July 2018

Dear Pastor and Praying Friends,

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.  - Matthew 5:14-16

We are having a wonderful Summer!  I hope you are as well.  A few of the highlights that I would like to share with you are 1.)  We FINALLY  were able to replace our church sign that blew away in a storm last year.  We mentioned the need to a group of friends and the Arkansas fellowship of pastors took care of it.  Praise the Lord!!!  2.)Three new families have been faithfully attending our services...two of which are my fellow employees at Wal-mart.  I pray daily for the Lord to use me to glorify him while I am working.  I have mentioned before that I know God uses my position there as a ministering tool.  Folks may not come to my church, but everyone in Newport goes by the meat wall at Wal-mart!  Many have promised to attend, a few have kept those promises.  I am really glad to see the families of my employees grow in the Lord as they attend our services.  They have begun to invite others from work to attend, and some of their friends and family have since visited. 

 3.) We recently celebrated two birthdays in our family. My daughters were born one day short of two years  apart.  My oldest girl turned 9 and our second born turned 7 on June 17th and 18th.  We enjoyed having the cousins here to join in celebrating with us.  Which brings me to the next point.   4.)  We are enjoying an extended visit from my nieces and nephew from Oklahoma. I have included a picture of our church sign just to the right.  My nieces and nephew were so kind to pose for the photo.  You can see the personality just bursting forth in the photo.  Pray for us and them! 

We are thankful for every day that the Lord allows us to try and make a positive impact on their lives.  Last Summer two of the three trusted the Lord.  We will see what the Lord will do this year.

 5.) Last of all, my wife and I celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary! Eleven years have flown by.  We have had challenges and such, but apart from salvation, my wife is the best gift I have received from the Lord. I am truly blessed!  Thank you for your continued financial and prayer support!

In His service,

Pastor Raymond Beckles

Lighthouse Baptist Church

Newport Arkansas