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Sending
Church:
Galilean Baptist Church
28875 W. Seven Mile Rd.
Livonia, MI 48152 |
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Support and Mailing Address:
Charity Baptist Mission Inc.
P.O. Box 692
Bristol, TN 37621-0692
Tel. (423) 878-8131
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November - December 2023
“...The good LORD pardon everyone that prepareth his heart
to seek God,” 2 Chronicles 30:18 - 19
Dear Pastors, Churches, and Fellow Saints, we greet you all
in the precious name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We give thanks for you
all and are grateful for your love, prayers and support.
Yunak is just a little village, but the people are faithful
and love to come to church. We meet in sister Zaharina's home and everyone has a
testimony of God's faithfulness and care. We have an edifying time together when
God meets with us. Lately Zaharina's step-son Nasko has been around when we have
meetings. He is about 40 years old and is as rough as a cob. It will take
nothing apart from a miracle for Nasko to get saved. And that’s what it took for
us to get saved. We are reminded in the scriptures of when the disciples were
told by the Lord that it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a
needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. After hearing that
they echoed most of our sentiments and said “…who then can be saved?” The more
we look at lost men and women we often say only half of the verse which says
"with men this is impossible". It’s easy to give up when we don't look to God.
But thank God, when we look to God and his track record we read, "but with God
all things are possible" Matthew 19:26. God is able to save anyone that will
come to him and believe on His Son. I will admit after getting to know Nasko it
seems impossible that he will turn to God. But when I look to God's word, he
says “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God
by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them." Hebrews 7:25 Then
it's easy to believe. Jeremiah said it like this “Ah Lord GOD....there is
nothing too hard for thee...” Jeremiah 32:17.
There are definitely two viewpoints: One "with men" and one
"with God"
May God help us to see things his way because, “Where there
is no vision the people perish.” Proverbs 29:18
All because of Calvary,
Matthew Welch and family
(A printable PDF
version is available here)
-------------------------------------------------------------
September – October 2023
“Tomorrow is the new moon, and thou shall be missed because thy seat will be
empty”. 1 Samuel 20:18
Dear Pastors, Churches, and Fellow Saints,
Greetings from all the saints among us and the God of all comfort. 2 Corinthians
1:3
I was saved in July of 1979; with that salvation came a desire to see my loved
ones also be saved. The Bible says after Andrew received Jesus, “he first
findeth his own brother Simon and sayeth unto him, We have found the Messias,
which is being interpreted the Christ, And he brought him to Jesus...” John
1:41- 42 Isn't it wonderful when the ones you love come to the Lord Jesus Christ
and receive him as their Lord and Savior? I highly recommend going to your
family first and telling them, as the man in Mark 5, how great things the Lord
had done for him and had compassion on him. Mark 5:19
My brother Kevin passed away in September; he knew his time of departure was at
hand. I had the privilege of seeing Kevin getting saved and then being called by
God to be a preacher of the gospel of Christ. Kevin was as Paul was; he was not
ashamed of the gospel of Christ. Romans 1:16 He was also a pastor and held
gospel services in prison for many years. Please pray for his wife, Barbara, and
their four boys: Nathaniel, Daniel, Samuel, and Gabriel. Not long after Kevin
went home to be with the Lord, my son-in-law Tyler Lyon also went home to be
with the Lord. Tyler and I had some good Christian fellowship especially the last
time we were together. We took a walk and talked about the Lord and how good God
was. We never knew that would be the last time we would see each other in this
world, but we knew we would see each other in the world to come.
Please pray for my daughter Sarah and their two children, Arabella and Luke.
Kevin and Tyler’s seats are empty now and already missed. But thank God for the
Lord's promises in his word; one day soon, we will reunite with them; therefore,
we comfort one another with God's words of hope. 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18
As for the mission work in Bulgaria, we have also started a special revival
meeting where we bring in as many villagers as possible and hold a special men's
meeting once a month. We are also getting ready for our flour and oil
distribution. We give each church family 110 pounds of flour and one gallon of
cooking oil. We have been doing this for many years and have seen that God is
faithful, and the church people are thankful. God continues to bless his work
here.
All because of Calvary,
Matthew Welch and family
(A printable PDF
version is available here)
------------------------------------------------------------------
July - August 2023
And they put it in the hand of the workmen that had the oversight of the
house of the Lord, and they gave it to the workmen that wrought in the house of
the Lord, to repair and amend the house: 2 Chronicles 34:10
Dear Pastors, Churches and Fellow saints, grace unto you and peace be
multiplied. 1 Peter 1:2
For some time now we have had a burden to repair and amend the church in
Avren, Bulgaria. Part of the church is finished where we work on songbooks, make
xerox copies of scripture and meet to have church services. The Lord has really
used these facilities and has met with us here. Part of the building was an old
home that "little by little" was caving in on itself. Well, we all knew what had
to be done, but it was going to be a big job. First, we had to take the old
house down to where it was stable and then reinforce it and repair it. To get
there it took 13 long hard weeks, but the Lord blessed and we got the house of
the Lord "dried in". We still have more work to do, but the house is no
longer caving in.
In 2 Chronicles 34:8 Josiah – “sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah
the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the
house of the Lord his God.”
2 Chronicles 34:14 says “when they brought out the money that was brought
into the house of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest found a book of the law of the
Lord given by Moses.”
It seems that good things happen when God's people repair the house of the
Lord. They not only found the book of God, but also had one of the greatest
observances of the Passover ever witnessed.
2 Chronicles 35:18 I believe it's a picture of Calvary to us which are on
this side of the crucifixion. In other words, when you get interested in the
house of the Lord you will find God's book, the Bible, and in turn Calvary will
find its rightful place in our hearts. We still could use some help to finish
the building, and I know God is in it. Brother Ralph Cheatwood had a burden to
have a place for God's people to come together and worship Him, and to God's
glory, it is coming to pass as he desired. Please keep us in your prayers.
All because of Calvary,
Matthew Welch and family
(Included are some
pictures of the construction in Avrin)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
May - June 2023
...but if thou canst do anything, have compassion
on us and help us. Mark 9:22
Dear Pastors, Churches and Saints,
Greetings from all that are with us and love the Lord Jesus Christ.
Some things only God can do. I have gone to God's people for help and I have
had God's people come to me for help. I would like to help each one; and I am
burdened and sometimes bewildered when I can't help them, but thank God for the
Lord Jesus Christ that said "bring him to me". Matthew 17:17. The all sufficient
One, the One who is able. Hebrews 7:25 We all know someone that is tormented by
one or more of the devil's fiery darts or an unclean spirit. But, I am
encouraged that when we couldn't help them, that we are admonished to have faith
as a grain of mustard seed. This is a very small seed, but the potential of what
can come from that seed is enormous. The same is true with faith, ìt only takes
enough to believe. The question was asked in Psalms 78:19 "Can God furnish a
table in the wilderness?" Or can God help this loved one of ours that has been
taken captive by the devil and is in his snare? 2 Timothy 2:25
I find myself very much like the man in the text from Mark 9:17-29, when the
Lord told him "If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that
believeth". "And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with
tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief."
In Zechariah 3:2 "the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan;".
Some things only God can do. When we pray and fast and we have as Hannah, a
sorrowful spirit, and pour out our soul, and when something means more to us
than a meal and faith takes us to a prayer altar, we will see the impossible
take place!
May God help us to have faith as a grain of mustard seed, to the end we might
see others get help from "Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his
own blood". Revelation 1:5
Please keep our loved ones in your prayers.
All because of Calvary,
Matthew Welch and family
(A printable PDF version is available here)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"...he knoweth not how.
Dear Pastors Churches and Fellow Saints,
March - April 2023
Grace be unto you and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
In Thessalonica the apostle Paul thanked God because, when they received the
word of God which they heard Paul preach they “…received it not as the word of
men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in
you that believe.” 1 Thessalonians 2:13
God's word is different than man's word. God's words are alive. The Bible
says "the of God which liveth". It's a great privilege to sow the word of God.
One day 44 years ago my Uncle Don sowed the word God and preached unto me the
gospel. Somehow the word sprang and grew up when I believed.
Only God can give life to a seed. You can talk all you want about how a seed
springs up, but it would never happen without God. As missionaries spreading the
gospel of Christ we don't know how it springs up other than God tells it to
spring up and grow. When someone puts their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and
receives him as their Lord and Savior, God speaks to that soul and says “Let
there be light” and that person is transformed from darkness to the kingdom of
God.
I would like to have you pray for these dear Christian friends of mine that
help here in the gospel. Malcho and Kadrìa. They are a real blessing to all and
God has really used them. We covet your prayers.
All because of Calvary,
(A printable PDF version is available here)
Matthew Welch and family
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
January – February 2023
“And he brought him to Jesus…” John 1:42
Dear Pastors, Churches and Saints,
Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The first two months of this year have been good ones. We have been able, in
spite of the time of year, to hold services in all of our villages. They are not
large crowds, but the people are faithful. There has been a good spirit and
testimonies about God's faithfulness (Lamentations 3:23), and care
(1 Peter 5:7) in the meetings.
Also, during this time some have passed away. Dobrin was saved within the
last year and went home to be with the Lord. We started meeting at his house
because of his wife Zaharina. She told us that if we were to meet in her home
she believed her husband would come. Well she was right, and we were happy that
he came. I believe God was already working on his heart. You could tell he was
touched by the testimonies, singing and preaching. I'm thankful God worked and
drew him to himself and dealt with him. We believe what the Lord said in John
12:32 "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me". We
will miss Dobrin, but we enjoyed worshipping the Lord with him, and we look
forward to being with him again one day. With promises like 1 Thes.4:13-18 we
can comfort one another. We still meet in his home. Now we are praying for their
22-year-old son Dennis to come to the Lord.
Also, a man named Marine that lived in our village passed away. I had given
him a gospel of John to read, but I don't know if he was saved. I enjoyed
talking to him, he also was a beekeeper like myself. Whenever I meet someone
like Marine I feel compelled to do as Andrew did. “He first findeth his own
brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being
interpreted, the Christ. And he brought him to Jesus…” John 1:41,42
Please also keep my brother Kevin's health in your prayers.
A printable PDF of
this letter is available here.
Because of Calvary,
Matthew Welch and family
---------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Pastors, Churches, and Fellow Saints,
November – December 2022
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Romans 8:35
We have been very busy the last few months. We have mixed and poured concrete
at our church building in Avren, Bulgaria. We also worked on leveling the yard.
We would like to put a new roof on one of the other buildings on the property
and finish two other rooms.
We hold our weekly English services for the American missionaries in Avren.
This is the place that Bro. Ralph purchased years ago and we are grateful to be
able to meet together and worship there. We are thankful for everyone that
helped us accomplish this work.
Soon we will be distributing flour and oil to the church members and others
that are destitute. These annual provisions are received with great joy and
appreciation. We have witnessed the Lord bless His people, through you all, with
these provisions. The flour and oil distribution has continued for many years
and it's been a privilege to have a part in this ministry.
In December it was needful for me to return to America for a short visit that
I might help my immediate family with some personal battles. Of course, we
understand that we can do nothing of ourselves. Our confidence is in the Lord
that He will deliver our loved ones from their troubles. We have conveyed to
them what was said by Corrie Ten Boom, "There is no pit so deep that God's love
is not deeper still." Please, remember our family in your prayers.
We haven't had guests for Christmas in three years because of COVID
restrictions. But this year James, John, and Charity came to our village home in
Dabravino and celebrated with us. It was a blessed holiday season and we praise
God for our time together.
May the Lord bless each and every one of you throughout the upcoming year.
Thank you, once again, for your faithful support and prayers. We love you!
Because of Calvary, Matthew and Jane Welch
(A PDF print
ready version of this letter with a family picture is available here)
----------------------------------------------------------
Dear Pastors, Churches, and
Fellow Saints, July/August 2022
Thine, O Lord is the greatness,
and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is
in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou
art exalted as head above all. 1 Chronicles 29:11
In July we had the blessed
privilege of hosting the Maher family in our home. They have been serving on the
mission field for about 30 years and are fluent in Russian. We took them to
hotels, governmental bases, and to two refugee centers (in Varna and Shumen).
They were received everywhere with open arms. They had so much liberty to share
the gospel at each location. It was like we were having church everywhere we
went! We even had the opportunity to sing "Amazing Grace" in Russian on several
occasions. It was such a blessing!
Bibles, tracts, and donations
were received with utmost gratitude. Thank you for your faithful prayers and
support for Ukraine and the Ukrainian refugees!
Our daughter, Charity, and
grandson, Carrick, had the special blessing of attending a Christian youth camp
this summer in Michigan. We are thankful for all that Victory Baptist Church in
Hartland, MI did to make this possible. The teenage years are a real crossroads
in young people's lives and we are grateful for all the prayers, preaching, and
preparation that went into this youth camp.
In the month of August, we had
a baptism at a nearby river and 23 people were baptized.
Our grandson, Christian, also
followed the Lord in baptism during this special service. It was a blessing to
witness that take place.
A man named, Bayram, was also
among those that got baptized. He was very weak and sick from cancer but he
desired to get baptized. It was a very touching sight to all who attended as we
sang a hymn while he entered the river on the arms of some of our men. His wife
stood on the shore watching, wiping away her tears. Not many days after, he went
home to be with the Lord. What a testimony!
In the village of Yunak we
have started meeting in the home of Dobrin and his wife, Zaharina. They look
forward to the weekly meeting and have been an encouragement to this little
village church. Sometimes there are just a few believers that attend but the
best part is knowing that the Lord Jesus Christ is in our midst.
Once again, thank you for your
faithful prayers and support for our ministry here in Bulgaria, and also for
your prayers and contributions for Ukraine and the Ukrainian refugees.
All Because of Calvary,
(A PDF print
ready version with pictures is available here)
Matthew and Jane Welch
----------------------------------------------------------
May/June 2022
Dear Friends,
Family, Pastors, and Churches,
Now unto him that
is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to
the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus
throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. Ephesians 3:20,21
The Lord continues
to abundantly bless the ministry among the Ukrainian refugees who have fled to
Bulgaria. We have so many opportunities to help, to witness, and to show
compassion to these people who are hurting so deeply. They have had open hearts
and minds as we witness to them in English, Bulgarian, and Russian. We have been
able to give out Bibles and tracts in every location we have gone and they have
been received with interest and gratitude. Whether we are at a border crossing,
a governmental base, a hotel, or a refugee center we have experienced great
liberty to evangelize. We are sowing seeds and one day there will be a harvest.
