Who We Are

After meeting at Mississippi College, and marrying in their senior year, Howard and Martha (Sullivan) Beam have served the Lord in ministry for over forty-five years. They have pastored churches in West Virginia and Mississippi, and have served as missionaries in Russia for eleven years (1991-2002).  In Russia, they were involved in evangelism, pastoring, church planting, and leadership development. Howard served as President of the Global Strategy Christian Association of Russian Churches for six years from 1996-2001.

For many years now, the Lord has given Howard and Martha a desire to minister to pastors and missionaries and their families. Shepherd's Rest is the fulfillment of that vision to minister to those precious servants of the Lord who are giving their all for the Lord and for His kingdom.

Our Mission

Restoring, Renewing, and Refreshing those in ministry, by providing a quiet, peaceful setting in which to spend time with the Chief Shepherd.

We have always had a heart for pastors and missionaries and their families and have often seen the need, in ourselves and in others, for someone to minister to the ministers. For more than twenty years a vision has been growing in our hearts for a place where we could bring God's servants to love, encourage, pray for, and counsel as needed.  In doing so, we could provide an environment in which the Chief Shepherd, Jesus, could build them up and send them back into their ministries restored, refreshed, and renewed.

We have come to see, by faith, something like a hundred peaceful acres, with rolling hills, walking paths, lakes, prayer gardens, and several houses. We envision this as a place where weary, discouraged, or hurting ministers, and their families, can come and find peace, rest, and restoration for their minds, bodies, souls, and spirits. 

We also feel the Lord leading us to travel to pastors on their church fields, and especially to travel to the nations and minister to missionaries and native pastors in their countries of service. These men and women are under constant attack from human governments, demonic powers, and, sadly, even from their own churches and ministries, at times. They need prayer and encouragement, and others who will come alongside of them, and stand with them, for the harvest of souls that the Lord desires. They need someone who will care for them, as they care for the nations.

We believe that Shepherd’s Rest International is God’s will in heaven!  

We encourage you to join us in prayer that the will of God will be done on earth as it is in heaven! (Matthew 6:10)