by Greg Chapman

At the tender age of four, I remember hearing the Gospel for the first time at a small Baptist church in the mountains of upstate South Carolina. For a few years our family attended this church on a regular basis. I was taught about Heaven and Hell and how Jesus had suffered and died for my sin. However, by the time I was nine years old, my parents were going through a divorce and our family was out of church.

For the next several years I lived as I pleased, being deeply involved in numerous types of sin. Thankfully, around 1990, I was invited to attend Mile Creek Baptist Church in Six Mile, South Carolina, with my fiancé and her family. The preaching of God’s Word by Pastor Jim Roberts (a former BIMI missionary to Scotland) and the testimonies of God’s people led to my conviction and salvation on May 5, 1991.

After graduating from Clemson University in August 1991, Tina and I were married on November 2 of the same year. I did not grow in the Lord for the next few years due largely to my career. A new job led to faithful church attendance and and an increased desire to serve the Lord. In 1996, I began editing our church’s weekly radio broadcast and teaching Sunday School. In early 1999, the Lord opened the door for my wife and me to become the Youth Directors at the church. The next year, I enrolled in Tabernacle Baptist Bible College in Greenville, South Carolina, to further my knowledge of God’s Word. Then, on February 18, 2001, I surrendered my life to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I graduated in May of 2004 with a Bachelor of Theology degree.

Open to whatever the Lord had in store for us, our family—now including three daughters—waited for God to open the door where He would have us to serve on a more permanent basis. For several months, I wondered if there was such a place. I questioned the Lord as to why I didn’t know where I was to serve Him, but I’m glad that God is in control and not me. When we stopped trying to figure it out, God opened a door.

In January of 2005, I learned of a small mission church in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, searching for someone to lead them. BIMI missionaries started this work in 1982, helped it grow considerably, and turned it over to a national pastor. Through the years, the church declined until it was left without a pastor. Steve and Kathy Stone, BIMI missionaries one hour north in Plympton, Nova Scotia, heard of the situation and agreed to assist the struggling church temporarily. I carried brother Stone’s number in my pocket for three weeks. I struggled with the thought of leaving the warm, cozy atmosphere of the Bible Belt to head for the frozen regions of the north.

I finally made that call and visited Nova Scotia in April 2005. I was honored to preach to the good folks at Lighthouse Baptist Church in Yarmouth. To my delight my heart was stirred for them and for the people of their town who needed to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. After returning home from my trip, I just couldn’t get the people and the town off my mind. The Lord wouldn’t let me. So in May 2005, I surrendured to the Lord’s call to return to Yarmouth. Our desire is to labor there to help rebuild this church, see souls saved for the glory of God, and follow His leadership in our lives.

Following our acceptance with BIMI in June 2005, we were able to begin part-time deputation in August. We are currently on full-time deputation, and our prayer is to be in Nova Scotia before the end of 2007. We still need to make many new contacts, meet new praying friends, and garner the support that we need to leave for our field. We have seen God provide in our lives thus far, and we know He is able to finish what He started.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

BRANT & MAYLOU HOLLADAY -  EUROPE DIRECTOR
AARON BURR & STACY HOOT -  DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
JOHN & LEE ETTA HORNBECK JR -  MILITARY - GERMANY