Knowing the Living Hope

THE BAGLEY BRIEF
June 24, 2024
To All Our Faithful Ministry Partners,

With the official start of summer just a few days ago, we wanted to pause and update you on the happenings of the last three months. We also want to share some prayer requests for the remainder of the summer and beyond. During our time at the Village Church in Garden City, UT, Pastor Charlie Endicott has been preaching through the Book of Acts. Throughout the series I’ve been struck by all the divine connections God gave Paul and his associates in the communities they ministered in. God clearly went before them preparing hearts for the work He was getting set to do.

We believe that the last eight months in Bear Lake Valley have been all about divine connections in preparation for the launch of Hope Bible Church. God has connected us with unbelievers that we’re convinced He’s been preparing for salvation. God has also connected us with believers who’ve been praying for years that a non-denominational church would be established in Montpelier, ID. The Lord has connected us with fellow workers who are ready to join us in providing leadership for the new church. He has connected us to a special team of churches and individuals who are supporting this new endeavor through prayer and finances. We are in awe of the way He has sovereignly set up so many key pieces for this church to begin. A quarterly newsletter doesn’t fully allow for all the stories of God’s providential appointments.

On the family front, April 28, we celebrated the High School graduation for our daughter Joy. A reception was held at the Village Church and around seventy-five people joined in the celebration. A special thanks goes out to so many of you who supported Joy with kind words, gifts, and special prayers. Joy plans to work in the valley for this next year and to help us in the startup of the church. We are so thankful for her help in this new ministry.

Also, our daughter Faith passed her test to become an EMT and stepped into that role on June 5. With the surge in tourists, she has been on many calls already and has been given a special opportunity to be a witness for the Lord. Cherish and Delight are working as housecleaners for the summer and Will still gets to help me at the resort from time to time.

The month of May brought us a special answer to prayer in the form of ten Frontier students/graduates who came to the valley to work and to be a witness. Eight of them work with me at the resort where I am the Maintenance Supervisor. The other two work for my brother, Miles, at the local grocery store. My parents have prayed for many years that God would send Christians to the valley who could be a powerful witness through their work ethic. Well, God has answered that prayer in a distinct way as these students are being watched by many unbelievers. People can see a clear difference in how they approach their job! Pray that each student will make an eternal impact this summer.

Thanks for praying about where we would live after the June 1st deadline to leave the resort where we’d been residing since November 1st. God answered prayers with another place to live while waiting for our home to sell! My parents have a home that was up for sale here in Garden City. They are living in a new place with my brother. They offered to let us live in the home that was up for sale while we finish our time in Garden City. What a special provision it has been! It’s located 1.8 miles from where I work, and it makes it very convenient to commute to work and church for the summer. This home also connected us to some new unbelieving friends that I’ve been able to witness to. Please pray for their salvation.

We started a Saturday evening church service the first week in June so that all the seasonal workers who must work on Sundays could have a time for worship and fellowship. The Frontier students/graduates are leading the music, and the guys are in a rotation with myself and Pastor Charlie, preaching through 2 Timothy. We’ve averaged twenty-seven people per service and each week God has surprised us by connecting us to new people who need Him. We’ve met two Chinese students who came to Garden City to work and have only been in the US for a couple of weeks. The Frontier students invited them, and they have been able to hear the gospel and receive their own Bible. This past Saturday, one of my Mormon co-workers came to the service. We can’t wait to see how God will use these Saturdays for His glory.

Amos and Emily Stott, our co-workers in the church plant, moved here May 19 and are working with me at the resort now. We will spend the summer visiting owners of buildings in Montpelier to see where Hope Bible Church will meet. Keep praying that God will provide us with a building that is affordable, visible, available (all during the week and not just on Sunday) and accessible with plenty of parking for future growth. Pray that God will connect us to the right owner who will show us special favor.

Laura has been busy planning a Vacation Bible School along with Michaela Endicott. The VBS will take place July 8-12. I’ll be leading the songs, handling the opening, and closing each day. Each of our older girls will be serving with us. This is the first time the Village Church has ever hosted a VBS. God has provided all the volunteers we need and now we’re praying that He’ll bring all the children of His choosing. Pray that children will place their faith in Christ during the week.

I will finish my job at SunOutdoors Resort on the last day of August. My co-worker, Amos, will step into the role that I’ve had. Thanks for praying for me as I’ve been the Maintenance Supervisor. God has protected me from injuring myself and others more times than I count! I’ve learned so much about myself, about the power of being a witness at work and about the need for Christians to be salt and light at their job. I’ve also experienced God igniting an even greater passion to be preaching and shepherding again. Laura has sensed a strong excitement to be a pastor’s wife again. Pray that we will both know how to connect with the town of Montpelier in ways that the townspeople can really see what a disciple of Christ looks like.

Continue to pray for the sale of our home in Nebraska. Two weeks ago, we reduced the price significantly and we’re still trusting the Lord to bring along the right buyer at the right time. Pray that God will direct us to just the right home in Montpelier.

This morning, the verse I pondered in my devotions was Colossians 1:5 which reads, “because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven.” Hope is one of the most special words in our Christian vocabulary. I loved what J. Sidlow Baxter wrote about hope, “A hope grounded in truth and focused on a noble goal is one of the greatest influences in human life, fashioning character, stimulating endeavor, sweetening the disposition, and fostering patient endurance.” Those words capture the reason we felt led to call this new church, Hope Bible Church. We long for individuals in Montpelier, and the north end of Bear Lake Valley, to come to know the Living Hope who will grant them a wonderful prospect of the future and the possession of hope right now in the present!

We plan to start Hope Bible Church in the fall. Pray that God will direct the exact timing of the start up and that in the meanwhile He will oversee many more divine connections for His glory. We are profoundly grateful that, in His grace, He connected us to all of you! We pray that God will continue to use your life to connect others to Him.

Your Fellow-worker,

Bill, for Laura, Faith, Joy, Cherish, Delight, Will and Comfort