LIBERTY — This year 99 teens and adults from two branches of Pleasant Valley Baptist Church, Liberty and Kansas City International Airport, have participated in mission trips to San Francisco, New York, India, Sierra Leone, Thailand and Haiti.
Prayer walking, distributing invitations to church, and helping with a community Fourth of July festival were all part of a Pleasant Valley Baptist Church, Liberty, mission trip to South Bay Church in San Jose, Calif. Pleasant Valley has helped South Bay since the church planting team organized in 2008.
“It has been great to see the size of their congregation grow and to see them move from their temporary location in the elementary school to the new more permanent location,” said Gayla Benson, a Pleasant Valley member who has served with South Bay the past four years. “I also love the fact that they have planted one church and they are already actively involved in helping other church planters in the Bay area and have a partnership of their own in Ethiopia.”
Pleasant Valley became partners with South Bay because 96 percent of people who live in the Silicon Valley are unchurched.
“One of the pastors mentioned that whenever a mission team comes to help, they see a surge of interest and activity within their church,” Benson said. “It is great to be able to contribute to that surge with our simple acts of service!”
Another part of the nation where most of the population is unchurched is New York City where Pleasant Valley is beginning a new partnership with a ministry to Muslims.
The church also is joining other Missouri Baptists in partnering with the International Mission Board (IMB) to reach people groups in West Africa who never have heard the gospel. Pleasant Valley is committed to helping establish an indigenous church planting movement with the Sherbro people in Sierra Leone. On Sept. 21-22, the church will host the Western Gateway Base Camp. It is open to anyone interested in being part of this movement in West Africa and to anyone who wants to learn how to share the story of Jesus. Go to www.mobaptists.org/wester_gateway_cluster to sign up for $10.