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Now Then We Are Ambassadors For Christ

By Holly Meriweather

My Story

In 1976, I was invited to join a group of girls at my church called GMA – Girls Missionary Auxiliary. I was excited to join: Hanging out with my friends on a Sunday night sounded like  just another chance to be with friends. My family didn’t attend church, but my parents were happy to take me to church any time I asked. They were all for me going, but it just wasn’t their thing.

Through GMA training, I learned that my life was all about Jesus. He came. He died. He had saved me at the age of seven. Now I would learn what that meant exactly. What a gift God gave me through his perfect will and plan! And it was through GMA counselors that I would be equipped to be an “ambassador for Christ.” It was the first of MANY verses I would put to memory. 

But I am not the only one who was profoundly affected by this auxiliary. 

Her Story

AJ is one of many young ladies called to the mission field because of GMA.

In middle school, she learned about the world through an improv team competition that introduced her to Mexican, Chinese, Korean, and Qatari culture. Her view of the world and people was expanded. In the fifth grade, she began GMA and learned about God’s heart for the nations through study, scripture memory, and learning about missionaries. AJ explains her calling this way: 

“It was in GMA where I really started to think about God’s purpose for me. Throughout my life, God used His Word and His people to place a burden on my heart for the lost. Recently, that burden is specifically for people who have never heard the gospel or don’t have access to the gospel. The salvation of unreached people groups has been weighing on my heart for quite some time.”

God’s Plans

AJ earned a master’s degree in speech/language pathology and worked as a speech therapist while raising support for ministry abroad. Her prayer is that God might even use her degree and experience in some way when she reaches the mission field to which she is called. She is attending a missionary training program that equips students for cross-cultural church planting ministry to unreached people/language groups. For nine months, she will receive very intensive training in all aspects of life on the mission field: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual.

She is so grateful for God’s work in her life and his faithfulness. With a team of prayer warriors, her home church, and the endorsement and support of the BMA, AJ is ready to begin this chapter in her life. She says,“God placed a wonder in me for cultures and languages. Little did I know, He was working to pair that with my love for Him and a desire to see people come to Christ.” 
Girls Missionary Auxiliary played a role in AJ’s calling, particularly her awareness of missionaries around the world, their unique challenges, and an understanding of cultural context. She understood what an “ambassador for Christ” meant, and  answered the call to missions. 

AJ will be back to finish out deputation when her training is complete in June 2024. She would love to contact churches to share what God is doing.Her email address is arkslp@protonmail.com.


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Ministry on the Southern Border

By Dr. Scott R. Carson, President and Director of BMAA Chaplaincy Dept.

Operation Border Health Preparedness (OBHP) took place from July 23-29 along the U.S southern border. OBHP is an annual humanitarian mission offering a variety of medical services to the public in six different border towns. The goal is to prepare citizens for hurricane season. As the season ramps up, the risk increases for displacement, which escalates the potential for disease to spread. OBHP functions to prevent that spread.

Ryan Burchett, First Lieutenant and Chaplain of the Texas State Guard, recently served the OBHP mission at Rio Grande City and Hidalgo, both in Texas. Tasks included patrolling the extremely long lines of people waiting for services, providing spiritual and mental/emotional counsel as needed, and offering a presence in uniform to deter any criminal activity. As part of a joint operation, Chaplain Burchett (serving the Texas State Guard) worked alongside the Texas Army National Guard, Border Patrol, local law enforcement, FEMA, and individuals from the Chilean Army.

In a five-day span, all six checkpoints combined saw over 5,000 people; some were citizens, but many were not. Of those 5,000 at checkpoint Hidalgo, Chaplain Burchett’s primary station saw around 3,500. Needless to say, the border and  border towns are busy places.

With everything going on at OBHP, God allowed Chaplain Burchett a very unique opportunity to turn the operation into a mission trip of sorts. During the course of OBHP, he handed out 300 Gideon Bibles to those willing to take one. The Gideon New Testaments were offered in both English and Spanish. 

