As the brother read the obituary for the missionary couple, I heard him use the phrase from 2 Corinthians 8:5 – “They gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us by God’s will” (CSB).
A powerful statement about the churches in Macedonia. The apostle Paul spent time there making disciples and now he praised these precious souls in a letter to a troubled church that was distracted from the mission. Paul was pleading with the Corinthian believers to follow through on their surrender to Christ.
Missouri Baptists are on mission with God. Part of that journey together is to engage in the mission projects we do together. Some give themselves to the projects. Many pray. We hope all give something from their abundance in Christ to these powerful ministries.
Inside this issue of The Pathway you will find a sampling of the amazing work supported by your MMO offering:
• Assisting tomorrow’s LPNs attending our three universities with scholarships to practice their faith in the care of senior adults at our Baptist Homes.
• Supporting foster care families working with our Missouri Baptist Children’s Home.
• Providing care packages to rape victims in the St Louis area through backpacks that include stuffed animals, basic toiletries, and clothes. When rape victims go home from the ER, often their clothes are needed for evidence. Sweatpants and tee-shirts are so much better than hospital gowns for these precious women and girls traumatized by assault. Tears rushed to my eyes at the thought of such indignity.
• Equipping prison inmates in biblical truths leading to degrees in Christian Studies.
• Helping a 90-year-old in Louisiana with a blown down tree. Our MBC Disaster Relief teams are trained, equipped and making a difference.
• Finding a Marshallese Bible for one of the 15 language groups in the Southwest corner of Missouri at Noel, a town of 1,800. The world has come to Missouri and they need the good news about our Lord Jesus Christ in their heart language.
All these stories and more are part of the 2021 MMO Prayer Guide, written by Richard Nations. We hope you and your family or small group will set aside time at a meal each day (September 12-19) and read a short story about God at work through Missouri Baptists on mission with Him.
Since July 10, every MBC-affiliated church received a promotion packet in the mail that tells the story about the MMO offering. Our goal is to help every church give something to these great cooperative works that we do together.
Part of the packet of materials includes a folder. Inside that folder, there is a brief word about what your dollars do to make a difference in the lives of people in Jesus’s name. For example:
• $50 provides a study Bible for one of the inmates working toward a Christian Studies degree from HLGU.
• $8 provides disposable coveralls for a DR volunteer helping with flood cleanup.
• $125 sends one child to the Missouri Baptist Children’s Home summer camp.
• $1,000 sponsors one foster family for a year.
Speaking of foster families, coming out of the COVID-19 shutdown, Russell Martin, president of MBCH, says our state is experiencing a huge increase in the number of children with significant behavioral trauma. While we have solid care for all the children currently assigned to Missouri Baptists, Russell states, “We are rapidly approaching a crisis . . . Missouri Baptist foster care homes are needed now!”
I cannot begin to share with you how important these ministry projects are to Missouri Baptists touching the lives of people in Jesus’ name. Every dollar your church collects for MMO meets a significant need. Every volunteer or foster family gives of themselves because you generously give. God is working. Join His work with a generous offering.