Finding the Faithful

It is with somewhat of a sad heart that we announce that Finding the Faithful will no longer be airing new episodes after the spring of 2012.  We have been on the internet and airwaves for over 3 years, and we have considered it a great privilege to bring you interviews with faithful servants of the Lord from around North America.

Why are we stopping the program?  There are several reasons.  First, we will be taking a missions trip for nearly a year to the country of Mexico.  We will not be able to conduct interviews while we are there.  Secondly, Finding the Faithful was originally designed to be recorded and edited by a teamwork of people, instead of just one.  The Lord saw fit to change those plans, and we have continued the program with just Brother Ben editing and recording all the episodes.  But our traveling ministry and music are growing by leaps and bounds, and we have to prioritize those in order to continue to offer the same quality.

We may return in a few years, perhaps under a different format, or under the same one; we don't know.  But we are certainly grateful to have been on this journey with you folks.  We have had nearly 20,000 listens to various programs through the years, and we are thankful for it. May you see the Lord at work in your own lives.

As always, stay faithful to God because He is always faithful to us.

- Evangelist Ben Everson

We had such a great time with brother Laitres last time, we thought we would continue this week with another part of the interview!  Stick around for some thought-provoking conversation!

We had such a great time with brother Laitres last time, we thought we would continue this week with another part of the interview!  Stick around for some thought-provoking conversation!

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Brother Peter Laitres is our guest this week!  We will cover a host of issues and topics, and we hope your heart will be strengthened as you listen to this conversation.  Brother Laitres is one of my favorite Christian leaders to talk with, and I certainly hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

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It's time to kick off Season 4 of Finding the Faithful!  Welcome aboard as we travel to South Carolina, visiting with veteran missionary church planter Tim Hendricks of Taking Necessary Truths International Ministries.

Tim Hendricks has a ministry to Latin-speaking countries and has been a missionary for over 2 and a half decades.  You will enjoy his plain, biblical approach to topics such as knowing and doing God's will and true biblical church planting on the foreign field.  Join us on the back porch in upstate South Carolina in the midst of warm summer as we talk with Brother Hendricks!

http://www.tnti.org

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Dan Ortega, Brother Ben's grandfather, passed away August 6, 2011.  He will be missed, but his testimony for the Lord remains for us all. In honor of him, we are replaying an episode of FTF of a recording made about 6 years ago that featured Brother Ortega recounting his testimony and early walk with Christ.  We trust it will be a blessing to you.k you for your prayers.

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Well, we've reached the end of season 3 here at FTF.  We are surely grateful for you as you have listened to this program.

It's probably obvious that we wanted to have more episodes than what we did, but there were several factors that limited us this year.  Some of the interviews we had ended up not airing because of changes in philosophy.  Not our changes, but theirs.  We want to show people that when we air an episode, at the time of the airdate, the person(s) being interviewed is, to the best of our knowledge, right doctrinally and practically. We had some changes in this regard last year.

We also had some technical problems with recording.  In the midst of getting out of our old trailer and into our new one, the total time was almost 3 months of in-between time!  We didn't get more interviews recorded during that time of flux.

ON A GOOD NOTE

On a good note, we were able to provide several families with interviews of loved ones that have now been promoted to glory.  Bro. Milton Tolly, who was a guest on season 1, and Bro. Gene Hendricks, who was a guest last year, both are now in heaven.  It was a blessing to hear from members of both families tell us that it was so encouraging to hear the voices of their loved ones giving testimony to the greatness of God in voices strong and clear.  We praise God that we were able to be a blessing here at Finding the Faithful.

So would you pray with us that as the fall season comes around, we would be able to get back on the schedule we would like to be, sharing stories of faithful believers across North America!  We will see you in September!

Sincerely,

Evangelist Ben Everson

They weren't fundamental preachers.  They weren't products of Christian colleges that taught against rock music.  These men were heavily involved in the rock music scene, playing guitars and seeing rock music as their god.  Now, after being saved and brought out of the Ps. 40 "horrible pit," Scott and Tom share with us their insights into the rock & heavy metal worlds.

Some of our listeners are musically conservative.  You will appreciate this episode.  Some of our listeners take a much broader approach to music. You can find much here to think about, even if you feel like you don't agree with everything that is said.  Hopefully, this episode will help us all move a step closer to where God would have us to be.

This is why we are allowing a full double-length episode today, without splitting it into two parts.  We hope you can glean much from these two servants of God!

