Meet Our Missionaries

Hershel Conley

Bro. Hershel Conley was born February September 9, 1951. He graduated from Blytheville High School in 1970. He and his wife Martha were married December 19, 1970. Her birthday is July 15, 1954. They have one son, Garrard Clayton Conley who is 21 and presently serving in the country of Ukraine with the Peace Corp.

In 1963 Bro. Conley was saved and baptized by the First Baptist Church in Blytheville. He later moved to Highland.

He was the owner of Conley Ford in Highland, Arkansas. His business was located across the street from our mission church Highland Hills. Bro. Conley met Bro. Paul White when he first began to minister and start a mission work in Highland. He became an active part of that mission and worked alongside Bro. White from the beginning. He made known his call to preach at Highland Hills and served the church as Associate Pastor for five years.

Bro. Conley loves to witness. He was called to missions in 2007 and was elected that year to serve as a bi-vocational missionary to Mountain Home. Because his job required more and more time he was changed to full time missionary in February 2008 so he could dedicated his entire time to building the mission work in Mountain Home.

Please pray for Bro. Hershel and his wife Martha as they minister to the unsaved and un-churched in Mountain Home.

Javier Gonzalez

Javier Gonzales was born November 22, 1948 in San Jose, Costa Rica. He was saved in 1977 at our First Missionary Baptist Church in Tibás under the preaching of Missionary Bill Gibson. Four years later in 1981 he surrendered to preach. He continued attending church in Tibás, teaching Sunday School and serving in that church.

In November, 1985 he graduated from the Instituto Bautista Misionera de Costa Rica (Missionary Baptist Institute of Costa Rica) after finishing the three year program of study necessary for graduation.

In 1986 Javier and his family moved to the town of Naranjo, located north of San Jose, where he became missionary-pastor of the already established mission church there. Javier was ordained by the church in Tibás about 1988 to serve as pastor of the newly organized church at Naranjo.

Around 1990 Javier felt the Lord leading him to open a new area of Costa Rica where the BMA had no churches or missions and very few Baptist churches of any kind. This was in the area of San Isidro, a city south of the capital city of San Jose. Bro. Javier and his family served in San Isidro until he came to the United States in December 2002. While serving in San Isidro three new missions were begun in that area.

Bro. Javier is married, his wife’s name is Vera. They have seven children and seven grandchildren. Six of their children and grandchildren live in the Houston, TX area. The other lives in Warren. Bro. Javier loves the Lord and loves people. He has a wonderful testimony of how Christ changed his life.

Bro. Javier began as a supplemental missionary with State Missions. He worked in the Warren and Camden areas as a missionary of Judson Association beginning in the fall of 2003. In 2007 he began working some with Unity Association in the Hope area. At the November 2007 State Meeting he was elected as a full-time missionary with his salary being paid jointly by Judson and Unity Associations with a supplement from State Missions.

Michael Hight
Hispanic Missions in Arkansas

“I was born in Odessa, Texas on August 12, 1973. My family quickly moved to Terrell, Texas where my dad served as pastor of First Baptist Church.

“In 1980 we moved to Hope, AR to become a part of Unity Baptist Church. I was saved shortly thereafter at the age of seven and was baptized the following week by my dad.

“I graduated from high school in 1991 and married my high school sweetheart, Jenifer, in 1992. Jenifer was born June 22, 1972. We have two children, daughter Morgan, was born March 6,1994 and son Colby February 22, 1996. In 1996 my wife was baptized and became a part of Unity Baptist Church.

“Shortly thereafter the Lord began calling me into the ministry. I surrendered to the call in April 1997 and was ordained in November 1997. Bluff Springs Baptist Church in Rosston was my first pastorate from 1997 to 2000. It was during this time that I surrendered (privately) to Hispanic ministry. I told the Lord if He would help me I would learn how to communicate with these people.

“In 2000 the Lord moved me from a bi-vocational ministry to a full-time ministry and we moved to Pine Bluff, AR and served the Edgewood Baptist Church until 2004. I immediately began to take Spanish classes. I took a trip to Mexico and spent a week with Bro. Grady Johnson looking at the mission field. While at Pine Bluff I started teaching an ‘English as a second language’ class to Spanish speakers in an effort to build relationships with them. We allowed the use of our facilities to a Hispanic congregation.

“In 2004 the Lord moved me to Caldwell, AR to serve the First Baptist Church. Once again I took a trip to Mexico. This time I visited the Ladds and the clinic in Aquismon. I returned with a stronger desire than ever to do what our missionaries in Mexico were doing, only to do it here in the United States where we have a growing number of Hispanics. I have completed my Bachelor’s degree with a minor in Spanish and Communication and a major in Religion. I feel confident that God has placed a call to missions on my life. I have been waiting to see how and where He would use me.”

Bro. Michael was elected missionary in May 2006 to work with Hispanic speaking people in the Little Rock area and coordinate a Hispanic ministry throughout Arkansas.

He serves as administrator of the El Samaritano Clinic in Little Rock which provides health care to the Hispanic population and others without insurance. The clinic is open the first and third Tuesday night of each month, staffed completely with volunteers and serves from 30 – 40 patients a month. New patients are witnessed to and others are counseled as needed. Many souls have been saved through this ministry. These are followed up with visits to the home, Bible studies and discipleship. Bro. Michael’s wife, Jenifer, volunteers as a nurse for the clinic and daughter, Morgan, helps to keep the food pantry and clothes closet organized. She also helps those who need food and clothes select the items they need.

