RICHMOND, Va. – Taking a gap year is an appealing option for many recent graduates, and studies show growing numbers of students are choosing to pursue other interests before starting college. Significant influences in students taking gap years include the desire to travel, experience new cultures, take a break from school, gain life experience and volunteer. The International Mission Board’s Nehemiah Teams program is providing an opportunity for students to take a gap year to serve on … [Read more...]
IMB family ministers among Italy’s refugee population
MILAN, Italy – The piazzas are empty. The selfie-snapping, sneaker-wearing tourists who normally frequent Milan’s historical squares are no longer visiting Italy due to COVID-19 restrictions. And, like the majority of the world, lockdowns keep citizens indoors. Many refugees from Sub-Saharan Africa who live in Italy make their living by selling souvenirs to tourists. The tourism industry plummeted due to lockdowns and ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, and this took away the ability for many … [Read more...]
IMB partners with 140 international Baptist conventions in fulfilling Great Commission
RICHMOND, Va. (IMB) – The International Mission Board’s 175 years of ministry among the nations resulted in the formation of 140 Baptist conventions and unions in 73 countries. These conventions and unions are reaching their own people and are sending their own missionaries to spread the gospel. These Baptists come from a myriad of countries spanning the globe, from the Southeast Asian nations of Indonesia and the Philippines to Spanish-speaking countries of Ecuador and Cuba. The IMB … [Read more...]
Uruguayan Baptist Convention commits to support Lottie Moon Christmas Offering
URUGUAY (IMB) – The Uruguayan Baptist Convention donated $1,500 to the 2020 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering® (LMCO) for International Missions. The Uruguayan Baptist Convention is comprised of 70 congregations, 35 preaching points and 4,899 Christians. This is not the first year Uruguayan Baptists have committed to giving to the LMCO. In 2018, a Uruguayan Christian told IMB missionary Tim Kunkel that her church wanted to donate to the LMCO. She handed Kunkel an envelope with $500. “You … [Read more...]
Refugees in Southeast Asia find home in Christian community
SOUTHEAST ASIA – They left their world behind in search of a safer one. On their journey, they found the Creator of the world. Fourteen thousand refugees in Southeast Asia are waiting to transition to Australia, Canada and the U.S. for resettlement. The majority of the refugees are Afghani and Somalian. The timeline for their resettlement was once much shorter, but with a backlog of people seeking asylum and resettlement, compounded with COVID-19, the wait for the refugees’ new world … [Read more...]
Your generosity matters to the unreached
SOUTH ASIA – Years of heartache, frustration and setbacks have been the unfortunate anthem song of ministry efforts among an unreached Muslim people group in South Asia. God is the divine composer and has already written the musical score to accompany this people group’s story. Local Christians and IMB workers are anticipating a crescendo where the fruits of long, hard years of labor will lead to a strong and multiplying church. For nearly 20 years, the IMB struggled to maintain a … [Read more...]
Medical missions leads to church planting
Week of Prayer for International Missions: Day 3 Doug Derbyshire goes to many places in Thailand with no Christians and no churches, and it troubles him deeply. But the lack of a gospel witness in Baan Po troubled him the most. Derbyshire is a medical doctor with the International Mission Board who serves in Thailand with his wife, Cheryl. He’s doing what Jesus did: taking care of the sick and preaching the gospel. For the past six years, Derbyshire has faithfully and persistently … [Read more...]
Fires in Greece refugee camp don’t stop gospel spread
LESBOS, Greece – In early September, fires destroyed Moria, the largest migrant camp in Greece on the island of Lesbos. Thirteen thousand refugees were without shelter. Kashef* is an Afghani Christian who lives on Lesbos in order to minister among the refugee communities. Kashef landed on the island in a boat as an asylum seeker, so he can empathize with the communities in the camps. With the camp on fire, refugees were forced to take shelter on the streets. Kashef told IMB worker … [Read more...]
Missionaries in Sub-Saharan Africa commit to reach 55 people groups in five years
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA – While more Christians live in Sub-Saharan Africa than in any area of the world, 27,000 people in the region die every day without knowing Christ. Sub-Saharan Africa has one of the fastest-growing populations in the world and one of the highest rates of child mortality. Many people groups in Sub-Saharan Africa have no gospel presence and no knowledge of Christ. IMB leadership in the region set a goal to start ministering among 55 unreached people groups. The ministry … [Read more...]
Baptists known for excellent medical care in Indonesia
INDONESIA (IMB) – Southern Baptists have a long history in medical missions and have continued to bring hope and healing during the COVID-19 crisis. Field workers around the world use hospitals and clinics as ministry centers to serve communities and offer physical and spiritual healthcare. In 1957, three Southern Baptist representatives—nurses Ruth Ford, Everly Hayes and Dr. Kathleen Jones—founded Kediri Baptist Hospital in the city of Kediri on the island of Java in Indonesia. In 1972, … [Read more...]
Retirees continue to train leaders in South Asia and Latin America
DICKSON, Tenn. – Derick and Celia Cobb* traveled from Tennessee to South Asia to Latin America, training local leaders who would, in turn, train others. The retirees have made multiple trips as volunteers to partner with Chase and Rita Tozer*, IMB workers in South Asia. The Cobbs’ history with the IMB began long before their involvement in South Asia. In the 1970s, they served in the Philippines before returning to their home church, First Baptist Dickson in Dickson, Tennessee. The Cobbs … [Read more...]
Baptists known for excellence in medical care in Indonesia
INDONESIA – Southern Baptists have a long history in medical missions and have continued to bring hope and healing during the COVID-19 crisis. Field workers around the world use hospitals and clinics as ministry centers to serve communities and offer physical and spiritual healthcare. In 1957, three Southern Baptist representatives—nurses Ruth Ford, Everly Hayes and Dr. Kathleen Jones—founded Kediri Baptist Hospital in the city of Kediri on the island of Java in Indonesia. In 1972, … [Read more...]