Mississippi Church Sends Gospel to 150 Nations
Mississippi Church Sends Gospel to 150 Nations
Strengthford Church sits beyond a quiet country road on the edge of a national forest in Wayne County. The church is small, its Sunday crowd modest, yet its vision reaches far beyond its wooden pews. Week after week, members give with open hands to support people in need. They help relief efforts, feed families, and support children who have no home to return to.
Pastor Robert Boutwell often reminds the church that size does not decide impact. He compares their strength of faith to a young boy facing a giant. Strengthford took that belief even further when it began sending Gospel tracts across the world. Today, these tracts have reached about 150 countries.
During the church’s one hundred and fifty fifth anniversary in October, the congregation also marked nine years of a humble ministry that began with nothing but a thought, a prayer, and a few willing hearts. Associate pastor Ken Walters and member Martin Busby brought the idea of folding Gospel tracts to the pastor nine years ago. The church had no machine, no plan, and no folder team. They only believed that if they stepped out in faith, God would guide them.
Strengthford partnered with Publish or Perish Printing Ministry, a print shop based inside Biloxi River Church in Gulfport. The ministry once started with a single missionary, Bill Vaughn, who wrote and printed tracts from his home. Volunteers would drive hours to help him fold them. When Biloxi River Church offered space, the work grew, and the small print shop began sending out thousands of tracts.
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Today, the ministry has printed about sixteen million tracts this year alone. They now publish tracts in several languages, including three dialects used in the Philippines. They provide the tracts free of charge. To save costs when shipping overseas, Publish or Perish often packs the tracts inside Bible shipments from a partner group known as BEAMS Bible Ministry. What once went out in thousands now goes out in millions.
One missionary in Poland received English tracts tucked into a Bible shipment. He shared them with students who wanted to learn English. The interest grew so fast that he worked with the printing team to develop Polish tracts. Soon after, one million Polish tracts were shipped his way.
The tracts do not reach the world on their own. Five local churches fold every single one, including Strengthford. Nine years ago, the church’s folder team started with seven people. One moved away and one passed on. Today, five remain, though one of them is on sick leave. Still, the team gathers before sunrise four days a week in a small renovated garage behind the church. One man feeds the machine. Another catches each folded sheet. Others pack the boxes and stack them for pickup. Every box is prayed over before it leaves the building.
Team leader Martin Busby carries a personal story that anchors his calling. In 1975, he experienced a frightening vision that pushed him to look for a way to share the message of salvation. He searched for years for a tract ministry to join. It was not until Walters arrived at Strengthford that the door opened. Even when early plans fell apart and the church could not get the first folding machine they hoped for, Busby held on. A friend from Publish or Perish encouraged him to trust God. Soon after, a working machine was found for only one hundred and one dollars, far less than the usual price.
As Busby worked alone one day, overwhelmed by the workload, he cried out in frustration. Not long after, people began joining him. The team grew, and the work moved faster. Today, they have folded more than sixty one million tracts. Many stories return to them about lives changed. A man carrying a tract for years. A family moved by a message on paper. A stranger on the roadside picking one up and finding hope.
The men laugh as they work. They pray as they fold. They treat every sheet like a tiny traveler with a mission. As Walters often says, even a small church can play a part. Even one person can answer a call that reaches the world.
Content Credit : Boluwatife Abiola
Image Credit : Google. Com