So shall my word
be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it
shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto
I sent it. Isaiah 55:11
We have been able
to send thousands of dollars’ worth of humanitarian aid into Ukraine. This aid
has gone to military hospitals and to the front-lines. We put tracts in the
socks for soldiers; scripture cards in emergency blankets; and New Testaments in
medic bags and packages to soldiers. This has all been made possible by the
generous contributions of churches, families, and friends. We appreciate your
concern, prayers, and support for the ministry to the Ukrainian refugees and
Ukraine.
It is encouraging
to see the Lord working not only among the Ukrainians but also among the Turkish
gypsies. It is refreshing to be able to go to meetings again in spite of the
shadow of COVID. We are thankful we are able to fellowship, sing, and preach as
we did before.
Recently, we were
able to purchase a vehicle for one of our national pastor's named Demir, as well
as a van for ourselves which will be very useful in our work here. Even though
the price of fuel is almost eight dollars a gallon the Lord has met every need,
every time.
Last of all,
please continue to pray for my brother Kevin, who is still battling esophageal
cancer.
Because of
Calvary,
Matthew and Jane
Welch
A
printable version of this letter with pictures is available here.
-
---------------------------------------------------------------
March - April 2022
Dear Pastors, Churches, Friends, and Family,
Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine
hand to do it. Proverbs 3:27
As of March 26, 2022, close to 120,000 Ukrainian citizens have poured over the
borders of Bulgaria. About 55,000 have remained in the country. These refugees
are in "our own backyard" which puts on us a burden to help them in their dire
need.
Many of these refugees have left Ukraine in a hurry; exiting with only a
backpack- leaving behind their families and homes. They have no idea when (if
ever) they will be able to return. We missionaries, in Bulgaria, find ourselves
in a place of unique opportunity to help these refugees during such a critical
time.
Because of contributions from churches, family, and friends, we have been able
to minister to these people who are being housed in: Apartments, Homes, Hotels,
Vacant Buildings and Refugee centers.
We have purchased clothing, food, medication, and many other supplies throughout
the month of March. We have personally delivered these supplies to refugees
residing at these different locations. They have expressed their gratitude over
and over again. We tell them that the churches and believers in America want to
help them and are praying for them. That's when they start to cry. And we cry
with them.
We are thankful to at last have gospel tracts in the Russian language. We were
able to pass out hundreds of these at a huge "Peaceful Protest" in Varna, and at
several refugee centers. We also slip a tract or scripture card in with supplies
we give away. That gets interesting and creative. Some of the pictures included
will give you an idea. Please pray for those who receive these "love notes" from
the Lord. May He touch their hearts and may they understand that there is a God
in Heaven that loves them.
We recently have had the opportunity to purchase humanitarian aid for hospitals
and soldiers in Ukraine. The truck made it safely to its destination and from
there the supplies were loaded into vans, and trucks, and taken to the areas
that are in dire need.
Soon we will sponsor another truck into Ukraine that will be loaded with food
and medical supplies. We are blessed to have this opportunity to help in this
way. You, our faithful supporters, have made this possible. Thank you. From the
bottom of our hearts, we thank you. The Ukrainian refugees, with tears in their
eyes, thank you, too. Written from Bulgaria by Jane Welch.
A printable version of this prayer
letter (with pictures) can be viewed by clicking here.
All because of Calvary,
Matthew and Jane Welch
------------------------------------------------------
January – February 2021
It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not
consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is
thy faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22,23
Dear Pastors, Churches and Saints,
We send greetings from all the believers in the Lord
Jesus Christ in Bulgaria and Romania. We also thank the Lord for your fellowship
in the gospel and your faithful support of our Lord's work here.
In January I returned home to America. My brother
Kevin had a cancerous tumor in his throat and he received proton therapy this
past January and February. He is doing better now. He also wanted me to thank
everyone for their prayers, and praise God for all He has done and His presence
through it all. Kevin was in the hospital for 40 days, and no one was allowed to
visit him due to the Covid-19 restrictions. But praise God, the Lord is not
hindered by their rules and went right in with him and never left the whole
time, then went home with him. We praise and thank God Kevin is doing better.
We are also thankful that on February 11th my
daughter Sarah & son-in-law Tyler became the proud parents of Luke Taylor and
Arabella Grace Lyon. They are beautiful and our prayer for them is that they
would get saved at an early age, and that they would be brought up in the
nurture and admonition of the Lord.
In Bulgaria we started distributing flour and oil to
the families in our churches. Every year the Lord has made it possible for us to
give each family a 110lb bag of flour and over a gallon of cooking oil. It
couldn’t have come at a better time this year, because of all the sickness and
restrictions. I can’t stress how much some of these people need and appreciate
these provisions. We tell them that it’s from the Lord and that God used His
people in America to provide it to them. They praise God for the food and are
thankful for you all.
There is also one other prayer request we have and
that’s for Robbie Carr. He is from our church in Tennessee and was accidentally
shot in the elbow and is mending slowly. God has really used him, and God’s hand
is upon him. Please keep Robbie in your prayers.
All because of Calvary, Matthew Welch and
family
---------------------------------------------------------------------
November - December 2020
Charge her that she should go in unto the king, to make supplication unto him,
and to make request before him for her people. Esther 4:8
Dear Pastors, Churches and Fellow Saints,
We are writing to you with thanks in our hearts and trusting in the promises of
God who has faithfully met with us. Since March we have been limited in what we
could do concerning church services because of the Covid sickness. We have been
able to visit some of the brethren, who have been a real blessing. Especially
because of God's promise of..."where two or three are gathered together in my
name, there am I in the midst of them”. Matthew 18:20
In the book of Esther the name of God is not found. Yet in the same book is
God's protection and providence well observed and documented. I'm sure it was
difficult for Esther to go through these trials, but because of these dangers
namely Haman's hatred for her people, she was charged by God's servant Mordecai
to ..."go in unto the king"..."make supplication unto him and to make request
before him for her people..." Esther 4:8
In the midst of these troubling times where God is not mentioned nor considered,
may we be encouraged and strengthened by one another to go to the king (Jesus)
Hebrews 4:17, to make supplication unto him 1 Timothy 2:1 and to make request
before him for people. Philippians 4:6 As God turned the tables on Haman who
wanted to persecute and destroy God's people, God will fight for us that we may
have the victory in him. It is also encouraging to ponder the other words of
Mordecai who said to Esther "who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom
for such a time as this?” In other words, God had you in the place where you
could go unto the King, and through the King, obtain deliverance for God's
people. By the end of the story God's people were blessed with light, gladness,
joy and honor. They celebrated it with a feast and a good day. Esther 8: 16- 17
May we be encouraged in these perilous days, 2nd Timothy 3:1 by embracing the
promises of God and the knowledge that we are here, that we may be a light and a
witness of his saving power.
I'm also thankful to write that Malco (the man whose house burned down) was able
to move back into his house. He had been living with his family about an hour
away, and he was very happy to get back to his own home. He wanted me to thank
everyone that contributed to rebuilding his house, and wanted to praise God for
all he had done and for the love God showed him through his people.
I would also ask everyone to please pray for my brother Kevin, he is very ill
and would appreciate your prayers. Also, my daughter Sarah and my son-in-law
Tyler Lyon are expecting twins in the beginning of March. I know they covet your
prayers for their family. May God richly bless all of you. Thank you for your
prayers and help.
All because of Calvary,
Matthew Welch and family
-------------------------------------------------------------
And
who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? Esther
4:14
Dear Pastors, Churches and
Fellow Saints, July-August 2020
Grace unto you and peace from
God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:2) Now is
definitely a time when this world needs a clear witness. May God give us
boldness to be witnesses of what God has done for us and to us: to preach the
gospel and to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light and from
the power of Satan unto God; and that they may receive forgiveness of sins and
inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in the Lord Jesus
Christ.
It
has been very different for many months now because of all the restrictions from
this sickness. We have not been able to meet with the churches, but God has
still met with all of us. These measures have put a real longing and
appreciation for the freedom to come together. Hopefully this will pass soon.
We were able to put a roof on
the home one of our believers, that burned down in February. Brother Malcho was
so thankful. Many of the missionaries and national pastors came together to
help, which was a real blessing to be together and to see God work.
We covet your prayers for the
work here. We were surprised by this sickness and the measures that have been
taken to slow it down. Thankfully we have not contracted the virus. Many of our
dear friends have it, and our hearts and prayers are for the ones that have been
affected by it. May God bring them through this and restore their strength.
Even though there are many
restrictions we are thankful God is bringing us through this time. We believe
that God has brought us here for "such a time as this" to be a witness for Him.
All because of Calvary,
Matthew Welch and family
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Pastors, Churches, and Fellow Saints,
March / April 2020
"...thou shalt be missed, because thy seat will be
empty." 1 Samuel 20:18
Greetings in the name that is above every name- the
Lord Jesus Christ!
On April 4, 2020, my dear dad went gloriously Home
to be with the Lord. In 1979 I got saved and immediately began to witness to my
family. We were raised by loving parents. They always had time for us, even when
we had no time for them. We attended church but had never received the Lord
Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior. After I got saved by the Savior
from the penalty of my sins, which was going to hell, I was so happy and at
peace with God. It was all that mattered and still is the only thing that really
matters. I began telling everyone about my salvation experience how that I had
been saved and born again. I didn't know much about it all, but, I knew that
everything between me and God was well. I had been forgiven and possessed the
peace of God.
After my salvation, I began attending church
services at Temple Baptist Church in Detroit, MI. Following the Lord's command,
I was baptized by immersion. Life was wonderfully new, and I was under the
impression that everyone would want to also receive this gift called "eternal
life through Jesus Christ" (Rom. 6:23). But with salvation also comes
repentance: turning from your sins and turning to God.
One day I was in a store with my dad and I was
handing out gospel tracts. My dad told me not to hand them out anymore when I
was with him. He also told me that he didn't want me talking to him about God.
But I was quite rich in faith, and believed there was nothing God couldn't do.
Even if I couldn’t talk to my dad about his soul's need of salvation, God could.
My dad could tell me not to talk to him about the Bible, but I knew that God
could speak to him.
Every day I prayed for my dad and my whole family. I
had heard that it is best to witness to someone two or three times and then to
just be their friend. Jesus was the friend of publicans and sinners, so I knew I
couldn't go wrong doing what Jesus did. Praise the Lord! After some years my
oldest brother, Kevin, got saved. Then in 1994 my mother got saved and shortly
after passed away with cancer. My dad was left all alone, and the Lord began
speaking to his heart.
Some
years later, during the end of our missionary furlough in America, my dad came
and visited us in Tennessee before we returned to Bulgaria. That Sunday morning
my dad and I got up early to go out for breakfast at the local diner. Afterwards
I told my Dad that the children would be singing in church that morning and that
they would love to have him be there. So my dad attended church with us that
day, and we had a wonderful service. The preacher preached from the Word of God
and the good Holy Spirit was dealing with my dad about his need of salvation. My
dad got up during the invitation and went to the altar to pray. With simple
child-like faith he believed on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31). Praise to
the Lamb of God!
I will greatly miss my dad and although his seat is
empty here, his place in heaven is not empty. I thank the Lord for giving me
such a wonderful mom and dad. I look forward to the day when I'll be reunited
with them in Heaven.
All Because of Calvary, Matthew Welch and
Family
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
January/February 2020
And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. (Exodus
33:14)
Dear Pastors, Churches and Fellow Saints,
Greetings in the name that is above every name, the Lord Jesus Christ. Much has
happened in the last two months. We have held many church services and I usually
attend about ten services a week. We have seen the Lord deal with many people
including some of the loved ones in my family. What a difference the Lord's
presence makes in a church service or while doing personal work. We have learned
you may have everything you need to run a ministry, but without Him, it doesn't
work. (John 15:5) Moses knew this along with many other saints; myself included.
I have prayed this prayer "If thy presence go not with me carry us not up
hence." (Exodus 33:15) I am thankful He has always blessed us with His presence.
I am thankful for the many churches and saints that have prayed for us and
supported the Lord's work here in Bulgaria and Romania. During the month of
February, one of the believer's home where we hold services burned down. His
name is Malcho and we will do all we can to help him rebuild. We have had many
good services there and hope to have more in the future.
I do have a special prayer request for some of our loved ones that are trying to
get help from the Lord. Their physical and spiritual need is great. It will only
be the grace of God and His presence that will give them the victory over the
wiles of the devil. Please keep these loved ones of mine in your prayers.
In closing, we would like to ask everyone to keep our home church and Mrs.
Sharon Frederick in your prayers after the passing away of their pastor and her
loving husband. Pastor David Frederick was a man like Moses. He had no desire to
go anywhere God's presence and grace was not going to accompany him. (Exodus
33:15) He was a great and faithful man and God's presence was with him. He will
be missed.
We are looking forward to the year 2020, because no matter what happens we can
count on God's presence being with us. (Hebrews 13:5-6)
All Because of Calvary, Matthew Welch and Family
-------------------------------------------------------------
I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a
servant of the church which is at Cenchrea: That ye receive her in the Lord, as
becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of
you: for she hath been a succourer of many, and of myself also. Romans 16:1-2
Dear Pastors, Churches and Fellow
Saints, November - December 2019
Greetings from all the Saints in Romania and
Bulgaria.
Kadria
is one of our national pastors’ wives. Hasan was her husband. A number of years
ago, Hasan passed away. It was unexpected and a real loss to Kadria, her family
and the work; but a real gain for heaven. I never asked Hasan to a meeting that
he didn’t want to go to. He would drop whatever he was doing to attend a church
service. I guess one day God came by and invited Hasan to His own service in
heaven. Hasan dropped everything he was doing and has been there ever since.
It’s easy to imagine how Kadria could miss Hasan so much. There is never a day
that goes by that she does not mention him. After Hasan passed away, Kadria
told us she wanted to keep visiting the churches each week with us. Usually
Kadria goes to church five days a week. She helps by singing the hymns with us
and always has a testimony from the heart that helps everyone. Among her many
everyday tasks, she also takes care of her grandchildren. She makes fresh bread
for them every day. She is like her husband was in this respect, that she is
always ready to go to a church service. She is our Phebe. She is definitely a
servant of the church and loves God’s business. She has comforted many of the
people the same way God has comforted her. II Corinthians 1:4 It’s a privilege
and a blessing to see God use her in His work. It’s amazing to see God make
someone like Kadria, who has so little, yet is so rich, so happy. II Corinthians
6:10 Please pray for Kadria, her health, and her family.
I also want to take this time to inform everyone my
shoulder is doing very well. I am very grateful for all the prayers and support.
It has been encouraging to drive again and to do chores pain free.
The work here continues to prosper with God touching
people's hearts every day through the preaching of the Gospel and singing of
spiritual songs. Psalm 40:3 Therefore we shall continue in God’s way holding
back nothing profitable but preaching the unsearchable riches of Christ.
