November, 2000, Newsletter

On being "fishers of men"

Dear PCI Member:

I love to fish and hunt. It is real joy for me to find a hidden lake or stream that is so inaccessible or unknown that it is seldom fished. I look for the huge trout or bass lurking there just waiting for my bait. I once hiked into the small lake at the base of the Maroon Bells in the Colorado Rockies and although I didn't catch anything, just fishing those remote alpine waters was reward enough. My favorite hunting spots include the remotest reaches of the Snake River Canyon between Idaho and Washington states. It is there the Great Bull Elk and Blacktail Deer live and are seldom hunted.

Until lately, I had not realized that Pilots for Christ offers the same challenge that my remote lake or hidden canyon offers, only the prize is the soul of a man, woman or child. We in Pilots for Christ fish in remote waters among the unsaved who have evaded other nets. In last month's newsletter, I shared how a billionaire received Jesus at 30,000 feet over the Atlantic from a Godly, spirit-filled pilot who had "something" that this man knew he did not have. He was unreached by churches and evangelists but was touched and saved through seeing Jesus in his pilot. People come to us in Pilots for Christ who cannot be reached any other way. They receive Jesus while involved in mercy flights, through their association with us at airports, our communities and through local events.

Last month, a man received Jesus standing in front of my aircraft at the Winchester, Virginia, EAA fly-in. This happens in many of our chapters, but this man's history is interesting. Married for seven years to a Christian wife, who prayed for his salvation, he knew all the correct answers. He knew that only through Jesus could he be saved and that he needed to confess his sins and ask in Savior, Jesus, into his heart. He was prevented from doing this because he believed that every church that he attended had rules he must measure up to before he could ask Jesus to be his Savior. Through our conversation he came to realize that his salvation came from what Jesus had done for him and not what he could do for Jesus. I asked him whether he knew any reason why he could not ask Jesus into his heart right then. He answered NO! I asked him if he wanted to pray and ask Jesus into his heart and he said YES! I led him through the sinner's prayer. It is said that angels rejoice at the salvation of a soul. I know one wife who did right on the flight ramp. Pilots for Christ offers a wonderful opportunity for the Christian to obey Jesus' first commandment of "Feed my Sheep." They don't have to be pilots to do this. If you have a Christian friend that you haven't invited to join PCI, invite him to one of your functions and let the Holy Spirit do the rest.

New chapter in Florida

Pilots for Christ now has a chapter in the state of Florida. The chapter's headquarters is in Cocoa Beach. Their ministry extends over a portion of the Caribbean Sea and the Bahamas as well as the state of Florida. Under the able leadership of their President, Bob Lehton, they have served this area for many years under the name of Servant Air Ministries. They will continue to serve under this name as well as the covering of Pilots for Christ. This chapter is unique in that in addition to the ministries normally associated with Pilots for Christ, they also train pilots for mission work. The new Florida Chapter, coordinating with the Monroeville, Alabama and the Virginia Chapters, can now provide much greater mercy flight coverage to the southeastern U.S.. You will have an opportunity to become acquainted with our new chapter as they are graciously hosting the Pilots for Christ 2001 Convention next fall.

Budget and membership

Pilots for Christ is truly blessed of the Lord. We are now financially solvent and operating under a conservative budget approved by the Board in our September meeting. This budget will allow us to go through the year with a surplus. Last month we had 22 new members join Pilots for Christ and over 40 renewals. John Lewis and his people continue to work toward forming a chapter in Wichita, Kansas. PCI members without a chapter close to them would be blessed by forming their own new chapter.

Aviation Missions Conference

My wife and I attended the Aviation Missions Conference hosted by Alpha Aviation in Tulsa last month. This conference drew attendees from most of the aviation missions both here in the USA and abroad. Some of the more known organizations were Mission Aviation Fellowship, JAARS (The aviation branch of Wycliff Bible Translators) and Air Serve. I presented two workshops during this Conference promoting Pilots for Christ. My impression was that Pilots for Christ is unique in our ministry. While the rest of the missions are concentrating on overseas evangelism, Pilots for Christ concentrates on the unsaved in our own communities. As a former flying missionary to Africa, I can attest that there is no greater reward that reaching people for our Lord. However, I find the same joy and blessing in my neighbor finding the Lord as I did in Africa when a tribesman found Him. Other organizations, such as Angel Flight, also fly mercy missions, but we alone in the USA doing so under the covering of the Lord Jesus Christ and serving Him by spreading the good news of salvation to all who will accept Him.

Editor, board members needed

Pilots for Christ has a need for someone who is called to be the editor of this bi-monthly newsletter. I can handle the printing and mailing but it would be great to have someone called to organize and bring those improvements to this publication, which are beyond my time and talents. This person would work with me gathering the organizational and individual chapter news and getting it into a printable format. Local Virginia location is not required as we could work through email. Please be in prayer and respond if the Lord calls you to this ministry. PCI also needs to fill two spots on the National Board to replace one member who has dropped out and another who is serving only until a suitable replacement can be found.

In His Service,

"Jim"

H. James McConnell, President