PHOENIX (BP) – Pastors and others attending this year’s Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Phoenix will learn more about opportunities to engage their churches locally and throughout North America in compassion ministries as well as church planting efforts.
The North American Mission Board will highlight these opportunities at its Monday luncheon, June 12, for pastors and as part of its presentation at the annual meeting Tuesday afternoon. In addition, pastors and other individuals can become involved by visiting NAMB’s exhibit during the gathering.
“We want to help Southern Baptists send the hope of Christ to North America,” said NAMB President Kevin Ezell. “We help churches do that through our Send Relief compassion ministries and through Send Network, our church planting network. It is all about bringing people into a relationship with Jesus.”
Sunday evening, June 11, NAMB will co-host a city-wide Harvest America Crossover Crusade with Southern California evangelist Greg Laurie at the University of Phoenix stadium. Event coordinators hope to draw thousands of Arizona residents who will hear a Gospel presentation and be directed toward local churches for follow-up.
On that Monday, “Send Hope” will be the theme for NAMB’s annual Send Luncheon at noon during the SBC Pastors’ Conference. Laurie is scheduled to be featured at the event which will take place on Level 300 in Room West 301A/B/C. Attendees must register for a free ticket in advance at namb.net/sendluncheon.
Luncheon attendees will hear testimonies from people who have come to faith in Christ and learn more about NAMB resources that can help them lead their churches to be more evangelistically focused.
NAMB’s presentation to messengers Tuesday afternoon, June 13, will feature the stories of several church planting missionaries and how God is working through their churches to reach people in tough places. The presentation will culminate with an invitation to pastors to commit their churches to pray for NAMB missionaries as part of a new prayer initiative.
Throughout the week, NAMB’s area in the exhibit hall of the Phoenix Convention Center will feature missionaries who will share with pastors and others how they and their churches can become more directly involved in church planting and compassion ministries throughout North America.
“We exist to serve pastors and churches,” Ezell said. “We hope many pastors will stop by our exhibit in Phoenix because we would love to learn more about how we can serve them better and help them get their churches more mobilized for missions.”
NAMB leaders and missionaries also will participate in several panel discussions taking place in the Cooperative Program exhibit, adjacent to NAMB’s exhibit on the convention floor.
All Southern Baptist endorsed chaplains, meanwhile, are invited to a reception hosted by NAMB on Monday, June 12, from 3-5 p.m. in room 128 A/B at the Phoenix Convention Center.