Missionary Update: Sheridan & Anita Stanton in Peru [December 2014]
Sheridan and Anita Stanton have served the Lord in Peru since 1983. Their main ministry is church planting and they have helped establish churches all over the country. Sheridan also works to train pastors and Anita works with the ladies’ ministry and developing children’s material.
December 20, 2014
Dear friends,
Since my last letter so much has happened. First, the Calvary Baptist Mission of Huánuco was organized into an independent New Testament Baptist Church the 18th of October. We had 43 charter members taking part. Pastor Dr. George R. Sledd from our home church, the Jordan Missionary Baptist Church, came down to assist in the organization ceremony. All of our sister Baptist churches attended. The church voted to call Brother Franz Coba as their pastor. Franz is a fine young preacher, married with two small children. Please pray for him and the church as they embark upon this new ministry together.
Once the church was organized and all the legal details of turning over the property were taken care of, Anita and I gave full time to selling off or giving away all of our “stuff” we had collected over the past thirty-two years in preparation of our journey back to the States. In my last two letters I have informed you all that the Berea Baptist Church of Hiddenite, North Carolina has called me to be its new pastor. Leaving Peru was an emotional roller coaster for us as we went through numerous farewell services where a lot of tears and emotion were expressed by our Peruvian friends.
After leaving Huánuco we went through the hassle of shipping seventeen plastic storage bins back to the States. We were in Lima for several days taking care of paper work for our departure and the shipping. Upon arrival in the States on the 12 of November we immediately drove to Hiddenite to find the church had remodeled the parsonage for us. All new hardwood flooring throughout the house and a lot of new furniture and kitchen appliances. After about a week of waiting our plastic shipping tubs arrived with only a few things broken in route. Praise the Lord for the little things too!
The saints of Berea Baptist have been very gracious and generous in their care for their new pastor. Anita and I have purchased a car and some new “stuff” to replace the old “stuff” we sold or gave away in Peru. We are still getting things put away and organized to our liking. The Lord has been blessing in our services here in the past few weeks. We have seen two professions of faith, three for baptism and one coming by letter. I have also begun my counseling ministry.
Our daughter, Leah, and her family came down to celebrate Thanksgiving with us, and what a blessing that was! It was the first Thanksgiving we had ever spent together since our kids went off to college fifteen years ago. We pray we will have many more holidays to spend with family in the future.
We would again like to thank all of you, our supporters, for your faithful monthly support and prayers during the past thirty-two years of our ministry in Peru. There have been hundreds of souls saved and baptized, numerous churches begun and organized, over twenty-five men ordained to the gospel ministry. So many of you, our supporting churches, contacted me to let me know you were going to continue our support until the end of the year; thank you so much for your love and generosity. I would encourage you to pray and consider channeling the support you have been giving to Anita and me to help support the General Fund of Baptist Faith Missions. It has been an honor and gratifying experience for us to have been aided all these years by the many churches, friends and directors of BFM. The stated goal of Baptist Faith Missions is to help the local churches send and maintain their missionaries on the fields where the Lord has called them to serve. BFM does not send missionaries anywhere, which is the job of the Lord’s churches. BFM will continue to receive and distribute any designated funds for us until it is no longer needful. Again I hope many of you will be lead to redirect your support for us to the General Fund of Baptist Faith Missions; it is sorely needed.
If you are ever in North Carolina, come see us. The saints here at Berea Baptist will treat you with great love and kindness as all God’s children deserve.
Being “in Christ” by God’s grace,
Sheridan and Anita Stanton
New Stateside Address
Berea Baptist Church
350 Berea Church Quincy Road
Hiddenite, NC 28636-8221
Home: 828-471-5105
Cell: 828-962-0149
sestantonperu[at]hotmail.com – Sheridan
arstantonperu[at]gmail.com – Anita
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Missionary Update: Sheridan & Anita Stanton in Peru [September 2014]
Sheridan and Anita Stanton have served the Lord in Peru since 1983. Their main ministry is church planting and they have helped establish churches all over the country. Sheridan also works to train pastors and Anita works with the ladies’ ministry and developing children’s material.
September 9, 2014
Dear friends,
A lot has happened since my last report. First of all I want to report the construction project for the Calvary Baptist Mission is completed with just a few minor touchups to get done. We plan to dedicate the building on Thursday the 18th of September. Our sister Baptist churches in the area have been invited to come and celebrate with us. This means Sunday the 21st will be our first official Sunday service in the new building. Wish you all could come and participate.
Also we plan to organize the mission into an autonomous Baptist church on Saturday the 18th of October. Pastor George Sledd of our authorizing church will come down to oversee the proceedings. We are excited about this latest milestone in our ministry. There is a lot to do for a church organization in Peru. Our custom is that the church should have a pastor, be financially independent as well as being mature in the “faith once delivered to the saints.” After the organization the church must obtain its “personaria juridica” which is similar to churches in the States having your “articles of incorporation.” This allows the church to be able to legally own property. When this happens I will sign the property over to the church. Then Anita and I will be heading back to the States. Why you may ask? Because………..
On Sunday, August 31, the Berea Baptist Church of Hiddenite, North Carolina voted to call me as its new pastor. Anita and I have accepted! Yes, after thirty-two years on the mission field here in Peru, we are moving back to the States. We have felt the Lord leading us in this direction for about two years and we know it is God’s will for us to embark on this exciting new chapter in our lives. The Saints of the Berea Baptist Church are some of the most gracious and loving folks we have ever known, and Anita and I are thrilled about having the opportunity to serve the Lord with them as their pastor. This is not only exciting for us but also a very daunting step forward in our lives. We must sell all of our belongings here in Peru and start over again in North Carolina. We ask for your prayers because at our age this will be no easy task. However, God has never let us down and we know HE will continue to give His grace, strength and mercy towards these two heavenly pilgrims. For those of you that help support us we hope you will be so kind as to continue your support at least through the month of November (we should have everything finalized and in order here in Peru by that time). Thank you and may God continue to shower His richest blessings on each of you. I will be writing a few more monthly letters before we actually head to the States.
The work in Peru is the Lord’s work and HE has given Anita and I the opportunity to serve HIM here for the past thirty-two years. However HE will continue to use you all to help keep it going. God continues to bless here and Anita and I thank HIM every day for the calling HE has given us to work in this beautiful country, among these beautiful people. Even without our physical presence in Peru the ministry of Baptist Faith Missions will endure until Jesus comes again. Thanks again for all of your prayers and support. I will keep you posted as to our progress in next month’s letter.
Being “in Christ” by God’s grace,
Sheridan and Anita Stanton
Apartado Postal 140
Huanuco, Peru
South America
(614) 500-8823 – Internet Number
sestantonperu[at]hotmail.com – Sheridan
arstantonperu[at]gmail.com – Anita
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