WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

October 30, 2025

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Time Change Sunday -

Fall Back

Dave and Donna McFadden's
New Contact Information

Mailing Address:

8915 Turkey Creek, Seguin, Texas 78155

Email Address:

mcfaddendnd@gmail.com

Phone Numbers:

Dave and Donna will be keeping their phone numbers -
Dave: 575-607-5495, Donna: 575-607-5895

Marshall Thrasher
Announces Resignation

Marshall Thrasher made the official announcement Sunday at Central, Clovis that he is resigning as Music Minister.  His last Sunday serving at Central will be November 9, 2025.  He will be joining Carla Hooker in marriage in Gatlinburg, Tennessee on November 14.  They will reside in Walnut Cove, North Carolina.  We wish Marshall and Carla well as they begin this new journey together.

NEWS!

House Community Baptist Church was given the incredible responsibility to continue Donna McFadden’s ‘heart’ ministry—Dress-A-Girl Around the World. This organization provides opportunities for anyone with serving and sewing skills to put together vital clothing for missions all over the planet.

With many women in the Tri-Area still actively involved in putting together dresses for girls and shorts for boys, everyone felt that it was critical to keep this ministry moving forward.

DAG provides dresses and shorts of all sizes to be given to missionaries as a way of spreading the gospel. Each article of clothing is tagged with a DAG emblem. (FYI—often when a girl or a boy is seen wearing one of these items, these children will be ignored for trafficking primarily because “someone cares”.) Rather than wearing rags, they are dressed in love and prayer that has come from the hands of people who were willing to take time out of their busy schedules to serve others who have desperate needs.

Early in October, on a Sunday morning, it was presented to House Community Baptist Church that the greatest current need for this ministry was storage for materials and dress/shorts that will be sent to various parts of the world. The church  immediately decided on a zircon unit for easy access. The following Monday, the zircon was purchased, Tuesday it was delivered and setup (thanks to resourceful men in the church and neighborly equipment), and Wednesday, new shelves were set up and filled. Typical of our God, He blessed in a mighty and immediate way.

Good friend of Donna’s, Marsha Stowe (575-760-5603), is the coordinator for handling all aspects of Dress-A-Girl/Boy at House Community Baptist Church. If you have a desire to serve in any way, please feel free to contact her. Currently, they are meeting twice a month (1st & 3rd Thursdays) at the HCBC Fellowship hall (12 in attendance this last week) from 9:00 A.M.-2:00 P.M. with lunch being provided.

If you can cut, sew, organize, laugh, pray, and enjoy the fellowship of your sisters in Christ, please join us. If you are going on a mission trip and would like to take dresses and/or shorts with you or deliver them to a mission field, House Community Baptist Church will set you up with a suitcase filled with as many dresses/shorts as it can hold (often this can be as many as 50-200 depending on the luggage).

Transportation by airline is usually just the cost of a checked bag and that cost will be provided. House Community Baptist Church is constantly reminded that each of us can be used in many ways to affect the spread of the Gospel for the Lord. Will you join us?

Needs: good 100% cotton material, buttons, trim, ½ inch elastic, suitcases. Any donations will be gladly received. These supplies are shared with DAG ladies over the state of New Mexico.

JOIN OUR PRAYER TEAM

If you would like to join our Tri-Area Prayer Team, text your first and last name to Elaine at 575-714-7788. She will pass along prayer needs via a text message that are submitted by our churches.

Tri-Area Well
Represented at
Baptist Convention
of New Mexico

Several Tri-Area churches were represented at this year's New Mexico Baptist Convention in Las Cruces. It was hosted by FBC, Las Cruces. You can download and/ore listen to the various messages brought at this year's convention, including the ONE DAY Report, featuring our own Rusty Kenyon, pastor at FBC Tucumcari by clicking HERE.

Below are pictures of some of the Tri-Area folks who attended this year's convention. Rusty Kenyon is pictured below sharing with attendees about ONE DAY Tucumcari. He was joined by his wife, Amanda and their daughter, Maddie.

Director of the New Mexico Baptist Children's Home in Portales, Serenity Richard, shares her report at the convention.

State WMU Director, Melissa lamb (FBC Santa Rosa) is pictured with National WMU President, Connie Dixon (FBC Elida) at the WMU gathering that took place before the convention.

Director of the BSU at ENMU, Dag Sewell (Calvary Portales) is pictured at the BSU information booth with students, Jocalyn Naranjo and Aiden Donahue (FBC Portales).

Beau and Melissa Lamb prepare for the next session of the convention.

David and Kenzie Aguirre, along with their kids, Olivia and Levi (FBC Portales), were caught hanging out in the foyer.

Becky and Barry Walker (FBC Portales) preparing to attend the next session.

Seven Reasons
God Brings Leaders
Into Tough Situations

By Chuck Lawless, posted October 17, 2025 in Baptist Press Toolbox

I know this post may not be popular, but I think it’s an important one. Many church leaders face difficult ministry scenarios, but they know God led them there. Here are some reasons He does that:

1. God glorifies Himself when we trust Him in the tough situations. God led His people to the Red Sea – a most difficult predicament with the Egyptian army pursuing them. When He delivered His people, though, the Egyptians took note that the Hebrew God was more powerful than their gods (Exo. 14:24-25). That’s what happens when He works miracles in our toughest days.

2. Most of us need to be weakened rather than strengthened as we do ministry. Our problem is not that we need strength to do God’s work; it’s that we’re like Gideon’s army: we’re so strong that we rob God of His glory if we succeed (Judges 7:1-7). God rightly reduces us through hard times.

