After being separated by government recommendations for many weeks, our family was in services yesterday.  It was a drive-in service, but the Lord blessed and God’s people were so grateful to be able to meet again.

This coming Sunday, the Victory Gospel Crusade begins in western Ohio.  The Lord has lifted restrictions in that state to allow religious organizations to meet.  Our desire is that some of the first public gatherings in that state be those that preach the Gospel.

You can watch a short video about the crusade here.  Please join us in praying for this great endeavor.  The circumstances of the last month have created an agitation among people that we hope will make them more open to the Gospel message.

We would like to encourage you to pray as well about giving to this endeavor.  Before the very first service has been held, 20% of the total cost of the meeting has already been raised.  We are trusting God for the remainder.  I personally have been tasked with enlisting 100 churches or individuals to commit to giving $100 toward this endeavor.  God has established a pattern of meeting the needs in the past through people and churches just like you.  You can find out more information at victorygospelcrusade.com.  We look forward to relaying to you the stories of victory that God us through this endeavor.

Commenting on the changes to life as we all knew it since January of 2020 would be pedantic for all you who read this.  Like you, our lives have changed dramatically since the government began to respond to the COVID-19 challenge.  For the first time in my ministry, I preached an entire meeting from our music room in Olive Branch, Mississippi, to a church in Brooklyn.  Two days later, on Easter Sunday, I did the same thing for a church in the Bronx.  Other meetings have been postponed as everyone tries to navigate through these unprecedented times.

This has been a wonderful month in which we could watch God work.  We started in Wilson, North Carolina, in a sportsmen’s banquet.  This is a great event at the Trinity Baptist Church, drawing men from as far away as Fayetteville.  A teen boy raised his hand for salvation, but did not respond at the invitation.  Still, it was wonderful to be able to preach the gospel.

From Wilson, we had to return home because my truck gave me an issue for the first time in nearly 250,000 miles.  It was at the mechanic’s shop while we were in NC.  Upon returning to Mississippi and consulting with the mechanic, we found that the emission control system was to blame.  The total repair bill was over $3,600.  We mentioned this need last month. (Last month, I said that it was $3,400.  I guess that goes to show what inflation will do.)

As I was leaving a Wednesday night service, a pastor called and informed me that he had felt led to take up an offering for us.  As I understand it, he did not pass the plate for the offering, but instructed his people that they should simply see the church treasurer if they were interested in participating.  He called to tell me that the offering was enough to meet the need.  I still weep when I tell the story.  It was so amazing to see God work.

After getting the work done, we moved on to our next meeting in Lisbon, Ohio.  There were several heads of households in that meeting for whom the pastor was praying to be saved.  On Sunday morning, one of them walked the aisle to make his salvation public.  He had actually been saved in his truck on the way to work, just five days before we arrived.  The other two men heard the gospel in the meeting, but did not trust Christ.  Still, the Lord used the meeting in a great way in the life of that church.

From there, we were off to Minster, Ohio, to where the Lord once again allowed us to minister to lost souls.  While the college-aged girl did not get saved the Sunday we were there, she did trust Christ the following service.  This church will be participating in the upcoming Victory Gospel Crusade.

Then, the government’s reaction to the virus kicked in.  Due to an order from the governor of Michigan, the pastor had to cancel the meeting, or risk misdemeanor charges.  As of right now, we sit in Western Ohio, wondering what the future will hold for us.  So far, only the one meeting has canceled, but we wonder what the rest of the spring schedule will be like.

Many have taken in hand to give their opinion on the present danger of COVID-19, often described as pandemic.  Despite the government mandated isolation into which so much of our nation has been plunged, this is a great time to give the gospel.  No one likes to think about human mortality, but that is exactly what Americans are thinking about at this moment.  With a little bit of convincing, people will soon realize that no government or policy can protect them from contracting the disease.  Only God provides the answer at a time like this.  Should the disease take your life or mine, we both must be ready to meet our God.  What a time to give the good news of Jesus!

In my last post, I failed to mention earnestlycontend.org, a new blog that I am co-editing, along with Pastors Steven Chambers and John Uit de Flesch.  Its goal is to present a Biblical philosophy of ministry, not so much through the paper and ink as through words on a screen.  Check it out and share it with your friends, if you deem it worthy of reading.

The meetings have begun again for us.  We will start in the near vicinity (Louisiana and Mississippi) and progress into other southern states before the winter is out.  Then it is off to the East and Midwest for more meetings there.

