We are Bill and Heather Lavender, missionaries to the U.S. military. Our sending church is Bible Baptist Church in Clarksville, Tennessee. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ has called us to reach our nation's servicemembers and their families with the gospel of Jesus Christ, disciple them in their new faith, and integrate them into the fellowship of the local church.

Bill's Testimony
Bill was saved in 1973 at the early age of 5 years old at the El Centro Baptist Tabernacle in El Centro, California. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1986 after graduating from High School. Christ called Bill to preach and serve in full-time ministry in 1987 at the Temple Baptist Church in Lacey, Washington. He attended and graduated from the Trinity Baptist College in Jacksonville, Florida in preparation for the ministry after leaving the U.S. Army.

Heather's Testimony
Heather grew up in church, but had made a false profession of faith as a child. The Holy Spirit convicted her of her need of salvation after hearing the salvation testimony of Evelyn Sexton, wife of pastor Clarence Sexton, during a Marriage Conference in 2012 in El Paso, Texas. Heather accepted Christ as her Savior and was baptized while attending the Hillcrest Baptist Church in El Paso, Texas.

Our Ministry
We are currently planting the Liberty Baptist Church in El Paso, Texas outside of Fort Bliss, Texas. Liberty Baptist Church seeks to reach the U.S. military, Federal Employees, Government Contractors, and others associated with Fort Bliss. Fort Bliss is home to the U.S. Army's 1st Armored Division with over 80,000 assigned active duty servicemembers and their families as well as an additional 30,000 supporting personnel such as Federal Employees and Government Contractors.

Our Ministry Vision:
Reaching America's Military and Veterans by planting soulwinning, disciplemaking local Baptist churches in areas where military servicemembers are concentrated.

Our Ministry Core Values:
• A Passion for Reaching Others with The Gospel of Christ - Evangelizing the lost through personal evangelism and local church outreach
• A Commitment to Making Disciples - Intentionally teaching and mentoring new Christians to be committed followers of Christ.
• A Connection to Community - Fostering brotherhood and solidarity among members of the local church
• A Heart for Multiplication - Replicating ourselves through church planting and foreign missions.

If you would be interested in learning more about missions to the military to which God has called us, we would love to come and share our burden with you and your church.

Prayer Letters

Missionaries in US Military Ministry (listed with BIMI account numbers)