One praise to be noted was that a Mexican vendor passing through noticed the Bibles and asked Chaplain Burchett if he had any spare Spanish Bibles to donate to a church in Mexico that desperately needed them. Burchett gave her a box of 100 Spanish New Testaments to be taken across the border. God is good!

Along with handing out Bibles, God allowed Chaplain Burchett multiple opportunities for spiritual conversations with fellow troops and local law enforcement. He provided spiritual/biblical guidance as well as marital counsel and sharing the gospel during those conversations.

All service members, including Chaplain Burchett, received commendations for their efforts on OBHP ’23, including the State Guard Association of the United States Meritorious Unit Citation and the Humanitarian Service Medal.

Chaplain Burchett also serves as pastor of Walnut Street Baptist Church in Winnsboro, Texas, and president of BMA Texas.

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VSM:Not About Sun and Selfies

In our BMA Global family, ministry happens everywhere and all around the globe. And we’re not just talking at churches, worship services, and discipleship groups. Sometimes ministry happens during basketball in the park, a hula hoop game, or face painting. More organically but intentionally and relationally, just like Jesus modeled. One example of that kind of ministry is VSM (Volunteer Student Missions), and on a recent trip, thirteen students and four adults used those exact activities and others to minister in Costa Rica. 

Jairo Bonilla coordinates the work there with the help of Luis Ortega (not to be confused with Lifeword Director of Operations Luis Ortega here in the States). One of the many ways Luis serves is by managing VSM teams that host Bible schools for children. The VSM Costa Rica team was blessed to have him as a local contact, interpreter, “transportation director,” and so much more. One thing is for certain: He is a great example of godly leadership.

Well before the team left from the States, they met at VSM weekend in the spring for team-building, security training, dos and don’ts on the mission field, and cultural education. Team Costa Rica decided to use David and Goliath and Daniel in the Lions’ Den for their skits, then leaders purchased supplies for the props and decorations. In one week, they held four Bible schools at two churches and a community center.

The team spoke very little, if any, Spanish, but there didn’t seem to be a language barrier as I watched these young high school and college students find the shyest, the smallest, or the scaredest children and made them feel special. There were fist bumps, hugs, high-fives, and water balloon fights that left children breathless and laughing. And I watched the children as they listened to the story about a giant who was defeated and a lion whose mouth was shut, both because of a loving “Dios.” 

Despite the language barrier between us and the children, it was clear that the story captured their attention. Seeds were planted that day, and the gospel was shared, but only God knows what will take root. 

VSM is not a vacation. It’s the life-changing fulfillment of a calling to serve. And every student on the team understood that it was not about selfies, which there were plenty of when the children noticed our cell phones and wanted to see themselves in a photo. 

As summer winds down and VSM trips conclude, BMA Global personnel like Angela Rice and Margaret Anderson are already planning 2024 trips. If you’re considering joining one, don’t hesitate to let us know so you can experience the amazing things God can do with construction paper, a sword made out of balloons, and a plastic slingshot.

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What 4th of July Means to Me and My Family

By Holly Meriweather

I have vivid memories of the events surrounding the death of my uncle after he was killed during a training mission while flying the British-made Harrier aircraft off the coast of Cherry Point, North Carolina. I was eight years old and playing in a softball game when men in a dark sedan came to tell my mother that her brother was dead. Something went wrong and the plane had to be aborted, but his ejector seat failed. My brother and I didn’t know what was going on, but we got to ride home in the back of my dad’s truck, which we were never allowed to do. The rest of the night was a blur of people trying to console my aunt and not knowing what to say to my cousins who had lost their father.

My uncle was twenty-eight years old when he died. He understood patriotism and military service from his father – who was my grandfather – and three uncles who served in the Korean War.

On the paternal side of my family, my granddaddy left his wife and three-year-old son – my father – to serve in the Navy on a supply vessel that went into Nagasaki to clean up the devastation of the atomic bomb. Not long after returning home from the war, he began to have occasional rashes. Forty years later, he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and treated in a VA hospital. By that time I was old enough to understand that the cancer was likely due to the nature of his military duties. He died at the age of sixty-four.