Two unique opportunities have come our way for the year 2020.  First of all, for the very first time ever, we will be part of the Victory Gospel Crusade headed by Evangelist Dwight Smith.  In the month of May, we will be in Western Ohio ministering in three different places north of Dayton.  The VGC has been greatly used of God since its inception to bring many people to Christ and to see churches revived in a tangible way.  This year marks the first time that our schedule has been able to accommodate participation in this event.  Please pray that God will use the VGC once again to bring many to the Savior and to see churches revived.

The second great opportunity is another trip to the Philippines for Sarah and me.  This will be the fourth time that at least one member of our family will be ministering there.  The Lord is opening up more venues of ministry there on the island of Luzon, and we look forward to seeing what God will do while we are there.

Our trailer is in good running order after the repairs that were made last year.  I am grateful for all that went on last year to get the chassis fixed and ready for the road.
Josiah continues to do well at Ambassador Baptist College, making the President’s List last semester for good grades.  Please pray for him as he seeks the Lord’s leading for summer ministry.

School is once again in session for our other three children.  They do not enjoy home school, but they have gotten to the place where they realize that some things have to be done whether we want to do them or not.  At least, that’s the way it is most days.  There are a few times when they have to be reminded.

I was working in the shop last Friday cutting a piece of white oak with my table saw when the push stick I was using suddenly caught something (workpiece or blade, I don’t know which) wrong.  The saw then ripped the plastic push stick out of my hand and drove it backwards into my arm.  While the long sleeve shirt that I was wearing did protect me somewhat, I still had to take a trip to the emergency room.  There was a cut 4 centimeters long and 1 ½ centimeters wide on the under side of my forearm.  (They don’t measure using inches in the emergency room, apparently.)  Nine stitches later, everything was put to right again, and recovery has been without incident, saving that some of my dress shirts rub on the cut and irritate it a little.  Still, if that is the worst of it, I can’t complain.  On the positive side, I will have a very manly scar to show for the incident while still retaining all ten of my fingers.  It could have been much worse.

Earlier this month, I was asked to be one of three founding editors of a website dedicated to being another voice to reach people with the message of spiritual truth.  When it is up and running, I will announce on this blog to direct your eyes there.  In 1934, Evangelist John R. Rice began a publication entitled The Sword of the Lord that continues to be published in newspaper format to this day.  Our goal as editors is to stand for the same truths as those for which the men of the past stood.  We will simply propagate our message in a different format.

Thank you so much for your prayers as we begin a new decade.  For the Crow family, 2020 will mark the completion of 18 years in full-time evangelism.  We are looking to do more this year than ever before.  To all of you, keep looking up: our Lord’s coming draws nigh.

Josiah’s first semester of college is over and he will soon be home with us in Mississippi for a few weeks.  Our meetings are all local, for the most part, and short: no one is doing week-long revival meetings around the Christmas holiday.  Our family will be ministering together in our home church at Christmas, as well as traveling to other churches in the area.

After the first of the year, things will begin to pick up again as the meetings begin for us anew.  One new venture is a Christian workers’ conference being hosted at our home church Clearview Baptist Church.  Many conferences are specifically designed to enrich the pastor in his effort to better himself as a minister of Christ.  These conferences assume a certain level of base knowledge on the part of those attending.  These meetings are good and have their place.  There are some people, however, who need to be taught the first principles of what it means to serve God through the local church.  It is to these people that our conference is geared.  Our hope is that the meeting will fill a great need, help to better equip people to serve God, and be a help to churches around our area.  Please pray for us as we move forward with the plans for this endeavor.

This summer we are to return to the Philippines for another missions trip.  The Lord is continuing to expand our ministry there and we are grateful.

The year 2020 promises to be an important year in many respects.  Our desire is that it will be a spiritual turning point for some that we minister to, that it will be the year that some trusted Christ as Savior and finally surrendered to His will in their lives.

Thank you all for your prayers.

In our last update, we mentioned the Victory Gospel Crusade and its impact on different places in America.  The crusade began as the vision of Evangelist Dwight Smith in 2016.  Below are some numbers to give an idea how the Lord has used the ministry in the few years it has been operating.

