Category Archives: Herald of Truth

Trip to Argentina

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I’m still trying to get my ducks in a row after a 10-day trip to Argentina; turns out I have some pretty rebellious ducks. But I’ll get things together.

Herald of Truth allowed me to accept an invitation to return to speak at the Caballito church of Christ in Buenos Aires. They had asked me to come in 2011, but it just wasn’t possible at that time. The church in Córdoba had also expressed interest in my coming, so I was able to fulfill two requests in one.

I spent the first weekend in Córdoba, doing some lessons on the book of Ecclesiastes. The Córdoba church is in a rebuilding mode; Hugo Fuente, the missionary there, has been working with the congregation for about a year and a half. He and his wife Judith are really doing a good job. They had several visitors, including a few that were there for the first time.

I also spoke at two of the three small group studies that they have in Córdoba. They stream the Wednesday study on the Internet, allowing some of their members who can’t attend to participate via the Internet.

Last weekend, I was in Buenos Aires, at the Caballito church, doing some lessons on “Too much religion!” (that really doesn’t translate well; in Spanish, it basically means “stop all the religion!,” based on Isaiah 1:11-18); it was an examination of the difference between religiosity and faith. It seemed to go over well.

I find myself doing more and more “mentoring” work with missionaries; am I getting that old? I’m glad to be able to share the things that I’ve learned from others and lived myself. I guess that’s what we’re all supposed to do, right?

Men’s retreat in South Carolina

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This past weekend I got to travel to Spartanburg, South Carolina, on behalf of Herald of Truth. I presented my seminar on “Christ and Culture” to a men’s retreat from the Central Church of Christ in Spartanburg, then taught Bible class and preached on Sunday morning for the whole congregation. Great weekend, with a group of guys that were interested and engaged. Made for some great discussions. And, as I told them, not only did I get to do my seminar in jeans for the first time, I even wore shorts on Saturday. (That’s significant not just from the point of view of doing the seminar in shorts, but also because my legs hadn’t seen the sun in years! :-)

The retreat was held at the Palmetto Bible Camp. It’s an amazingly beautiful camp run by the churches of Christ in South Carolina. Great setting for a retreat.

I’ve added to the seminar some excellent material by Matt Dabbs on ministering to adults in their 20s and 30s. It’s material that he presented this year at the Tulsa Workshop, and I’ve found it to be very helpful. I placed it at the end of the seminar, watching the time to see whether I could present that extra material or not. Had to rush through it a bit, but I think it was worth it.

Had an interesting trip home. After a significant layover at the Greenville-Spartanburg airport, I was anxious to get to Dallas, hoping to catch stand-by on the 8 p.m. flight to Abilene rather than waiting for the 10:05 flight that I was ticketed for. I set up a notification on American’s website so that they would send me text messages with the gate information for that earlier flight. Unfortunately, we took off late and landed even later; it was 7:40 when we got to Dallas. I sent Carolina a text telling her that I probably couldn’t make that flight. Then I saw the texts from American and realized the flight was delayed and was leaving from a gate just seven gates down from where I was arriving.

I hurried to that gate and spoke with the gate agent about getting on stand-by. He said, “We’ve given away the stand-by seats we had, but you can wait and see if someone fails to show up.” I found a place to stand in view of the counter and returned to reading on my iPhone. (The Betrayal (Precinct 11), a mystery by a Christian author. Not bad, especially since I got the Kindle version for free)

The gate agent came up to me with a boarding pass, saying, “Good news, Mr. Archer… we had a no show.” I texted Carolina and let her know the good news.

After the plane came in, though, the agent approached me again with a chagrined look and apologized. “I’m so sorry… one of the seats is broken on this craft, and I’ve got to take back your boarding pass.” Ouch! That had never happened to me before. However, he did say that I could stay around to see if anyone else failed to present themselves.

Again, I communicated with Carolina, telling her the good news turned sour. They kept paging one passenger who was #3 on the standby list. Since I was #1, I wasn’t real appreciative. However, at the last minute the agent said, “OK, I’ve got a seat for you. Go ahead.”

With the delay, I only got in an hour earlier than I would have, but 10 p.m. is better than 11 p.m.

All in all, a great weekend.

Six years with Herald of Truth

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Today I finish up my sixth year with Herald of Truth Ministries. Herald of Truth began in 1952, so Herald of Truth has been around for 60 years; my time here has been only a fraction of that.

I’ve been blessed to do a lot of things with Herald of Truth. I’ve recorded 1385 full-length radio programs, as well as some shorter ones. I’ve co-authored two books and more are in the works. I’ve written over 100 articles for the Internet, helped develop several websites, and authored a few tracts.

I’ve been allowed to develop a seminar on “Christ and Culture” which I’ve presented in Florida, South Carolina, New Jersey and Texas. I’ve spoken on behalf of Herald of Truth at ACU, Lipscomb, Harding, the Tulsa Workshop, the Orlando Spiritual Growth Workshop, the National Hispanic Leaders Conference, the Caribbean Missions Forum, the Seminario Baxter in Honduras and the Global Missions Conference, as well as churches in Kentucky, Michigan, New Jersey, California, Florida and Texas.

