ENCOURAGING PASTORS IN NEW ENGLAND

Jim and Anne Bevis of CSR Ministries, based in Florence, have just returned from a three- week ministry trip to Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Under the joint sponsorship of CSR and the Cecil B. Day Foundation of Atlanta, Georgia, the Bevis’ took their “Ministry of Encouragement” to New England, for the first time. The Bevis’ spent most of their time calling on churches and encouraging pastors. They visited with twenty-five pastors in their churches and counseled with eight other ministry couples. Jim Bevis spoke at Mt. Carmel Community Church in Chittenden, VT. Jim and Anne ministered to a dinner gathering of pastors in Clarendon, Vermont. All in all, the Bevis’ were in contact with fifty-seven ministers and their churches.

One tangible outcome of the Bevis’ journey to the Northeast was a contact with the head of chaplains at the New Hampshire State Prison in Concord, New Hampshire. As a result of Bevis’ visit with Chaplain Jim Daly, six hundred Bibles, both English and Spanish, were presented as a gift to Chaplain Daly. Participating in the gift of these Bibles were CSR Ministries, the Cecil B. Day Foundation and the International Bible Society. Over $ 5,000 worth of Bibles were provided the prison.

CSR Ministries launched the “Ministry of Encouragement” in 2004. Since that time, Jim Bevis has visited with over 300 pastors in North Alabama and New England. He “drops in” on pastors, without an appointment, and while there he prays for the pastor and leaves a gift which he calls “A First Aid Packet for Pastors.” In 2004, CSR hosted “An Evening to Remember” at the Shoals Marriott Hotel, a pastoral appreciation dinner for ministers and their spouses with over two hundred and seventy five attending. A “Morning of Encouragement” was held in Russellville in 2006 with six retired ministers sharing with the over twenty pastors who attended from Franklin County.

The Bevis’ are eager to return to New England which they see as “the birthplace of revival” in the United States. Bevis said, “it was a wonderful experience to be in New England sharing encouragement and hope with the courageous pastors who serve in a very difficult area. We were received with open arms wherever we went. We left the New England states with many friends. We are eager to return and continue the ministry, as the Lord wills.”

As a part of the Ministry of Encouragement, CSR is hosting a breakfast gathering for retired ministers and their spouses Thursday morning, April 12 at the Brandon Ministry Center in Florence. For more information contact Jim or Anne Bevis at CSR in Florence, (256) 718 3775.