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By HEITH MITCHELL Executive Director of Missions I want to praise the Lord for all He is doing in Texas Missions and the Baptist Progress. In June, you placed the Baptist Progress in the care of Texas Missions with a plan to financially stabilize the ministry. We are pleased to report that Texas Missions and the Baptist Progress finished 2025 on budget and in the black. I thank each of you for your support and our team for their careful handling and investment of donated funds. The first six churches have made the switch to the new subscription plan this month, with a list scheduled to follow them in the coming months. This plan saves the church and the Baptist Progress money while offering more to the reader than ever. Be watching in the next few months for a Baptist Progress show for ladies that will debut. Will you join me in praying for and encouraging Redemption Hill Church in Fort Worth as they move off mission support this month? We celebrate this milestone with Missionary Pastor Brad Cauley and all the church family. This church is spiritually thriving, and they are as ready for this moment as they can be.
A WORD FROM YOUR MISSIONARIES
Stranger, sojourner, poor, crippled, lame, blind, neighbor, saint etc.… The Bible is clear to whom we should show care and hospitality towards. In short, everyone! As believers, it is our responsibility to reflect the heart of Christ and replicate the example He gave here on earth through our own actions. This past month, while playing at the park with our children, we overheard a couple around our age interacting in Arabic. Their 5-year-old boy was playing with our 3-year-old, and our 1-year-old was staring at their 1-year-old who was eating a cookie. I approached the lady around my age and said, “Hello.” We visited for a while and exchanged numbers before parting ways. They told me they had come to America from Egypt only one year before, and had not yet made many friends. A few days later, our family invited them over for tea and coffee. Our children played together in our apartment. They informed us that no Americans had ever invited them to their home before. We were saddened by this but stated we would love to get together again. The following week, they welcomed us for lunch in their home, and we shared a lovely Egyptian meal together. While the children played and we visited, my new friend spoke to her husband in their native language. She then looked at me and in her broken English she explained, “I told him this is the first time since coming a year ago that this has felt like home…to have friends over and just relax”. In that moment, our hearts were filled with the joy that came from a simple invitation to our home. You never know how the love extended toward someone will impact their lives. We must never miss a moment to show hospitality and be the hands and feet of Christ. Romans 12:9-13 states, “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality”.—Audrey Tew
A man who needed counseling was blessed when I shared the gospel with him. His home, his financial situation and his self-esteem were at rock bottom. I advised him to seek God, and he chose to study and return to church. Many times, situations are calls of love, shepherding the sheep; pride and ingratitude prevent us from hearing that tender voice. He took heart, and his response was, "It's true, I have to obey God." Prayer Needs: First and foremost, thank you all and especially my brothers and sisters in missions who help me so much financially. My brother Michael is also very attentive to me and my family, the mission and the Hispanic community. Let us pray fervently for our Hispanic brothers and sisters who are currently looking for work and have housing or rent expenses. They ask me if I have a job, and it saddens me to know their need. Even there, I see an opportunity to preach. May God continue to use me for His glory.  Our home worship service
Redemption Hill Church is healthy and thriving by God's grace. We are continuing to welcome new guests each week, baptized a man going into the Navy Seals a few months ago and are seeing people love one another as the Lord commands. Prayer Needs: Please continue to pray that 2026 is a year of spiritual formation for my family and me, as well as the people of Redemption Hill Church. As we study the book of Acts and see the Lord grow the church, pray we become more like Jesus. Thank you!
I am preaching every Sunday morning in the "Ministerio en Espanol" at First, Conroe. I am sharing a missionary mindset with the attendees, sharing many of the experiences I have had in cells. Prayer Needs: Please pray for a fruitful ministry in 2026.
This month, we have seen deeper relationships form as our small group has walked through personal spiritual warfare together, creating space for honesty, prayer and growth. We have also been encouraged to see newcomers openly asking deeper spiritual questions. Our leaders are growing in ownership of the mission, and we thank God for strengthening them with faith and a growing passion for His kingdom. We are truly grateful for your continued prayers and support. Prayer Needs: Please continue to pray that future leaders would rise up within this mission, equipped with strong faith, humility and a heart for God’s kingdom.
Our church is doing well and grew about 25 percent last year. We have a diverse congregation; 45 percent black, 40 percent white, and 15 percent Hispanic. We had two people give their lives to Christ and were be baptized on the second Sunday in February. Prayer Needs: Be in prayer for our revival in May.