At both funerals, there was a 3-gun salute, an honor for fallen soldiers that you can never forget.

Patriotism wasn’t emphasized or discussed at length on either side of my family, but somehow I knew that military service, respecting the American flag, and saluting soldiers was important. I think my adult children would say that a sense of patriotism was passed down to them as well.

Sadly, our culture has walked away from God, country, and sacrifice and replaced it with Atheism, national hatred, and self-absorption. The only answer is redemption through Jesus Christ.

On this fourth of July, Lord, help us remember our Savior who gave the ultimate sacrifice, those in uniform who keep us free, and God’s provision for our wayward country.

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International Women’s Day 2023, Romania Style

Women’s conferences are not exclusive to America. All over the world and in different languages and contexts, women meet together, fellowship, and learn from each other. In large conference centers and tiny auditoriums, relationships are created. It’s in our DNA.

International Women’s Day 2023 was March 8, and in Oradea, Romania, a ladies conference  was organized to celebrate it. Hosted by Claudia Bagosi, Pam Risner and Candra Barnett, the theme was “Bloom Where You Are Planted” and Shelby Barker was the speaker. Most of the ladies were from Agape Church in Oradea or had been invited by their ladies.

Pam explained that, “Just like in the U.S. there are lots of mommas in Romania with young kids who are in the ‘thick’ of child rearing, and we wanted to encourage them. We also challenged ladies to invite guests, especially those who might not attend church or are unbelievers. There were about 40 Romanian women in attendance, and they seemed to have a very positive response.” 

The conference began with worship, followed by a time of teaching from Shelby then a delicious meal and painting craft. Shelby says, “I discussed what blooming is – the pinnacle of growth and flourishing – and I asked if there can be blooms in seasons of chaos instead of peace.  Sometimes we question where God has planted us (family, location, hard times, job, etc.) but I told them we are planted in certain places and times for our good or the good of others, all for the glory of God to do five things: Bless, Encourage, Challenge, Comfort, and Be an example.

“He has put me here for a reason regardless of whether I see it now or not. We have an enemy who doesn’t want us to thrive, and he is working all the time, so it’s important to take root downward and deeply in Jesus and bear fruit upward. Then I gave them six action points: 

Embrace the challenge, Lean into Him and the process, Be in the Word, Pray, praise and fast, Listen for His voice, and Share your faith.

“Finally, I asked them what their legacy would be. I told them they may think their lives don’t matter very much or have an effect on anyone, but think about this: A legacy is built on one lesson at a time, one small moment at a time, doing the right thing for the right reason for an impact lasting long after you are gone.” 

This time of encouragement included an emphasis on prayer, and the ladies broke into groups to pray for each other.  

After the conference concluded the ministry team women mentioned above attended Good Soil training, which teaches discipleship principles. Eli Semedo facilitated the training that  Roma pastors and leaders also attended. For both groups, it was a conference that emphasized worship, time in the Word, and encouragement to be part of building relationships through discipling other believers. 

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ChangeMaker Challenge: A Bike Ride For Those Who Serve

Beginning in Bilbao, Spain, the Tour de France will take place this summer amid stunning views that include the Pyrenees mountains and the Alps. In 23 days, these first class athletes will wind their way through the French countryside one hundred miles a day to the bikers’ final goal: the Champs-Élysées and its victory laps. At the end, one man will hoist a trophy and be declared champion of the most famous bike ride in the world at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

It’s estimated that twelve to fifteen million people will line the route to cheer them on.  

On May 5th of this year, BMA Global President Dr. John David Smith began the first of five ninety-mile legs of a 444-mile bike ride beginning in his home state of Mississippi where the Natchez Trace Trail begins. At the end of the ride, he crossed the finish line to receive fist bumps from BMA Global VP John Meriweather and Lifeword Director of Digital Strategy Jon Dodson, who chronicled the sometimes painful journey he had trained for.

There’s no way Dr. Smith could have guessed that so many people would follow his journey that ended without ceremony in Nashville, Tennessee. 

