Bart Sparks was born on September 30, 1959, in Little Rock, Arkansas, to David and Betty Sparks. He graduated from McClellan High School in 1977. Raised in a Christian home, Bart obeyed the gospel at the age of 18. Over the years, he worshiped with congregations at Geyer Springs, Bryant, Lorance Drive, and Sandstone-all in Arkansas-before moving to Cabot, where he now worships with his church family. Bart and his wife, Cindy, are the proud parents of two daughters and grandparents to seven grandchildren. Having long sought a ministry like this, Bart firmly believes that God’s guidance-not coincidence-led him to this wonderful opportunity to share the Gospel. Bart serves as both President .
About Us
How We Formed
Gospel Sharing Ministries was formed in October, 2013. Seeing a need to minister to all sizes of churches, five men met and formed a non-profit corporation to meet this need. They became members of the Board of Directors. The ministry is now overseen by the elders from the Church of Christ of Palestine in Palestine, Texas.
Who We Are
Gospel Sharing Ministries is a non-profit ministry designed to help small churches grow. Using a group of trained workers, Gospel Sharing Ministries can train a congregation to approach people and teach them the Gospel of Christ. A Board of Directors decides policies and procedures and is overseen by the Church of Christ in Palestine, Texas. Gospel Sharing Ministries is a ministry designed to help churches learn to approach people with the Gospel. We are available to help congregations of any size. To hold a campaign Gospel Sharing Ministries would conduct a Training Seminar prior to the event. This seminar would first show ways to approach people in different situations and go through a simple, yet effective way to engage them in a presentation of the saving Gospel. Secondly, the seminar would focus on After Care, a vital part of keeping a new babe saved and in maturing that person to becoming a strong Christian.
A decision from a congregation to have a campaign requires a $200.00 non-refundable commitment. Gospel Sharing Ministries will then help them prepare for the campaign in order to have a more effective campaign. Then, at the appointed time, a group of experienced workers will come and go into the streets, taking members of the congregation with them in order to help them learn how to talk to people about Jesus. We find this is the fastest way to help the local members get experience as well as make contact with the people in the community who otherwise would not have knowledge of the Gospel. The focus is on Jesus and how He saves through the Gospel.
Details and expenses for a Training Seminar and a campaign can be worked out with a contact person from Gospel Sharing Ministries.
Board of Directors
Larry Lovett is a native Texan but graduated from Indiana University in 1981. He had a career as a teacher/coach for 32 years in public education. After retiring, he has worked as an electrician for the past 8 years. He has participated with groups that have been involved in sharing the gospel of Christ for the past 9 years. He truly has a passion for fulfilling the "great commission" given by Jesus Christ. Larry serves as Treasurer.
William (Bill) Hardy, Jr. currently serves as a Preacher and as one of the three Elders for the Palestine Church of Christ in Palestine, TX. Over the past 40 years, he has also served as a youth minister, senior minister, evangelist, elder and missionary. He has earned his Bachelors, Masters, and PhD degrees. Hardy worked in the department of psychiatry in VA hospitals and the Federal system in Oklahoma and Kansas for 15 years before being recruited by the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in 1996. He worked for UTMB for the past 23 years providing psychiatric care via UTMB contracted services with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. In 2014 he received the distinguished “UTMB-CMC Servant Leadership Award.” He was commissioned as a Medical Officer in the Army National Guard in 1983 and rose to rank as a Colonel and senior ranking Medical Officer with the 136th Military Police Battalion. He retired after 33 years of military service. He married Kathryn Phillips Hardy in 1980. They have five children and five grandsons. Both Bill and Kathy have served with Gospel Sharing Ministries on numerous campaigns. Bill serves as a Co-Director.
Trevis Bonnett currently serves as a deacon on the evangelism committee at Memorial Church of Christ in Houston, TX. He has been involved in evangelism campaigns since 2001. He is married to Giovanni, and they met on an evangelism campaign in Sugarland, TX in 2006 and were married since June 2007. They have two beautiful children Gianni and Isaiah, who enjoy participating in campaigns. His day job is a Financial Advisor with Voya Financial Advisors. His Kingdom purpose is to win souls, train soul- winners and encourage and edify the Churches of Christ. Trevis serves as a Co-Director.
Charles Shelton was born and raised in Oklahoma and graduated from Eastern Oklahoma State Collage in 1966. He was in the Oklahoma 45th Division Army National Guard from 1066 to 1972 and the Arkansas 95th Training Division Army Reserve from 1972 to 1978. He had a career in the Forest Productions industry. He and his wife have 3 children and 4 grandchildren. He has been involved with groups sharing the Gospel since 2011. He and his wife Barbara are full time missionaries and are currently full time RVers. They both love sharing the Gospel with others. Charles serves as a Co-Director.
James (Jim) Smith married his wife, Donna, in 1965. In 1968 he left his work at B.D. Holt Caterpillar and attended Sunset School of Preaching (now SIBI) and graduated in 1970. The teachers there installed in him a love for evangelism that caused him to be heavily involved in it since leaving. He and Donna served as stateside missionaries in Nashua, New Hampshire, and Galesburg, Illinois. While in Galesburg he worked with the Iowa Campaign team on several occasions. In 1978 he moved to the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex where he audited the School of Practical Evangelism. There he served as minister and then became a staff chaplain for All Saints Episcopal Hospital. During that time Jim served the West Freeway Church of Christ as elder for 7 years. Upon retirement in 1990 Jim and Donna moved to Granbury, Texas, where the Granbury church asked Jim to become their outreach minister. After almost six years he retired again. Since then, he and Donna have been involved with several outreach ministries including Sojourners and Gospel Sharing Ministries, of which he was a founder and an original Director. Jim serves as a Co-Director.
John (Danny) Winningham entered the U.S. Army in 1967. While serving in the military, he received his GED in 1968. He was honorably discharged in 1969 and married his wife, Bonnie, in 1970. He became self-employed and, in 1993, moved to Florence, Alabama, to attend International Bible College, where he earned a B.A. degree in 1998. Prior to becoming a member of the Sojourners and Gospel Sharing Ministries, he had participated in nine evangelistic campaigns and had preached at two churches of Christ, in addition to leading singing and teaching at several congregations. Danny serves as a Co-Director.
Support Team
Donna Smith had a love of evangelism instilled in her first by her parents. Her desire was to be a preacher’s wife. In 1965 she married Jim Smith and was thrilled when he decided to attend Sunset School of Preaching and graduated in 1970. She taught school to help Jim through school and quit to start a family after he graduated. After her children started school, she started a typesetting business in 1980. She was proficient in typesetting, pasteup and making halftone pictures. After 13 years desktop publishing on personal computers caused her business to decrease, so she closed it and started teaching school again, teaching seventh grade math for seven years. She moved to Granbury, Texas, and decided to try substitute teaching, which she did for 10 years. During all their married life Donna has helped her husband with evangelism. They have both been involved in several evangelistic ministries, including Sojourners and Gospel Sharing Ministries. Donna serves as Administrative Secretary.