Home Missions News

Presbytery of the Southwest

December 2022
Thank you for faithfully praying for Mark and Peggy Sumpter—for Mark’s service to the Presbytery of the Southwest as Regional Home Missionary. Mark and Peggy send out a prayer update about every 6 weeks. What to join the prayer team? Drop us a quick note.

Contact us: gmarksumpter@gmail.com, 541-450-1982

Praise for a New Mission Work—Wichita Falls, Texas

Come worship and glorify the Lord with us every Sunday at 10:30 am. We gather at the ARC of Wichita County at 3115 Buchanan St., Wichita Falls, TX 76308.

Join with us to worship and serve our Lord Jesus Christ. We are an historic, reformed, confessional Presbyterian congregation in Wichita Falls, Texas.

Updates: 

Assisting in Houston outreach Ministry 

"I was greatly encouraged by the fellowship of the brothers in Houston. I was all the more encouraged by the warm response of Houstonians to our outreach."

                Deacon James Roberts, Westminster OPC, Corvallis, Oregon

“Coffee’s on!” 

Breakfast, devotions, and prayer every morning for two weeks kept our mini boot camp going. I turned to James more than once and said, “this IS boot camp.” Not quite standing at attention with military cadence, but the apostle Paul’s exhortation rang clear enough, “Stand therefore…having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” 

James soloed across the country from Oregon to Texas to spend time on the streets in Houston to help carry out the Great Commission. He telephoned and offered, “I want to come to Houston to help with the church planting and the outreach—is this a possibility?”

A few more plans were outlined as we talked over the weeks; and then along with his arrival in mid-July, what blessing of blessing! His own beloved congregation sent with him encouragement, prayer, and financial assistance to help in our Houston ministry!  
With Bibles, literature, and church contact information, we ventured out to do ministry…the days were full:  

• Delivering muffins to 21 businesses—a simple greeting and an invitation to worship

• Standing outside a hospital, holding signs inviting prayer—some 29 people (someone in a wheelchair, and others with saddened faces and weakened bodies with sin’s ruin) walked up asking for prayer

• Greeting people at a literature table in a city park—maybe a word of encouragement and more invitations to worship

• Holding foam board signs at a concert venue—one sign read, “Why is the Bible Important?” another read, “Why did Jesus Come?” and dozens stopped by to write answers

• Door-step visits in a neighborhood—more greetings: “we’re out stopping by homes to leave an invitation to worship.” 

• Sitting down to share lunch with a homeless man—hard, challenging conversation around Psalm 139.

• Gathering around a dinner table listening to a family pour out grief—last year’s Hurricane Harvey still has its crushing weight; and we talk through a portion of the Book of Philippians.

As a deacon, James carried out his own ministry back home! Nearly every day, he’d call home to families and single households to members of Westminster OPC in Oregon. I’d overhear him checking in and praying over the telephone with the saints!

“Brother, I’m here in Houston and God is blessing us; but I want to check on you too. Tell me about that doctor’s appointment.”

The Lord God blessed us richly with wonderful opportunities. As James says,

“Rarely have I seen such a desire for prayer as I witnessed at a hospital outreach. Just about everywhere we evangelized the response was remarkable. The people I met are presently soft to the prompting of the gospel. It seems like a good idea to me to concentrate on building God's church in the city of Houston."

For two weeks, James linked in with our brothers and sisters of our Houston congregations. What a privilege to present the gospel of peace to so many!