John Meriweather said, “Before the ride, we knew we wanted to create a mini-documentary, posting at checkpoints along the way and stopping at milestone markers. As we were loading up the van in the morning we noticed people engaging, and there were already 200 likes by the time we got to the hotel that night before the first leg. We could tell that people were engaging, then they began asking questions about his nutrition, the weather, their exact location, so we began taking questions and answering them to make it an interactive experience. People told us they were waiting on those posts.

“In every single video John David gave attention to the ride’s purpose: raising funds for ChangeMakers around the world who work tirelessly for God‘s mission. It was his main message even though the physical challenge was what they were curious about. We intended to tell the story but weren’t sure how people would react. The hundreds of interactions clarified what we needed to do: Bring people on the journey and let them follow along. Honestly, John David would have done the ride even if no one was following.”

According to Jon Dodson, “During the week of Changemaker Challenge, the videos, pictures and posts created a large amount of interest and engagement online for BMA Global. The BMA Global web site realized a 502% increase in traffic with 3,407 visits. BMA Global’s Facebook page reached 382,000 Facebook accounts (5900% increase in reach). There were 39,400 minutes of Changemaker Challenge videos posted on the BMA Global Facebook during the week of the ride, with 32,125 engagements on the BMA Global Facebook page during the ride.”

As far as the funds raised, donations continue to come in, and there have been promises of matching funds and other commitments. On-line giving continues at https://app.securegive.com/BMAMissions/main/donate/category

Middle East Coordinator Charlie Costa says, “Recently we saw leadership at its finest from the president of BMA Global. It was not leading from behind or by proxy but from the front and by design. Weeks of preparations went into the lengthy bike ride Dr. John David Smith took along the Natchez Trail to raise funds and awareness for our work. 

“I wonder how many will respond to such faithfulness and commitment. Never in the history of the BMA have we seen such selflessness. What I love about it is that the funds raised will go to an endowment that will fund church planters (ChangeMakers) for years to come. That’s forward-thinking leadership. That’s a leader I want to take our churches and pastors to.”

Small but mighty. That’s our association. ChangeMaker Challenge did not have millions of excited, fanatic people encouraging their favorite riders along the route. There was no fame or fortune for the winner. No declaration of victory over the other riders. Just one man’s obedience to the cause of Christ.

What an honor for all of us to be part of a “family” that desires to give God the glory through both prayer and financial support.  

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The Amazing Providence of God

By Former Missionary to Taiwan Dale Thornton

God’s guiding providence is manifested in all things from the creation in Genesis 1:1 to the Second Coming of Christ in Revelation 22:17. And so I stand in awe of the PROVIDENCE of God when I think about the life of my friends, Jack and LaTrell Bateman. God’s intentional and unwavering providence always brings glory and honor to Himself, and so it was in the life of Jack and LaTrell. This is the story of the unfolding of God’s providence in their lives.

Jack’s Harrowing Early Life

It was no accident that an American soldier, Sgt. John William Bateman, was stationed in north China. God providentially led him to marry a young Chinese-Mongolian woman, sir name Liu. They soon had three children, Jimmy, Jack and Sally. Sadly, Sgt. Bateman came down with TB and died, leaving his wife a widow with three small children. How could she survive and support her little family in those difficult times in north China? But God had already worked that out. She moved in with her parents and her seven sisters, and they lived in that Chinese home.

God had providentially placed Jack in the ideal environment to equip him for his future work as a missionary to the Chinese people: He learned the beautiful mandarin language of north China; he learned the customs and culture of China; and, Jack might say most important, he learned to love the food of China.  

As the children grew older, however, Ms. Bateman couldn’t provide for all of the children’s needs, particularly their education. Since the children were American citizens, the American Legion in Tientsin began providing financial assistance because Japan had invaded and taken control over all of north China. The Japanese gave food rations to the Chinese, including their mother, but since the three Bateman children were American citizens they received no rations. It was at that time God led a Methodist missionary in Tientsin, a former army nurse who was associated with the American Legion, to send them to the Methodist mission school in Tai-an, Shan-tong Province in northeast China. They were at the Methodist mission school for a year.  

