[1] BAILEY, Miss. (BP)–For a retired Baptist pastor who’s spreading a little bit of heaven around nursing homes, it’s “the most important thing I’ve ever done.”
Carless Evans, who has ministered to churches in his home state of Mississippi and in Alabama for 50 years, now is sharing with nursing home residents that “the Lord still loves old folks. He hasn’t forgotten about those standing at the door [of heaven].”
Evans has written a book, “All About Heaven,” which to date has been hand-delivered to more than 13,000 nursing home residents in Mississippi and Alabama.
The book, Evans pointed out, is easy to read and understand and presents the basic biblical thoughts and concepts of heaven, with chapters dealing with such issues as: “Who is going to be there?” and “What am I going to do there?” as well as biblical answers to some of the most often-asked questions about heaven, such as “Will I know my loved ones?” and “Do animals go to heaven?”
Evans was inspired to write the book after retiring from interim pastorate work, when an associate, Paula Moore, urged him to continue ministering in some fashion after retirement. Evans said Moore challenged him by asking, “Do you want to die on the golf course?”
That led to the pair’s October 1994 co-founding of Ebenezer Ministries, based in Bailey, Miss., which is currently delivering 500 copies of the book a month to nursing home residents.
A special focus on nursing homes began in May 1996 when Kay Harrell, assistant administrator of the Sumter County Nursing Home in York, Ala., invited Evans to give a copy to all 116 residents of the facility.
Harrell had been burdened by the lack of ministry resources available to the senior adults under her care, and she felt Evans’ book was just the kind of encouragement they needed.
“I asked Kay how the book could help, and she told me, ‘Where do people go when they leave here? I want to make sure they arrive at heaven’s gates,'” recalled Evans, who was told by one resident during a visit, “We live with death every day.”
Since then, Evans and Moore have had the opportunity to share with thousands of senior adults face-to-face the message that, after accepting Christ, this earth — which he calls “heaven’s waiting room” — is no longer their home.
“We’re giving residents hope for tomorrow, which gives them strength for today,” Evans said.
There are numerous testimonies, Evans noted, of nursing home residents whose lives have been touched by the heavenly ministry.
One elderly woman he encountered said, “I’ve just been praying for someone to come and talk to me about heaven, and now here you are.”
Another who was sitting in a wheelchair began crying while reading the book. She told the author, “I’ve been reading about heaven, and when I get there I won’t be sick anymore.”
To Evans, and the thousands of others who have been touched by its contents, the book is more than an interesting piece of literature — it’s a calling from God to make senior citizens’ last days on earth a little easier.
“We must do all we can to make sure these precious people find the assurance of heaven,” he said.
To find out more about Ebenezer Ministries or how to obtain a copy of “All About Heaven,” call (601) 737-2240, fax, (601) 483-0406 or write to Ebenezer Ministries, P.O. Box 45, Bailey, MS 39320. Or e-mail the ministry at [email protected] or visit the ministry’s Internet website at http://members.aol.com/ebenmin/prof/index.htm.