San Diego, California
October 2, 2008

Dearly Beloved Friends in the Faith,

“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth” (III John 1:2).

Our greetings to you, dear friends, in the precious and lovely Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, “a name which is above every name.”  It is our sincere and fervent prayer that all is well with you and indeed you are prospering in the work of the Lord as you serve Him in His vineyard.  I am continually reminded of the wonderful privilege that truly is ours to serve the Master.  What a joy to get up each and every morning from a night’s rest and have yet another day to serve the One Who paid the penalty for our sins in the shedding of His precious blood on the Cross of Calvary.  “Man of Sorrows, what a name, For the Son of God who came, Ruined sinners to reclaim! Hallelujah! What a Saviour!" Amen! Yes indeed!“Hallelujah! What a Saviour!"

God has been so good to us in allowing us to serve Him in thirty-three different meetings thus far in 2008.  Though we had a few periods of down-time, the Lord filled our schedule and kept us busy.  I was glad that we had some open dates whereby we were able to help the dear folks of Barona Baptist Church.  They are currently without a pastor and had need of someone to fill the pulpit for them, so I was glad and thankful that I had some time to do so.  Barona Baptist Church is located on the Barona Indian Reservation and ministers to the Mission Band of Kumeyaay Indians.  We have had the joy and privilege of ministering at Barona Baptist many times since its founding, and have been closely associated with the work over the years.  Please keep this work in prayer as these dear people are in great need of a sheep-feeding pastor who will come and love and care for them. 

One of my great personal joys is working with new church plants.  This past year I have preached for two or three new works , and it is truly exciting to see what God is doing in and through these fledgling  ministries.  Two weeks ago we were with Pastor Mel Taylor and the folks of Faith Baptist Church in Lodi.  The church is just one year old and prospering in the work of the Lord.  This work was commissioned by Stockton Baptist Church of Stockton, California.  Pastor Steve Kihlthau was used of the Lord to plant Stockton Baptist Church 21 years ago, and today this is a thriving ministry being wonderfully used of the Lord.  Pastor Kihlthau has shared with me that he is praying about planting another church within the next year or so.  I thank God for men and local churches having a burden and vision for church planting.  It is sad to me that in our day it seems that few of our independent Baptist churches are reproducing themselves by commissioning new works in needy places where there is no faithful Gospel witness.  When we were in the Philippine Islands in 2005, it seems that every church I preached in had already planted one or two new works or more.  These dear Filipino people understand that church planting is a vibrant part of fulfilling the Great Commission.  They also understand that churches plant churches, men do not plant churches.  God uses men to do the work of church planting, but it is the local New Testament church God has mandated and ordained to do the actual commissioning and planting.  I thank God for those churches with a spirit of revival that have captured the vision for new works wherever God impresses them to plant them. 

Since our last newsletter I have preached for missions conferences, revival emphasis meetings, a couple’s retreat, Christian school chapels (where I was preaching revival emphasis meetings), and other endeavors.  We praise God for the souls saved in the meetings, and for the spirit of revival in the lives of those dear folks responding to the preaching of God’s Word.  Tomorrow morning we fly to the upper Midwest for meetings in Wisconsin and Minnesota. We are excited about this next round of meetings, and rejoice in the Lord as He has opened doors of service to us in that area of the country.  Praise the Lord!

Last August I had surgery on my left shoulder, and have recovered 100% of the range of motion with my left arm.  Now it appears that I will require surgery on my right shoulder, and we are praying that I can have that accomplished sometime in December.  I would appreciate your prayers as I have had much pain with this shoulder problem, much more so than with my left shoulder.  I am thankful for a great primary care physician and excellent surgeon.  God has been so good to me in providing me with medical folks who truly care about their patients. 

In closing, Linda and I want to express to those churches and individuals who stay in touch with us our deep gratitude and appreciation.  Your notes, e-mails, and phone calls mean so much to us.  Thank you for being such a wonderful source of blessing and encouragement to us.  Having that contact with you, and having our hearts knit together for the cause of Christ, is very special to us.  Your prayers for us, and your friendship mean more to us than you can know.  We love you all, and thank God for you.  Thank you so very much for your support of the ministry God has given to us.  “To God be the glory!  Great things HE hath done!”

Your Servants for Revival,

Paul and Linda Mershon