The Brown Trail School of Preaching has reached the ninth week of our summer quarter, the first quarter of our school year. The quarter has lasted a little longer than most since our students spent a week door-knocking, a week on a Restoration Tour, and a week at the Polishing the Pulpit Lectureship, but we are finally winding down. I have already finished my second-year class, Galatians. I finished it in a few weeks due to the number of hours I got to teach each week, and I am pressing to finish my Old Testament Introduction/Customs and Culture class.

I always enjoy teaching the OT Intro/Customs and Culture class. Growing up as a missionary child in East Africa, so many of their tribal cultural norms are very similar to the ancient mid-east tribal norms; that brings back many memories, and I believe it helps me relate an understanding to the students that others may struggle with.

Student Updates – Norfleet Stitts

Norfleet Stitts, 38 years old, came to us from Fort Wayne, Indiana. He is married to Ashley, and together they have three children. His oldest child, DaNaisha, recently graduated High School and, instead of starting college now, has decided to take this opportunity and take classes alongside her father. We recently had a father and son, Ronnie Fisher Sr and Jr., graduate from the school in 2017, and even today, we have another father and son studying together, Robert and Cash Orren. This program will be a great benefit to DaNaisha. It will help her be a better wife, mother, ladies and children’s Bible Class teacher, and more. Norfleet’s desire is to finish his two years at Brown Trail and move back to Fort Wayne and work with the local congregations in that area. My wife and I visited with them last December and were impressed with him and his son in how they were the first ones to show up for worship and were in charge of getting everything ready for Bible Classes and worship; they both helped lead the worship service as well. A sound preacher with a great work ethic is a blessing everywhere!

Norfleet & Ashley Stitts

New Spanish Students

We were very blessed to bring in seven new students in June, and we are also grateful to announce we will be bringing in seven more who will start in January in our Spanish program. These young men are from Tennessee, Texas, Mexico, Costa Rica, and El Salvador. The young man from Tennessee, Brother Elbin Hernandez, will be our first-ever Spanish-speaking student from there! He had hoped to start the program two years ago, but unfortunately, a family member was diagnosed with a terminal disease, and he delayed his training to stay home and take care of him. He worships with the West End congregation in Knoxville, and his relationship with the congregation there is so strong that they will completely pay his support while he attends the school!

Graduate Updates

Andrew Patterson – 2023

Brother Patterson was our last remaining graduate to find a preacher position in our summer 2023 class. We are grateful that he took his first preaching position in August with the Lord’s church in Hondo, Texas, about 45 minutes west of San Antonio. Please keep him in your prayers as he starts his preaching career.

Andrew Patterson

Chris Moore

Brother Chris Moore is a 2003 graduate. I have known him for at least this long, and I believe we first met in Chimala, Tanzania, where he visited to do mission work with us one summer. He and I had a good time working together then, taking the gospel to several villages. Since graduation, he has served the church in Laurel, Mississippi, and for 15 years in Clarendon, Texas. After 15 years, they left on good terms and recently took a position in Cheyenne, Oklahoma. He and his wife, Vicki, are great Christian servants, and their son Jack has recently decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and is preaching the gospel too! Please keep them in your prayers as they are starting their new work and that the Lord will bless them with health to serve for many more years!

Chris & Jack Moore

Obituary: Judito Aton

Brother Aton and his wife Ruth came to America in 1986 from the Philippines to attend BTSOP. He graduated in June 1988, and together, they returned to the Philippines to serve. They served with the Central Manila congregation from 1982-1986 and 1988-1996. Then, they moved to California, where they worshipped and served with congregations there. Unfortunately, nine years ago, he was diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease and fought it until his death on the 12th of July. His wife, Ruth, noted that his last sermon was on Father’s Day this year at the Alvin Drive congregation in Salinas, CA. Please keep Ruth and their family in your prayers.
Website

We recently added another 43 files on our website under the Library Tab, then under Class Notes. We have over 500 different sets of classnotes, articles, and sermons. Most of the new additions are sermon transcripts from Brother Batsell Barrett Baxter. Please check them out.

Conclusion

We appreciate your love and concern for the work here at Brown Trail. Year after year, we have been blessed to train some of the finest young men in the brotherhood, and together with your support and prayers, they will glorify God and serve local congregations for years to come!

Brotherly,
heath w stapleton