www.homermassey.com
2009
Ken & Carlene Jenkins
Veteran Missionaries, Foreign and Domestic
Ken Jenkins is the pastor of Appomattox Baptist Temple in historic Appomattox Virginiia, but before he took that pastorate he and his family had served as foreign and home missionaries for nearly 33 years. Here is their story.College Years – the Beginning
Ken Jenkins was saved at age 25. Believing God wanted him in Bible school he and his family left Winchester, Virginia to attend Lynchburg Baptist College (LBC) full time where Ken graduated in 1975. The Steadfast Bible Class needed a song leader and Ken was happy to fill this position while attending college. The class members became a family to the Jenkins supported them the entire time Ken attended LBC. Steadfast has continued their support of the Jenkins Family through prayers and finances for over 33 years on both the foreign and home mission fields.
Papua, New Guinea – First Mission Field
Through reading the story of missionary martyr James Chalmers, who served with the London Missionary Society in Papua New Guinea (PNG) in the late 1800's, Ken felt God leading his family to minister to the cannibals there. They were accepted by Baptist International Missions, Inc. (BIMI) and arrived on the South Pacific island of PNG in 1976. During their first two 4-year terms they built and planted 11 village churches, established a Bible College to train national pastors/church leaders, and a Christian Day School for grades K5 through 12. Other ministries included prison, hospital, children, women, and a Bible correspondence course for hundreds of national students. Over 400 nationals attended the first anniversary of the first church Ken planted in the capitol area of PNG.
A New Beginning – Necessary Changes
The family returned to the US in early 1984 due to Ken's first wife having been diagnosed with brain cancer which took her life that year. God brought Ken and Carlene together through a mutual pastor friend. Carlene graduated from a Bible college in her home state of Oklahoma and had served as a single missionary in New Mexico with Baptist home missions and in Ethiopia, Africa with Sudan Interior Mission. After the birth of a fifth daughter for Ken, they returned to Papua New Guinea to serve another 4-year term continuing with their various ministries.
During the many years of service in Papua New Guinea the family saw thousands make a profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. One of their greatest joys was to see the descendents of those cannibals who had killed and eaten missionary James Chalmers come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. A woman was led to the Lord during hospital visitation and became burdened for her own people whose village was in the middle of a rubber plantation up river from the capital. She asked Ken to please come and preach. The majority of those in the village opened their hearts to the Lord and a beautiful bush church was built for weekly services. God used the story of James Chalmers to call Ken and his family to Papua New Guinea, and then used Ken to bring the descendents of those who killed Chalmers to the Lord Jesus Christ.
A New Field – Malawi, Africa
With all the work under trained PNG Christian nationals, Ken and Carlene felt God leading them to serve in Malawi, Africa, through contact with a missionary friend and an American pastor. Due to problems obtaining permission to permanently enter Malawi, in July of 1992 they arrived in South Africa. They were to relieve missionaries on furlough and to pastor Calvary Baptist church, serve as an instructor at Calvary Bible College, and lead a Youth Fellowship group while working on the necessary papers for entering Malawi. They were able to make short ministry trips to Malawi while serving in South Africa where attendance went from12 their first service to a high attendance Sunday of 100.
In April of 1994 God opened the door for Ken's family to begin ministering in the country of Malawi, Africa with, again, the main emphasis of their work being to build and plant churches and to train national pastors and church leaders. Ken worked with 100 pastors in both Malawi and Mozambique and planted 25 churches. Carlene worked with the women and held weekly Bible Clubs in their front yard for the village children with as many as 400 attending. The two youngest girls with them assisted in these ministries, and helped Carlene with a Bible correspondence study for the nationals that had a constant enrollment of over 1,000.
After serving 10 years in Malawi, serious health problems began to take a toll on Ken. The ministries were under trained Christian nationals and Ken felt God was leading the family to another field of service.
The Years “Down Under” – Yet Another Field of Service
They returned to the states for their youngest daughter to finish high school and enrolled her at Word of Life Bible Institute in New York. In March of 2004 Ken and Carlene left for Western Australia to pastor a church and relieve a missionary family who had to return to the states for 6 months. Upon the missionary's return to Australia Ken and Carlene traveled through various small towns with no independent Baptist churches praying about where God might want them to serve. They also assisted another missionary in beginning a new work in a new town. Although the Jenkins applied for a permanent work visa, the Australian government would not grant permission for Ken and Carlene to remain within their country at that time.
Return to the States – A New Chapter
Ken was contacted by a pastor friend who asked him to pray about heading up a ministry with the Spanish in the southern part of Virginia and northern North Carolina. Ken felt God's leading to this stateside ministry and after approval from their mission board the move was made to Martinsville, Virginia. An old school building, with an auditorium seating around 600, was purchased for the Spanish ministry as well as a Bible School, Day Care, Food Bank, Bible/Book & Gift Shop, and Consignment Shop. Carlene worked in the Food Bank which served 200 families weekly, while Ken preached with many making a profession of faith in Jesus Christ.
The Present – Appomattox Baptist Temple
After three years serving the Lord in Martinsville, VA Ken and Carlene were visited by a BIMI representative and asked to pray about Ken pastoring a church that was on the verge of closing its doors. They were informed that the year before over 1,000 churches had closed and there was a long list of small churches needing a pastor. God led Ken to Appomattox Baptist Temple (ABT), a church that had been through some sad times and without a permanent pastor for several years. Ken had helped in establishing the church while attending Liberty Baptist College and the church had supported the Jenkins Family on the mission field for many years.
Ken began as the pastor in May of 2008, and 17 individuals have since made professions of faith and have been baptized. Membership has increased and a high attendance Sunday, March 22, 2009 was 65. Ken has initiated a telephone ministry with members of the church calling everyone listed in the local telephone directory giving out the Gospel message and inviting them to attend Appomattox Baptist Temple if they don’t presently attend church somewhere. The response has been good. ABT supports 10 missionaries and May will be Missions Month with guest speakers every Sunday morning. The first Sunday there will be people dressed as Union and Confederate soldiers, with a cannon, pup tents, horses, wagons, and a Chaplain to preach during the service. This is a new and different outreach and we look forward to a large crowd attending the services. Other speakers will be from Australia, Africa, England, and those involved in local prison ministries.
The Jenkins family continues to personally support the work in Malawi, Africa, now headed up by a national trained in the Bible School they established. Ken has been invited to speak and encourage the national pastors at their annual conference in October of 2009. In May of 2006 God allowed Ken to make a 15-day missions trip to the Philippines with 69 professions of faith made during his trip. "Go ye into all the World and preach the Gospel" is the heart-burden of the Jenkins Family.
Ken earned the Master of Arts in Religion from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary in 2004, having completed the 45 semester hour degree over a period of five years while serving in Malawi.
The Jenkins Girls
Myra Easter is a traveling nurse who lives in California. She has is married with three sons and two
grandchildren (that makes Ken and Carlene great-grandparents!).Kimberly Reamey is a sitter at Lynchburg General Hospital who lives in Appomattox VA, is married with
one daughter.Charity Torrence lives in Concord, is married and is a foster mom with two boys presently.
Sarena Davis is a traveling nurse, is married and lives in Roanoke VA.
Kendra Jenkins teaches violin, piano, and cello at Mendes Academy in Lynchburg VA.
Early prayer card of the Jenkins Family
Kendra, Carlene, Ken
2007
www.homermassey.com
2009