All Because of Calvary, Matthew Welch and Family
------------------------------------------------------------
September / October 2019
... Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all
this care;… 2 Kings 4:13
Dear Pastors, Churches and Fellow saints,
We send greetings and a testimony of thanks for all the care God and His
people have had for me.
Approximately
three years ago I started experiencing some real problems with my right
shoulder. From day to day it grew worse to the point where I couldn't use my
right arm. After a year of injections to relieve the shoulder pain, I was told
that the only remedy for my disintegrating shoulder would be the replacement of
my shoulder with an implant. This seemed good to me; however, impossible. But as
usual, I was wrong. At the same time I was limiting the ways to get help, God
was opening doors for me. On September 4th I was operated on in Florida and they
replaced my old broken shoulder with a new metal shoulder. I am thankful and
happy to say that I have fully recovered, returned to Bulgaria, and am joyfully
using my new shoulder now without problems or pain.
This
operation has brought back some memories of when I got saved. The Bible says "A
new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I
will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart
of flesh". Ezekiel 36:26 Through all this the Lord and His people have had great
care for me. I would personally like to thank all my family, friends, and
churches for your prayers and financial support. I also send a special thanks to
Dr. Brothers, Andrew’s Institute, and my son in law and daughter Jesse and
Rebecca Adcock.
Thank you once again for all this "care".
All because of Calvary, Matthew Welch and Family
-------------------------------------------------
“And as they went on their way, they came
unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder
me to be baptized?” Acts 8:36
Dear Pastors, Churches, and Fellow Saints,
August 2019
Greetings in the name that is above every name, the Lord Jesus
Christ:
The Lord's work here continues to prosper, with the Lord himself
dealing with the souls of men. One such person is a young man named Matay. No
one knew that the Lord was dealing with him. His grandfather was a preacher
named Hassan that I used to visit churches with. It brought back a lot of good
memories seeing the Spirit of God working on Matay. It brought him to a serious
place and he began to think about, and consider where his soul would spend
eternity. I love to do personal work, and I love even more seeing the Holy
Spirit deal with people about their need of salvation. Normally we baptize in
the summer months, because we baptize in a river. It was in July we made an
announcement we would be baptizing. Matay needed no prodding or pulling. He only
knew he wanted to be obedient to the Lord's command. The question was “what doth
hinder me to be baptized?” And the answer was “If thou believest with all thine
heart thou mayest.” He answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the
Son of God.” Romans 10:9-10
What a wonderful day! The day we
received Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior! There is no better day in
a person's life than the day they come to the Lord Jesus Christ. It was a
blessed day for Matay to confess openly his faith in the Son of God. It brought
back some wonderful memories of when I was baptized in 1979. Back then I didn't
know hardly anything in the Bible, but I knew the Author and have been blessed
by Him ever since. After the eunuch was baptized the Bible says "he went on his
way rejoicing” Acts 8:39. Matay and I have done the same.
All because of Calvary, Matthew Welch and Family
---------------------------------------------------------
May/June 2019
Dear Pastors, Churches, and Fellow Saints,
"...ye know in all your hearts and in all your
souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the LORD your
God spake concerning you..." Joshua 23:14
We send you greetings from all the brethren that are
among us in Bulgaria and Romania. We returned to Bulgaria in late May to a
joyous reunion with our friends and family here.
I can't begin to tell you about the wonderful year
we spent in America. We visited over 60 churches in 15 states, and traveled
over 40,000 miles presenting our ministry. Everyone was blessed to hear about
what the Lord has been doing, and how people are still getting saved. It was a
great blessing to see so many friends and family that we haven't seen in many
years. We were also able to visit some churches that we hadn't been to in a
very long time. Everyone was so kind and generous to us. We thank all of you
for making it a prosperous furlough in so many ways.
We also
want to say that it was a blessing while stateside to have our twin boys, James
and John, attend and graduate from Tri-Cities Christian School in Blountville,
Tennessee.
On May 3rd, a dear preacher friend, Rev. Luther
Carver, went home to be with the Lord. He was a great preacher and faithfully
supported the mission work in Bulgaria and Romania since it first started many
years ago. We were privileged to know him and he will be sorely missed.
The month of June marked the one year anniversary of
Brother Ralph Cheatwood's passing. It's hard to believe a year has already gone
by. Before his death he was very concerned that the work on the building in
Avren be completed. We rejoice and are encouraged to see the work coming
together on the church building and the Bible/songbook printing facility through
the efforts of the American missionaries and the national pastors. Avren is
about halfway done. We thank the Lord for all that He has supplied through the
generosity of individuals and churches who are concerned about seeing this
project completed.
Last of all, I want to inform you that,
unfortunately, I must have a total shoulder replacement surgery in the near
future. I had hoped to put it off, but the discomfort and pain I am
experiencing have deemed it necessary that I have the surgery done sooner than
later. I sincerely would appreciate your prayers and any financial help
concerning this matter.
All because of Calvary, Matthew Welch and Family
--------------------------------------------
But ye
beloved, building up yourselves on your most
holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost. Jude
1:20
January - February 2019
Dear Pastors, Churches and Fellow Saints,
We send greetings in the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ from hither, thither and
yonder. During the month of January and
February we presented our ministry in
Bulgaria and Romania to churches in
Virginia, Alabama, Texas, Arkansas, and
North Carolina. Everyone was blessed to see
what the Lord was doing there, and we were
blessed by the good fellowship we enjoyed
together in the Lord. We have been in
America since the end of June and have
travelled many miles, but God has kept us
safe the whole way. Before we returned to
America we sold our vehicle that was used
for the work. It was a good van and carried
many people to the different church meetings
we held. We have started a car fund and hope
to raise $20,000 dollars toward the purchase
of a replacement vehicle.
In Bulgaria a National pastor’s wife and a
very dear sister, Aisha, passed away. Her husband preceded her in death, and I’m
sure they had a glorious reunion at the throne of God. She loved to sing gospel
songs, and I’m sure the angels of God were blessed by her voice.
We also have good news about my son James. He had knee surgery in October and
has been in rehabilitation since then. He is doing very well.
Brethren pray for us. All because of Calvary, Matthew Welch and Family
----------------------------------------------------
September/October 2018 Finally
my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. Philippians 3:1
Dear Pastors, Churches and Fellow Saints.
We send greetings from the churches of the many states we have been traveling
in. In September and October we had the privilege to present our mission work
and update many churches in Michigan, North Carolina, Virginia, Alabama, Florida
and Georgia. It was a lot of traveling, but we had a wonderful time. It brought
us much joy telling everyone what the Lord has been doing in Bulgaria and
Romania as well as seeing what the Lord has been doing in the churches we
visited.
It was easy to rejoice in the Lord when we got together with God's people for
church services. Joy can be contagious when you spend time with someone that is
rejoicing in the Lord. We were thoroughly encouraged by the joy of the Lord
found in so many of the churches we visited. In Nehemiah the Bible says "the joy
of the Lord is your strength". May we all be full of God's joy, because
everything is different in a good way when we have the joy of the Lord. The Lord
is the author of our happiness, for it is written "happy is the people whose God
is the Lord". Psalms 144:15
In October my son James was operated on for the third time due to a knee injury.
The surgeon was very pleased with how it went. It will take about a year for him
to totally recover, but James has a good attitude about it, and is thankful as
well as we, are for all Dr. Gibson and the Lord has done for him. I'll also
covet your prayers, because it looks like I will need my shoulder replaced in
the near future.
We have begun taking up offerings for the 2018 flower and oil distribution in
Bulgaria this winter. We will give each family 110 lbs. of flour and a gallon of
oil. This provision helps them make it through the long winters. We have seen
many rejoice in the Lord from this, and testify that "God can furnish a table in
the wilderness".
Please, also keep my father Martin Welch in your prayers. We celebrated his 86th
birthday in October.
All because of Calvary, Matthew Welch & Family
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Pastors, Churches, and
Fellow Saints, July - August 2018
"And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed
all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto
the gentiles. And there they abode long time with the disciples." Acts 14:27, 28
In July and August we visited and presented our mission work at churches in
Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia. We had not been to some of those
churches in years. It was a blessing to gather together and rehearse once again
what God has done on the mission field in Bulgaria and Romania. It was a
blessing to also hear from them what the Lord has been doing in their churches
and ministries in America.
It is good to be back on furlough and not only to visit with the churches but
also with family and friends. I am especially thankful for another opportunity
to speak to our lost loved ones about their soul's need of salvation. God is
dealing with them and our prayer is that they will open their heart's door and
receive the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. It has been encouraging to see
some who were so hard and cold to God and the gospel to give ear and listen with
open heart and mind. I believe they are in the place of Isaiah 1:18 where the
Lord says "come" and "reason".
I love dealing and talking with people about their souls, but how much better it
is when the Lord Himself starts to deal with them. We have seen this verse, "And
I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." John 12:32,
work over and over again in the lives of so many in Bulgaria and Romania and
also here in America. If we lift up the Lord Jesus Christ in song and sermon and
tell of His great salvation then God will draw them unto Him. "Draw" means: to
cause to move in a particular direction". May the Lord help us all to be like
the Maniac of Gadara and take to heart the command that Jesus told him, "Go home
to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and
hath had compassion on thee." Mark 5:19
If you are interested in seeing the work presented or having us come and preach
please call me at (828) 592-1498. If you should not be able to reach me at that
number I can also be reached at (423) 878-5800. We're looking forward to seeing
all of you and fellowshipping and praising God together.
All Because of Calvary,
Matthew Welch and Family
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
March - April 2018
“Now also when I am old and gray
headed, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this
generation, and thy power to everyone that is to come. Thy righteousness also, O
God, is very high, who hast done great things: O God, who is like unto thee”.
Psalm71:18, 19
Dear Pastors, Churches and Fellow
saints,
We
send greetings from all the believers that are among us in Christ Jesus our
Lord. It was in early March of 2018 that our senior missionary, dear friend and
God's man called us all together to let us know that he had been diagnosed with
stage 4 cancer. All of our hearts were deeply saddened by this unfortunate news.
We understood the time had come for Brother Cheatwood to be able to say, as the
apostle Peter said, "Shortly I must put off this my tabernacle”. 2 Peter 1:14
It was 1993 the Lord called us to
"Come over into Macedonia and help" (Acts 16:9) in God's work under Brother
Ralph. It was he who greeted and welcomed us to the mission field. From that
time until now Brother Ralph has shown us God's strength and power as manifested
in the New Testament, and that without it, God's work cannot be done. From the
beginning he has put emphasis on the Word of God, on holding church services,
worshipping God, and on prayer. Through these things we have experienced and
witnessed God's strength and power.
God has done great things here
through Brother Cheatwood. He has translated the King James Bible into the
Turkish language and put together a hymnal containing 250 songs that worship God
and His Son. He also started over one hundred churches and a children' home in
Constanta, Romania.
I would like to thank the Lord
for a man of God like Brother Ralph. His desire is for everyone to come and know
and experience God's strength, power, and righteousness, and to behold His great
things.
Thank you Brother Ralph for all
you have done to make this possible. Phil. 4:9 and John 4:38 and 17:3
All because of Calvary, Matthew
Welch and family
------------------------------------------------------------------
November/December 2017
"Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe
God, that it shall be even as it was told me." Acts 27:25
Dear pastors, churches and fellow saints,
We send you all greetings from the saints in the Lord Jesus Christ here.
First, we would like to thank you for your prayers and faithful support through
the years. We count it a great privilege to be your ambassadors for Christ. One
of the greatest joys I have is to be able to preach the gospel of the grace of
God. The other week we had the blessing of having some American soldiers visit
our services in Constanta, Romania. They are stationed here and were invited to
a service and wanted to see the children's home. One woman came and she enjoyed
the home, food, and the children; but then she heard the word of God preached,
and enjoyed getting saved and so did we. It is a wonderful sight to see someone
come to the Lord. Many soldiers are here for only a short time, but we have seen
how God has used us poor, sorry as can be sinners, to tell them about God, His
love, and how Jesus can save them.
Secondly, we are really looking forward in 2018 to be in America and visit
many of you. We have been on the field for 25 years and it has gone by so fast.
The last time we were home for a furlough was five years ago. I know many of our
friends and supporting churches have not seen us for many years, so we are
looking forward to trying to see each of you. You are in our prayers often, and
we know we couldn’t be here if it wasn't for God and his people.
I would also appreciate everyone keeping my family and myself (namely my
health) in your prayers. I really believe the Lord’s ears are open to our
prayers. James 5:16.
In closing, our prayer is that God's Spirit would move, not only in our
services, but also in yours and that Jesus Christ would be lifted up, and all
men would be drawn near.
All because of Calvary, Matthew Welch and family
P.S. We are still working on the church building in Vaglin. Hopefully we will
finish soon. Thank you for all you have done to make this possible.
--------------------------------------------
Dear
Pastors, Churches, and Fellow Saints,
September/October 2017
"There was a marriage...Jesus was called." (John
2:1, 2)
Greetings
from the happy location of a marriage! On October 7, 2017, the Lord made it
possible for our whole family (all 21 of us) to come together for the marriage
of our daughter, Rebecca, to Mr. Jesse Lee Adcock. It was a beautiful wedding
and the Lord blessed us with His presence there. It brought back many fond
memories for me and my wife of our own wedding 34 years ago in the same
location. It was so wonderful to enjoy this special event with our loved ones
and our Lord. Our hearts were filled with joy and gratitude for the time that
we could spend together with our family. We ask God's blessing upon Jesse and
Rebecca and that their love may continue to grow for one another and for the
Lord.
During
the month of October, while we were in America we attended church services in
North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. I had the privilege of preaching in
those meetings, and the Lord blessed. Many of our family members attended
church services with us; and we were able once again to sing together for the
glory of God, just like old times.
On October
10th my father, Martin Welch, had his 85th birthday. I was able to
be with him and with my brother Kevin and his wife Barb, who take care of my
father. We thank the Lord for all the wonderful times He gave us with friends
and family during our short visit to America.
In the
summer of 2018, we hope to return to America for a year-long furlough. We would
love to visit you and give a first-hand report (Acts 14:27, 28) of the wonderful
things that the Lord is doing on the mission field in Bulgaria and Romania. If
you would be interested in setting up a meeting, please contact us.
May the Lord
continue to bless you abundantly above all that you could ask or think,
according to His riches in Christ Jesus.
All Because
of Calvary, Matthew Welch
----------------------------------------
"Then they that gladly received his word were
baptised" Acts 2:41
Dear
Pastors, Churches, and Fellow
Saints,
July-August 2017
Greetings
unto you from all the believers that are among us. We want you to know you are
in our prayers often and we thank our God for you all.
In
1979, I gladly received the Word of God and the Lord Jesus Christ as my saviour.
