SEP/OCT 2024
Dear Church,
The past couple months have been eventful at Anchor Baptist Church as the Lord continues to bless. Our Fall campaign concludes next Sunday, November 3rd. Since the church successfully had six first-time visitors during our campaign, we will celebrate with a pie social. To keep up my end of the bargain, I will also be receiving a pie in the face which, I am told, will not be edible or tasty. As you can see, I need prayer. A financial supporter also donated a $100.00 gift card which will go to the individual who brought the most visitors. The picture included in our letter shows a man in Astoria with a sign he probably thinks is cute. It simply says, “need weed.” The sign is inaccurate, and should say “need Jesus.” Anchor Baptist Church continues to be the church Astoria needs but does not want. The signs above read, “one way,” and “stop!” How appropriate since there is only one way to Jesus, but this man needs to get off the broad one way road that leads to hell, stop and repent, and get on the straight and narrow road that leads to life eternal. Thank you for praying for us and supporting the work as we share the truth of Jesus Christ with those who will listen. We are looking forward to imminent day when we will be caught up together with the Lord in the clouds as described in the Bible and we are thankful that we are not pointed unto wrath. This hope purifies us as we wait for the call “up hither” in Revelation 4:1! I didn’t include the picture of the Episcopal church in Astoria flying the sodomite flag with 6 colors. We see evil men and seducers wax worse and worse, but we are fixed on the truth of God’s Word! There are a few people who are paying attention to church and have shown interest. We have seen some attendance increase to our evening services. In one case, someone from a supporting church made contact with a friend who lives here and strongly encouraged them to attend Anchor Baptist Church. This friend has been coming for a couple months now and we are excited to see how the Lord will work. There are others who come by the door of our meeting place, and one person in
particular who came in half way through the service one evening. This individual considered visiting the church for a long time. I am still amazed how long it takes for people to decide to come to church. Thank you for your resolve in standing with us as we evangelize Astoria and the surrounding areas. God’s work is being done and lives are being changed. God bless each of you!

Dear Church,
Thank you for faithfully supporting our family as we preach the gospel in the Pacific Northwest.
Our labor is not in vain, and our cause is right. The message of repentance towards God and faith in
Jesus Christ for salvation is still the need of this lost and dying world. We are constantly and
desperately seeking those who will hear the message and be saved here in Astoria and the
surrounding areas. Your prayers and support allow us to do this, and we are very thankful for that!
Our progress on the Old-Fashioned Gospel Tent Meeting has been redirected. I asked the city
planner to tell me plainly if there was any reason we could not use a donated piece of land located
in downtown Warrenton. He said there was no reason he could foresee and then asked me to submit
a non-refundable 300 fee for a permit to officially ask permission to hold our event. Quickly after
submitting the fee, he replied to let me know that public works had a comment against our permit,
and it would take 30 days to resolve. After more than 30 days, he called me to let me know the
commission was tied 2-2 over the decision to allow amplified sound. He gave me a choice of
proceeding with the permit without sound amplification or waiting another month until the next
meeting to see of a 3rd commissioner would side with us, which would leave us without an answer
until a few days before the meeting. Then I asked him if there was any other foreseeable roadblock
that would hinder us. That’s when he decided to let me know the city would require us to have a
sidewalk installed before we could get approval. He told me they have know for some time that this
property needed a sidewalk, a fact I would like to have known before submitting the request!
Dear prayer partners, can you imagine what we will deal with when the time comes to try to
construct a building in this community? This part of the United States is not like old-town America
and the things of God are not held in high regard. We are working against deep rooted disrespect for
God’s Word, God’s man, and God’s church! Despite these things, we are more than conquerors
through HIM that loved us! (Romans 8:37)
Following this news, Stacy suggested I speak with the new manager of the Shilo Inn and see if we
could hold our meeting there. This was a great idea, and the best option given our time schedule. I
spoke with the manager, and he was happy to allow us to use the conference room for our meetings.
I told him the previous manager gave us a great deal at $20.00 per day and asked if he would do
something comparable. He said, “O, I won’t charge you guys for that, we love having you as
tenants. You guys have been great!” What a joy to hear, and what an answer to prayer. Make no
mistake, the city planner meant it for evil, but God meant it for good! Please pray for our “OldFashioned Gospel Meeting” to be a great success this year! The dates are July 9th-12th. If you can
make it, we would enjoy the company! Thank you so much for keeping us encouraged with cards,
e-mails, and texts from time to time. We are enjoying the work and looking forward to the imminent
rapture!

