This month we celebrate the greatest gift that was ever given to mankind – the gift of a Savior and a Redeemer. When we accept and receive that gift, we enter into an eternal, everlasting relationship with the God who is the Author of all creation and who formed us and knew us, even in the womb. What a gift! And it is one we are to share with others.
The shepherds heard the message of the glad tidings of the birth of the Savior from the angels. But, Jesus told us that we are to be His messengers and to share His message of hope and redemption. Paul reminds us in Romans 10 that we are to tell others of this gift. He also wrote, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings of good things.”
We need some of the beautiful feet that are in our churches. We need people to be missionaries and share the good news to children in our residential units in Mt. Vernon, Peculiar and Bridgeton. We have been forced to close some of our units because we do not have sufficient staff to provide 24/7 care. It breaks my heart to know we have quality programs, we have beds available and we have referrals, but we do not have the caring, Christian workers we need to care for the children who should be in those beds. This just should not be.
It is critically important these positions be filled so children can hear the Good News. Our children need to hear the message of forgiveness and redemption.
You may have read in a previous issue of The Pathway about one of the girls in our care. Let me remind you of the basics of that story.
We recently admitted a girl who had been rescued from human trafficking. She said she practiced a form of pagan witchcraft. Our staff discussed whether we should bring her into care because of this. Thankfully we did, because she later accepted Christ – largely due to the staff with “beautiful feet” who prayed over her and told her of the hope and redemption found only in our Savior. She told staff she felt a weight had been lifted off her. She threw her “Book of Shadows” away and said she was done with the life she used to live – the drugs, the violence and the worry.
You may remember Paul Harvey and his “now for the rest of the story.” The house in which this girl is placed may be one that we will need to temporarily close unless we can employ the staff needed to keep it open. The staff has prepared the residents for the possibility that they may have to move to another house on a different campus. In the process of that discussion, this young girl asked the staff if anyone in the new house would wake her up each morning by telling her a Bible verse. The staff in the house where she is currently living do that and she wanted to make sure that would continue. She was assured that should she be moved, the staff in the new unit would continue that practice.
What if the staff had not been in place to minister to this girl? Who would have told her the story of Jesus?
I have to believe that out of our 1,800+ Baptist churches there must be 12 to 15 people who feel God’s call to be missionaries and to serve Him at MBCH. We just need to connect with them. Won’t you please help us do that? Perhaps those beautiful feet belong to someone you know – or perhaps they are your own.
Information on the openings and the application process can be found on our website www.mbch.org or you can call 1-800-264-6224 and ask for our Human Resources office to receive more information.
May you and yours have a most joyous Christmas because of the One who came and gave Himself for us.