3. God teaches us that He’s the warrior when we face seemingly unwinnable situations. David the shepherd boy was willing to take on Goliath not because he was so strong, but because his God was stronger than the giant (1 Sam. 17:45-47). Sometimes we need reminders that God is the deliverer, not us.

4. Tough situations force us to lock our eyes on God. That’s what King Jehoshaphat did when he faced three armies uniting against his forces. He didn’t know what to do, so he put his eyes on his Creator (2 Chron. 20:12). Whatever it takes to get us there is good for us.

5. Our default position is self-dependence rather than dependence on God. Most of us are dependent on God early in our leadership roles when we’re like David the shepherd, who knew only to trust God. Once we get some training and experience, though, we become like David the king, who relied on the number and power of his military forces (1 Chron. 21:1-5). Difficulties force us to become like the shepherd boy again.

6. God keeps us humble in our tough times. Sometimes He allows a thorn in our life, and He chooses not to remove it (2 Cor. 12:7-10). That’s okay, though, because He makes His strength most evident in our weakness.

7. Our witness is often strongest in the valley, not on the mountaintop. It’s one thing to trust God when the sailing is smooth, but it’s another thing to trust Him when the ship is filling with water (Mark 4:35-40). The world takes note of the latter more than the former.

Tough situations under the sovereign hand of God actually make us better leaders because we then lead in His power, not ours. Trust Him if today is a difficult day.

PRAY FOR MISSIONARIES WITH NEW MEXICO TIES

Karen Pligreen sends out a monthly prayer list from International Mission Board of missionaries who have ties to New Mexico. You can sign up to receive Karen's monthly prayer request list by simply emailing her at kpilg42@yahoo.com and requesting to be added to her email list.

Operation Christmas Child collection week is rapidly approaching.  This year is it November 17-24.  For more information, contact Wayne Boydstun at 575-799-8000.

Click HERE to check out the Good Books section of our website. We also have a Spanish version called Buenos Libros which you can check out by clicking HERE.

The book of the week is The Doctrine of the Christian Life by John Frame. This book is listed under Ethics in the Good Books section of the Tri-Area website, which is found under the heading, "Encourage."

The third volume of Frame’s Theology of Lordship series, this book focuses on biblical ethics, presenting a method for ethical decision-making, an analysis of biblical ethical teaching focusing on the Ten Commandments, and a discussion of the relation of Christ to human culture.

Click HERE if you want to purchase this book from Amazon.com. It may also be available through other booksellers as well.

Submit a résumé by sending it to the following mailing address:

Iglesia Bautista Belen
Senior Pastor Position
820 N. Reid
PO Box 2046
Clovis, New Mexico  88102

First Baptist Church
Senior Pastor Position
226 Avenue A
PO Box 275
Dora, New Mexico  88115

First Baptist Church
Senior Pastor Position
100 S Avenue C
Portales, NM  88130

SEPTEMBER FINANCIAL REPORT

Click HERE to read or download the latest contribution report for Tri-Area

IMPORTANT DATES

Have an event coming up at your church? Email us at tri.area.baptist.association@gmail.com or
send us a text message at 575-714-7788.
 

November 2025 - 

3rd - Ft. Sumner Area Ministers Fellowship at Noon Rodeo Grill
6th - Portales Pastors & Wives Fellowship - 6:30 p.m.
13th - Clovis Pastors & Wives Fellowship - 6:30 p.m.
17th - Tucumcari Pastors & Wives Fellowship - 6:30 p.m.

December 2025 - 

1st - Ft. Sumner Area Ministers Fellowship at Noon Rodeo Grill
4th - Portales Pastors & Wives Fellowship - 6:30 p.m.
11th - Clovis Pastors & Wives Fellowship - 6:30 p.m.
15th - Tucumcari Pastors & Wives Fellowship - 6:30 p.m.

January 2026 - 

5th - Ft. Sumner Area Ministers Fellowship at Noon Rodeo Grill
15th - Portales Pastors & Wives Fellowship - 6:30 p.m.
22nd - Clovis Pastors & Wives Fellowship - 6:30 p.m.
26th - Tucumcari Pastors & Wives Fellowship - 6:30 p.m.

February 2026 - 

2nd - Ft. Sumner Area Ministers Fellowship at Noon Rodeo Grill
7th - DNOW 2026
12th - Portales Pastors & Wives Fellowship - 6:30 p.m.
19th - Clovis Pastors & Wives Fellowship - 6:30 p.m.
23rd - Tucumcari Pastors & Wives Fellowship - 6:30 p.m.

Got a question about any of the above events? Call Elaine at 575-714-7788.

PRAY FOR NEEDS
IN OUR ASSOCIATION

New or updated requests appear below in bold yellow type.

Pray for Foundations of Faith Dairy Ministry.

Pray for our pastorless churches: Iglesia Bautista Belen in Clovis, First Baptist Dora, FBC Portales, and Central Clovis.

Pray for the Christian Challenge ministry at Eastern.

Pray for all our pastors and other ministerial staff and leaders.

Pray for Joel Castro and his wife, Sara, from Honduras, that they might be able to secure the necessary visas to come to the U.S.

Pray for Carlos Cervantes and his wife, Adrianna, from Mexico, that they might be able to secure the necessary visas to come to the U.S.

Pray for the DOM Search Committee as they seek God's guidance for finding the next Director of Missions.

Helpful Links

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Our mailing address is: 1100 W. Manana  Clovis, NM 88101

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