NEVADA – Persevere. It was Paul’s message to Timothy, and it is also what Melvin Mabra has done.
Mabra is the senior pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church here. At the end of 2011 he celebrated his 50th year in a ministry marked with perseverance.
Mabra met Christ when he was six years old. He then was called to preach at 13, and at 15, he was called to missions. He attended the Baptist University of Corpus Christi, where he graduated in 1964, and then Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary where he got his Master of Divinity degree.
When he graduated from seminary, he went into missions and planted Union Baptist in Norborne. It was his first church. He has also served in Mason City, Iowa, with Billy Graham Crusades, and there is a church plant in Omaha, Neb., due to his church planting ministry.
“In my ministry, my preaching style has been expository preaching,” he said. “I have tried to disciple our people by the study of the Word, and I have literally preached through the Bible three times. My heroes have been W. A. Criswell and Adrian Rogers.”
Mitch Shiffer/contributing writer