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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 Bible College in 1981 with a Bachelor's Degree in Theology (ThB) with a Pastoral Major. In May 2000 with I completed a Master of Biblical Studies Degree (MBS) from Piedmont Baptist College. I will graduate on May 29, 2013 with a Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in Bible from Bethany Divinity College and Seminary.
Carolyn graduated from the College of Eastern Utah (CEU) with highest honors in May, 1996, with an Associate's Degree in Science (Accounting Major). She also received the "Outstanding Re-Entry Award" in 1995. Carolyn also worked for two year at the college as a accounting tutor.
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, continuing my education, and following my calling as a church planter, pastor, and teacher. Although I do not have much time to pursue them, but my hobbies are as an NRA instructor, teaching 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 highest 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 at Antioch Christian Church, in Windsor, Virginia after graduating in 1981. I resigned in 1983 after God called me to as a church planter. In the Fall of 1983, Carolyn and I began deputation in preparation for moving to Utah to plant Bible believing churches.
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
Fellowship Baptist Church
First Baptist Church
Beaver, Utah
Grace Baptist Church
Price, Utah
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.
Calvary Baptist Church, Tremonton, Utah
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
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 had 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 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 encouraged me to return to Tremonton and rebuild the church. Several Utah churches had 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 1, 2012 and they unanimously voted to call me as their pastor until God provides a permanent pastor and that we would merge Fellowship Baptist in Brigham City, pending the approval of our both church's memberships. 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. Some of the furniture which we used at Brigham City, we moved to Calvary and gave our pulpit and the chairs to the new church, Mt. Logan Baptist Church in Logan, Utah.
We immediately began canvassing and going door to door in Tremonton. At present we have covered all of Tremonton, Garland, and several outlying small towns. In July 5-12th, 2012 Pastor Broyhill and a youth group from Calvary Baptist in King came to help with our outreach. Pastor Broyhill preached a four day revival resulting in one Mormon man being saved. We continue the outreach although we have not had a great deal of response.
Carolyn and I, after living in our 37' 5th wheel RV for the past eight years, now have a nice home in Tremonton. We were able to purchase this home in May 2015. Our new address is 694 West 860 South, Tremonton, Utah 84337.
We have been at Calvary now since 2012 and have seen the Lord continue to bless this ministry. The church was restored to where it was when we left in 2008. Our attendance is averaging from the mid thirties to around forty each Sunday. The church celebrated its 15th Anniversary on September 6, 2015. We thank the Lord we are able to minister to all these dear people. There is not another true Bible believing church in Box Elder County.
Thank you for your prayers as we move forward in preaching and teaching the Gospel here in Utah. As always we continue to pray seek God's direction and guidance for our ministry in the future.
In August, 2016 we were pleased to be able to see Calvary Baptist Church call Brother Andrew Sanford to be their new pastor. After Andy Sanford graduated from college in July, the church voted to ordain him pending a successful ordination council. The council met on August 6th with six pastors from Utah, Wyoming, and Idaho attending, and they recommended his ordination. On August 7th, the church ordained him to the Gospel ministry and as a candidate to be the church’s new pastor. August 14th the church voted to accept him as their pastor and to accept my resignation, both effective August 31st.
He is doing a wonderful job as the church's new pastor. He started attending Calvary the second year after we started the church and he and his family have been faithful members since. After several years he expressed he had a desire to be a pastor and I began to mentor and train him. He finished Bible college in 2016. It is a joy to see how he has grown in the Lord and has followed God's will for his life.
After we resigned we began filling in and helping churches that needed a pastor. This kept Carolyn and I busy traveling and helping churches in Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming. In May 2017 we took a short trip back East to visit our families and when we returned Hope Baptist Church, in Clearfield, Utah ask me to come and be their interim pastor. They were a small group whose pastor left and moved back East. There are three families attending and two or three individuals. They are fine people and love the Lord. North Central Baptist Church of Roy, Utah was having about fifty to eighty in attendance, but was without a pastor and was located only five miles from North Central. They contacted me about coming and helping them. Hope was in a store front building in the rear of a shopping center and located behind a large commercial building with no street exposure and no growth after five years. The men of North Central came and met with us at Hope Baptist and presented the option for them to disband their church and join with North Central. Both churches met and agreed that the members of Hope Baptist we join North Central and I would be their interim pastor. I has has been a blessing to see the transition and the move has greatly strengthen North Central with several faith members and they are now an important part of that ministry.
November 2017
I became ill with IPF in November 2017 and have since spent a month in the hospital separate occasions. Being unable to preach North Central continued to pray and seek a pastor. We continued to try and help them find God's pastor for them and eventually Brother Ben Avery, a graduate of Calvary Baptist Bible College was interviewed and has since become their pastor. This church continues to do well in serving the Lord and seeking to reach the lost in Roy, Utah which is outside Hill AFB. They have an open door and opportunity for the church to grow reaching souls for Christ.
November 2018I had back surgery in November 2018 which became infected and had to spend a second hospital stay in December to clean out the infection. Since then I have been in almost Constant pain, but I am slowing recovering. (February 2019). Carolyn has been my nurse and has also worked at Calvary playing the organ, cleaning the church, and teaching the youth when needed. Though all this the Lord continues to bless us and this has given be time to work on publishing two books and working on the Bible Truth Web Site. The web site is being visited close to one thousand times each day. I appreciate your prayers for my soon recovery and getting back to preaching the Gospel. Books can be purchased at http://www.theoldpathspublications.com/Pages/BookStore.htm. Fall 2018
In the fall of 2018 North Central called Ben Avery to be their pastor and he is doing a wonderful work there. The church is growing under his Bible teaching and preaching. What a joy it has been to see God work in sending a strong pastor to lead this church.
June 2019 to present
In June 2019 we sold our house in Tremonton and moved to Virginia to be near our family. At 78 years old, I have not retired but relocated our ministry to the East. I continue to follow the Lord's will in seeing the Gospel preached and churches established in the Mormon heartland. There remain many areas that have no Gospel witness and need the Gospel. That is the burden God gave me many years ago, and I move ahead to accomplish the Lord's leading. Most of the church planters in Utah came from the East, and I believe God would have me visit churches and challenge them to support missions in the Inter-mountain West and men to surrender to go there as missionary church planters. Further, we will train people here in the East to be a witness to these deceived people. In seeking the Lord's will, I talked to my Pastor, and several others, both in the East and in Utah, and they all support me in this. Several wrote letters stating their support for my change in location.
Carolyn and I covet your prayers as I get my health restored and continue supporting church planting in the Inter-mountain West.
Presently in Virginia I had a third back surgery in November to clean out the infection that developed in three weeks. The surgeon also took out the hardware that he said was the source of the infection. I spent several weeks in rehab at he VA and began taking antibiotics twice a day intravenously. Due to needed the antibiotic so often the put in a pic line December 5th and transferred me to VHS Colosseum in Hampton. I finished 59 antibiotic treatments on February 15th and was discharged. At present (February 16th) I still have a lot of pain and an experiencing withdrawal from opioids I was taking for pain. I am a lot better in the past month, but hope to be even better in a month. We are planning to begin to schedule meeting in April. Thank you for my continuing recovery and upcoming ministry.
If you would like to receive our prayer letters email me at .
Our commission is the same one Jesus gave to the Apostle Paul. "To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me." (Acts 26:18)
Cooper and Carolyn Abrams
