Missionaries Cooper and Carolyn Abrams
Church Planting in Utah
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Carolyn and I are missionaries, planting Fundamental Independent Baptist churches, in the Mormon heartland of Utah. We have been missionaries serving in southern, central, and northern Utah since 1986. We are sent out by Calvary Baptist Church, King, NC. I graduated from Piedmont Baptist College in 1981 with a ThB in Theology with a Pastoral Major and in May 2000 with MBS Master of Biblical Studies. I am currently working on a PhD in Bible.
My home town is Pinetops, Edgecombe county, North Carolina and my wife's is Rocky Mount, both in eastern North Carolina. Carolyn and I have been married for fifty years as of 2011. We have one son Bryan who lives in Windsor, Virginia. He and his wife Annett have two sons, Michael, 21 and Tyler, 13. Bryan is a diesel mechanic who repairs both truck and marine yachts. His shop in Chesapeake, Virginia and his son Michael works for him.
My greatest interest in is studying the Bible, and following my calling as a church planter, pastor, and teacher. Although I do not have much time to pursue them, my hobbies are teaching Utah hunter education, as an NRA instructor, gun safety and shooting skills, fishing, collecting fossils and exploring the deserts and mountains here in Utah. Carolyn graduated from the College of Eastern Utah (CEU) with honors in May, 1996, with an Associate's degree in Science (accounting major). She enjoys teaching Sunday School, singing, playing the piano and organ, directing the choir, exploring with me.
I pastored in Virginia for two years after graduating in 1981. In 1983 Carolyn and I began deputation in preparation for moving to Utah to plant Bible believing churches.
First Baptist Church, Beaver, Utah
We began our church planting ministry in Utah in July, 1986 at the First Baptist Church of Beaver, Utah. At that time Beaver had a population of about 1500 people and was about 95% Mormon. Until the establishment of the First Baptist Church there was no biblical Gospel witness in the area. The church, which we helped establish, celebrated its twentieth fifth anniversary in August 1, 2010. In our first year at Beaver, the church was able to purchase a once acre lot at 220 Center Street. The next year we began construction of the present building with the help of Riverview Baptist Church, Ripplemead, VA and Richland Baptist Church, Asheville, NC who sent terms of workers to help in construction. The building was completed and we held our first service December 4, 1988. The church is doing well, is debt free and the current pastor is Mark DuPont Grace Baptist Church, Price, Utah
Calvary Baptist Church, Tremonton, Utah
Fellowship Baptist Church, Brigham City, Utah
Our fourth church plant was in Brigham
City, Utah. The church was organized in December 2009, and we had our first service on January 24, 2010 at the Brigham City Senior Citizens Center. The church next leased a suite at 862 South Main Street, Breitenbeker Plaza Brigham City, Utah 84302. We held our first service in the new location on November 7, 2010. Our plans were to purchase property there for our church, however that did not materialize. Our community outreach began the end of June 2011 we canvassed 100% of Brigham City and part of Perry, Utah putting 6000 a marked Gospel of John/Romans, a gospel tract, and a nice invitation card on each home. Our attendance grew to averaging 15-25 people each Sunday. However in April, 2012, the due to the death of Pastor David George, at Calvary Baptist Church, in Tremonton, our two churches were directed of the Lord to merge.
Calvary Baptist Church, Tremonton, Utah
Pastor David George went to be with the Lord the end of November, 2011. Since I left in the Fall of 2008, the church has been in a steady decline and had only one family, and four adult members. I and many others have been praying that the Lord will provide a solution. I have sought the advice and counsel of my Pastor, Kelvin Broyhill, Calvary Baptist Church, King, NC and other pastors, of whom several are in Utah. Every pastor I have talked with has agreed that the best solution at the present time would be for me to return to Tremonton, and rebuild the church. Several Utah churches have been praying that I would return.
After about a month of discussion with Patrick Montoya, the church's only trustee, and he with the members of Calvary, I met with them on Sunday evening April 1st and they unanimously voted to call me as their interim pastor until God provides a permanent pastor and that we would merge Fellowship Baptist in Brigham City, pending the approval of our membership. On April 8th Fellowship Baptist also voted unanimously to merge with Calvary Baptist.
Our first service at Calvary was April 15th and we had 34 attending with visitors. There is a good spirit in church and after the message, all but one person came forward dedicating themselves to the Lord and to rebuilding this work.
Our plans are to immediately begin canvassing and going door to door in Tremonton. I am working on getting new literature printed to begin our outreach immediately. Also, July 5-12th Pastor Broyhill and a youth group from Calvary Baptist in King will be with us and help with our visitation. Pastor Broyhill will also preach a revival for us during their stay. We have had other offers of help from churches in northern Utah.
Carolyn and I will continue to live in our 37' 5th wheel RV and will be moving to a mobile home park in Tremonton May 1st. Although this is more expensive we trust in God's provision. Fellowship Baptist also voted to put the church's furniture, tables, and chairs in a storage unit in Tremonton for a future church plant by myself or another missionary here in Utah.
Thank you for your prayers as we move forward in rebuilding the work in Tremonton.
We began our second work, Grace Baptist Church, in Price, Utah, in October, 1993, a town in the central eastern part of the state. Price is a coal mining area of about 9000 people with LDS, (Mormon), Catholic, Greek Orthodox, CMA, SBC, Protestant and Pentecostal and Charismatic churches. In June 1999, We completed our work there after the church purchased its own building on South Main Street. Pastor Jeff Warix, was the pastor of the church until 2008. The church then called Pastor Shawn Clapp a former missionary to South America to continue the work. Under Pastor Clapp, the church continues to grow. The church is debt free and doing very well with attendance around forty and is located at 295 S Highway 55. Pastor Clapp also has a Spanish speaking ministry with an average attendance of thirty five.
The Lord directed us to our third work in Tremonton, Utah. Tremonton is in northern Utah near the Idaho border at the Interstate I15 - I84 junction. Calvary Baptist Church began meeting in September of 2000 and had an attendance of around thirty five to forty people when I left in 2009. The Lord blessed and in 2001 the church was able to purchase a nice one acre lot. In 2002 with the help of the same two church that helped us in 1988 in Beaver, we were able to build a beautiful 5144 sq. ft. building at 830 West 1200 South, Tremonton, Utah. The church is doing well. In July 2009 Carolyn and I completed our work in Tremonton and the church called a regular pastor. The church web site is http://calvarybaptchurch.us .
My Personal Web site: Bible-truth.org . 