While there they became acquainted with John Blalock, a single Baptist missionary. God led him to take care of the children, so they lived with him almost two years. But life became impossible for American missionaries in Japanese-occupied China, so missionary Blalock received permission from the Japanese to leave the country. The children’s mother also gave him permission to take the children out of China, first to the Philippines, an American territory, and then on to America. However, God had other plans.

They arrived in Manila, the Philippines, on November 2, 1941. With the help of a Chinese businessman and his wife, they soon were able to rent a small apartment. However, on December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and simultaneously attacked the Philippines. By the end of December 1941, all U. S. Soldiers had retreated from Manila to take a stand on Bataan Peninsula and on Corregidor. Soon the Japanese appeared at their apartment door to take them into custody.  They were then taken to their internment camp on the campus of the University of Santo Tomas. 

It was truly a bleak outlook for the future missionary. All the prisoners spent the next three years and one month on an almost starvation diet. Many died under those harsh conditions. But God had instilled in Jack an instinct for survival. He witnessed the horrors of disease, starvation and mistreatment of prisoners.  But by the grace of God he was assigned to kitchen duty and able to scrape the large pots where they cooked the rice to get extra nourishment before washing them. Later on, as they got more desperate for food, he used an old black steer to plow up the baseball field and planted sweet potatoes. 

At the same time, in Lubbock, Texas, God was preparing the second member of His missionary team.  

Latrell’s God-Honoring Early Life

Emily LaTrell Johnson had a rich spiritual heritage. Her Great Great Grandfather Haliburton had organized eleven Baptist churches in west central Tennessee. Her parents and grandparents were godly Christians and her family worshiped faithfully at Central Baptist Church in Lubbock, TX.  

It happened when she was almost ten. Her Sunday school teachers had taught her “the old, old story of Jesus and His love.” One Sunday after Pastor Welch preached, she felt he was preaching just to her, and that night as she lay in her bed she thought, “What if the house burns down? I would go to hell!  The devil really gave her a working over that night. He said, “There’s lots of gods in the world, lots of religions.” But she said to the devil, “Only Jesus died for me. All those others are false.”  

So she said, “Jesus, if you’ll have me, I give myself to you.” 

The next Sunday she joined the church and was baptized.  And ever since that day the one thing LaTrell was certain about was that she had been saved by the grace of God.

She was almost ten when she was saved, and God began to providentially work in her life so she would be His witness to the Chinese people. At the age of thirteen her social studies teacher showed a film about the Second World War against the Japanese in Asia. Here is LaTrell’s reaction to that film in her own words: 

“The flame throwers were pointing to the place where the Japanese were hiding and shooting and a Japanese soldier ran out all aflame and he finally fell. I thought, ‘He’s burning now, but he’s going to burn forever because he’s never heard about Jesus. But how can he be saved when he’s never heard?’ I had never seen an oriental, a real oriental, in my whole life. So I said, ‘Somebody’s got to tell those people about Jesus.  Somebody’s got to go!’”  

So that thirteen year old surrendered her life to be the one to go and tell them about Jesus. She was so determined in her commitment that she would pull her eyes up so they would be slanted like the Chinese to be able to fit in when she went to China. And if you look at a lot of her pictures, you would swear that her eyes were indeed slanted like the Chinese!

Her call and commitment was also shown in her determination to learn the Chinese language:  

“That summer, at the end of the semester, a paper came to my desk. A Chinese lady, a student in Texas Tech – she already had her doctor’s degree – and was offering lessons in the Chinese language over the summertime. So when I got that paper, something hit my heart, before I even turned it over, that “THIS IS IT!” So I signed up and went to those classes all summer and then she (the teacher) went back to Shanghai,  another discouraging turn of events. Once again I had no teacher. 

“Then the pastor’s son went to Jacksonville College for his last year of high school. And when he came home for Christmas, he said, “I’ve found you a teacher! I’ve found you a real live Chinaman!” He was talking about Jack. And he said, “In February they’re going to have a Bible conference. You’ve got to come.” So I went with the Birdwells to the Bible conference and I got to meet Jack.” Once again things were looking up! God had not abandoned His plans for a future missionary team. 

