Ministerial Association Plays Key Role In Area
On behalf of the Wolf Point Ministerial Association, we say thanks for all your support over the years. Originally, our association had three primary services we provided for our community. We provided a baccalaureate service for senior high graduates. Our association also organized a “community” Thanksgiving Service. While these last services are just history for now, we still provide a needed service to our community.
Our third service is the transient ministry. This ministry provides a central means of assisting all our churches with a way to help people who are legitimately stranded in our town and need help. Most people have no idea of the number of calls pastors and churches receive asking for God’s help through our local churches.
Through the WPMA, any pastor can refer a needy transient to us regardless to their being a member or supporting the WPMA.
We use a voucher system that requires a person in need to first get a WPMA representative “OK.” Next, the recipient needs to go to the sheriff’s office (dispatch). There, law enforcement will make sure the person or persons making a request are not a person with criminal warrants. This just takes a few minutes and makes sure that we do not dishonor our funding by aiding and abetting criminals.
As the newest treasurer, I did a quick survey of what this association has done for our community from 2010 to 2022. The WPMA has helped more than 200 transients. The cost of this ministerial service was more than $18,000. Unknown to most is that a couple years back we were down to $1.23 in our account before we received a donation that allowed us to continue this ministry. This transient ministry has been a real help to many a pastor.
We applaud all who want to provide other kinds of help for our community and we encourage other churches to pursue these ministries. But the WPMA constitution limits us primarily to the transient ministry. However, if you hear anyone say the ministerial association doesn’t really do anything. We have. We do. And we will, as long as we can. We believe this ministry honors God and provides a much needed resource to pastors and churches of the Wolf Point community.
We will continue to serve in this way as long as God provides the needed resources. Please call if you have any questions. We do not answer numbers we do not recognize, so you will have to leave a message in order for one of us to call you back: Pastor Mike Kauffold, First Baptist Church, WPMA treasurer, 406-650-7691; or Pastor Mike Andrews, Gospel Fellowship Church, WPMA president, 303-903-2962.
Our next Singspiration is Oct. 29 at the Gospel Fellowship Church at 6 p.m.
