules requiring chaplains to purchase and distribute Bibles only when requested. We seek, with the Lord’s help, to offer a Bible to every service member interested.
4. Conducting PTSD Training. More than one-third of all veterans suffer from the effects of Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder. We offer local church training to those who suffer and those willing to reach out to those suffering from PTSD.
5. Ministering to those in Veteran’s Homes and Hospitals. A further effective ministry of AFBM involves reaching the veterans who have served our nation in the past. It is our desire to assist pastors in independent, fundamental Baptist churches near veterans’ homes and hospitals to develop an active military evangelistic outreach to these dear veterans who are passing into eternity at an alarming rate.

As you can see, the Lord has given us a robust shared ministry, one we accomplish with the Lord’s help using each of you to pray for us, support us and to provide laborers. Please contact us if we can help you in any way or if you know someone who may be interested in joining AFBM.

On behalf of our AFBM Family – May the Lord bless you,

Doug Carragher