I was so sensitive to God's Spirit and His will. I didn't know much about God or
His Word; but, whatever God wanted was what I wanted, and whatever His word said
was good for me.
What
a blessing it is when you run into a Christian that is sold on the will of God
and the word of God. Bornchu was saved in the spring. He enjoys church and is
refreshing to be around. His joy in the Lord is contagious, and it is wonderful
to see someone grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus
Christ. 2 Peter 3:18
I know it should go without saying that when someone
receives God's word that they will follow the Lord, but oh how blessed it is to
see it actually happen. We were in a church service not long after Bornchu was
saved and mentioned to him we would be having a baptism service. We explained
how baptism was a "demonstration of the gospel", and upon the profession of our
faith in Jesus we may be baptised. Acts 8:36, 37 That is, buried in the likeness
of his death and raised in the likeness of his resurrection to walk in newness
of life, and that it was an outward demonstration of what had already happened
to us inwardly. Bornchu received it gladly and was baptised when we held our
baptismal service down by the river. All were happy to see him follow the Lord.
In Acts 8, the Ethiopian eunuch believed and was
baptised, and in verse 39 he "went on his way rejoicing". Likewise did Bornchu;
he gladly received God's word, was baptised and went on his way rejoicing. My,
my, how God's way is so simple and so good! Please pray for Bornchu and his
family. He is like all of us: he has lost loved ones who need to be saved, but
God is able. “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come
unto God by him,...” Hebrews 7:25
All because of Calvary. Matthew Welch & family
------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Pastors, Churches and Fellow Saints.
"He knoweth not how'' Mark 4:27 May - June 2017
Grace be unto you and peace from God our Father and His Son Jesus Christ. Out of
all the seasons I enjoy spring the most. After having come though winter with
its barren landscape I love seeing ''Life from the dead''. So it is in our
ministry as Christians, witnessing people who were dead in trespasses and sins
be quickened by the word of God that liveth and abideth forever. 1 Peter 2:23
Boncho's wife is Penka. She is a born again Christian and has been a member of
one of our village churches for many years. In good times and bad times she has
blessed the Lord. I have known her husband Boncho for a long time. He came to my
house years ago and plowed and planted corn with a horse. For this work I paid
him a piglet for which he was very happy. He is a nice man, but we could never
get him to come to church. In June of this year this changed. Boncho found
himself in a bad way and in need of some help that only God could provide. He
showed up at church for the worship service where we sing, pray and preach God’s
Word. The seed of God’s Word was planted. By the next week Boncho had gotten
saved by receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour. He was
rejoicing with joy unspeakable and was full of the glory of God. 1 Peter
1:8 Oh my, how this made the church rejoice. No one saw this coming! We all felt
like this farmer who “kneweth not how”.
Our
encouragement is how God’s Word is alive, and He is at work. We might "knoweth
not how'', but we do have faith in God and His word. God has given us many
promises concerning His word as in Isa.55:11. All I can say is, it’s a wonderful
thing to see God's Word spring up and bear fruit in someone’s life and soul.
We also have continued to work on the church building in Vuglen. It is coming
along well. We still have some work to do, but hopefully it will be completed
soon.
My wife and I would like to announce the engagement of our daughter Rebecca to
Mr. Jesse Adcock. Their wedding is planned for October 7th 2017, which we hope
to attend in Florida. Please pray for them as they begin a new life together.
Thank you for your prayers and support. May God bless you and keep you and make
His face shine upon you and be gracious unto you. Numbers 6:24, 25
All Because of Calvary, Matthew Welch
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
March/April 2017 - Dear Pastors, Churches, and Fellow Saints,
...always abounding in the work of the Lord... I Cor. 15:58
Greetings from the blessed saints in Bulgaria and Romania! The churches I attend
are doing well with many saints wanting me to send greetings to their brethren
in America. In many of their testimonies they always thank the Lord for the
missionaries that brought them the gospel. We remain encouraged in the work of
the Lord knowing that He is among us and will supply our every need according to
His riches in glory through Christ Jesus.
We continue to print and hand bind New Testaments and to distribute them to our
church members. They all feel very privileged to receive a copy of the Word of
God and we feel privileged to distribute it. Many of you have helped to make
this ministry possible through your generous offerings, faithful support, and
steadfast prayers.
We have started work on the church in Vugland (mentioned in a previous prayer
letter) and hopefully we will be able to meet in it soon. We are thankful for
the money that was sent in to help purchase this building and property. Mitko
Stefanov is the pastor and is a blessing to all that know him and work with him
in this ministry.
I have been dealing with a man named Micky who lives in our village. He is 72
years old and is from England. We went to his house last week to help him fix
his gate. He told us that he doesn't believe he has long to live. Pray for him
that the light of the glorious gospel would shine in his heart and he would be
saved.
I know that most of you wonder about my health. I continue to have problems but
God's grace is sufficient.
Please keep me and my family in your prayers.
All Because of Calvary, Matthew Welch
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
January/February 2017 - Dear Pastors, Churches, and Fellow Saints,
And of some have compassion, making a difference; Jude 22
Greetings from the churches in Bulgaria and Romania!
I am very thankful to be saved by the grace of God and the blood of Jesus
Christ, God's Son. I am also thankful to be called to preach God's Word and to
be a missionary with the mission of preaching the gospel of Christ. (Rom. 1:16)
In 1979 my uncle, Don Welch, made a big difference in my life by possessing the
compassion and love of Christ to testify of God's great love displayed for me in
John 3:16. It's my desire to make a difference in my family, my neighborhood, my
church, and on the mission field. The Apostle Paul said that the love of Christ
constrained him and Paul definitely made a difference in countless lives for
Christ.
We all have so many people that are acquainted with us every day. Some of the
ones I'm associated with are Zefko, Ivan, and Baba Danka and so many others.
Some are saved while others are not, but if something is going to make a
difference - it would be compassion. For over 23 years we have seen many
people's lives changed from the preaching of the gospel of Christ. They have
come from darkness to light and you have been a part of this ministry by your
faithful prayers and support that comes from your compassion. I would like to
personally thank you all for "making a difference".
In closing, I would also request that you pray for God's mercy and presence for
one of my closest friends who has a brain tumor, Preacher Don Medley, of
Brookside Baptist Church in Sugar Grove, Virginia. His love and compassion for
saints and sinners has made a big impact through the years in that part of the
country. I know that he and his wife and family would appreciate the Lord's
people holding them up in prayer during this difficult and trying time.
All Because of Calvary, Matthew Welch
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Dear Pastors, Churches, and
Fellow Saints,
September-November 2016
And they,
continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to
house,
did eat their
meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with
all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
Acts 2:46, 47
Greetings from the saints in
Bulgaria and Romania that are among us.
In these last months we have seen
the Lord touch people's hearts and provide grace for others. Mitko is a neighbor
of mine. He is 65 years old and a very good and nice man. But he is not saved.
He showed me some work he wanted done on the house that he and his mother live
in. I encouraged him to let me and my boys, James and John, to help him do it.
We worked for many days with Mitko and his cousin, Stoichko. We worked hard, but
the work went well and it was worth it.
One night when we were done I
talked to Mitko and his mother, Baba Penka, about the Bible, salvation, and the
Lord Jesus Christ. Baba Penka was so happy that the Lord had opened the door for
me to talk to her son. The next day I gave Mitko a New Testament. Since then, he
has already read it five times and said he understands it better every time he
reads it. We are thankful that as we continue in one accord to praise God that
He continues to work among us and touch people's hearts.
Please
pray for: Mitko, Stoichko and Pastor Ahmet.
We ask that you would also pray
for one of our national pastors who name is Ahmet. He is very ill and not
expected to live much longer. He has fought a good fight and has kept the faith.
All Because of Calvary, Matthew Welch
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Dear Pastors, Churches, and Fellow Saints,
July/August 2016
“And the LORD said unto
David my father, Whereas it was in thine heart to build an house unto my name,
thou didst well that it was in thine heart.” I Kings 8:18
Greetings from all the
saints that are among us to you.
The Lord has been very
good to us. He has washed us from our sins in his own blood (Rev. 1:5) and
delivered us from this present evil world. (Gal. 1:4) Notwithstanding, in His
goodness He has provided houses for us to live in, as He did for the midwives
(Ex. 1:21) and we are grateful. One day I was invited to His house and as King
David testified in Psalms 122:1 I was glad when they said unto me “Let us go
into the house of the LORD.”
The building we are
hoping to purchase in Vugland.
Baptizing a new convert with Pastor Mitko.
Most of our church
meetings are held in believers homes. These Christian saints have seen how God
has blessed them with His joy for opening up their houses. They have seen the
Lord use their homes as places of worship as in Apphia’s home. (Phil. 1:2) In
some places we have church buildings and every so often God lays it on our
hearts to try to obtain an older home to purchase and use as a meeting place for
the church.
Recently, God has done
this in a village called Vugland. We have been meeting there for over ten years.
The national pastor’s name is Mitko and he has been faithful to this church the
entire time. A place has become available and God has given us liberty to try to
purchase it. The cost is $5,600 and we believe another $2,400 would be needed to
make it work. We are assuredly gathered that God is in this. He has given us
peace to announce and ask for your help and prayers. I’m sure you would want to
have a part in this developing work of our Lord. We are glad to be a part of
this ministry. We look forward to hearing new converts say, I was glad when they
said unto me “Let us go into the house of the LORD.” Ps. 122:1
All Because of Calvary,
Matthew Welch
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May/June 2016 Dear Pastors, Churches, and Fellow Saints,
"Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house
may be filled." Luke 14:23
Periodically, we hold special revival services and bring many of the different
village churches together. We help transport the people with our vehicles and
all of them are very happy and thankful to have the blessed opportunity of
attending the meetings. Sometimes the meetings last for just one day and other
times they continue for three days. During this time everyone is served meals
and even given a place to sleep when necessary. The fellowship is so precious to
behold and reminds us of the fellowship that we have enjoyed while at the
churches in America.
Brother Matt preaching in the village church of Dabravino that he helped build
15 years ago.
The last time we held a special meeting I had driven my van to a certain town
and was waiting for everyone to show up before we headed out. A man named, Rozdi,
came by and asked where we were going. When we told him that we were going to
church he jokingly asked if any girls were going to be there. The believers in
my van didn't think it was funny at all and started correcting Rozdi for his
joke. However, I told him that there were going to be girls but that these girls
loved the Lord and were walking in His way. Then I invited him to come along and
before I knew it we were headed down the road to church with this man. Later
that night, after six hours of preaching, singing, testifying, food, and
fellowship, we headed back home with our hearts overflowing. I haven't seen
Rozdi since that day but I know the Lord touched his heart. I look forward to
inviting him to come to church again that he might hear the glorious gospel of
salvation and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Oh Lord, give us courage to go out into the highways and hedges, and to compel
the careless, comfortless, and the forsaken to come into Your House that it may
be filled!
All Because of Calvary,
Matthew Welch
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Dear Pastors, Churches, and Fellow
Saints,
March / April 2016 Prayer
Letter
God is faithful, by whom
ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Cor.
1:9
Greetings and thanks from the churches
here in Bulgaria and in Romania.
We have been very busy working hard on
a church building in Avren, Bulgaria. This lovely village is located about 15
minutes away from Dabravino where we reside. The other fellow missionaries and
even my two 15-year-old sons, James and John, are helping with the work on this
building. Some churches and individuals in America have given to this project
and we are sincerely grateful for their generosity and kindness. We still have a
lot of work that remains to be done until the building is finished but we are
trusting in the Lord's grace and help to complete it. Please keep this matter
in your prayers. We look forward to the day when we can meet together and
worship the Lord in this building.
We have been enjoying good meetings,
down the road from us, in the little village of Yunak. It's a blessing to see
the folks coming out faithfully to church. The village has only a little
Orthodox church and it is hardly ever open. We are thankful to be able to meet
together with believers there who desire to worship the Lord and fellowship with
the saints. We hold weekly services in Yunak, at the home of a 74-year-old man
named, Malcho. For many years now Malcho has had a church meeting in his home.
He has been faithful to the Lord even through the hard times and loves to
testify about God's saving grace. I thank the Lord for this man who not only
opened his heart to the Lord but also the door of his home, nearly 20 years ago,
so that we might have a place where we could worship together.
Above, Matt gave Charity a rooftop
tour of the church in Avren that she'll never forget. An inside view of the
second story of the church. And, James and John are helping out with the work
on the church building.
All Because of Calvary, Matthew Welch
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May-June 2015 Prayer Letter
“…and there was very great gladness.” Nehemiah 8:17Dear Pastors, Churches, and
Saints,
At the beginning of this year, we began having special meetings every month in
Romania and Bulgaria. In May and June, many of the believers were blessed to
come to a meeting where many villages were represented. Most of our churches are
house churches like in Romans 16:5 and cannot accommodate large groups.
Hence, for the Millet Turkish gypsies to see each other worshipping God, hear
one another’s testimony of how the Lord Jesus Christ has saved them, sing the
songs of Zion and hear God’s Word preached in one big church building is a great
thing. It brings to remembrance I Thessalonians 2:13 “For this cause also thank
we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard
of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of
God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.”
Through these meetings, many, as well as myself, have been built up in the
faith, encouraged, and edified. There is nothing like a good church service that
God is in to get you revived.
As the church increases in number, so does the need for New Testaments and song
books. A few years ago, the Lord laid a burden on the heart of our senior
missionary, Ralph Cheatwood, to purchase a house in Avren, Bulgaria. This house
will be used as a Bible and songbook manufacturing center, as well as a church
building. We have started to work on this building, and to complete it we need
approximately $20,000.
Once a young enthusiastic Christian asked a wise old spirit-filled preacher for
advice in serving God. The wise old preacher told him “Son, find out what God is
doing and get in on it.” And to God’s credit, He has carried us along and let us
get in on what He was doing; namely, building His church. Jesus said “I will
build my church” (Matthew 16:18) and I read in the Bible “…It pleased God by the
foolishness of preaching to save them that believe” (I Corinthians 1:21).
In June, my daughter Grace visited us and we went to Istanbul for three days.
After being there, and observing the spiritual darkness they are in, what a
blessing it is to see God saving people here in Bulgaria and Romania. The people
that we preach to were in the same darkness, but have entered into the light of
the glorious gospel of Christ. (II Corinthians 4:4)
I would also like to inform you that my health is well, but I do covet your
prayers “…that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even
as it is with you: And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked
men: for all men have not the faith.”
II Thessalonians 3:1-2. Laboring in the field, Matthew Welch and family
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March-April 2015 Prayer
Letter
“And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that
she may glean them, and rebuke her not.” Ruth 2:16
Dear Pastors, Churches, and Saints,
In March and April, we were very busy distributing 110lb sack of flour and a
gallon of cooking oil to each family in our churches. The Lord has shown
compassion on many of the poor believers by supplying handfuls of purpose and
blessing his people. Most of these believers live hand to mouth, that is from
God’s hand to their mouth. While most of them are poor, I have come to learn
they are rich in faith (James 2:5).
