SPRINGFIELD—It is not necessary to travel all the way across America or around the world to find a mission project. First Baptist Church here has found a mission field in Nebraska.
In 2010 a team went to Auburn, Neb., and this year 20 members went to Omaha to help the churches in the Eastern Nebraska Baptist Association (ENBA). This association, led by Director of Missions Mark Elliott, is made up of 50 churches in 24 counties. It is a part of the Kansas-Nebraska Baptist Convention.
With temperatures hovering around 100 degrees, team members were busy doing construction, making door-to-door contacts, and hosting a block party. The team slept on air mattresses in Sunday School rooms of the associational facility. Elane Viehland coordinated food preparation in another room. The building includes associational offices and serves as a meeting place for several different mission groups and churches including one Sudanese group whose only musical instrument for worship is a drum. The team became aware of this group because the Sudanese worship continued late one evening.
One team, led by Steve Viehland and assisted by Dale Bullington and Liz Philpot, installed 12 windows in the building. The windows will help conserve utilities costs for the association.
A second team, led by Youth Pastor Brock Kennedy, passed out flyers to the homes surrounding the ENBA building and put up signs on street corners in the area. This saturation contact was aimed at telling the community about Heartland Community Church, which meets at the center.
David Holland is the pastor of Heartland. This is one of the larger congregations in the association, with about 200 in attendance each week.
Kennedy was assisted by: Landry Jones; Pastor Michael Overton; Denise, Madison, and Rachel Overton; Don and Kendra Derryberry; George and Cat Vincel and their granddaughter, Claudia Tepper; and Lisa Philpot,
Betty Austin, and her granddaughter, Isabel Hart.
Denise Overton led the team members door-to-door in another neighborhood some 20 minutes from the associational facility. They were promoting a block party for a church that is just getting started. This house church focuses on reaching at-risk youth and young adults and helping them grow in faith and become responsible citizens through nurturing relationships of the church.
All the team members participated in the block party on Thursday evening with 150 people from that neighborhood visiting and interacting with the pastor of the house church and others from there.
One lady said her family had been searching for a church home and this ministry appealed to them. Team members reported opportunities to witness to several about the saving grace of Christ. The seven young people and children on the team prepared and presented a puppet show, directed by Valerie McBride and Betty Austin.
First Springfield Senior Pastor Michael Overton said, “We have a mission field just a few hours away that is in great need of support and encouragement. The work in this pioneer area is challenging. I pray that the Lord will bless our efforts to encourage the workers and reach new people for Christ.”
First Springfield has been ministering in the heart of downtown for more than 155 years. That qualifies the church to be a historic part of the city. Overton has been pastor since September 2005.
BY STAFF