Fallen missionaries remembered, celebrated

NEWNAN — In talking about Ric Mason, Perry Goad, and Martha Fuller, First Baptist Minister of Missions Mike Emeott doesn’t mince words.

“There were no more godly people than these three,” he said. “Their love for the Honduran people was obvious.”

When Bill McMullen moved to Cartersville from Newnan – and from First Baptist to Tabernacle – he told members at his new church about the Honduran ministry First Newnan was a part of. Ric Mason was one of the first to sign up and remained a fixture with the ministry through last week. Goad had gone on the trip for the past several years, as had Fuller.

“They were passionate about their work in Honduras,” said Tabernacle pastor Don Hattaway. “If they died on I-75, we’d still grieve. But here they died doing what they loved.”

Changes will come. There is now an empty space in the television ministry where Goad volunteered. Somebody else will need to take Mason’s positions in making coffee at the church and being a greeter.

Kristen Early had gone to Honduras for the ’04-‘06 trips. She remembered Mason and Goad as two who lived what they loved.

“They were always encouraging. ‘Mr. Ric’ said the people of Honduras would steal you heart if you went. I understood that after my trip. Perry was always fun to be around and enjoyed every moment. He was always smiling and loved working and playing with those kids.”

Despite the grieving, the ministry must continue, said Hattaway, because “Perry and Ric would have it no other way.”

“We can’t allow fear to prevent us from doing what we need to do,” he added. “There are always risks, but it is certainly more risky to be outside of God’s will.”

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