Bro. Scott is training to be a fundamental pastor.  Bro. Tom is an active song-leader in his home church in Virginia.  They did not know each other until after they found Christ.  But they have found much in common as they think about what God has brought about in their lives!  Thanks for joining us!

photo by George Norkus

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Don't miss this Sunday! A double-length episode, featuring 2 men who were heavily involved in the rock music & heavy metal scene, sharing with us what God taught them as He rescued them from the "horrible pit." You won't want to miss this! For those of you who are conservative, this will make a lot of sense to you. For those of you who are much more progressive, this ought to give you some food for thought. Coming this Sunday!!

This is a great episode!  Grab a cup of coffee or, as in my case, a cup of hot chocolate, and listen through this episode.  There's a lot here, both of interest in a biographical way, but also much that can benefit us as we remain faithful.  Don't miss Bro. Kutz's illustration of a train near the end!

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We'll be taking a surprise trip close to Madison, WI, for an interview with one of Brother Ben's good friends in the ministry!  This pastor has been at it for years, but he remains accessible and shares with us some of his insights he has gained.  We'll see you this coming Sunday!

Pastor Greg Harven pastors the Emmanuel Bible Church in Huntingdon, PA.  He has been faithful preaching and leading both his church and family.  He and and his late wife had 6 daughters, who have sung with beautiful harmony throughout churches in the midwest.  3 of them now attend West Coast Baptist College and sing regularly while there.  Bro. Harven's wife went on to glory from cancer shortly after giving birth to their son.  Brother Harven gives testimony to the fact that although times get tough, God has been faithful.  This episode is a highlight of the season, and can encourage your heart in the Lord.

We'll also hear the Harven Sisters sing a heart-warming song that takes on special meaning knowing their background.  Praise God for His faithfulness and we're really thankful for Brother Harven sitting down for this interview on FTF.

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ebchca@embarqmail.com

814-627-3937

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Pastor Greg Harven has been a fixture in Huntingdon, PA, for years.  Pastoring Emmanuel Bible Church and administrating a small Christian school, Brother Harven is a strong preacher of the Word and a faithful servant.  His daughters sing in beautiful harmony, and we're planning on having a song from them next Sunday!  Don't miss it!

Pastor Andrew Schopf pastors the First Baptist Church in Soap Lake, WA.  We experienced great hospitality from the church folks, and we had a good time with the church while we were there.  I mention that because we got sick while we were there, and the church folks took great care of us.  We will never forget kindness like that.

Brother Schopf is a younger senior pastor, but he carries a gravity beyond his years, probably due in no small part of growing up learning about God's Word from an early age.  You won't want to miss his excitement about the things of God as you hear this interview

http://www.soaplakefbc.com/

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We'll be visiting Soap Lake, WA, and the First Baptist Church.  You'll be excited to hear Bro. Andrew Schopf, preacher and musician with a heart for God's Word and God's church.  Next Sunday, Jan 30!

The bulk of the country gets the image of California through TV, media, and movies that the state is only full of irreverent stars who don't really care about God or Christianity.  Many people also think that if you have a church in CA, it must be a liberal, compromising one that doesn't stand for much.

Pastor Rich Sydlowski fills us in on the truth about California, and his church, the Mountain Avenue Baptist Church in Banning, is living proof that there are faithful believers who are refusing to compromise and are seeing God's hand of blessing.

Brother Rich has been a friend to us for many years now, and knew Brother Ben in the year prior to Brother Ben & Amanda's wedding.  It was a privilege to have this interview in Brother Sydlowski's office there in Banning.

mabconline.com

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Join us for the first episode back from the holidays with Pastor Rich Sydlowski, growing an exciting church in Banning, California!  You won't want to miss this episode as he talks about knocking on doors, people getting saved, and why they have made the musical choices they have at Mountain Avenue Baptist Church.  Sunday, January 16, we'll welcome you back for the re-energized second half of our 3rd FTF season!!

Welcome back to FTF!  We've been absent longer than we intended, but we had to do some recovery of our interview files and now we're ready to go!

We're happy to bring to you Pastor Tim Riley, pastor Berean Baptist Church in Detroit Lakes, MN.  You'll enjoy this straightforward interview as Brother Riley shows us the passion of his heart to see his church people discipled in order to go on serving the Lord around the world.

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Finding the Faithful returns November 7 with special guest Pastor Tim Riley, of Berean Baptist Church in Detroit Lakes, MN!  We're excited to have him along as our first November guest as we head toward the Christmas season.  Can you believe it?

Be sure to tune in on Sunday, November 7, to hear this interview with us!

We will be airing a new episode of Finding the Faithful on November 7.  We apologize for the premature announcement of the next guest; due to some difficulties, we will have to indefinitely postpone the interview with our formerly scheduled guest.  As we reshuffle the lineup, we will announce our next guest as soon as we can! 

Thanks for being part of FTF!

