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| Midwesterners in missions
Midwestern Seminary students participated in a mission trip to Brazil with students from Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary in Memphis, Tenn., and members of First Baptist Church, Lawrenceburg, Tenn., in open-air outreach and door-to-door evangelism. |
October 14, 2002
KANSAS CITY—Students from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary traveled around the world this summer, taking the Gospel to nine nations, including China, Mongolia, Kenya, Australia, Vietnam, Romania, Uganda, Bosnia and Brazil. The largest team saw about 500 people make professions of faith in Christ during a mission trip July 1-14 to Cacoal, Brazil.
"The ultimate goal of seminary education is the fulfillment of the Great Commission," Midwestern Seminary President Phil Roberts said. "I am thrilled, therefore, to learn of the great fruitfulness of Midwestern’s summer evangelism teams. To God be the glory."
Eleven people from Midwestern joined 12 others from Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary in Memphis, and First Baptist Church of Lawrenceburg, Tenn, on a mission project organized by Worldwide Church Planters International, based in Memphis. Steve Wilkes, Worldwide’s president and associate professor of missions at Mid-America, led the team’s work in the second most evangelized state in Brazil— Rondonia.
"Our task was evangelism door-to-door, street evangelism, open-air services and schools," said Ron Rogers, a former missionary to Brazil and an associate professor of missions at Midwestern. "We worked four days in two communities which the local missionary had targeted for church starts."
Other team members from Midwestern were Carrol Fowler, Nehemiah Church Planting Project director; May graduates Daniel Snead, Klaudia Elrod, and Larry Elrod, who is teaching evangelism at Yellowstone Baptist College in Billings, Mont.; students Jonathan Weister and Steve Fox; Ron Rogers’ wife, Faye, and daughter, Amanda; the Elrods’ son, Ben; and Perry Wolfe, a doctoral student and director of missions for Laclede Baptist Association in Lebanon, Mo.
David Lawrence, pastor of First Baptist Church, Lawrenceburg, led the team from the church. Three high school students from the church used their musical talents to draw crowds into parks for mass evangelism. Other team members focused on child evangelism by using stories and crafts to share the Gospel. The team worked with Minda Hogstrom, the International Mission Board missionary in Cacoal. Her platform for ministry is children’s and social work. Through the residents of the local neighborhoods, she organizes and leads Bible studies and children’s classes across the city.
Cacoal is a subtropical city less than 150 miles from the border of Bolivia in west central Brazil. Economically, It is primarily agricultural. It has more than 30,000 residents and a wide variety of churches, including mainline Christian denominations. Evangelical work in Brazil has been underway for many years, and the Brazilian people have their own Baptist convention which functions similarly to the Southern Baptist Convention.
Other Midwestern Seminary students who participated in summer mission trips were: China Mary Wilford, student; teaching English; Mongolia Ryan Ingold, student; sports evangelism; Kenya Blake Orr, student; mass evangelistic event; Australia Jason Allen; college student ministry; Vietnam Zach Meese and Michelle Kettle, students; college student ministry; Romania Ronda Cowan; Vacation Bible School and construction; Uganda Sam Aikens; evangelism and medical clinics; Bosnia Tami Clark; Bible distribution and prayer-walking.