JOURNEY WITH JEFF: Happy New Year

I have enjoyed the opportunity t I know we are a month into 2023, but with all of the news and information we had to share in our first three issues of the year, there just hasn’t been room for me to have a Journey with Jeff article. As always, when we need to “make room” for all the things we have to share, my stuff is the first thing to go. I am excited to see how God is going to continue to bless the ministry of the Baptist Trumpet in 2023. Here are a few things I ask you to pray about and help us with:

• New subscribers — I shared in my goals for 2023 article in the Jan. 25 issue about two churches that contacted us to discontinue their church plans. Thankfully, one of them did accept my offer to carry them forward for a few months to see if they are in a better place to pick it back up then. I am so thankful for all our subscribers. You are the reason we exist. It hurts when we lose even one subscriber, and it really hurts when a church makes the choice to cancel its church plan. Last week, I received a phone call from another church that said they needed to cancel their church plan. These three churches account for about 150 subscribers. The bottom line is this — if we are going to continue to be sustainable as a ministry of the BMA of Arkansas into the future, we need more subscribers.

• Total Access Subscription — As I hope you have seen by now, we no longer have multiple subscription options. We now have a “Total Access Subscription” that allows you to receive the printed paper in your mailbox, the digital E-Trumpet in your email and gives you access to all of the premium content at BaptistTrumpet.com, including the Baptist Trumpet Archives. Our goal is to provide you with a way that works for you to access all the important information and content featured in the Trumpet each week. Please help us share the word about what a great value it is to be a subscriber to the Baptist Trumpet.

• New Total Access News Preview — Last week, we debuted a new short video preview on social media of the news we shared in that week’s Trumpet. The intent is to help people see what information they can find by being a subscriber. We will continue to work on this, and Allan and I have already talked about some other video options in the future. Again, we just want to let people know we are here to keep you informed about what is going on in the BMA on the local, state, national and international levels, as well as other important information you should know as a Christian living for Jesus in this world. If you haven’t already, go follow us on:

• Facebook (facebook.com/baptisttrumpet)

• Twitter (twitter.com/baptisttrumpet)

• Instagram (instagram.com/baptisttrumpet) and

• LinkedIn (linkedin.com/company/baptisttrumpet).

You can also invite your friends to follow us as well!

•  Special Emphasis 2023 — Allan and I were talking the other day about how much more financially stable we are since the recent rate increase. We are starting to see the results as the monthly invoices are paid since the increase. We have also had some very timely and appreciated offerings that God has used to provide that stability. This means we are able to run the day-to-day operations and stay current on all bills as a result.

What this doesn’t account for are the improvements and investments in the ministry that are needed from time to time. We are still working to see what that will look like, but one that has been on our radar for over a year is replacing the computers we use each week to produce and get the Trumpet out. This week on Tuesday as I was working on the Trumpet, my computer just randomly locked up and shut down. Thankfully, all was saved and, after the lengthy amount of time it took for it to reboot and get up and running, I was able to continue working and get the paper out. Computer problems are bad anytime, but on Tuesdays, they are very stressful. Please be in prayer as we seek guidance and wisdom in setting this year’s goal. I look forward to seeing how God will use His people to provide for this ministry through our time of Special Emphasis.

Thank you for all you do to support this ministry. If Allan or I can help you in any way, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.