“After meeting Jack, we corresponded.  I was in my last year of high school. Jack, however, was sick enough to die at that time with tuberculosis. Finally they found a hospital in San Antonio for him. He had his brother send him two books on Chinese language and he sent me one and kept one and I sent him the lessons that I did trying to learn to read and write Chinese . . . I learned quite a bit and corresponded with him while he was in the hospital.”

“I graduated from high school at the same time he got out of the hospital, all roly-poly. The only medicine they could give Jack was food.  He just ate until he got fat, and his tuberculosis was gone. Then in September of 1948 God led LaTrell, THE GIRL WITH THE MISSIONARY HEART, to attend Jacksonville College. “At the college I sat with him during the meals so I could learn some Chinese words. We walked across the campus together and ate together and I learned a phrase here and a word there.”

“Then one day Jack said, ‘Okay.  If I’m going to China and you’re going to China, let’s team up.’ Well now, the Lord said, ‘Go to China.’ But He didn’t say a word about teaming up with anybody or getting married. So I said, ‘No!’ He started asking me right away. That was September of the 1948 school year until September of the next year – his proposals were like a broken record.” Then one day I was in my room praying and the Lord caught my attention and spoke to me – well you can’t explain how the Lord speaks – but anyway I realized, yes, I should marry Jack and go to China with him.

“The next time we walked to church and came back, before we got to the dorm the broken record was still going – every day, every day, every day, every day, marry me, marry me, marry me, marry me. But that day I said,‘Yes!’ That hushed him up. So we got to the girls’ dorm and he said, ‘What did you say?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ That was September of 1949. Then in June of 1950 we were married. When I first brought Jack home, my parents were in utter shock because I had never dated a boy of any kind, and now I was bringing a Chinaman home. But they just took him in and babied him and he became one of the family, truly an example of God’s love and grace and providence at work.” 

Their Two for God walk that began in 1950 lasted sixty-four plus years.  John was born in the states before they went to Taiwan. Paul was born shortly after they arrived in Taiwan and soon the Two for God became Seven for God as Mark, Ann, and Bruce followed in quick succession.  As a personal, first-hand observer of their life together for fifty-five of those sixty-four years, I can vouch for the fact that their love, devotion and faithfulness to God and to one another, never waned or wavered. 

Their Providential Life

This story is just the beginning of God’s providence in the life of Jack and LaTrell Bateman. They were the third missionary couple to go as BMAA missionaries in that newly organized association of churches: 

First Bro. and Mrs. Harold Morris to Brazil 

Then Bro. and Mrs. Z. T. Rankin to Japan 

Jack and LaTrell Bateman left for Taiwan in 1953 where they served for almost forty years.  

Their missionary legacy is in all the souls saved, lives changed, and young missionaries mentored. Only eternity will tell of the many who know Christ because of their surrendered lives.

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James Schoenrock and His Amazing Memory

James Schoenrock’s life story is full of names, dates, places, and events that he has no trouble recalling at the age of 85. His memory is remarkable. In the mid-70s, he and his family began attending my church, Antioch in Conway, Arkansas, but I had no idea he was director of Missions (now BMA Global) during that time but likely wouldn’t have understood what that meant anyway. I just knew he was gone a lot. Decades later I would understand why.  

The following article was published in 2021 by  Baptist Progress, and I’m grateful for this comprehensive profile of a man I now consider a friend.

Few preachers have been more miles and served in wider scopes in 75 years of ministry in God’s kingdom than James Schoenrock. In addition to his eleven pastorates spanning over sixty years, Schoenrock was the first full time ABS (Association of Baptist Students) director at Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia, Arkansas, taught extension courses for BMA seminary, and served as Missions (now BMA Global) director for nine years. 

James Vestal Schoenrock was born in Whitharral, Texas, in 1937 where both his parents were raised. The Baptists and Methodists there alternated Sundays in a church building: James’s father was Methodist, his mother Baptist. Helmer Alec Schoenrock was a sharecropper, and by the time their four children (James, Joyce, Helen, and John) came along, they were attending Fifth Street in Levelland, Texas. 

