Press on!

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and the son and the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

If you would like to support the mission work I do as Provost & Associate Director of World Hope Bible Institute, you can do so online at https://secure.qgiv.com/for/whm/.  On the “Please direct my donation to:” pull down menu, select “Missionary, Team, or Instructor” and then enter my name, “Noel Vincent.”  One-time gifts are greatly appreciated, but regular monthly gifts ensure the work not only for today, but for the years ahead.

I do not receive any compensation from World Hope whatsoever.  Your donations will go directly to funding World Hope’s operations and my international travel.  Below is a development letter I sent to friends and family which explains more about my calling to World Hope and the work we are doing around the world.  I trust the Lord will lead you according to His pleasure.

____________________________________________________________________________________

February 14, 2013

Dear Family and Friends:

Exciting things are happening in my life.  As you may know, I have served as bi-vocational pastor of a small community church in northwest Houston, Texas for 12 years.  Bi-vocational simply means that I did not earn an income from my ministry work, but rather from my investment business, and that my time was divided between caring for the spiritual needs of my church flock and caring for the financial needs of my business clients.  This model follows the example of the Apostle Paul, who was a tent-maker, and worked with his hands to provide for his own support and the support of others who worked along side him as he led missionary efforts around the known world.

During my 12 years in ministry I also had the pleasure of earning two undergraduate degrees in theology from Southwestern Seminary, and I am currently working toward a master’s degree in apologetics (logical and philosophical defense of the faith) at Biola University.  Someday I would like to pursue a Ph.D. in hermeneutics (biblical interpretation).  The reason that so much of my life is dedicated to ministry and theological training is because I am convinced of God’s calling to invest myself in work that produces spiritual life-change in others.  It is no accident that my investment business has long been a venue for me to affect financial life-change in others.  Life-change is what God put me here to do.

Two years ago (2011), I ran into an old friend, Dr. Stuart Sheehan, president of World Hope Ministries International.  He told me that he was building a Bible institute through World Hope’s ministry network that provided free theological training to indigenous pastors in remote and underserved areas of the world.  He was focused on Africa, Asia and South America.  Dr. Sheehan asked if I would use my ministry experience and theological training for World Hope and travel with him to Africa to teach for the institute and to work with him to establish new training centers for these needy pastors.  In February of 2012 we spent two weeks together in Botswana, Kenya, South Africa, and Zimbabwe meeting with local leaders, recruiting students, and teaching courses.

It was a game-changer for me.  I instantly saw not only the tremendous need that the Bible institute was meeting, but I saw the need that this burgeoning Bible institute had for my particular business and ministry skills, experience, and training.  A few months later, Dr. Sheehan formally asked me to join World Hope as Associate Director for the Bible Institute, and after a season of soul-searching, prayer, and much counsel with my wife, Stephanie, our church elders, and other mentors, I knew the direction God wanted me to go.  I stepped down as pastor of my church in May 2012 and accepted the position with the Bible institute.  The time I spent pastoring my church would now be spent investing in pastors around the world for the Bible institute.  Instead of affecting just a single church, I would now be equipping thousands of the neediest churches with the spiritual tools to grow and flourish.

World Hope is supportive of my bi-vocational commitments and recognizes that I will continue to lead my business and work hard for the financial security of my clients.  Many of my clients have become dear friends over the years and they have placed their confidence and trust in me.  I will not let them down.  I will continue to serve all of my clients as I always have before.  To be clear, nothing has changed with regard to my investment clients and the work I do for them.  I have a terrific staff at Senior Partners, which is led by the very capable and personable Dustin Martin.  Dustin is assisted by a full compliment of trained and dedicated professionals who have always been in my corner, helping me take care of my clients so that I am free to serve the Lord in ministry as well.  I fully intend to continue this tradition in the years ahead.

Now, here is the purpose for my letter.  Dr. Sheehan and the Board of Directors for World Hope Ministries International have established a budget of $60,000 for my work in the Bible institute for 2013.  I need your help to raise these funds.  I donate my time and I need you to donate funds for this work.  International travel is expensive and your gifts will offset the costs of building a world-wide network of training centers to strengthen and advance the kingdom of God.  Let me share some numbers with you.  When I began my association with World Hope in October 2011, the Bible Institute was small and struggling to stand on its own.  Over the past year and a half, it has rapidly expanded its global footprint and conservative theological influence.  Consider these numbers:

YEAR	NATIONS	CAMPUSES	STUDENTS
2011	3	4	300
2012	16	29	2,500
2013	23	50	4,000

Would you join me by investing in this important work with your financial gifts?  You can contribute to this work with a single one-time contribution or a monthly support gift.  You may make your tax deductible contribution by check or credit card.  Or, you may contribute online at www.WHMI.org by clicking on the “Give” button.  Be sure to direct your donation to “Missionary, Team, or Faculty Member” and then enter my name: Noel Vincent.  If you would like to speak with me about World Hope, please feel free to give me a call at 281-440-9700.  I would love to share with you what God is doing through this life-changing ministry.  I have also included a prayer guide listing all the work we are doing around the world.  I am personally involved in establishing and leading the work in Botswana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Peru, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe, and will travel to each of these countries this calendar year.  Thank you for your prayerful consideration and support.

Warmest personal regards,

Noel R. Vincent, Associate Director

World Hope Bible Institute

WHMI is accredited by the ECFA, Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability