Hal Chaffee Ministries

The Call

2024 was a year of battles. As Paul has written, “Without were fightings, within were fears” (2 Cor 7:5). It is tempting not to speak in such ways for fear of being labeled as faithless, but Paul spoke this way, so it is only pride to withhold the truth. However, battles survived mean wisdom gleaned. A novice becomes a veteran by fighting battles. He may win some and lose some, but as long as he emerges, he has not lost but only gained. And in Christ, as long as we do not lose heart, it is impossible for us to be defeated. Jesus said, “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Luke 10:19). In other words, the devil can do his best to put you through the fire and through the flood, he can buffet you and cast his fiery darts at you, he can tempt you and test you, but he can’t ultimately hurt you. When you emerge from the battle, you will have nothing in your life that you could consider a net loss. If he can’t convince you to cast away your confidence in Christ, he only adds to your strength when it is all said and done.

An example of this has been my time at the universities. I can’t tell you how much fear and intimidation I’ve battled through the years as I have sought to spread the gospel in the public square. It’s been very, VERY difficult to scrape myself up off the ground after an embarrassing encounter or a stupid mistake on my part. After a while, however, the pain goes away and I am stronger and wiser. As a result, I can confidently say that I had one of the best years in street ministry than I have ever had. Not only have I less fear, but I have been able to tackle almost any objection or question given me by the students. I look forward to my time on the campuses more than I ever have, and I feel like I have been better at communicating the gospel than ever before.

The Church

There have been battles regarding the church, as well. This year, however, it was less fighting without and much more within. For example, about a year ago, I felt the Lord challenge me to begin preaching without notes. I’ve preached without notes off and on over the years in other venues, but at the church, I usually felt the need to have notes with me. And for the first two years at the church, I mostly had notes during my sermons. However, over the past year, I have almost exclusively preached without notes, taking only my bible to the pulpit. My goal is to preach, not by notes, but ‘by the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven’ (1 Peter 1:12). This has been a great struggle and battle. And sometimes, it does not go so well. But I’ve come to learn how to better be in tune with the Holy Spirit. The struggles and failures have made me better.

In general, the church is going well. We aren’t growing as much as we would like, but we are in a good place. We have unity, brotherly love, and stability. We have been provided for and are in a good place to grow. In 2025, we look to have a much greater push on evangelism. Pray for us as we look for God to do a great work in our church!

The Chaffee’s

I can’t express how much of a blessing my family is. It’s the one part of my life right now in which I can’t think of something that could make it better. God has truly blessed me with a wonderful wife and seven wonderful children. Our circumstances aren’t ideal, but we have joy and love–what more could a guy ask for? We’re still praying for a house to call our own. Perhaps the Lord has a good reason it hasn’t happened yet. We will continue to be patient. I’d rather it be God’s way than be done in the flesh.

Our children are growing wonderfully. Halle is 15, and little Walter is 6 months! It’s strange to think that we will soon have one in college before the youngest even starts school. All children are healthy and strong and doing well in school. It’s exciting to think about how their lives will impact the world one day.

Please continue to pray for our family and ministry. We long to have a greater impact within the sphere that God has put us in. Pray especially that God guides us with great ideas for local evangelism. We really want to see a great evangelistic push in 2025! Thank you for your support and prayers. We pray God’s greatest blessing upon you and your family!