During my time at Herald of Truth, I’ve been privileged to preach countries like:

  • Argentina
  • Brazil
  • Chile
  • Cuba
  • Ecuador
  • Honduras
  • Mexico
  • Nicaragua
  • Spain

I’ve also had the satisfaction of knowing that I’m helping provide evangelistic tools that can be used by local churches here in the States and throughout the world. I’ve gotten to work with some great people in this country and others. Thanks to all the churches and individuals that have given sacrificially to allow me to dedicate myself to this work. I love what I do.

Radio follow-up in Cuba

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Tony Fernández, Herald of Truth representative in Cuba

One important part of my work at Herald of Truth is the preparation of the radio program Lea La Biblia (Read the Bible). When recording a program, I don’t get to see any of the listeners; I just have to imagine them in my mind’s eye. One of the great things about traveling to other countries is that I get to meet some of those God has touched through the work I get to do.

One of the first people I met at the men’s conference was Vladimir Sedeño Díaz, from Camagüey, in the eastern part of the main island of Cuba. Vladimir was trained in telecommunications at the University of Kiev, then sent directly to the front in Angola. He fought in Zaire, the Congo, Namibia and South Africa, being wounded in battle more than once. He came home with lasting injuries, both physical and psychological. He gradually turned away from political ideology and sought Christ.

Vladimir heard the Herald of Truth Lea La Biblia radio program and called the Herald of Truth office in Matanzas. Tony Fernández, our representative there, contacted the preacher in Camagüey, who visited Vladimir, studied with him, and eventually baptized him.

Vladimir became a fervent promoter of the radio programs provided by the churches of Christ, including those by Herald of Truth and another produced by Christian Productions International out of Florida. Through Vladimir’s efforts, ten more people have been converted, and several new house churches have begun. God is doing great things!


Last June, when I made a quick trip to Cuba, I was able to speak briefly by phone with a brother from Punta de Maisí, the easternmost tip of the island of Cuba. At the conference last week, I finally got to meet this brother face to face.

In 2011, when we began broadcasting Lea La Biblia via Trans World Radio, this preacher began hosting a “listening club” for other Christians and their neighbors. Not everyone in his remote town has a radio, so they gather together to listen and discuss the program. When the churches of Christ began other programs months later, the club met at those times as well.

It was great for me to be able to connect a face with the voice on the phone.

Friday of last week, I was privileged to go with Tony Fernández to the post office to see the letters coming in to the Herald of Truth office. Tony hadn’t been able to go that week, so he thought there might be a lot. He was right!

In our ministry, we put a lot of emphasis on local follow-up. What’s the use of broadcasting somewhere if no one can follow up with the people that respond? Tony is one of the hardest working people I know, and he applies that hard work to following up on radio contacts. He was concerned that some of these people might have had to wait over a week for a response; his goal is to allows respond within seven days.

We’re currently getting over 100 letters per month, many of those requesting Bibles and Bible studies. As I said the other day, I dare not take any credit for any of this. If God has been able to use anything that I do, the glory is his. Herald of Truth has been around for 60 years, seeking to be a tool for God’s Kingdom.

“Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!”
(Psalms 115:1)

God’s work in Cuba

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As someone pointed out the other day, the Kitchen was closed last week. I was on a trip to Cuba, on behalf of Herald of Truth.

Many of you know that Cuba is one of my favorite places to work, not so much because of the place itself, but because of what the Christians are doing there. I’ve been troubled over the last few years by the number of brothers here in the States that want to take credit for what’s going on in Cuba; if I ever seem to be doing that, let me know.

Herald of Truth has a representative in Cuba named Tony Fernández. He is one of the hardest-working ministers I know. The church that Tony works with in Matanzas was hosting the National Preachers Conference. The week before my arrival, Tony would stay up all night one night, sleep on night, then stay up the next. The first two nights that I was there, Tony didn’t sleep. I don’t know how he does it.

I arrived on Saturday, June 26. Wednesday of that week, Tony had totaled his car (no, not because he fell asleep!). He came upon an unmarked highway construction site at night and didn’t see the concrete barriers that had been turned sideways. He was unhurt, but his car is a mess. I say it’s totaled, but looking at the other cars on the road, I have to admit the Cubans may be able to get it running again.

I was privileged to speak at the Versalles church on Sunday morning. There was a full crowd, and we had a great service. Twelve people came forward to be baptized. That may sound like a lot, but it’s fairly normal for a church that baptizes about 200 people a year (including many who meet in smaller churches throughout the province, churches started by this congregation).

They wanted me to do the baptizing, but I have tried to put in practice what Paul wrote:

“I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.” (1 Corinthians 1:14–17)

I firmly believe that the local Christians should do the baptizing. While I was there, they asked a man who has made many trips to Cuba how many people he has baptized there; he replied that it was about 700. I couldn’t help but reflect on the fact that the statement made it sound like he was responsible for those conversions. I’m not saying that he was saying it that way, but I think it’s best to avoid all confusion.

I’ll tell you some more about the week over the next few days. It was great to be there and great to be back.