If there was a group of Christians you would want to pray for you, this would be
a good one. They just believe God will hear us when we ask, seek, and knock. I
guess we call that the faith of a little child (Luke 18:17) or of a submissive
centurion (Matthew 8).
Although they believe God has provided this food for them, they all express a
thankfulness for the Christian believers in America compassionately and
faithfully supporting God’s work.
As a missionary sent out to preach the gospel in the regions beyond, it has been
my privilege to preach how the Lord Jesus Christ is the Bread of Life and can
satisfy our spiritual hunger (John 6:35). I have also seen how God can provide a
table in the wilderness by supplying all our need in Christ Jesus.
God has blessed the distribution of flour and oil for many years. We have seen
and heard many testimonies of how believers were hungry and God provided. A
woman in one of our churches had only a little flour left. Her husband told her
to go borrow money to buy more, but she told him that she believed God would
provide for them. That same day we delivered flour and oil to her door. Her
husband couldn’t believe it, but she told him “I knew God would take care of us”
(Psalm 37:25).
We thank God for you all and may God fill your sack full of blessings that we
all may testify “O give thanks unto the LORD for He is good: for his mercy
endureth for ever.” Psalm 107:1
All because of Calvary, Matthew Welch and family
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Dear Pastors, Churches, and Fellow Saints,
September/October, 2014
“Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for
whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye
sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength". Nehemiah 8:10
We send greetings from all the churches here. We are bound to thank God always
for you, brethren, as it is meet, for all your prayers, support, and fellowship
in the gospel.
As many of you know, some years ago, the Lord blessed the believers here by
visiting His people in giving them bread (Ruth 1). For the last 21 years we have
preached that Jesus said “I am the bread of life, he that cometh to me shall
never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst”. Thank God we have
never hungered, nor thirsted spiritually. Jesus satisfied our soul’s hunger and
thirst, and filled our hearts with His love. But God has also supplied our
physical needs. They asked,” Can God provide a table in the wilderness?” We
answer, ”Praise God, yes!”. He has provided, He is providing, and He shall
provide for His people. When Ruth heard that the Lord had visited His people, in
giving them bread, she was touched and moved. Through the years we have seen God
visit his people, and bless them through your prayers and support.
We started years ago in Bulgaria helping the needy church families with food.
What began with a two pound bag of rice and beans, and a 10 pound bag of flour
has now grown to a 110 pound bag of flour, and a gallon of cooking oil. This is
distributed once a year during the winter. This amount helps many believers
through the "HARD PART" of winter. After our last camp meeting in Romania,
senior missionary, Ralph Cheatwood asked me to come back to America to tell the
churches about this need, and how God has touched many hearts through the flour
and oil distributions each year. Being assuredly gathered that the Lord had
opened the door I arrived in early October to America. I have traveled 5,000
miles in one month and have attended over 25 church services. I will return back
to Bulgaria in early December. Many churches have said they would like
contribute and have done so. We know many more would like to be a part of this
blessed endeavor to help “send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared”.
All Because of Calvary, Matthew Welch
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Dear Pastors,
Churches, and Fellow Saints,
July - August 2014
Paul, a
prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother, unto Philemon our dearly
beloved, and fellowlabourer, And to our beloved Apphia, and Archippus our
fellowsoldier,
and to the church in thy house: Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father and
the Lord Jesus Christ. Philemon 1-3
Our work here
is similar to Philemon’s, in that we meet in houses. We have around 100
churches in Bulgaria and Romania. Our weekly church services are held in the
home of one of our members. We have seen God bless these meetings with his
presence. We have also seen how important it is for everyone to feel welcome.
If God can work on our people's hearts and help us to praise Him and to preach
the gospel, we have the promise that Jesus will draw sinners unto himself, and
that by our worship many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.
Psalm 40:3
Philemon is
addressed as a fellow laborer. Thank God for fellow laborers. One of our
fellow labors is a man named Ahmet, who was saved about four years ago in a
village called Kamendyal. Ahmet is a laborer for Jesus, and a blessing to me.
He set aside a room of his house, and prepared it just for church services. He
not only labors with me in and for the gospel, but also labors fervently for
others in prayer. Like Nehemiah, I am encouraged to have fellow laborers to
help build the walls for the protection of God’s people.
We also thank
God for fellow soldiers in the church, men like Alish, Ismail, Malcho, Demir,
and many others, as we not only have a work, but we are also in a war. Praise
God for men that are earnestly contending for the faith; and that are not
ashamed to shout for the battle; and are prepared for the fight. The Captain of
our salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ, is our leader and head. He is the one we
are looking unto for victory. All these men helped me personally in the work of
the ministry. During July and August we met many times together to have our
weekly services, as well as special meetings. During this time as well, some 50
adults were baptized upon the profession of their faith in the death, burial,
and resurrection of the Son of God the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul writes
Philemon to those he addresses as beloved. God has put a special love in the
hearts of his people for one another. Zaira, an older woman from our village,
comes with me to almost all the services I attend, and helps with the singing.
She reminds me of the singers Jehoshaphat appointed to go before the army,
singing Praise the Lord, for His mercy endureth for ever. 2 Chronicles 20:21
For these
brethren as well as for all you pastors, churches, and fellow saints, I can
truly say as Paul, I thank my God upon every remembrance of you. Philippians
1:3 May God continue to strengthen us all, and may we be strong in the Lord,
and in the power of his might. Ephesians 6:10
All because of
Calvary, Matthew Welch
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
June 2014
Dear Pastors, Churches, and Fellow Saints,
We send greetings from all the saints that are among us in the Lord Jesus
Christ. In times of trouble the apostle Paul testified that the Lord spoke to
him (Acts 18), stood by him (Acts 23),and continued with him (Acts 27). In times
of despair, trouble, and uncertainty, I am thankful that the Lord has promised
us as believers that He will never leave us nor forsake us. (Heb. 13) There is
no one like the Lord. His word is alive and His presence is life changing.
In the months of March and April, we again held special meetings. We brought
some of our local churches together for revival services. We have tried to
continue to do this every month for the purpose that everyone may grow and be
edified in the Lord and many have been helped.
Many of these people have never even been out of their village so for them it is
special to come to a revival meeting. It also has been good for their local
churches because after the meetings almost everyone returns “fired up” and
testifying of God's goodness.
Many of you know that last year with your help we were able to purchase a few
vehicles for some of our national pastors. They were all very thankful to God
for you all supplying this need. It has been a great help and blessing. These
men have meetings almost every day of the week and you have helped to enable
them to feed the flock of God.
The last time I purchased a vehicle for myself was almost ten years ago. My van
has over 500,000 km on it. This van has been a great help to the ministry from
bringing people to church to delivering food to the feeding centers. We would
like to purchase another vehicle for the work. We could really use your help and
prayers. It is much needed and will be used for God's service.
In April, we returned to America for six weeks. During this time we were able to
visit my 82 year old father, attend a family reunion, and go to my daughter's
graduation from college. Rebecca graduated with a degree in Nursing.
Unfortunately, I had to be hospitalized the day after we arrived in America. I
started having problems on the trip over. I was in the hospital for three days.
Due to these unforeseen circumstances, this letter is just now getting to you.
Our desire is to return to America again in two years for a furlough; at which
time we would like to visit all of you.
All Because of Calvary, Matthew Welch
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Dear Pastors, Churches, and Fellow Saints,
January/February
2014
Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord... (2 Tim. 1:8)
The first two months of this year have gone well. We held another revival
meeting in late January. Usually due to the weather we are unable to have
meetings at this time of year; however, it was very mild for January, so we
decided to schedule a meeting. For some of the people who came out, it was their
first time to hear the gospel preached. The Lord dealt with many hearts and we
had very good services.
The next morning we woke up to a snowstorm. It was the first snowfall of the
winter and it was a heavy one. A couple days later another big storm hit and we
got even more snow. We were "snowed in" the village for nearly two weeks. We
were very thankful to God that we had been able to have that revival meeting and
that everyone had returned safely to their villages before the blizzard hit.
We are trying to have these special revival meetings at least once a month. We
bring together people from a number of the churches we have started. Whether
from a gospel song, a testimony, preaching or the fellowship of the believers in
Christ; everyone is helped by these meetings. There is definitely no shortage of
finding people who want to come.
One man, named Rayim, gave a testimony and said that before he was saved he went
to one of these revival meetings. He looked at the believers who were enjoying
the service and said to himself, "They are all crazy!" But a little while later
he was under conviction and thought, "Are they crazy or am I the crazy one?"
Soon after this Rayim was sent to prison. He began to pray to God that the
warden would give him a week pass to go home. He told the Lord that he wanted to
go back to church. When the other inmates heard what he was praying for they
laughed and told him he was crazy. They said the warden would never let him go.
But the next morning, to everyone's surprise, the warden called him into his
office and gave him a week pass to go home. Well, he returned home and went to
church, and got saved by the grace of God!
Upon returning back to prison, Rayim chided himself for not having asked the
Lord to release him indefinitely. He began to pray about his release and again
the other inmates laughed at him. Amazingly, the next day he was called once
again by the warden who told him, "You have been a good prisoner so today you
will be freed." He was so happy! When the inmates heard this news they couldn't
believe it and said, "We want to become believers, too!"
Rayim returned home and now attends church regularly. He loves to tell his
testimony about how the Lord delivered him.
The Bible says in Acts 12 that "the iron gate...opened...of his own accord"
letting Peter out of prison. Only the Lord can so miraculously deliver those who
are in bonds. We pray that God might work this same way in all of our lives, and
in the lives of our loved ones.
All Because Of Calvary, Matthew Welch
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Dear Pastors, Churches, and Fellow
Saints,
March 2013
We send greetings from all the churches that are among us in Christ Jesus. Grace
be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
We would like to praise the Lord for visiting his people in giving them bread
(Ruth 1). God has greatly blessed the flour and oil distribution of 2013. To
date, we have distributed over 140,000 pounds of flour and more than 1,500
gallons of oil to the families in our churches. Every family receives 110 pounds
of flour and a gallon of oil. For many who live from hand to mouth, and truly
live by faith, this is such a blessing. They rejoice how God has provided for
them during the most difficult time of the year when most people have no work or
money. Many people have gone to Germany or Holland to find work but most have
returned empty and hungry. I cannot begin to tell you of all the joy that has
come from the most needy believers and how they have testified about God
providing for them. They give thanks to the Lord for laying the Bulgarian
Christian believers on the hearts of American Christians.
Here are a few testimonies from the believers:
A woman from the village of Sadovo said, "I am a shut-in and I was going to ask
someone to buy me 10 pounds of flour and I would try to repay them when I
received my pension. That same day the pastor came with a truckload of flour.
The Lord gave me ten times more than I asked for! Praise be to God!"
In Yankovo, two families were living
together for the winter. By February, all the canned goods they had laid up for
the winter were gone, as well as the flour. As they were going to the store to
see if they could get credit for a 25 kilogram bag of flour, word came to "Bring
your horse-cart to the church. God has given us flour!" They returned home
praising God, with 50 kilograms of flour and a big jug of oil.
In another village, a Christian woman was praying as she watched her family
shaking the last of the flour from a sack. Some neighbors made fun of her as
they watched her praying for more flour. Then, they heard that a truckload of
flour had just arrived at the church. The woman ran and told her husband, "See
there is a God, and He has heard our prayer! Before the bread ran out He has
given us more!"
We have seen thousands blessed and provided for by the Lord's hand. Truly, many
here pray, "Give us this day our daily bread", and He still answers prayer. To
God be the glory!
Because of Calvary, Matthew Welch
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Dear Pastors, Churches, and Fellow
Saints, December 2012 Prayer Letter
...for the Lord sustained me. Psalm
3:5
...he shall sustain thee... Psalm 55:22
Greetings from the churches in the
Lord Jesus Christ which are among us in Bulgaria and Romania!
We are bound to thank God for you all, and for your prayers and support of the
Lord's work here. From the weekly services, to the many special meetings that we
have held throughout the past year, God has been so good to us, and we have seen
His people grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ.
In November and December we were occupied mostly with our meetings. We have nine
different villages that we attend weekly. The believers here pray for the
American believers and are thankful for them sending someone to tell them about
God's plan of salvation, through the Lord Jesus Christ. They are very open to
the gospel. Rarely do we have someone turn down gospel literature, or DVD's with
preaching and singing. We thank the Lord for the numerous opportunities we have
to present the gospel and to help others who are in need.
Recently we had the blessing and privilege of seeing a 60 year old man named,
Ahmet, come to Christ. He is from the village of Kamendial. Please remember to
pray for him.
In December the Lord blessed us with the happy reunion of all ten of our
children (and a son-in-law, a daughter-in-law, and three grandchildren). It had
been five years since we all had been together. We are so grateful that we were
able to celebrate the holiday season at our home in Dabravino, Bulgaria.
Please continue to keep us and our ministry in your prayers.
All Because of Calvary, Matthew Welch
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Dear Pastors, Churches, and
Fellow Saints,
October 2012 Prayer Letter
But we desire to hear of
thee what thou thinkest:...to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of
God, persuading them concerning Jesus... Acts 28:22, 23
During the month of August,
we held special Turkish meetings in Constanta, Romania. We traveled from
Bulgaria and made a couple of trips back and forth in order to bring some of the
believers from Bulgaria. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough room to bring
everyone that wanted to come. Some of the people we invited were not
Christians, but we invited them in hopes that they might become believers in the
Lord Jesus Christ.
Pappe, is a 21 year old
woman whose mother is a Christian. We hold church services in her mother's home
every week. Ahmet, a national pastor, had a burden for Pappe; so he invited her
to attend these meetings. Even though she was not a believer, she accepted the
invitation and came with us to Romania.
We started the meeting,
singing hymns. The hymns do a thorough job of breaking up the ground and
preparing hearts to hear and receive the Word of God when it is preached. After
much singing, there was a time of testifying. Many believers stood up telling
about God's grace and goodness to them. Some told of how Jesus had brought them
out of the miry pit. Others, told how the Lord had brought them through trials
and sickness and given them grace and peace through it all. All the testimonies
lifted up the Lord. In this, we have seen God honor his Word; for Jesus said,
"If I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto me." (Jn.12:32)
After the singing and the testifying, came the preaching from the Word of God.
"For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us
which are saved it is the power of God." (1 Cor.1:18)
We
have seen His power in action and His Spirit dealing with many souls. But, I
must admit, I didn't know God was dealing with the young woman. Pappe stood up,
during one of the meetings and told everyone that she was not a Christian.
