From the moment I received Christ as my personal Saviour when I was four years old, I knew God intended for me to be the pastor of a Bible-preaching church.
As I approached the midway point of my teenage years, I learned several necessities I would need to accomplish to fulfill God’s purpose for my life. One of these would be that I would need to have a firm grasp of the Bible and its doctrines. Under the counsel of Pastor Rick Walter, I enrolled in Commonwealth Baptist College to receive a good education for ministry. During my college years, the Lord began to burden me with starting or pastoring a church in
Maine. In my Junior year, I began dating the lady who would become my wife, Rachel Walter. Yes, she is the daughter of my former pastor. After I completed my Master’s degree, Rachel and I were married. Immediately, we began to ask God where in Maine He wanted me to pastor or start a church. God brought the town of Waterville to our attention in December 2021. While on a survey trip, the Lord confirmed in my heart and mind that Waterville was the place for us to start a church.
Waterville is a rather large city by Maine standards, housing around 17,000 residents.
It has several tourist destinations, including two colleges, Colby and Thomas, Perkins Arboretum, a historical museum, and an opera house. Also, the town hosts several public festivals throughout the year. These popular locations provide an excellent opportunity to get the Gospel into the hands of many unsaved souls.
There is great potential for this town to be reached for Christ. Because there is no soul-winning church consistently taking the Gospel into the community, the citizens of Waterville are lost and hopeless. The harvest in this city truly is ripe, and people in it are willing to hear the Gospel. It is my burden to reach every lost soul in this city and make a difference for Christ in Maine. Please join me in prayer as we preach the Gospel to Waterville’s lost souls.
My family and I plan to move from Kentucky to Maine in March.
Immediately upon our arrival, we will begin canvassing the town and reaching souls. As we make this move, we request your prayers that the Lord will keep us safe on our journey.
If the Lord allows, Heritage Baptist Church will have its opening day on June 18, 2023, in the town of Waterville so that we can begin to make a difference for the cause of Christ here. To do this, we are praying to raise $20,000 for rent, equipment, and furnishings for the church. We have a Lord’s Supper set for our church and have raised close to $800 in monthly support.
We are praying to raise $4,000 per month for three years to start the church. This amount would pay for the monthly needs of the church and my family so I could spend all my time reaching the lost. However, we are not waiting until God provides the money to begin.
We are stepping out by faith and getting started right away.
The Lord has already provided us with a place to live. In addition, my home church, Victory Baptist of Winthrop, is about forty-five minutes away. They have committed to providing significant help in the work as we get started! The lowest cost to rent a building I have seen in the area is $2,700 without utilities. Please pray we can find the perfect location that God has for us.
While we will have many needs in the coming months, we know that we serve a mighty God that is able to provide for us as we follow His will. God has never let us down, and I know that He never will.
God’s plan is perfect. My father -in-law, Pastor Rick Walter, prayed for 17 years for a church to be started in Waterville. Although he has been with the Lord since 2017, we are thrilled that God has called us to fulfill dad’s dream.
We covet your prayers for us as we move forward to make an eternal difference for the Lord in this region of the nation.
Contact me at 207-576-4751 if you are interested in partnering with us to plant Heritage Baptist Church in Waterville, Maine.