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 REL/sc