However, after listening to the singing and testifying, and hearing the
preaching of God's Word, she now believed with all her heart that Jesus died for
her and rose again. Her testimony has been an encouragement to all of us as we
see how God is working in her life. She came to the church meeting in Romania
empty, but she left full.
By the time she returned
back to Bulgaria she was on fire for the Lord. A few days later, I heard her
testify about the meeting in Romania, at her mother's home. Her face was
glowing and her heart full of joy because the Lord had saved her. She said, "I
just believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and I was saved. That's all I did!" In
Turkish it translates, "Bu kadar yaptim!" A week later, Pappe attended a
baptismal service in Dabravino. The believers gathered around the banks of the
river and sang hymns as Pappe was baptized.
Before closing this letter,
I would like to mention that in September, 2010, I was diagnosed with
Parkinson's disease. I am still in the early stages. The Lord is helping me;
but, I do covet your prayers. I count it a great privilege to be on the mission
field. I know that God's grace has been sufficient in the past and am confident
it will be so in the future.
All Because Of Calvary,
Matthew Welch
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear
Pastors, Churches, and Fellow Saints,
March/April 2012 Prayer Letter
…The
harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of
the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest. Luke 10:2
We send
greetings to you from all the saints that are among us. These past few months
have been very busy for us. We’ve been going to church meetings almost every
day, and have helped to distribute over 190,000 pounds of flour and oil to
hungry and needy church families. I count it a real honor to be here on the
mission field, and see the Lord work. What a privilege and blessing to labor
together with God (1 Cor. 3:9). It makes all the difference when He is working
with us, but how vain it is when we try to do the Lord’s work alone.
Thanks be
to God that He has mercy on us and has promised to bless His Word! “So shall my
word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but
it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing
whereto I sent it.” (Isa. 55:11) Therefore we have purposed in our hearts and
in this work to go with God’s Word: to believe It, sow It, and preach It. How
God has blessed the preaching of His Word! And having said that, I ask for you
to pray for me, that the Lord would help me with the different languages, that I
might speak clearly, and that the Word of God would have free course and be
glorified. (2 Thess. 3:1)
We ask
that you continue to pray for a young man that attends services with me named
Remzi. He is 19 years old and is the grandson of Pastor Hassan who passed away
last year. We have a real need for national pastors. Please pray that God would
have His will in Remzi’s life, and that this young man would go with God,
whether or not He calls him into His work. His grandmother, Kadrie, still comes
to the meetings and helps with the singing and testifying. She is in poor
health and we ask that you would remember her in your prayers.
We have
been distributing the Gospel of John and Romans in the Bulgarian language. It
was translated by one of our national pastors, Mitko Stefanov, and printed by
Bearing Precious Seed ministry in Ohio. It is still very rare to have someone
refuse a gospel tract or pamphlet, or a Bible. The people here are very open to
the gospel.
Before we
close we would like to mention one more special prayer request. We ask that you
pray for Teresa Nixon, who is suffering from pancreatic cancer. She is the wife
of Mike Nixon, our mission board director, and pastor of Brookside Baptist
Church in Bristol, Tennessee. We know that they earnestly covet the prayers of
the saints during this difficult and trying time.
All
Because Of Calvary, Matthew Welch
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear
Pastors, Churches, and Fellow
Saints, And
he went on his way rejoicing. Acts 8:39b
February 2012 Prayer Letter
Greetings
from Bulgaria and Romania! This winter was very long and cold. We are looking
forward to warm weather, blossoming trees, blooming flowers, and the return of
the songbirds. What a beautiful song they make and how sweet it comes to our
ears!
We have
been enjoying good church services in the villages where we minister. We have
been taking new believers around with us to attend these services and it has
been a blessing for them. A new believer, whose name is Negibe, recently
traveled with us to a few church services. She is about 55 years old and was
saved and baptized about a year and a half ago. It was her first time to travel
with us. From the moment she got in the van and heard the Turkish gospel hymns
playing, she joined in singing and rejoiced the whole way to the meeting. When
we finally arrived at the church, she could hardly wait to stand up and
testify. She told how good the Lord was to her and that she was so glad to be
saved. She also said that she wanted all of us to go to the village where she
grew up and preach the gospel there. We told her that we would and she
rejoiced. It was such a blessing and encouragement to be around a new Christian
that hadn’t gotten over being born again.
The church
in Kamendale, was recently relocated due to the death of the 80 year old woman
in whose home we met for years. We have started meeting in the home of another
believer. She was saved a few years ago but her husband was not saved. Her
husband would not attend the meeting in their home. We could, however, see him
seated at the upstairs window listening to the preaching and singing. It
continued like this for a couple of weeks. One day, her husband finally came
into the service. He testified how he had listened for weeks, and the Lord had
touched his heart. We are joyful to welcome him into the family of God. His is
now inviting many people to come to the church services. It is wonderful to
witness how Psalm 40:3 has come to pass. “He hath put a new
song in my mouth, even praise unto our God; many shall see it, and fear, and
shall trust in the Lord.” Please remember this couple in your prayers.
All
Because Of Calvary, Matthew Welch and Family
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear
Pastors, Churches, and Fellow Saints,
November/December 2011 Prayer Letter
“…behold I
bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you
is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” Luke
2:10, 11
Greetings
we send you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Mustafa is
the name of the man we prayed for and witnessed to yesterday. He is up in years
and unfortunately from lack of circulation had to have one of his legs
amputated. The Lord opened the door that we could go and testify to him. After
church his wife asked if we could come and pray for him. His wife became a
Christian about 20 years ago along with many family members, but Mustafa never
showed an interest.
The
national pastor Brother Demir, and I went to Mustafa’s home. Demir talked for
awhile to him and then asked me if I had anything to say. I told Mustafa that I
was sorry that he had to have his leg removed and that I could tell he was a
real hard-working man. I told him that I knew it was difficult for him to be in
a wheelchair. I said that my father had both of his legs amputated and I knew
it was hard for him. We then testified to him how that one day the believers in
Christ would have a new body that would always be whole. We as Christians are
truly blessed with God’s peace, comfort, and promises in the Bible. Then we
encouraged Mustafa to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.
He sat there and listened and we were glad to take “good tidings of great joy”
to him. We will return after a while and pray for him again and for his
salvation. Please remember Mustafa in your prayers.
During the
months of November and December I had the privilege of visiting our churches in
the cities of Dobrotich, Mihailich, Shumen, Brestak, and Suvorovo. Most of
these churches were started some 18 years ago and are still going strong for the
Lord. I really enjoyed hearing what Bro. Ralph Cheatwood, our senior missionary
said when asked by a Christian what do we do here as a ministry. Bro. Ralph
testified, “We have church.” This means we sing hymns, pray, testify, and
preach from God’s Word. This is what we do when we visit the churches.
We are
looking forward to the New Year to see God’s workings among us, and where the
Lord will open another door to start a church. I thank the Lord for the
fellowship we have in the Gospel. It is a blessing to “have church” and we will
continue to trust in the words of our Lord Jesus Christ who said, “If I be
lifted up from the earth I will draw all men unto me.” John 12:32
Your
Servants For Christ, Matthew Welch and Family
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I
thank my God upon every remembrance of you. (Phil. 1:3)
Dear Pastors,
Churches, and Fellow Saints,
September/October 2011 Prayer Letter
Greetings we send you from Bulgaria and Romania! We would like to thank God for
the six month furlough we enjoyed in America. We had not returned for seven
years and it was such a blessing to have fellowship with you again. We have
missed you and we were strengthened in the Lord through you all. While in
America we presented and testified about our mission work in over 50 churches.
We were privileged to be reunited with many friends and family. We were
encouraged by many of you and know that you pray for us and for the work here.
Thank you for holding us up in your prayers. (Exod. 17:11,12)
It was a
joy for us to return to Bulgaria and Romania. We love the people here and the
Lord has knit our hearts together in love. It is a blessing that we have the
privilege to preach the gospel of Christ. We have seen many people receive Jesus
Christ as their personal Lord and Savior and become brothers and sisters in
God’s family.
During our
furlough in America we received news about two of the believers passing away.
Hassan, a national pastor that I worked with, and also our neighbor Grandma Gina
have gone to be with the Lord. We were saddened by the news but rejoice in our
hearts to know that we will see each other again in Heaven. Their testimonies
live on here and the believers make mention of them in nearly every worship
service.
The
national pastors are doing well and staying busy with preaching and visiting the
churches daily. I have been attending meetings with a national pastor named
Demir who has taken some of Bro. Hassan’s meetings. The Lord has blessed this
and Demir was thankful that he could help fill the gap. He is a faithful
Christian, and a good preacher, and has been working with us for about 18
years. Please remember him and his family in your prayers.
The house
churches are also doing well. Everyone was rejoicing to see us once again in
the church services. It’s good to worship with the believers and to hear them
testify about the Lord and His goodness to them. They never cease to praise the
Lord in every service for healing their diseases, and meeting their needs, and
for sending American missionaries to preach to them the gospel of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
All
Because Of Calvary, Matthew Welch
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There stood
a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help
us. Acts 16:9
Dear
Pastors, Churches, and Fellow Saints,
July/August 2011 Prayer Letter
This will
be the last time we will be greeting you all while here on furlough in America.
Our date for returning to Bulgaria is October 5th. We regretfully
acknowledge our inability to have visited with all of you. It has been good to
be in America and visit with churches, friends and family. During our time here
we have had the blessing of visiting my father Martin Welch, who is 79 years old
and in poor health. We covet your prayers for him. While here I also had the
blessing and privilege of baptizing my 21 year old son, Mark. Our prayer for
him is that he would present his body as a living sacrifice to God, which we
believe is the best thing for anyone.
Since being
called and surrendering to go to Bulgaria in 1993 it has been our greatest
desire to preach the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and to help the Bulgarian
and Romanian preachers to do the same. In 18 years of missionary service we
have had the privilege to help a number of national pastors: Yashar, Ahmet,
Nasuf, Demir, Ali, Alish, and Hassan, just to name a few. These men were from
all different walks of life but they all had a common salvation in the Lord
Jesus Christ and a desire to preach and spread the gospel of the grace of God to
their own people. We have tried to faithfully supply these men with Bibles,
songbooks, CDs, DVDs, and the funds to meet their needs.
We were
saddened recently to receive news about the death of one of our national pastors
whose name was Hassan. He was only 59 years old and is survived by his wife,
Kadrie, four children, and many grandchildren. He was a good preacher who loved
God, his family, and the church. He was a real inspiration when it came to
prayer and he had the faith to ask, seek, and knock. Many times I
have seen him receive an answer from God, find a way through God,
and have the windows of Heaven opened to him by God. He was a good
shepherd of the eight churches he pastured. I enjoyed being with him in worship
services, but from now on his place will be empty, and he will surely be
missed. I look forward to worshiping the Lord with him again one day in Heaven.
All Because
Of Calvary, Matthew Welch
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach except
they be sent? Romans 10:14, 15
Dear Pastors,
Churches, and Fellow Saints,
May/June 2011 Prayer Letter
Greetings we send to
you all in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
I am thankful for the
high calling of God in Christ Jesus to preach the gospel of Christ. For I
am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto
salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Romans 1:16 We are thankful for being sent nearly 20 years ago by our
local, New Testament church, Galilean Baptist Church (Pastor David Fredrick).
By God’s grace and your faithful prayers and support we have been able to go and
preach in the field that the Lord has called us to work in. Our work is a labor
of love that is accomplished only through the Lord, His grace, and the people of
God.
Since returning to
America in April we have been in over 30 churches. We have presented our burden
for the Bulgarian and Romanian people. We have also spoken about some of the
special needs of our ministry.
Our work overseas is
centered on the local churches. We hold church services every day of the week in
different villages. I attend these services with our local national pastors.
We help these pastors with their various needs in order for them to be able to
reach these churches with the gospel. This is where the need of transportation
arises. We are saving up money toward a vehicle for ourselves and also for some
of the national pastors that work directly with us. We are also trying to raise
extra funds for gasoline expense. We currently pay seven to eight dollars for a
gallon of gas.
These national pastors
are good men and they need our support to reach their people with God’s Word.
This is our main concern and objective. Perhaps you could help with this real
need by taking on one of these pastors in the amount of 100 dollars a month.
The support can be sent to us and designated for national pastors.
On April 25th,
our dear Bulgarian neighbor, Grandma Gina went to be with the Lord. She was 95
years old when she passed away. She was severely crippled from arthritis and
suffered daily from the pain associated with that disease. Grandma Gina lived
alone and would have to crawl on her hands to get around her little home. She
was so ill and very poor but more than anything she was lonely. We often
visited her during the five years that we were neighbors. The Lord touched my
wife’s heart and impressed her to read the Scripture to Grandma Gina and to sing
hymns and pray with her. Grandma Gina responded with an open heart to all these
things and in time received the Lord Jesus Christ as her Savior. Although she
was blind in one eye and had cataracts in the other she began to read the New
Testament daily. She also loved the hymns and started singing them heartily.
“Pray that God would take me to heaven soon”, Grandma Gina would say every time
Jane grabbed her withered hands to pray with her. And God shall wipe away
all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor
crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed
away. Revelation 21:4 We will miss her dearly but we look forward to
being reunited with her once again in heaven.
At the end of June our
16 year old daughter, Sarah had major shoulder surgery at a hospital in Bristol,
Tennessee. She had injured her shoulder from a fall four years ago in Bulgaria
but the bone damage went undetected by the specialists there. Sarah’s condition
worsened since our return to the States and we sought medical attention for
her. An x-ray revealed that there was a one-inch bone chunk imbedded in the
ligament of the shoulder socket. We are very thankful that this was discovered
and that she could get the medical help that she needed. Sarah is doing well
since the surgery and will begin physical therapy in August.
All Because Of
Calvary, Matthew Welch
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and In the
Holy Ghost, and in much assurance... (1 Thes. 1:5)
Dear Pastors, Churches, and Fellow
Saints.
January-March 2011 Prayer Letter
I am thankful for the gospel that
we preach. To see people come to our Lord Jesus Christ through the preaching of
the Word of God is our desire I've witnessed many times the power of the gospel
of Christ arid how it can change a person from the inside out.
Shaban is 45 years old and lives
in a Bulgarian village called Dalgopol. The first time I saw him was at a church
service and he seemed unresponsive and cold to the gospel. But the Holy Ghost
was dealing in his heart and bidding him to come to Christ. A couple of days
later I couldn't believe my eyes when he walked into a church service again.
Shaban had become a new creature in Christ. He now loves to attend the church
services and sing the hymns. When he wants to testify about the Lord everyone is
edified. Please pray for Shaban, his wife, and his children.