Helmer Schoenrock surrendered to ministry in 1945 and moved his family to Jacksonville, Texas, where he enrolled at Jacksonville College then accepted a pastorate in Mabank, Texas, where James was saved and baptized. In the years to come, the elder Schoenrock pastored churches in Odessa, Seminole, Winters and Grand Saline. 

In 1949, at the age of twelve, James surrendered to preach while his father was pastoring First in Grand Saline, Texas. Brother Charlie Hall was preaching a revival when Schoenrock preached his first message: “The Broad Way and the Narrow Way.” 

Schoenrock  graduated from Odessa High School in 1956, attended Odessa Junior College, and transferred to Jacksonville College where he met Wilma Seago. They were married in 1958, then he was was ordained by First at Jacksonville, Texas, the same church that had ordained his father a few years earlier. His first pastorate was at Opelika, followed by Macedonia at Etoile. 

One of the highlights of pastoring at Etoile, he says, came during a revival  Harold (Smiley) Burns was preaching and Jerry Burnaman came forward on profession of faith. Schoenrock baptized him that week and not long  after, Jerry Burnaman (former BMA missions director) surrendered his life to ministry. 

He graduated from Stephen F. Austin in 1960 then was called to pastor at Bethel in Clayton. During that time, he and John W. Duggar carpooled to BMA Seminary on Tuesdays and Thursdays while Schoenrock worked at JCPenney in Nacogdoches and Duggar at Safeway Foods in Jacksonville. A three-time graduate of BMA Seminary, he earned a master’s degree and two bachelor of divinity degrees.  Schoenrock taught on campus at BMA Seminary, an extension course at New Hope in Mineola, and at Columbia Bible College in Arkansas, where he also served as Columbia’s president after the death of E.B Jones.

Clearly, he places a high value on Christian education.

Before he became the BMA’s assistant missions director for Bro. Craig Branham, he pastored College View in Magnolia, Arkansas, First at Red Oak, and Central at Lubbock. After Branham’s resignation two years later, Schoenrock became executive director in 1979. 

One of his first assignments was to fly around the world visiting mission fields. Branham told him he had to get acquainted with our missions at home and abroad, so he took a one-month trip around the globe—three weeks with Burnaham, then two weeks on his own. 

Schoenrock remembers details of his mission field experiences like a trip to Australia with Lynn Stevens when he was stranded in Hong Kong for five days after the Taiwan flight was canceled and with no way to contact anyone about his location. He also remembers traveling the hills of Mexico with Buddy Johnson and crossing streams in the Philippines and tries to stay in touch with retired missionaries and their widows. 

Two years after he began serving at the missions office, the BMA elected him as director. His associates were Don Collins (interstate missions director) and Jerry Kidd (foreign missions director). After nine years of serving as BMA missions director, he stepped down to pastor Wakefield Baptist Church in Little Rock. Later he pastored at First in Springhill, Louisiana, then Calvary at Mesquite, and now Sheppards Drive in Euless, where he has served twenty years. 

In addition to his time on the mission field, teaching students, and pastoring, Schoenrock has held many leadership positions in the BMA work including serving as BMA America and BMA Texas moderator and parliamentarian of both Texas and national BMA associations. He also served on the BMA Global (formerly BMA Missions) advisory board for two decades. In 2021, Schoenrock was presented the Jacksonville College Distinguished Alumni Award.

James Schoenrock loves people, remembers their names, and shows genuine interest in their stories. His numerous relationships and knowledge of people keep him busy preaching the funerals of his friends, co-ministry workers, and church members like John and Harriet Elliot, M.S. Arrington, Craig Branham, and Jerry Burnaman. 

Shoenrock’s profile would not be complete without mentioning his family. 

The Lord blessed him and Wilma with three children: David, Tammie (Davis), and Randy, whom the Lord called home on January 14, 2021.

When I began serving at the BMA Global Missions Center ten years ago, he called me by name at a conference and told me he had been reading my articles. I hadn’t seen him in years, but he remembered my maiden name and other details. Our conversations always conclude with a hug. His interest in me and his encouragement are a blessing.

