*** – From Mark Escalera – Wanted to share as this has been on my heart since I received the email from Pastor Terry Coomer yesterday. While you may not be able to help this family with a love gift, please remember them in prayer. The funeral is this coming Friday.

***

March 19, 2013

Dear Pastor Friends and Friends of For the Love of the Family,

I usually do not write emails like this, but I wanted to make you aware of a situation that I know you would want to be aware of and pray about. This week a good pastor friend of mine, Pastor Jeff Cox went to be with the Lord. Jeff was the pastor of the East Sunsbury Baptist Church in Beallsvile, Ohio. Jeff had done a great job there and God had blessed their ministry. East Sunsbury is a rural church in the Appalachian area of Ohio, 14 miles from New Martinsville, WV. Monroe County, where the church is located for many years was the poorest county in all of Ohio.

Bro. Cox was a relatively young man (51), in good health. About a month ago, he told me he was having pain in his back and asked me to pray about it. Two weeks later he was worse and it had affected his speech and hearing. The doctors were baffled. They thought cancer or spinal meningitis. He was then taken to Ohio State University Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, and they ruled out spinal meningitis but found cancer cells in the spinal fluid. However, they were never able to find the source of the cancer cells. Two weeks later he was with the Lord.

Jeff had 5 children. There are two smaller children at home who are special needs. Cassie is a type one diabetic, Caleb is a Downs Syndrome child. The church had just voted to get medical insurance for the pastor and they were in the process of getting quotes, but had not completed the process. Therefore, there was no medical insurance. Jeff’s wife Laurie has a lot on her hands and needs our prayers.

While I know many of you do not know Jeff and Laurie, we are brother’s and sisters together in the body of Christ. Seventy percent of all Independent Baptist Churches are bi-vocational. Many of the churches that have “full-time” pastors can only partially support pastors. The funeral for Bro. Jeff will be this Friday at 11:00 A.M. at the church.

If you would like to help this family offerings could be sent to:

Laurie Cox
49974 Mellott Ridge Road
Beallsville, Ohio 43716

May the Lord bless each one of you in your service for Him. While we can grieve for a family, we greatly rejoice in the blessed hope! What Jeff preached about for all these years, he now can rejoice and see face to face, the Saviour who loved him and gave himself for him!

The website for the funeral home – http://www.theintelligencer.net/page/content.detail/id/582666/Jeff-Cox.html?nav=516

Thank you for your consideration in this matter.

With a heart to glorify God and serving the God of answers,

Dr. Terry L. Coomer
Pastor, Hope Baptist Church
Director, For The Love Of The Family Ministries