Howdy from west Texas! 2026 is off to an amazing start here at Oasis. We continue to see new faces every week and new doors and opportunities continue to open that I can't wait to share with you as they get confirmed. We officially set aside six men as elder candidates. This is such an amazing moment for our church. I am so thankful for these men and their families and the wisdom and leadership they are bringing to Oasis and the help they are giving me. It has been a heavy burden bearing the weight of shepherding and leadership alone for the last four years, so having these men to lean on and come alongside me has been such an amazing answer to prayer. There are BIG things coming at Oasis. I can't wait to share them soon. Thank you so much for giving me the chance to be a part of what God is doing here in west Texas. Prayer Needs: Please pray for a unique opportunity that may have arisen to acquire a new meeting space for our growing church, the selection of new elders and for the start of a new work in Sundown.
Matthew 6:33 was our focus verse this first month of 2026 here at Iglesia Nueva Vida en Cristo of Tyler. We decided to allow more time of sharing during our worship services this month, as many shared their successes and struggles of last year and were excited to begin a new year by seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. We were happy to hear how our people are committing their lives to Christ and His work here in Tyler. Throughout this month, I was also able to connect in a more profound way with some of our men. I am happy to know that our men are wanting to be led by God. We had the Lord's Supper on the first Sunday and right before the cold. We had our meal celebrating birthdays of the month after the service. We also had a great time with our youth at our home on a Saturday evening that connected them. Then the cold weather came, and although it might have kept us apart physically, we were all checking on each other in case someone lost power or needed anything. Everyone offered their homes if there was a need, not only amongst us but also our neighbors and coworkers. Fortunately, no one had such a need. God was so good to all of us, but everyone felt the warmth and support of their church family. Speaking of that, we would like to express our gratitude to all the BMA churches that continue to support us in various ways. We praise God for all of you! Prayer Needs: Please continue to pray for those baptisms. We want to share with you about them next month!
Our mission this month has begun to hold meetings in the homes of brothers, such as the home of Marco Jimenez and family who live in Lewisville, inviting neighbors and relatives from the area. Prayer Needs: I ask for prayers for every mission and church, that we may continue to fulfill our mission and reach more souls.
We are praying about a new meeting place, but our people remain encouraged. They understand that we are on mission and that our calling is to share the gospel. They have taken initiative to seek a place of worship for us, and in the meantime practice hospitality as we meet in one of our family's houses. We know God will lead us to a place He wants to plant us in His timing. Prayer Needs: Please pray for us to find a regular meeting place, that is reasonably priced, to rent per month, long term.
Testimony of provision. My insurance boss offered to sell me a trailer through a credit company with a down payment. I was rejected twice. In the end, he gave me a $10,000 discount and financed it for me with no down payment for five years. I'm currently renting and will be paying it off soon. My house is at the disposal of the ministry. Prayer Needs: Please pray that the Lord would send me a wife to serve by my side in my ministry.
We are experiencing low church attendance. Let's pray for a revival. Prayer Needs: Let us pray that faith may not be lost and that we may continue proclaiming the gospel.
We are continuing to build relationships here in the Golden Triangle. For the last couple of months, I have been meeting with Abel and his wife, Grecia, for English classes. Because of the holidays, we had a slow start, but we are starting to get into a rhythm. Please pray that God would work in their hearts and open the door for gospel conversations. Prayer Needs: Please be in prayer for spiritual growth in our discipleship group members. Also, pray for health for our family, so we can focus our energy on ministry and, of course, pray for fertile soil to receive the gospel. By HEITH MITCHELL Executive Director of Missions Introducing new missionaries: We are excited to introduce to you three new missionaries who have been accepted for support from your BMA of Texas Missions Movement.
Will you commit to being on the prayer and care team of these new missionaries?
A WORD FROM YOUR MISSIONARIES
Happy New Year to all the BMA churches from Iglesia Nueva Vida en Cristo of Tyler. We had a wonderful time during Christmas and New Year's. We were able to attend the Christmas program of our host church, which was in English, but it served as an encouragement to our people to practice their English. We also attended our host church's One Service, which was also in English. We hope to continue joining them for their One Services, but hopefully, we'll get to use translation equipment so that everyone can understand. We might even use such equipment as a tool to serve our children, who may be better ministered to by hearing my message in English. This was a great recommendation by Brother Heith Mitchell, whom we had the pleasure of visiting at one of our services this month. We were very encouraged. We thank the Lord for the wisdom and guidance we receive from him and Brother Elvis. We also thank you all for your support in our church plant in Tyler. Your prayers are making an impact! We had some conversations with some of the people we've been asking you to pray for so that they may make a decision for Christ and be baptized. There is a desire to surrender to God and serve Him. We hope to have some baptisms soon. Please pray that it be a good handful or more! Thank you! In Christ, Jose Torres Prayer Needs: Keep praying for baptisms! Pray for a band and for the purchase of translation equipment.