In the month of February our 16
year old daughter, Sarah, became seriously ill. She was rushed to the hospital
and admitted into the intensive care ward. She had all the symptoms of
meningitis; however, all the tests came back negative. She spent 12 long and
fearful days at the hospital in Varna, Bulgaria. When she was released we were
told that she had contracted an unidentified virus. Sarah recuperated at home
over the next month and slowly improved. She is now enjoying good health and
thankful for all of your prayers and concern for her during that illness. Jane
and I also want to express our gratitude to the churches and individuals who
prayed us through that difficult time.
On March 11th our son-in-law
William and our daughter Hannah, along with our two grandsons Carrick and
Christian arrived in Dabravino Bulgaria. William and Hannah are both very
excited and grateful to be a part of the mission work in Bulgaria and Romania.
They have already begun language studies and are attending church services in
the village. They are living in our home while we are on furlough in the States.
We are so thankful for how the Lord has worked out this situation for them and
for us. Please remember them in your prayers.
On March 29th I arrived at the
Dulles Airport in Washington D.C with my wife and our five children. We praise
the Lord that we had a good trip back to America. We are presently residing in
Sugar Grove. Virginia. We have been visiting churches in Virginia and Tennessee
and look forward to visiting many others over the next five months.
Our new phone numbers are: Matt
423-534-7695 Jane 423-534-7562
It's a blessing to be back in the
United States and we are looking forward to seeing our friends, families, and
supporting churches once again.
All Because Of Calvary, Matthew
Welch and Family
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“For we are labourers together with God” 1 Corinthians 3:9a
Dear Pastors, Churches, and Fellow Saints,
November/December 2010
We send greetings from the churches in Bulgaria and Romania. We have seen the
Lord work much in the year 2010. We are thankful for the privilege of laboring
together with God, although I must admit that I feel like the little boy who
helped his daddy build the big house. God has been merciful in letting us have a
part in building His church.
At a church service in the village of Komarovo I preached in Turkish from
Psalm 40. The people received the message well and it was such a blessing to see
how they could rejoice in the Lord because of the "new song" that He has put in
their mouths, "even praise unto our God." We have seen this new church grow in
the Lord, in faith, and in number. This past summer the believers from Komarovo
followed the Lord in baptism at a worship service we held on the riverbanks. I
believe that because of the "new song" of these new converts, many have seen,
and feared, and have trusted in the Lord.
Recently I have been taking a young man named Emra to some of the church
services that we hold in other towns. Emra is 18 years old and has had a rough
life. When he was just 13 years old his mother (his only guardian) was killed in
an accident. Since then he has lived with whoever would have him. Hassan, one of
our national pastors, has opened up his door to him many times. The Lord has
used this and is working on Emra's heart and we would ask you to pray for his
salvation.
We are proud to announce the birth of our second grandson, Christian Asher
LeFevre, born to William and Hannah LeFevre on December 20th. William and
Hannah, with their two sons, are looking forward to coming to Bulgaria in March.
Please pray for them as they prepare to leave the States, and also for the
Lord's blessings on their new life and ministry in Bulgaria.
We have been making final preparations for our furlough in America. We will
be arriving in the States at the end of March and returning back to Bulgaria at
the end of August. There are many particular needs that come with such a trip
and we would covet your prayers concerning God's provision and guidance.
All Because Of Calvary, Matthew Welch and Family
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For God is gone forth before thee...(IChron.14:15)
Dear Pastors, Churches, and Fellow Saints,
September/October 2010
The Lord's work here in Bulgaria continues to flourish. The other night after
church services in Marcovo and Sneshna we stopped in a village named Komarevo
for the first time. We went to the home of a woman called Elmas. Her daughter is
45 years old and became a Christian just a few months ago at our meeting in
Sneshna. We sang gospel songs at the home and prayed with the people there.
These people were very touched and God's Holy Spirit was speaking to their
hearts. Then they cried and rejoiced when we told them we were going to start a
gospel meeting in their village. While there we also gave away DVDs that have
Turkish hymns and testimonies, and a message from John 3. It was wonderful to
see such a hunger for God and His Word. While we were singing the hymns in the
house some of the neighbors started coming over and asked why they had not been
invited to the meeting. Well, of course it was because Elmas had not known that
we would be coming but by the end of the night we all could tell that God had
gone before us.
Just recently, in the village of Dalgopol we had the great blessing of
celebrating the birthday of a young man named Ali. He is 25 years old and is
mentally and physically handicapped. He lives with his mother and it is in her
home that we hold a church meeting. It was a few weeks ago during a church
service that we were taking requests for songs and I asked Ali which song he
would like to sing. Some of the folks there said that he didn't know any of the
songs. But I told them that he probably knows more hymns than any of us because
the church has been meeting in his home for years and the Lord knows he has been
the most faithful member. Then his mother told me which hymn he likes and so we
all sang it. Afterwards I asked when Ali's birthday was and they told me it was
in the month of May. But we decided that even though it had passed we would
celebrate it in October. And what a celebration it was! All of the church folk
got involved in the preparations and on the day of the celebration there was a
houseful of people. We held a church service first and then we celebrated Ali's
birthday. Ali was so happy that he cried.
At that same meeting in Dalgopol, Riza and his brother Shaban preached and
testified. They are brothers and were both saved this past summer. They are in
their early thirties and married and have several children. Their mother has
been a faithful church member for years and prayed fervently for her boys. She
gets such a blessing when they preach and testify in the services. In the past
she cried and prayed for them to be saved and now that they are she stills cries
but the tears are tears of joy and thankfulness.
A few months ago we announced that our son-in-law, William LeFevre, and our
daughter Hannah surrendered to the mission field. If you would like to contact
them for a meeting, enclosed is their prayer card. Please remember them in your
thoughts and prayers.
All Because Of Calvary, Matthew Welch and Family
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Pastors, Churches, and
Fellow Saints,
July\August 2010
...Go
ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. (Mark 16:15)
Greetings
we send you all in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
To begin with I would
like to thank the Lord for the work here. It makes all the difference when God
is blessing. It has been refreshing to see His Spirit working in people's
hearts and lives.
Riza was saved not long ago in one of our church services in the town of
Dalgopol. I have written about him previously and now it seems that the Lord is
calling him to preach His Word. Last week in his home church he preached for
the first time from the gospel of Mark. Everyone was blessed and God spoke to
our hearts through his preaching. When the service was over we all rejoiced in
the Lord knowing that God was working among us.
I had the privilege to visit 5 of our churches pastored by Bro. Demir who
is a national pastor from the city of Provadia. I have not been in these
churches for some time and it was good to see at each church there were new
converts. They were all so happy to give their testimonies about how they had
come to the Lord and gotten saved. I am thankful we have stayed with preaching
the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom.1:16). People continue to come to Him
and are saved by the blood of the Crucified One.
This summer has been busy with a number of baptismal services. Over one
hundred adults have been baptized. I had the privilege to baptize my 17 year
old daughter, Rebecca, who professed her faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and was
baptized in the likeness of His death and raised in the likeness of His
resurrection. It was wonderful! What a blessed gospel we preach! What hope
and good news we have to give to our children and to the rest of this world!
(Matt. 28:19-20)
We continue to produce and distribute DVDs of singing, testimonies, and
Bro. Ralph Cheatwood preaching. The Lord is using them all over this land.
Last week we sent over 50 DVDs to Spain with a Turkish family from one of our
churches. The family works there and said that there are over 200
Bulgarian-Turkish families in their area.
In closing I would like to mention that in February of 2010 we will be
applying for permanent visas. We have been on the mission field for 16 years
through your prayers and support and this is the first time we have had this
opportunity. Up to this time we have only been able to purchase yearly visas at
a cost of $5,000. These permanent visas will cost about $10,000 . We
would appreciate your prayers concerning this need.
Your Servants
For Jesus' Sake, Matthew Welch and Family
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Pastors, Churches, and Fellow Saints,
May/June 2010
“I
thank my God always on your behalf for the grace of God which is given you by
Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 1:4
We would like to thank you all for being so faithful in supporting our Lord's
work here during these difficult times. We are aware of some of the financial
problems many of you are experiencing, and we want you to know that you are in
our prayers. We are also grateful for the support and prayers concerning
obtaining a residence visa in Bulgaria. This visa was granted to me at the end
of June. After that we started the process for my wife's and children's visas.
They should be completed by September.
Our Lord's work in Bulgaria continues to flourish. There is still a hunger for
the Word of God in the churches and among the lost. We have been bringing in
car-loads, van-loads, and sometimes bus-loads of people to special church
services that we have been holding in our village of Dabravino. The believers
are encouraged by the hymns, and by the many testimonies of God's goodness; but
best of all, the Word of God is preached. Bro. Ralph Cheatwood preaches at
these services in Dabravino on Sundays. The Lord has done a great work through
him and his ministry.
We have been holding church services for the past 15 years in the home of a
Turkish woman named Melek. Last month, tragedy came to her home when she found
out that her 35 year old son had been killed in a building accident. She and
her husband were grief-stricken along with the rest of the family. Many of the
believers visited them and prayed with them during those difficult days. What a
blessing it was, when a couple of weeks ago, Melek and her husband attended one
of the special services in Dabravino. They stood and testified of the grace of
God, and the peace that He has given them in the midst of all the darkness and
sorrow. Everyone that had grieved with them was now rejoicing that the Lord had
given them the victory.
I have some Bulgarian neighbors and friends that I would like you to pray for.
Elion and his wife Katy are our close neighbors, and they are lost. I have
witnessed to Elion about the Lord Jesus Christ, and about his soul's need of
salvation. I also gave away two New Testaments to a couple of Bulgarian friends
of mine who are bee-keepers. Mitko and Vasko were very interested, and started
reading them at once. So many are blinded to their need
(2 Corinthians 4:4), but God is still working and saving souls every day, and we
continue to invite sinners to come to Him.
We have the privilege to announce the engagement of our son Matthew Martin to
Erin Chesney Minton. Erin is the daughter of Daniel and Cindy Minton of Bluff
City, Tennessee. A September wedding is planned. Our prayer for them is, that
the Lord would bless them, keep them, and make His face shine upon them.
(Numbers 6:24-26).
All
Because Of Calvary, Matthew Welch and Family
Dear Pastors, Churches,
and Fellow Saints,
November/December 2009
I will
be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Joshua 1:5b
Glad tidings we send you
from the brethren in Bulgaria and Romania. God has been good to us throughout
this past year, and as always, has blessed us in so many ways. In this letter, I
would like to look back on the year 2009 and relate to you a few of the many
works that the Lord is doing in our midst. I know it will be a blessing to you,
who have faithfully supported this ministry through your prayers and offerings.
We helped start two new
churches this year. One is in a town called Devnia, and the other in a village
called Kamarovo. These meetings are held in believers’ homes with about ten to
twenty people present. It is a blessing to worship with them. The way we hold a
church service, is of course, new to them. Even the way we pray, speaking
directly to the Lord and making known our requests to Him, is something very
different for them to hear. The singing of the Turkish hymns touches their
hearts and their tears flow freely. The gospel is preached and the people are
attentive as we endeavor to do like Ezra when he opened the book, blessed the
Lord, and caused the people to understand the reading. (Neh. 8)
Please remember a Turkish
pastor named Hassan in your prayers. He recently suffered a stroke during a
church service in Kamarovo. He was so excited about this new meeting that he
hardly slept the night before. He brought a message from Mark chapter 1. He told
how he had been saved twenty years ago and how the Lord had changed his life. He
stopped suddenly and asked the believers to give testimonies. It was evident
that something was wrong with him as he lost mobility of his right arm and his
speech became slurred. We excused ourselves from the service and took him to the
hospital where he was admitted immediately. Hassan is home now, doing fairly
well, and attending meetings with me once again. He certainly would be comforted
knowing that you are praying for him.
A fifteen year old boy
named Iusniu, has been coming to one of our services for about a year now. He
stands and gives good and encouraging testimonies about how the Lord saved him
and daily helps him. He doesn’t know how to read; but, little by little, he has
been learning from the gospel songbook that we gave him. Just last week, we also
gave him a New Testament. He was very grateful and it is wonderful to see that
he has a desire to go with God.
A few months ago, we held
a special church service in our home for the Bulgarian widows we minister to. We
asked Mitko, one of our national pastors, to preach to these ladies. He preached
a simple but powerful message from John 3. The Lord continues working in the
hearts of these widows, and three of them have trusted him as their Savior.
Please continue to pray for the salvation of Grandma Bona, Grandma Ana, and
Grandma Marica.
Throughout 2009, we
personally distributed hundreds of singing and preaching DVDs. We are thankful
to all of you who have helped us to do this. We have sown the Word of God, and
we have seen people receive the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior and join the
church.
In a normal week, we
attend about fourteen meetings. We have made progress in the language and it is
a real blessing to be able to preach in Turkish. The year has gone by swiftly;
but, it is encouraging as we look back and know that the Lord has been with us
and has not failed nor forsaken us.
All Because Of Calvary, Matthew Welch
Dear Pastors, Churches, and Fellow Saints,
September/October 2009 Prayer Letter
For God is gone forth before
thee...(IChron.14:15)
The Lord's work here in Bulgaria continues to
flourish. The other night after church services in Marcovo and Sneshna we
stopped in a village named Komarevo for the first time. We went to the home of
a woman called Elmas. Her daughter is 45 years old and became a Christian just
a few months ago at our meeting in Sneshna. We sang gospel songs at the home
and prayed with the people there. These people were very touched and God's Holy
Spirit was speaking to their hearts. Then they cried and rejoiced when we told
them we were going to start a gospel meeting in their village. While there we
also gave away DVDs that have Turkish hymns and testimonies, and a message from
John 3. It was wonderful to see such a hunger for God and His Word. While we
were singing the hymns in the house some of the neighbors started coming over
and asked why they had not been invited to the meeting. Well, of course it was
because Elmas had not known that we would be coming but by the end of the night
we all could tell that God had gone before us.
Just recently, in the village of Dalgopol we had
the great blessing of celebrating the birthday of a young man named Ali. He is
25 years old and is mentally and physically handicapped. He lives with his
mother and it is in her home that we hold a church meeting. It was a few weeks
ago during a church service that we were taking requests for songs and I asked
Ali which song he would like to sing. Some of the folks there said that he
didn't know any of the songs. But I told them that he probably knows more hymns
than any of us because the church has been meeting in his home for years and the
Lord knows he has been the most faithful member. Then his mother told me which
hymn he likes and so we all sang it. Afterwards I asked when Ali's birthday was
and they told me it was in the month of May. But we decided that even though it
had passed we would celebrate it in October. And what a celebration it was!
