Expanded Ministry For The Lord’s Glory
By Rich Carmicheal
From time to time I have invited you to join me on a “tour” of the Herald office in order to share more with you about the building, the workers and the ministry operation. One of the major changes since the last “tour” is that there are now only three full-time staff members – Gayla Royer, and my wife Gail and me. The first two offices as you enter the building are now unoccupied as Lois Stucky and Christine Ludlow both went home to be with the Lord in 2014. Of course, we miss these two dear sisters and co-workers very much, but are thankful they finished their lives well in the service of the Lord.
Gayla, Gail and I continue to gather around the table in Lois’ office for morning devotions. During this time we bring before the Lord the prayer requests we have received from Herald readers, and we seek His guidance and provision for the ministry.
One other special thing we do at this table each month is to anoint the new issue of the Herald. Our prayer is that the Lord’s anointing be upon every issue of the Herald and that He work mightily through the messages to bless the lives of readers and accomplish His purposes.
One of Gail’s main responsibilities continues to be the incoming mail, including regular mail, emails and comments via the Herald’s website. She has the privilege, therefore, of being the first one to read through correspondence from readers, to record donations sent for the work, and to handle any special requests for materials. As you can imagine, the incoming mail brings much encouragement to the staff and is vital to the outreach of the ministry. Gail also serves on the editorial team and helps in the mailroom.
Gayla continues to oversee the work of the Spanish Herald (which she puts together quarterly), and serves as the Herald’s bookkeeper and as a member of the editorial team for the English Herald. She also does the layout work for Herald publications and helps a significant amount in the mailroom.
We continue to be blessed by a wonderful core of volunteers who gladly donate their time and energy to help prepare mailings. Some of them offer special help to compensate for the small staff. We have one part-time worker, a teenager named Carson who helps with various tasks.
We now have at the north entrance a new concrete pad to help with loading and unloading trucks. We also have a new surface on the parking lot. We praise the Lord for His provision of special funds for these projects! Also, through the provision of a supporting church, we have purchased two adjacent lots and removed two deteriorated house trailers. We praise the Lord for the improvement to this property and the blessing it will be to the ministry and the neighborhood!
As we see this physical expansion, our hearts continue to be set on the expansion of the outreach of the ministry. There is no doubt that the need for revival and salvation literature in the world is as great as ever. The return of Christ draws ever nearer, and countless people are in desperate need of spiritual encouragement. Please join us in praying for increased anointing, increased provision and increased outreach for the Herald ministry – all to the glory of God!
About This Issue…
As this new year begins, we hope the Lord works through this issue of the Herald to help you renew your consecration to Him and to His Word and to prayer. The front page article, though drawn from an earlier issue, seems written for this very hour, and is a stirring reminder of the need for us as God’s people to lead the way in repentance and in seeking Him for personal and corporate revival. Other articles call us to wholeheartedness in our walk with the Lord, and remind us of the impact of holy lives. There are also articles to encourage and equip us in our devotion to the Word and to prayer.
The reality is that as the darkness increases all around us, the Lord is looking to us as His people to shine all the brighter. He calls us “...to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life…” (Phil. 2:15-16).
Our lives are to be a reflection of the Lord to the world around us. Through us others are to encounter His love, His life, His compassion, His Word, His goodness, His grace, His power, and so forth. So much is at stake. The people in our sphere of influence need to see the Lord in us, that they might be drawn to Him. They do not need us to be like them, but like Him. May we renew our devotion to Him that He may work in us and through us according to His glorious purposes!
Strength for the New Year
We realize that some readers are facing this new year with a great need for the Lord’s comfort and strength. If that is the case with you, we hope the Lord greatly encourages you through the message by J. R. Miller on page 8.
We Hope to Hear from You Soon!
Your prayers, encouragement and financial support are vital to the outreach of the Herald ministry.
Herald of His Coming
P.O. Box 279
Seelyville IN 47878 U.S.A.