James Schoenrock says, “People want you to know about them, and the more you know about them, the better equipped you are to minister to them.” His life reflects his own advice. 

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An Opportunity I Shouldn’t Have Turned Down

On a cold day last December, several Lifeword and BMA Global team members served in a very unique way. Theresa Book had asked a group of Pastors Oasis attendees if they would be interested in volunteering to help with a Special Olympics fundraiser being held in Conway, Arkansas, where BMA Global Missions Center is located. Almost everyone at that table said, “Yes.” 

I’m ashamed to say that I was not one of them. 

Theresa Book is the field rep for northeast and north central Arkansas Special Olympics (SOAR), mom to two grown children, and wife of Prospect BC Pastor Mike Book in Jonesboro. She began working for SOAR in 2014, and says, “It is in more than 170 countries and there are more than twenty different sports played throughout the year. We all desire friends, and a way to grow them is with our athletes and coaching a community team or becoming one of our Fans in the Stands. You could also join a unified team and play along with our athletes. So seek out programs in your area.”

Born in Hernando, Mississippi, Theresa met Mike at Arkansas State University, where she was studying education. She says, “I attended church my entire life, but not until I was sixteen and my best friend asked about my relationship with the Lord did I see the need for salvation. Fortunately God put people in my life through my late college years who encouraged me to get back to church.” 

She graduated with a BSE degree in elementary and special education in 1989, a year after she and Mike married, then spent 21 years teaching before God opened the door for other work opportunities. “God truly opens doors when we seek his will and allow him to work in our lives. I have the gift of service. I see needs and work to fill them whether it’s my job or ministry with Mike. Whenever God uses you, just be the example he has taught in Scripture and follow your heart in service.” 

The sport they were playing on that cloudy day was softball, but you would have thought these competitors had just won the Super Bowl with all the smiles and hugs they gave and received. Theresa says that Special Olympics athletes give way more than she can give back, love unconditionally, encourage team members, share all they have, and faithfully pray for others. Truly, they are a picture of Jesus. 

Next time, I promise I will say, “Yes.”

If you’re interested in serving through Special Olympics, Theresa says it’s easy to find programs in your area, but I know she wouldn’t mind if you contacted her directly as well:  Theresa@specialolympicsarkansas.org

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2023 Legacy Missionaries: On the Cutting Room Floor #3: Ruth Bowman

Missionary Ruth Bowman went to the mission field in 1976 after two of her children were grown and gone and her youngest, Lisa, had two more years of high school. Ruth’s husband Bobby had retired from Naval service as a corpsman, where his assignments were all over the world, so his family could not accompany him. Their children had attended ten different schools during that time, so after his retirement she was grateful for the stability of being in one place.

But that only lasted seven years.  

Bobby Bowman had been pastoring churches and working in ministry after his retirement when he felt God calling him to Central America where he could use his medical skills and plant churches. But Ruth did not feel  the same. She says, “I did not want to go to Honduras, and I cried all the way down there. But when I had to leave it years later, I cried all the way back.” 

After their arrival, the Bowmans realized the medical needs in Honduras were many, and plans had begun for an orphanage that would eventually be turned into a hospital to better serve Hondurans. When another building was purchased to convert into a hospital, an orphanage was built, and Ruth worked with the children there. The Bowmans’ apartment was attached to the orphanage, so they came to Ruth for help. 

The orphanage became her passion and God burdened her heart for the abandoned children who lived there. Some of them had handicaps, so she helped them learn to walk. Some needed help with their schooling. Others just needed love.

Ruth said, “When I worked with the children in the orphanage, I began loving our work in Honduras and the children who needed me. I was their mama, and to this day, they still call and send cards and ask me how I’m doing.” God changed her heart so she could be the hands and feet of Jesus.

Bobby and Ruth left Honduras in 1995, where they had planted nine churches, built a medical clinic, and started a Bible institute. Later, he established BMMI, Baptist Medical Missions International, that hosts medical clinics around the world. In April of 2023, Bobby and Ruth Bowman will be honored for their missionary legacy.

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