2016 — St. Paul, Minnesota
4 evangelists
5 sponsoring independent Baptist churches
27 preachers involved
30,000 pieces of gospel literature distributed
3 weeks of meeting (one for preparation, two for preaching)
45 salvation decisions

2017 — Worcester, Massachusetts
4 evangelists
4 sponsoring independent Baptist churches
60,000 pieces of gospel literature distributed
5 weeks of meeting (one for preparation, four for preaching)
159 salvation decisions

2018 — Indianapolis, Indiana
4 evangelists
6 sponsoring independent Baptist churches
30,000 pieces of gospel literature distributed
3 weeks of meeting (one for preparation, two for preaching)
68 salvation decisions

2019 — Newport News, Virginia
several sponsoring independent Baptist churches
55,000 pieces of gospel literature distributed
Newport News Baptist Church planted
16 salvation decisions

Every person making a decision in the meetings was given follow up material and handed over to an independent Baptist church for follow-up.

In 2020, the Lord has opened the door for our family to be a part of the Victory Gospel Crusade in western Ohio.  In the month of May, we will be in different locations preaching the Gospel.  The coming weeks will be taken up in part with preparatory meetings with pastors in the area as we move toward this great endeavor.

In addition to preparing for the Victory Gospel Crusade, our church in Mississippi is preparing for a Christian workers conference.  Many conferences are geared for pastors, but this one is targeting laymen: Sunday school teachers, soul-winners, bus workers, ushers, church musicians, and the like.  In preparing for this endeavor, I am traveling to churches in our area and promoting the upcoming conference.

In all of this traveling and ministering, we will have to take a couple of days to go and get Josiah from college.  The family will be eager to see him again.

In addition to the ministry needs, we will also be hosting 20 people at our house for Thanksgiving.  This, too, requires a lot of preparation.  In short, this month is all about preparation for different upcoming events.  Thank you for your prayers.

Our last very short update spoke of a recent break-in at our house in Mississippi.  The initial report was correct: the thieves broke in our back door, stole all my firearms, found my car keys, and stole my car.  After examining the scene, the detectives have both recovered our car and identified a suspect.  It seems that the thief was kind enough to leave his ID in the car.  In addition, the breaking in process inflicted a cut on one of the thieves–enough to leave his blood on both the inside of our house and car.  The suspect has two outstanding warrants for his arrest and has a history of burglary and grand theft auto.

The car, according to police, showed no signs of damage because there was no need to damage it: the thieves had already taken the keys.  The insurance company has been helpful in all of this, having already given us a check for the stolen firearms with the stipulation that we replace what we wish to replace in the next two years.

While all this drama has been going on back home, the Lord has been giving us good meetings on the road.  This fall at first appeared to be rather sparse in the schedule, but God has opened doors in a tremendous way.  We have seen people saved and Christians encouraged in our meetings, which are in the West right now.

In addition to our current meetings, we have spent a lot of time working on the schedule for next year.  The Lord willing, after Thanksgiving, we will post the following year’s schedule online.  We praise God for every meeting that He has given us so far.

Josiah continues to do well at college.  He is a member of the traveling mixed group known as the Ensemble, as well as a men’s octet that also travels on occasion.  In a recent phone conversation with us, he admitted that he has gotten to the place where he is tired all the time.  While we didn’t say this to him, the thought of “You ain’t seen nothing yet” did cross our minds.

Part of next year’s schedule will be joining the Victory Gospel Crusade in Western Ohio.  For three years, Evangelist Dwight Smith has asked me to be a part of this ministry, but each time we have been in Asia during his meetings.  The Victory Gospel Crusade is an effort to reach urban areas with the Gospel through extended meetings under a tent.  We will give more information about this unique ministry as the time draws nearer.

We are so grateful for your prayers.  These are wonderful days to serve God, and we count it a privilege to be a part of it.

This update is a bit early, but also slightly more action than we normally have to relate.  Today between the morning service and afternoon dinner, I received a call from the Olive Branch, Mississippi, Police department.  They wondered if I knew where my car was.  We had left this car in our driveway back home when we left for this round of meetings.  I told them that I was in Montana, but that I had left the car in my driveway when I left town.  The car had been illegally parked in another part of the subdivision, and someone had called the police to report it.  Upon further investigation, our house had been broken into by means of the back door (someone kicked it in).  As I write this message, the police are going through the house with a list that I have given them. 

As I write this, we are going through the house by means of video chat with our friends and the police detectives.  We know that the thieves stole all our firearms, except the ones that we carry with us.  Beyond that, we are going through the tedious process of trying to ascertain what has been taken. 

We will update more as we know more.  Thanks for praying.