June 3, 2003
FRAMINGHAM, Mass. – Two Southern Baptists from Missouri were among 47 new foreign missionaries appointed by the International Mission Board (IMB) during the first IMB missionary appointment service ever held in New England May 7.
Jeanne and Brock Cummins of Kansas City and members of First Baptist Church, Raytown, were among those recognized for their commitment to the foreign mission field.
Speaking to the new workers, IMB President Jerry Rankin praised those who have chosen to dedicate their lives to sharing the Gospel with a lost world but said many more are needed to obey the call.
For some, the missions decision is not an easy one to make, Rankin said. All missionaries will go through a time of "discouraging dilemmas," but they will not be alone in their time of need.
"You have made a dedicated decision, not just to be a missionary, but to follow God fully, trusting in His provision," Rankin said. "It is His faithfulness and grace that will sustain you."
The Cummins, who have been married since June 1995, are graduates of Southwest Baptist University and Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Jeanne, 31, is a native of Kansas City and worked for three years as a teacher in the Bolivar Public School system prior to her IMB appointment. Brock, 31, has worked for several years as a teacher in the Bolivar and Kansas City Public School systems and has also served as associate pastor of Norfleet Baptist Church, Kansas City. They have four children: Luke, 5; Caleb, 3; Nathan 2; and Seth, 1.
Jeanne will serve as a community and home outreach worker, while Brock will work in the area of church/leadership develop. They are being assigned to the Caribbean Basin and will report for orientation July 23.
The needs of a lost world are greater than ever, Rankin noted.
"God desires for the nations to know Him and to be exalted among all people," Rankin said. "His plan of redemption through Jesus Christ was not just for you and me."