All of the church folk got involved in the preparations and on the day of the
celebration there was a houseful of people. We held a church service first and
then we celebrated Ali's birthday. Ali was so happy that he cried.
At that same meeting in Dalgopol, Riza and his
brother Shaban preached and testified. They are brothers and were both saved
this past summer. They are in their early thirties and married and have several
children. Their mother has been a faithful church member for years and prayed
fervently for her boys. She gets such a blessing when they preach and testify
in the services. In the past she cried and prayed for them to be saved and now
that they are she stills cries but the tears are tears of joy and thankfulness.
A few months ago we announced that our
son-in-law, William LeFevre, and our daughter Hannah surrendered to the mission
field. If you would like to contact them for a meeting, enclosed is their
prayer card. Please remember them in your thoughts and prayers.
All Because Of Calvary, Matthew Welch and
Family
Dear Pastors, Churches, and
Fellow Saints,
July\August Prayer Letter
...Go ye
into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. (Mark 16:15)
Greetings we send you all
in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
To begin with I would like
to thank the Lord for the work here. It makes all the difference when God is
blessing. It has been refreshing to see His Spirit working in people's hearts
and lives.
Riza was saved not long ago
in one of our church services in the town of Dalgopol. I have written about him
previously and now it seems that the Lord is calling him to preach His Word.
Last week in his home church he preached for the first time from the gospel of
Mark. Everyone was blessed and God spoke to our hearts through his preaching.
When the service was over we all rejoiced in the Lord knowing that God was
working among us.
I had the privilege to
visit 5 of our churches pastored by Bro. Demir who is a national pastor from the
city of Provadia. I have not been in these churches for some time and it was
good to see at each church there were new converts. They were all so happy to
give their testimonies about how they had come to the Lord and gotten saved. I
am thankful we have stayed with preaching the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ
(Rom.1:16). People continue to come to Him and are saved by the blood of the
Crucified One.
This summer has been busy
with a number of baptismal services. Over one hundred adults have been
baptized. I had the privilege to baptize my 17 year old daughter, Rebecca, who
professed her faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and was baptized in the likeness of
His death and raised in the likeness of His resurrection. It was wonderful!
What a blessed gospel we preach! What hope and good news we have to give to our
children and to the rest of this world! (Matt. 28:19-20)
We continue to produce and
distribute DVDs of singing, testimonies, and Bro. Ralph Cheatwood preaching.
The Lord is using them all over this land. Last week we sent over 50 DVDs to
Spain with a Turkish family from one of our churches. The family works there
and said that there are over 200 Bulgarian-Turkish families in their area.
In closing I would like to
mention that in February of 2010 we will be applying for permanent visas. We
have been on the mission field for 16 years through your prayers and support and
this is the first time we have had this opportunity. Up to this time we have
only been able to purchase yearly visas at a cost of $5,000. These permanent
visas will cost about $10,000 . We would appreciate your prayers concerning this
need.
Your Servants For Jesus' Sake,
Matthew Welch and Family
And God is able to make all
grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all
sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work. 2 Cor. 9:8
Dear Pastors, Churches, and
Fellow Saints, June 2008
In March we began a new
meeting in a town called Devnia. Two men from our church here in Dabravino
named Mutalim and Jevjep have relatives in that town. Their relatives were
desiring to have a church started and so they invited us to come. Most of our
meetings begin this way. Someone has a burden for a friend or relative to hear
the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ preached and a meeting is started. We would
appreciate your prayers for this new church in Devnia and that the Lord would
bless and protect it. I would also ask your prayers for an elderly Bulgarian
man named Malcho. For many years he and his wife, Denka have graciously opened
up their home and invited believers in their village to come there for a worship
service once a week. They also enjoyed attending our other meetings whenever
they could and they would faithfully stand up and testify about the Lord and His
workings in their lives. But at the end of April Malcho came to our home early
one morning and with many tears told us that his wife had passed away suddenly.
Even in the midst of his sorrow he praised the Lord like he'd always done in the
past. We attended her funeral the next day and our van was used as a hearse.
Pray for Malcho that the Lord would comfort him and give him strength in the
days ahead.
In April my son, Mark returned
to the States to graduate from high school and to further his studies there.
Then on May 7th our oldest daughters, Grace and Hannah will be graduating from
college. We are very proud of them and our prayer is that they will follow our
Lord in their lives. We are also very proud to announce that our daughter
Hannah will be married to William LeFevre on the 7th of June. We ask that the
Lord would look upon this union and bless them as they serve Him together.
My wife, Jane has continued
visiting with some of the widows in our village and she has written another
update about them which I believe will be a blessing to your hearts. She
writes:
In September we attended the
birthday party of Ivanka who turned 76 years old. She is the lady who has
opened up her home for us to meet together with the widows for Bible reading and
singing. She is a very kind lady and the Lord has certainly touched her heart.
Grandma Penka has witnessed to her for months and she is very open to the
gospel. When she attended Grandma Gina's birthday party in August she was so
impressed that she decided that she wanted to celebrate her birthday the same
way. So she invited our whole family to her home along with her widow friends
and we sang hymns and read from the Bible and prayed with them. It was a very
happy time for all of us. And while we were singing a hymn Ivanka left the room
and came back with a small stack of books in her hands. When I looked more
closely I saw that they were two New Testaments and a Bible. When we finished
singing the song Ivanka looked around the room and very simply and sincerely
stated, "I have read these books and I believe what is written in them." That
was it! Just a short testimony from this little lady but she said it with all
her heart. On December 26th we gathered with those dear ladies again at
Ivanka's home.
Grace, Hannah, and Matthew
were visiting for the holidays and they had the opportunity to meet the widows.
The widows were so delighted to have all the children around them and they loved
all the joyful singing. After learning that several of the ladies had spent
Christmas Day alone we sure were thankful to the Lord that He had given us this
privilege of being a blessing to these poor, lonely women- just by remembering
them and loving them.
In February Grandma Ivanka
suffered a stroke during the night. The ambulance came and took her to the
hospital in Varna. She was left partially paralyzed from the stroke not being
able to walk nor speak. After a week she was showing some improvement and her
daughter took her to her apartment to care for her. We all missed her so much.
But just this past week she came back home to live. Her daughter or her son
would have continued to care for her in Varna but she said she was lonely and
wanted to be where all her friends were. I visited her and she is so weak that
she can hardly walk. I cannot understand her when she speaks but she
understands me. I told her that I was glad she was home and that we pray for
her every night. Her widow friends have promised to visit her and take care of
her daily. She looks so pitiful but she is so happpy to be home. We sure look
forward to being able to have meetings in her home again if the Lord is willing.
Grandma Penka has become so
dear to our family. It seems the closer she gets to the Lord the closer we are
drawn to her. Matt's mother and my mother died years ago and so most of our
children have never known the love and care of a grandmother. Maybe that's why
it's so easy for our children to love these older women- perhaps it fills an
empty spot in their hearts. Just the other day Sarah returned home from
visiting Grandma Penka and she was so happy and told me what a nice visit they
had together. She said, " You know what!? I have seen how other grandmas are
with their grandchildren and I always thought it would be so nice to have a
grandma. Well, Grandma Penka is like a grandma to me now. Really! She's just
like a real grandma would be." I had given Grandma Penka four Bulgarian New
Testaments and she carefully and prayerfully gave them away. Then she was
witnessing to a good friend of hers and this friend said that she would like a
Bible. Penka told me, " I didn't have any Bibles left so I gave her my own!"
We both laughed about it and afterwards I gave her several more Bibles. I can
still hear her chuckling as we slowly made our way down the street that day. I
think she finds it humorous that God would use an old, crippled woman to help
get out the gospel message.
Traiyana is 85 years old and
she also is a widow. She lives in our village but during the winter months goes
to Varna and stays with her son until spring. I really wanted to meet Traiyana
and witness to her. Grandma Penka told me that Traiyana was an atheist and that
she and her husband had been members of the Communist Party. She had been on my
heart for some time but things didn't work out to visit her and I was really
disappointed because I knew that she would leave the village soon. Then one
evening in November I saw Grandma Penka and Traiyana standing in the road in
front of our house. Grandma Penka saw me and called out. I opened the window
to see what was the matter and she told me that Traiyana was leaving to Varna
and wanted to say goodbye. I invited them in for a tea and they readily
accepted. As we were introducing ourselves and our children to Traiyana I
noticed that Grandma Penka was all smiles and she kept pointing at a package in
Traiyana's hand. Then Traiyana overhearing what Grandma Penka was trying to
tell me unwrapped the little package. Inside was a Bible. She said, " I was at
Penka's home telling her goodbye because I have to leave this evening for
Varna. She gave me this Bible and said it was a gift from you and so I wanted
to come and thank you for it before I leave." I couldn't believe it! What a
tremendous blessing to my soul! I really look forward to seeing her this spring
after she has had that Bible all winter!
Once again I want to thank
every one of you for your many prayers and faithful support of our ministry in
Bulgaria and Romania.
All Because Of Calvary,
Matthew Welch
"For
we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants
for Jesus' sake." 2 Corinthians 4:5
Dear Pastors, Churches, and
Fellow Saints,
March/April 2006
He first
findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him,
We have found the Messias which is, being interpreted, the Christ. Jn. 1:41
The springtime is upon us and it is
such a welcomed sight. The trees are all blossoming, and the birds singing and
so much "life". What a picture of the resurrection life from the dead! With
springtime also comes planting which always reminds us of the sowing of the Word
of God.
Ever so often the Lord will open a door to witness to someone special to you and
you know it was God who made it possible to talk to them. One of my neighbors
whom I have known for more than four years is a man named George Gochev. We
call him Grandpa Gochev and he is eighty-three years old and a former Communist
mayor of our village. He is a very devout Communist and although he doesn't
claim to be an atheist he talks like one. He is more full of talk than anything
else and he is a pleasant man and easy enough to make friends with. He helps us
with whatever kind of village problems we have. He even helped me to learn
bee-keeping as he himself is a bee-keeper. We love him and are concerned about
him because he is lost and without God. The other day I happened to be with him
and the Lord's Spirit started to move and before I knew it I was talking to him
about how I became a Christian and "found Christ" and received Him as my Lord
and Savior. I thank God for the desire that God puts in our hearts to tell
loved ones how we have found Him. Grandpa Gochev listened to my testimony and
to the Word of God attentively. Please pray for him and may it come to pass as
in the scriptures, "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase."
1 Cor. 3:6.
We are continuing to copy and distribute gospel tapes which we have seen the
Lord greatly use. We also have been going to some new villages and holding
meetings in the hope that a new church would be established
In our main church where we try to bring in as many of the new and old converts
as possible for church services, we are building a kitchen and dining room to
eat in. It's such a blessing to come together for good fellowship in the Lord.
Brethren, please pray for us as we labor in the fields of Bulgaria and Romania
telling all of how we have found Christ and how He has found us.
All Because Of Calvary, Matthew Welch
"For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus
the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake."
2 Corinthians 4:5
Dear Pastors, Churches, and Fellow Saints,
August - September, 2003
" I
will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy
marvelous works." Psalm 9:1
On September 11th my family and I returned back to
the United States for a
one-year furlough. We are thankful to be back and are looking forward to seeing
our friends and families again. We were especially blessed to be able to visit
recently with Pastor Herbert Noe, who is the pastor of our home church, Galilean
Baptist Church in Livonia, Michigan. Please pray for him, as he has been very
ill for several months.
In this prayer letter we would like to give a brief summary
of our involvement in the mission work over the last ten years in
Bulgaria and Romania. We thank
the Lord for His grace and mercy that He has shown to us over these years. We
thank you also, for your faithful support and prayers toward this ministry.
We came to
Bulgaria in 1993. During the
two years we lived there we learned the Bulgarian language while also going to
village-house churches daily and conducting Bulgarian and Turkish services
together with national pastors. We also did much evangelization by street
preaching and passing out tracts. After two years we experienced resident visa
problems and realized we would have to move and continue the work from Romania.
We moved to Constanta,
Romania and began learning the Romanian language. We also began seeking out
Turkish Moslem gypsies in the city and in Turkish villages where we could hold
church services. During this time we were also periodically making trips into
Bulgaria and working there temporarily on tourist visas.
After five years on the field we returned home in 1999 for a one-year furlough
and had the blessing to come and present our work to many churches and to show
them all of the Lord's marvelous works and to thank them for their part in this
ministry.
Upon returning back to
Romania
in the year 2000 we felt peace about working mainly in the country of Bulgaria.
At this time also we began working at learning the Turkish language. My only
desire in learning any of these languages was to preach the gospel of our Lord
and Savior, Jesus Christ, and to be able to tell my own testimony of how I came
to know Him. I worked at the language hard but for me it does not come easily.
However, I am thankful that with God's help I am now able to preach in
Bulgarian, Romanian, and Turkish.
Presently we help support and maintain over 70 churches in
Bulgaria and have helped to
start six new churches since the New Year. I am a carpenter by trade and in the
last three years I have helped fund and built with my own hands five churches in
different villages, and also a feeding center for poor children. I visit as
many of these churches as often as I can. I greet them from the other churches
there and also from the churches in America.
We work together with about eleven national pastors. Men that are interested
come with us to hold the services and the way we go about training them is "on
the road.
They learn the Bible, how to pray, and lead songs, and to moderate a meeting,
and to preach the Word of God by example. Most of our pastors are on the road
everyday holding meetings in different villages. Most of them pastor anywhere
from three to five churches and each church meets once or twice a week.
We personally help these pastors and churches with financial
support. We give the pastors gas money so they can get to their meetings and
help with car maintenance. We purchase firewood for the churches and the
children's feeding centers. We continually are busy with the upkeep of the
buildings that are being used in these ministries. We help with the purchase of
bibles, songbooks, and gospel cassette tapes.
As far as the number of souls that have been saved I can't give an exact count
but there have been many (numbering into the thousands). Most of our
congregations are from 20 to 50 people. We hold baptismal services during the
summer months and just this past August we saw about 100 believers get baptized.
The Campmeeting in August was a blessing to all that attended. Everyone was
given transportation to the meetings and was fed and given a place to sleep
overnight. At the nightly meetings there were hours of singing, testifying, and
preaching. There was much rejoicing for all that the Lord has done and we were
all edified by what we saw and heard.
Brethren, there is an awakening in Bulgarian and
Romania among the Turkish
Moslem gypsies and we are thankful to be a part of that ministry. We are
grateful also to our many churches, friends, and families who also have a part
in this ministry.
During this year that we are home we would count it a
privilege to present our work in your church.
We can be contacted at:
Charity Baptist
Mission
P.O. Box 692
Bristol, TN 37621-0692
423-878-8131
In God’s love,
Matthew Welch and family
"For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus
the Lord;
and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake." 2 Corinthians 4:5
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