SERVANT
AIR MINISTRIES, INC.
ANNUAL REPORT
12/31/2005
Servant Air Ministries in the year 2005 had a very productive year
providing flight training and air transportation. Basically, with fuel
prices doubling and additional insurance premiums, Servant Air
Ministries, Inc. was able to fly 351.8 hours utilizing our three
aircraft. This being the twelfth year of the organization’s existence,
SAMI continues to provide quality flight training and missionary flight
services. The ministry continues to meet its mission statement of
providing a chapel on the field at Merritt Island Airport, missionary
flight training and ground school, and air transportation for various
Angel, Mercy and missionary flights.
Mr. Neil Spurlock presented a slate of
officers for this upcoming year. The following officers agreed to
serve: Dr. Robert E. Lehton was elected again as president, Mr. Steve
Miller as Vice President, Mr. Ryan Roberts as Board Secretary, and Mr.
Bill Oyler as Treasurer. The motion to elect the four officers was
carried as an affirmative, with no descents or absence of votes. A
further motion was entertained by Mr. Neil Spurlock, with a second by
Mr. Fred Pino to keep the general Board of existing nine members. This
motion likewise passed. Mr. Fred Pino will be responsible for
recruiting and dues collection, and Mr. Kyle Dixon and Mr. Tom Liston
for coordination of air show evangelism throughout Florida and the
southeast part of the United States.
The financial position of Servant Air
Ministry remains very stable, with a positive cash flow, and unlike
2003, had no large expenditures to replace engines in aircraft. Our
Cessna 172 is used exclusively for primary flight training, along with
aircraft from FIT Aviation and Voyager Aviation. The PA23 Aztec and PA32
Saratoga are utilized mainly for mission flights to the Bahamas, Central
America and throughout the southeast part of the United States.
This year our Cessna 172 was used for
flight training and missions, and was flown 128.4 hours. This is not
including flight training conducted at Florida Institute of Technology
or Voyager Aviation. Our Saratoga PA-32-301T was utilized for missionary
flights consisting of 97.8 hours, and our Aztec PA23 was utilized for
approximately 125.6 hours. Flight instruction consisted of 140.5 hours
which was conducted by Mr. Dick Todd and Dr. Robert Lehton.
Additionally 87.2 hours were conducted in ground school with students.
This past summer of 2005, the aircraft
were used for numerous missionary flights to the Bahamas. Mr. Ben Quinn
and Mr. Dick Todd provided flights to Cat Island for ten missionaries
during the Fort Pierce Alliance Church’s outreach. Likewise, Mr. Steve
Miller provided flights to Walkers Cay near Grand Island for Faith
Temple in Orlando. Flights were also conducted to Marsh Harbor for
missionaries from the Tampa area. This summer we flew approximately 20
missionaries to the Bahamas in total. Other missionary flights were
conducted for the International Christian Embassy and numerous medical
flights.
Mr. Dick Todd, who is Servant Air’s AI
and A&P mechanic kept all three airplanes in excellent shape, as well as
provided needed flight instruction for missionary pilots during this
past year. Dick continues to be a blessing doing much of our
maintenance on all three aircraft which includes annual inspections and
routine maintenance throughout the year.
Hurricanes continue to be a menace over
this past year in Florida, with the earliest striking in June, and the
latest striking in October. Based on the devastation of Katrina in New
Orleans, Servant Air Ministries stood by to receive Mercy and Angel
flights, along with Pilots for Christ, International. Bill Dunkley flew
our Aztec with another ministry, Air Mobile, to provide 21 water filters
to the New Orleans area. Likewise, the Cocoa Beach Ministerial
Association gave $1,000 towards paying for fuel for those flights. We
were also blessed in 2005 by a donation from the First Baptist Church of
Cocoa Beach of $7,500 to provide for the cost of replacement of engines
on the Aztec when TBO is reached.
In September, 2004, SAMI sponsored a
group of 50 people to go to Israel. This year, in 2006 in February,
Torah Study Group and Servant Air Ministries will co-sponsor a group of
45 pilgrims to go from the United States, to Israel. A ministry of
support through Servant Air Ministries is growing in supporting the
Feast of Tabernacles, International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem and
the Christian Caucus in The Kenesset. Dick Blondin, Tom Liston and Ryan
Roberts will be working on a DVD to replace our current VHS tape on our
web site. Likewise, our web site has changed from
servantairministries.com to servantairministries.org. It is very
unfortunate, but another group of alleged Christians hijacked the web
site and is now using the old web site for financial advertising in the
area of Christian literature and marketing.
In September, 2005, Dr. Lehton was the
keynote speaker again at the Pilots for Christ convention held at Ridge
Crest retreat in Asheville, N.C. Five members from Servant Air
Ministries attended the convention, and Dr. Lehton also provided the
Chapter report for the year 2004 for Servant Air Ministries, which is a
Florida Chapter of Pilots for Christ.
Servant Air Ministries continues to send
support to the Pilots for Christ International for the disaster sites in
India and Sri Lanka affected by the Tsunami that happened in December,
2004. Finally, through the help of Mr. Dick Todd, Dick Oktela, Roy Coy,
and Dr. Lehton, Servant Air Ministries flew over 50 children through the
Young Eagles Program of the Experimental Aircraft Association. This
year we will be meeting with the Young Eagles coordinator to put
together a program of church aviation flying for students and children,
along with Young Eagles flights which should encourage the Young Eagles
program and make available flights and the insurance of such flights for
church children in a missionary funded flights.
In conclusion, it has been my privilege
to again serve as president for Servant Air Ministries for the past
twelve years, and again thank the Board of Directors and Volunteers for
the efforts and service in Jesus’ name. The year 2006 looks again
fruitful for carrying a number of missionary flights back to the
Bahamas, Central America, and throughout the southeast part of the
United States. Likewise, Mr. Dick Todd and myself will continue to
provide quality flight training and the Board is also encouraged to
involve themselves in evangelism in the air show ministry of Mr. Kyle
Dixon and Mr. Tom Liston.
We sincerely thank all the members,
Board, pilots and supporters of Servant Air Ministries for a fine year
in 2005 and expect the Lord to produce great fruit in this coming year.
Respectfully Submitted,
Robert E. Lehton, CFII, MEI, President
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