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FEB 2024 Dear Church Rain rain and more rain is what we are experiencing here in Clatsop County. It has been this way for months. Even Portland has clear skies in the forecast today as I write this letter but Astoria started with snow followed by rain and (you guessed it) more rain! I don’t complain about the rain because I love the greenery here in this most beautiful corner of God’s creation. The trade is worth it! Thank you for praying for us reading our letters and supporting the work financially. A young Coastguardsman returned to us after spending a few months at sea. Before he left he coordinated with the Coastguard chaplain and volunteered to handle the religious services on the cutter under the authority of Anchor Baptist Church. He originally planned to be with us for a total of 4 years but recently received word that his cutter will be decommissioned. This means they are sending him somewhere else after serving here less than a year and most of that time was spent at sea. I plead with you to plead with the Lord on his behalf and ours! The Coastguardsman submitted a request to be assigned to one of two new boats that will be stationed here. He has a chance of getting that assignment but not a good chance. Please pray fervently and frequently that God will keep him here with us at Anchor Baptist Church. This dear brother has been a great encouragement to us and he says Anchor Baptist has helped him grow much stronger as a Christian as well. We are thankful for the Bibles that were sent and we have distributed them to some very gracious elderly people. One lady received a Bibles who has been attending for quite some time. She was taken to the hospital a few weeks ago so I went to visit her and she was in great spirits. A day later she was sent back to the care center and I am sad to say that her prognosis is not good. Thursday evening I went back to pick up some people from the care center for church and I stopped in to visit this dear lady. She apologized several times for not being able to attend church with me. My heart goes out to her and I am so amazed at her strong desire to be in church despite her deteriorating condition. Please pray that God will comfort her. A few months earlier I had a great conversation with her and I am confident she knows Jesus as her Saviour! Winning souls baptizing people and adding them to the church so we can teach them is the formula we find in God’s Word for church planting. The Bible doesn’t mention an Old-Fashioned Gospel Tent Meeting specifically but there are a lot of tents in the Bible and the Gospel is certainly in there as well! I believe the Lord laid the tent meeting upon my heart and he has always provided a way for us. Last year we took a break because we expected to move into a store-front building and moved into the Shilo instead. We really want to hold the meeting this year and we have people coming from far away to help us. The problem is I haven’t heard from the owner of the property yet. Time is running short for me to submit the paperwork needed for our permits. Will you please pray that I hear back from the owner of the property within the first week of March? Pray for God’s direction as we might need to consider another venue or even canceling the meeting. It’s still raining here so don’t forget to pray for some sunshine too! God bless you! -The Byers Family www.thebyersfamily.net

Dear Church thank you for taking time to read this letter and pray for our work here in Astoria. It is a privilege to labor together with you in the ministry. We are so grateful for your continued support as the economy under the current administration has presented us all with challenges we would rather not face. I’m so glad that in my Father’s house there are many mansions! Several months ago I shared a story about a man with a burden for his son. I met the man at a preacher’s fellowship and he pleaded with me to get in touch with his son that I might share Christ with him. The next day the man was so excited to tell me that I had already met his son. He began describing him to me and I realized we had in fact met the previous Sunday when I preached at the retirement home where he worked. The father was elated about the Lord’s timing and so was I. Skipping forward to September… There is an elderly man who has been visiting Anchor Baptist Church for almost one year. We pick him up from this retirement home whenever he can make it. The man seems to understand Bible things at a very basic level and doesn’t talk a whole lot. I have certainly given a clear presentation of the gospel many times but the man has never responded. I never have pressed the issue trusting the Holy Spirit to work in God’s time. Well several weeks ago I went to visit on a Saturday. I sat down with this man and began to share the Gospel with a large print Bible opened on the desk. Backing up a bit… Do you remember the man who was praying for his son? That son was standing right there working at the retirement home while I spoke with the resident. I went very carefully and deliberately through the Gospel of Jesus Christ while both men listened. The elderly man bowed his head and confessed Jesus as Lord believing that God had raised him from the dead! A week or two later the father of this son called me to see how things were going and to share some news with me. Unbeknownst to me at the time the young man who overheard me share the gospel had already visited his father a few weeks prior. During that trip the father shared the message of salvation with his son and pleaded with him to trust Christ. This brother overjoyed on the phone told me how his son had trusted Jesus as Saviour. Praise the LORD! The young man never offered this information to me while I was there so I will do all I can to determine his understanding in the days and weeks ahead. Through all of this the Lord is building my confidence in the truth that He is working at all times behind the scenes and in ways we cannot imagine. Pray that God helps us to remain steadfast. Most of the family was sick with respiratory illness recently so please pray for good health. We still need signs on the side of our trailer so we can park it at the Shilo Inn. There are also some printing needs we have if your church would like to help out with an extra project. There is lots to do and many souls to reach. Thank you for reading praying and supporting the work here in Astoria!

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