FARMS chaplain goes home to the Lord.

Don Peres served as our chaplain for five years. He provided inspiring devotions for our meetings and with his wife Patty, prayed for the needs of ministry faithfully. Don was Pat’s and my pastor for many years. He and his wife were very mission minded. In fact, Patty was instrumental in forming a very active mission committee in our church as well as teaching a “Missions Perspectives Survey” in our Sunday school. Don and Patty were long time supporters of FARMS and knew of the ministry even before we joined their church. We will truly miss him, but his enthusiasm for the Lord and reaching the lost is still with us.

-Joseph Richter

Pastor Don Peres: 1940 -2007
Chaplain of FARMS International

Don Peres was born June 30, 1940, in Iola, Kansas. He attended Southwest Baptist College and was ordained into the Southern Baptist Convention in 1960 and subsequently served two congregations. He married Patricia (Patty) Kenison in 1961.

In 1979, he was ordained in the Evangelical Covenant. Don served churches in Savonburg, Kansas; Thief River Falls, Minnesota; and in Duluth, Minnesota. Don was a called evangelist and held evangelistic meetings throughout the Midwest and Canada. He was known for his dynamic preaching style as well as his love for the word of God.

He suffered a stroke in June 1999 and Don’s doctor had told Patty that her husband would never again be able to communicate or navigate stairs following the stroke. Nevertheless, Don shared often how God told him he would preach and pastor again. This at first seemed impossible. For example, when Don came home from the hospital on July 12, 1999, he sat at the kitchen table with his Bible, knowing that he could not read it, and that even if someone else were to read it to him, he would not be able to comprehend the words. When he saw a pencil and paper lying on the table, he felt compelled by the Holy Spirit to begin writing out the Bible. He started with John 1:1 - ‘In the beginning was the word ...’ ” Over the next 18 months, he completed copying the New Testament!

Despite the poor prognosis, Don underwent months of intensive speech therapy. At times, he had four one-hour sessions each day, five days a week. He never gave up hope and eventually his speech and recollection came back. In fact during his recovery he served as chaplain for FARMS Int. as well as interim pastor at several churches in the Duluth area, something that at one time seemed impossible except to those that knew him well.

Don’s final pastorate was a fulfillment of God’s clear promise that he would again pastor. He served Ben Wade Covenant Church in Lowry, Minnesota for just under one year.

Don is survived by his wife Patty who now lives in Minneapolis, two daughters, three sons and two foster children, as well as seven grandchildren.