Every once in a while we get to introduce a guest who has known Brother Ben for a while.  Today we've got that chance again! Dr. Dave Buckley has known Brother Ben for nearly 30 years.  Its a great privilege to have him as today's special guest.  You'll identify with his easy-going spirit and transparency as he shares from his heart about serving God and loving people, even when people can be difficult.  Thanks for joining us!!

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Don't miss Dr. Dave Buckley from Cross Lanes Bible Church in Cross Lanes, WV, next Sunday!

An assistant pastor often gets tagged for doing all the things no one else wants to do!  Here's an assistant who jumps in to the role wholeheartedly along with his wife and family.  Bro. Bill Lockhart is the assistant pastor at Fundamental Baptist Church in Kinross, MI, under the leadership of Dr. Tim Rader. He also has a heart for camp ministry, and shares that with us.  His wife Evelyn also joins us for this interview!

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Bro. Bill Lockhart has been at Fundamental Baptist Church in Kinross, MI, for most of his life.  You won't want to miss his testimony of God's working in his life next Sunday!

Evangelist Hal Hightower brings a pastoral heart to the field of evangelism. He travels throughout the country preaching at local church revivals, mission conferences, and family conferences, Christian camps, youth rallies, Bible colleges and preaching conferences. More than 130,000 soldiers heard the gospel and more than 55,000 soldiers were saved through the Free Day Away ministry at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Lebanon, Missouri, where Brother Hal served as Pastor for fifteen years.

We're glad to have Bro. Hal as our first guest this season!

Bro. Hal Hightower's home church: 417-532-4412

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Don't forget!  Season 3 of Finding the Faithful begins next Sunday!  We look forward to having you with us!

Evangelist and veteran pastor Hal Hightower is the special guest for the opening episode of FTF, season 3. We're thrilled to be able to announce this!  Brother Hal is a straightforward preacher of the Word, and has decades of experience as a pastor in Missouri.  You won't want to miss our opening episode, set to post on September 5!

Folks, we are excited at FINDING THE FAITHFUL!  We have set our premiere date for the Sunday after Labor Day, September 12.  You won't want to miss this season!  We have a great lineup of guests, and we're firmly committed to our bi-weekly schedule.

More great news: we are averaging more downloads (about 200 a month) over the summer than we have ever had!  This means folks are listening to season 1 & 2 episodes more often, and we haven't even started season 3!

We're thrilled that people are enjoying the program.  This year, we trust to expand even more, and throw in a few surprises along the way.  We look forward to the first episode, Sunday, September 12!

From a minivan "hurtling" towards the Kansas City International Airport, Brother Ben gives his final thoughts on Season Two!

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Tune in next Sunday for Brother Ben's season wrap up. Its just the annual 5 minute wrap up on the season, and it will come from him being on the road to the Kansas City airport! That's next Sunday on FTF!

Have you ever heard of a church that changed - for the better?  It's pretty rare; most churches that change are headed downhill in some way.  But not so in Perry, Ohio.  I was impressed with the heartbeat of Brother Jim Lane (first on the left, Michigan fan) and his assistant pastor Ray Strimpel (first on right, Ohio State fan) and their desire to be used of the Lord.  Although I didn't sit down with Bro. Ray this time (maybe the next time through!) I did sit down with Bro. Lane and asked him about his passion for his church to be everything God would want them to be in their community.

With so many churches interally-focused today, this isn't just a breath of fresh air, its a whole tank.  Enjoy today's episode!

Faith Baptist Church

3003 Narrows Road Perry, OH 44081-9594 (440) 259-4449

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Next Sunday, join us for a chat with Pastor Jim Lane of Faith Baptist Church in Perry, Ohio.  This church has recently done some self-evaluation, and the heartbeat of the pastor and congregation is to serve the Lord and their community.  Tune in to hear just how they are planning on improving this!

Wondering why the logos?  Tune in next week to find out!

Pastor Larry Gross has been faithfully serving the Lord at the First Baptist Church in Waupaca, WI, for over 3 decades. Longevity like that isn't common, and it carries with it great rewards in a church family.  I have the privilege of sitting down for a quick interview with Brother Gross in his office at the church, and he gets right to the point about serving God, what it takes to keep going, and even observations about Christian education.

Thanks for joining us this afternoon!

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Don't miss our final 3 episodes of the season!  Next Sunday, Pastor Larry Gross from First Baptist in Waupaca, WI!  He's been pastoring for nearly 3 and a half decades.  You won't want to miss this!

Ahoy mate!

Thousands of people know him as "Patch the Pirate."  Ron Hamilton has been a fixture in music ministry for decades.  What goes on in his mind when he's writing a song?  What does he think when someone criticizes something he's done?  How about what encourages him the most?  You won't want to miss today's episode!  Its even a "jumbo-sized" time slot to fit it all in.

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