JEFFERSON CITY – Baptist Global Response (BGR) – the international disaster relief arm of Southern Baptists – is asking Missouri Baptists to help provide “buckets of hope” to sub-Saharan Africa, an area ravaged by HIV/AIDS. More than 23 million people there are living with HIV/AIDS, with more than a million dying each year.
The “hospice kits” packed into a five-gallon bucket by Missouri Baptists is one way BGR has been able to open doors to share the gospel, said Missouri coordinators and members of First Baptist, Raytown, Bill and Carol Bowers.
“They’re running out of cemeteries because people are dying too fast,” said Bill who along with his wife previously served as International Mission Board missionaries in South Africa. “We need your help. We need you to pray for the bucket project, pray for those delivering the buckets as they present a witness for Christ and those receiving the buckets. Pray that Missouri Baptists will have a heart for this project.”
The buckets contain basic hygiene and health items such as towels, drinking straws, multi-vitamins and lip balm totaling about $85 per bucket. To ease the buckets’ progress through customs, BGR has a very specific shopping list and packing instructions available at gobgr.org/buckets. Missouri is a focus state through 2015.
Once assembled, people are asked to bring the buckets to collection points around the state. Those collection points are: Laura Street Baptist Church, Maryville; First Baptist, Raytown; Mid-Lakes Association, Bolivar; Reavisville Baptist, Crane; Linn-Livingston Association, Meadville; Calvary Baptist, Columbia; Trinity Southern Baptist, Versailles; First Baptist, Gravois Mills; Tri-County Association, Nixa; Spring River Association, Joplin; First Baptist, Troy; Ballwin Baptist, Ballwin; Canaan Baptist, St. Louis; First Baptist, Arnold and Cape Girardeau Association, Jackson.
Donations can be made directly to First, Raytown, where volunteers there will assemble the buckets on peoples’ behalf. For more information, contact the Bowers at mobucketsoflove@gmail.com or 816-830-5367.