In addition to his work at the clinic, Bro. Michael coordinates the Arkansas Hispanic Fellowship, which consists of five Hispanic missions located in Little Rock, Warren, Batesville, Jonesboro and Hope. In January 2008 he also began Hispanic Bible Institute classes in Warren.

Keith Lewis
Charity, Ward, Arkansas

Bro. Keith Lewis was born August 3, 1965. He accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior in July 1974 at the age of 8. This took place at the Boggs Springs Youth Encampment near DeQueen, AR on a Thursday night following the evening service. Having been raised in church all his life, he came under conviction at an early age but put off the decision to accept Christ for about a year. “Upon making my decision public, I immediately felt at peace with God and the following Sunday I presented myself as a candidate for baptism at Salem Missionary Baptist Church near Judsonia, AR.”

At the age of 10 Keith’s family moved their membership to West Race BC in Searcy, AR. It was 1975 and Bro. A. D. Livingston was the pastor. As Keith grew up, he remained active and very involved in the youth activities of the church. After graduating high school in 1983 he began feeling the leadership of God calling him to preach. After fighting the call for months, he finally made known his call to preach on May 20, 1984 and was licensed to the ministry. The next two and a half years was spent attending various Bible classes at Central Baptist College in Conway while also working as a carpenter in his dad’s construction business.

In May 1989 Keith married the former Kelley Clark of Conway. Kelley was born June 1, 1970. They have two children, a daughter, Shelbey Lyn born August 7, 1991 and a son, Zackary Keith, born July 4, 1993.

In February 1990, Bro. Keith accepted his first pastorate at Immanuel Baptist Church in Beebe, AR. He served at Immanuel for 12 years and was blessed with a very rewarding ministry while serving that congregation.

In November 2002, Bro. Keith was elected as a bi-vocational missionary for the BMA of Arkansas, with the desire to start a mission church in the Cabot area. He has now served Charity Baptist Mission for over 3 years. Bro. Keith was elected as a full-time missionary at the State Meeting in November 2005.

In October 2005 the Lord opened the doors for us to finally purchase some property in the Ward area for our mission. Clearing began soon after. The building was dedicated in March 2007.

Darrin Smith
Celebration at Haskell, Arkansas

Darrin Smith was born July 18, 1970. He was saved in February 1991 and was baptized by his pastor, Mike Ward, at Temple Baptist Church in Fordyce. His wife, Angela was born July 3, 1968. They have two children, a son, Brady, born February 24, 1995 and a daughter, Madison, born June 17, 1998. Bro. Darrin surrendered to preach in August 1998 and was ordained by Temple BC in Fordyce.

Bro. Darrin was elected state missionary in 2004.He has been working with Celebration Baptist Mission in Haskell since August of that year.. They began regular services in January 2005 in Benton. They are currently meeting at the Arkansas Health Department located at 6701 Highway 67 in Haskell.

In April 2007 over seven acres of land was purchased in an area of Haskell where seven new subdivisions with 60-80 houses each are being constructed. Construction began in the fall with help from the Master’s Builders. Current plans are to have the building finished sometime in the spring.

Troy Vaughn
Ozark, Arkansas

Troy Vaughn was born on a farm in Wabash, Arkansas on August 14, 1955 to Buck and Annie Vaughn. He was the youngest of 4 boys who were all taught the importance of hard work and honesty. Being sharecroppers this meant every few years would find them on a new farm. They always joined the local Baptist church.

After graduation for high school, Troy married his high school sweetheart, Rhonda Coleman, of Holly Grove. Their first child was a daughter, Ada. Troy’s lifelong dream had been to have his own home and farm. That goal, at the time, was more important than the Lord.

Turning 20 with an opportunity to move to Prescott in southwest Arkansas and start farming and raising cattle of his own seemed like a dream come true. Of course it was in God’s plan. Having been a member of a church from an early age, but yet knowing he wasn’t really saved, Troy and his family joined Central Baptist Church in Prescott. Bro. Arlis East was his pastor. It was during a testimony service in which he heard Bro. Howard Cottinham tell of his salvation experience, that Troy realized his need for salvation. While sitting in the church choir Troy asked Jesus into his heart.

The Lord continued to bless Troy and his family and another child, Kirby, was born.

In August 1980, Troy surrendered to preach the Gospel at Central Baptist Church in Prescott. The next few years he continued to farm and pastor 2 churches, first Mt. Olive in Waterloo, then Pleasant Hill BC outside of Prescott.

The Lord through conviction had changed Troy’s goal for his life. No longer was it to farm and raise cattle, but for him and his family to go wherever God could use them in His work.

In 1986, having fully surrendered to the Lord, and with the guidance of Bro. Stanley Beaird, God opened the door for Troy to serve as a state missionary in Greenwood. Denver Street Baptist Church was begun in January 1987. In 8 years it became a strong church and the Lord called Bro. Troy to begin a new work in Clarksville. The Twin Oaks Baptist Mission began meeting in April 1994. It was organized into a New Testament Baptist Church in 2002.

In the latter 2002, Bro. Troy felt the Lord leading him to begin still another mission. This time in Ozark, Arkansas. Bro. Troy spent many months preparing the way for the beginning of this new endeavor. A building was begun, contacts and professions of faith made, and in April 2003 services began at West Park Baptist Mission. The mission is now in her fourth year and has the prospects of becoming a strong lighthouse in the Ozark area. They average around 95 in Sunday School and 130 in morning worship.