| One of our missionaries groups is named for Catherine Ward. Some may know that she and her husband, Jim were pastors and missionaries for many years, what many may not know is that they met right in Pinckard Baptist Church many years ago when they were both young people. They fell in love, married and raised 3 children. |
| For many years, Jim and Catherine served a variety of churches in Kentucky and Indiana. In addition to preaching, Jim taught school. |
| In their early 50s, the Wards moved to Versailles and once again, united with Pinckard as their church home. Neither felt at peace in their retirement. Unknown to Catherine, Jim had applied for an appointment with the Home missionary service. They were assigned an area in the desert of Arizona. Though Catherine was not as excited as Jim about moving to Arizona, she agreed to go. |
| The Wards sold their home in Versailles, got rid of most of their possessions and went to live in a trailer in Sentinel, Arizona where Jim taught school and both Catherine and Jim began to minister to the people in the areamostly Hispanic migrant workers. They had to adjust to temperatures in the 100 degree range, scorpions, tarantulas, rattlesnakes and guila monsters. |
| One day, while driving to Yuma and seeing the mountains in the distance, Catherine recalled a dream she had had as a young girl. In the dream, she was in a place where there were mountains but no grass, ministering to a people whose language she did not know and whose skin was darker than hers. Looking at the mountains in the distance, she realized her dream had come to fulfillment. By then, she had fallen in love with the people and Arizona. |
| While Jim was busy teaching school, Catherine used the Good News Bookmobile as a ministry tool. Sponsored by the home church at Yuma, Catherine had the bookmobile for 2 weeks a month and drove it to ranches. While children and adults selected books, Catherine talked with them about Jesus. After a while, they were able to go onto the ranches for Bible studies, Bible schools and church services. Often they met in the back of their truck, the inside of the bookmobile or even under a grease bush. Eventually, someone donated a small area of land and they were able to have a small trailer on it and folks would meet in the shade of the trailer for church services. |
| After teaching for a number of years and ministering at night and on the weekends, Jim was able to retire from teaching and focus on full-time missionary work. |
| Their hearts desire was to have at least one church building and eventually, they were able to obtain some land and put up a church building at Hyder, Arizona. By one of Gods coincidences, Pinckard had begun construction of our new sanctuary and we were able to donate all the pews and pulpit furniture from our old building to the church at Hyder. Claude Kaenzig donated his truck for the hauling of the furniture and JB Stratton and Brian Peyton drove it to Hyder. Both of these men also donated time and strength to helping with the construction of the Hyder building. |
| There have been many connections by Pinckard to this missionary couple over the years they served in Arizona. In addition to financial contributions and church furniture, clothes were regularly sent for distribution. Christmas in August gifts were collected each August and sent for distribution to the children. Prayer support was given and individuals from Pinckard went to Arizona to help with Bible School or revivals and other ministry activities. |
| During their tenure in Arizona, the Wards won many people to Jesus and accomplished much for the glory of the Lord. Some of the money they were paid as salary by the Home Mission Board was invested toward their retirement in the Baptist Foundation. Sadly, this organization was mismanaged and they lost nearly all their investment. After their second retirement and just prior to their return to this area to live, Jim became ill and passed away. Catherine moved to Waynesville, Ohio where she now resides with her son and daughter-in-law. She is active in a church in that area and still ministering at every opportunity for the Lord. |