Right now, the situation for missionaries and pastors in Texas is a bit difficult due to immigration policy. This teaches us to seek people and houses of peace that have stability in this country, without neglecting our primary mission. Prayer Needs: Pray for the purchase of the house where I'm currently renting. It will be an operations center.
Howdy from west Texas! Well, the holiday season is in the books. It was a really great and steady month for us in every way. We had lots of visitors, put on our first ever Festival of Lights, and had our largest ever attendance for our Christmas Eve-Eve service. We continue to grow and are beginning to seriously push the limits of our current building. It’s a great problem to have, but it’s a problem nonetheless. But as with the other obstacles we have had, we can’t wait to see how God solves it! It’s definitely a sweet time for Oasis. Prayer Needs: Please pray for direction and discernment in regard to a possible new space, new contacts and connections in Sundown, and for continued leadership development.  Christmas Eve-Eve service at Oasis
Our church had a booth at our community's Christmas event and was able to interact with many people from our community. We had a lot of solid conversations about our church with people by our 13 volunteers. Several Bibles were given away and received with surprising enthusiasm. Prayer Needs: Please pray for me and our church to be more intentionally evangelistic as we engage others for prayer and gospel conversations. Pray for a new opportunity that has arisen to equip our people as we pursue more of a church culture that is intentional about evangelism and outreach.
As we begin this new year, we are thankful for God’s faithfulness after a challenging season. Last year brought setbacks that required recovery, but the Lord has sustained and renewed us. Recently, we were encouraged by a brother who experienced a major career setback and had to postpone the completion of his training for several months. What seemed like a loss became an opportunity for God to restore his confidence and open new doors. His testimony has reminded us that God is still at work even in difficult seasons. With renewed hope, we are looking forward to a fresh beginning this year. Thank you for your continued prayers and partnership. Prayer Needs: Pray for a new season for the ministry to receive new members and spiritual growth.
t has been a whirlwind of emotions, tears and gratitude to God for everything. Our faith has been tested, but here we are, still doing what God commanded us, starting a new year with many goals and plans to reach our friends and family. We know that God has a plan, and we trust in Him completely. Prayer Needs: Immigration status, my household economy, my children and wife, my family in Venezuela.  Our Christmas Celebration
Our mission as a group of Christians is to share the gospel, that is, the Word of God. Now we have a challenge ahead for outreach: deportations, which are causing people to stay home. I ask for wisdom to carry forward my commitment to God, and I pray for my brothers and sisters in Christ that we may remain steadfast in our calling. Prayer Needs: I ask for prayer and understanding to carry out the work that has been kindled within me.  Mission members celebrating Christmas
Thanks to the generosity of BMA of Texas churches, we now have a completed meeting space in what was once a garage on our property! We had our first Bible study the Sunday before Christmas and are so excited to see God use this space to bring others to Him and grow them in the faith! Prayer Needs: Pray for boldness and fertile soil. Specifically, pray that opportunities would open with coworkers to share the gospel.  Our first Bible study in the new meeting space
December is a month to look back and celebrate God's faithfulness this year. We have a deeper family-like relationship with church members who are growing more like Christ, parenting with His principles, their marriages reflecting His love and faithfulness and people are growing together in the Lord. Our people are sharing their faith regularly and the ones being discipled are beginning their own discipleship groups with new/young believers. Each member is taking the privilege of being a minister and reaching others for Christ. Prayer Needs: For continued favor with neighbors and the community. For wisdom as we plan 2026 goals and objectives. Transition of a Bible study to a house church and for leaders to run with energy and focus.
I was the invited preacher at the 2025 closing service of TEBA and it was a blessing to promote the missionary work in Conroe, New Caney, and nearby areas. Prayer Needs: Keep the hope and share it with those going through tough times.
Though the church is growing, Sunday worship attendance dropped this month. However, enthusiasm is still high. Prayer Needs: That God would send someone to help with our vision and sound tech ministry.
This month we are going to sing at a farmers' market. We will sing songs and have a table to talk with people. Please pray that we make many connections. Prayer Needs: Please pray for our outreach efforts at the farmers’ market. |
