Move to Full-Time Work Drawing Near

The time is drawing near for us to make the transition to full-time work with Bear Valley. Sunday, May 31 will be our last day on the job as pulpit minister with the 4th & Jackson St. Church of Christ in Hugo, Oklahoma. The work with Bear Valley will be, and has already been, an exciting work, and we look forward to many years of service in this great program. However, that does not mean this transition has been easy. We have worked alongside, laughed with and cried with the brethren here in Hugo for almost 10 years. From the beginning of our relationship we have been treated like family by this congregation and we, in turn, have come to feel the same way about the brethren here. We love you and appreciate you so much.

As of June 1, we will be living in Edmond, Oklahoma. This will be a temporary stop, in that we still must find a house to purchase. We will be renting for the time being, and, thanks be to God, are able to do so without a long-term lease. We, therefore, anticipate a short stay in the rental and then, by the help of the good Lord, we will have our own place. The contact information at the end of this newsletter will remain the same, except for the physical address.

I will be continuing to raise funds for our living expenses. We are currently at about the half-way mark of what we will need. We have enough in one-time donations to see us through for a few months, but I will need to be busy about trying to raise the rest of our monthly needs. I will also be speaking to different congregations, giving reports about the work at the Bible Institute of Honduras, as well as our overall work.

My schedule for the immediate future includes: June 3 - speaking to the Lord’s church in Wapanucka, Oklahoma; June 7 - reporting to the congregation in Pryor, Oklahoma in the morning service; June 10 - speaking in Durant, Oklahoma as part of the summer Wednesday evening series at the 7th & Beech congregation; August 22-25 - faculty retreat for Bear Valley in Sedalia, Colorado; August 26 - September 14 teaching in the Chimala Bible College, Chimala Tanzania, East Africa (these dates include travel time both going and coming; the classes will be from August 31 - September 11).

Thank you all for your prayers and support. I want to remind those of you who send checks in support of our work, to make those checks out to the 4th & Jackson St. Church of Christ, P.O. Drawer 549, Hugo, OK 74743. All our funds must be handled this way for tax purposes. God bless you all.

Donnie Bates