WADENA, Minn. – Missouri churches are building relationships with a church in Minnesota. The church, Grace Connection in Wadena, Minn., is the only Southern Baptist Church within a 90-mile radius. “We don’t have a corner on what the Good News means,” Jeff Heisler, pastor of Grace Connection, said, “But, we are the only evangelical presence in this area.” According to Jeff Hardy, pastor of FBC Kimberling City, the partnership started at the Missouri Baptist Convention in 2019 when the … [Read more...]
Young adult becomes first known believer in Southeast Asian unreached people group
SOUTHEAST ASIA (IMB) – When an individual from an unengaged, unreached people group comes to faith, many rejoice: the missionaries who’ve dedicated their lives to reaching the people group, the believers and churches in the United States who’ve spent time praying for and investing resources in the people, the national believers and churches who have been instrumental in gaining access to and reaching the people, and even the angels in heaven (Luke 15:10). But, for the new believer – … [Read more...]
New strategies emerge as Japanese churches face future without pastors
Japan’s population is aging. Almost 30% of its population is 65 years old and older. This statistic is affecting church planting, church health and church growth. International Mission Board missionaries and Japanese Christians must answer the question, “Who will lead the next generation of believers?” Scott Bradford, a missionary in Tokyo, said the average age of local pastors is between 60 and 70 years old. Many pastors are in their 80s and don’t feel they can retire because there is … [Read more...]
College Park Church reaches students seeking community
ST. LOUIS – A July 2021 InterVarsity Christian Fellowship survey found that today’s college students, identified as Generation Z, experience isolation and lack social interaction in their lives. For church they desire community, Scripture study, and prayer. Jordan Cox, lead pastor of College Park Church, which meets at Missouri Baptist University (MBU), saw the same characteristics among students, leading him to plant the church a year ago. Fellowship of Wildwood in St. Louis County was … [Read more...]
FBC Ferguson ministers to elderly, disabled in North County, St. Louis
FERGUSON – Loving your neighbor is a commandment and First Baptist Church of Ferguson has found a new way to express that love. Engage NOCO is a new mission to serve the local community by ministering to the elderly and disabled. “Many of the folks in Ferguson love their property and want to take care of it, but they are not able,” Doug Inman, associate pastor, said. “We want to show them love and help them be proud of the community.” The church purchased a trailer with donations as … [Read more...]
Persecution persists as gospel spreads
Kingdom growth is always met with deep spiritual warfare for Aquila*. For him this includes active and imminent threats to his life. “Please pray for us!” Aquila asked the prayer team in a September 2020 message. He had heard that an extremist group was coming to the area where he lived. Because of his gospel witness, Aquila found himself on this group’s “top 10” hit list. He was fearful for his life and his family. He’s been on this list for seven years, yet his gospel witness hasn’t … [Read more...]
Ky. student connects with MBCollegiate, becomes Mo. Baptist summer missionary
JEFFERSON CITY – The scope of MBCollegiate isn’t limited to Missouri college students. Sometimes a simple connection through a friend is all it takes to reach across state borders to impact collegians on other campuses in other states. Olivia Helm is one such case. Helm, a senior at Campbellsville University in Kentucky, learned of a Mexico mission trip opportunity over Christmas break through a Campbellsville friend who had done her undergraduate at Hannibal-LaGrange University. Now, … [Read more...]
DR teams in Missouri experience active summer
JEFFERSON CITY – MBC Disaster Relief teams have been quite busy during the late spring and early summer in Missouri. Gaylon Moss, MBC Disaster Relief (DR) director said, “It went from not doing much to 100% practically overnight.” As of press time in mid-July there were three active Disaster Relief operations currently in motion in Dexter, Marshall and Perry. Other groups have been working in the Holt and Kearney area as well as teams deployed to Colorado to do ash out work from … [Read more...]
Japanese hunger for hope on the horizon
TOKYO, Japan (IMB) – More people died by suicide in Japan in October of 2020 than died from COVID-19 in the previous months of 2020. In 2020, Japan reported 16.7 suicides per 100,000 inhabitants. Concrete walls enclose home-like prisons where Japanese men and women suffer in silence. Already small apartments became prison cells because of COVID’s sentence of solitary confinement, with the hope of parole like an ever-setting sun on the horizon. Pandemics have no due process and exacerbate … [Read more...]
Journalist hears the gospel in prison
James*, a pastor in a war-torn country, went to prison for two years. His crime: sharing his faith. But even imprisonment couldn’t stop him from telling the story that had changed his life. Prison in the area where he lives looks a lot different than it does in the U.S. The government isn’t obligated to give its citizens a fair trial. No legitimate reason is even required for taking a citizen to prison; they can hold someone for as long as they want. If no one from the outside meets … [Read more...]
Evangelical groups to host 1 million hours of prayer during Tokyo Olympics
TOKYO (BP) – Several evangelical organizations, both internationally and in the U.S., are partnering together in an effort to cover Japan with 1 million hours of prayer during the 30 days of the 2021 Olympic and Paralympic games. “Japan1Million,” a movement started by a partnership between the Japan International Sports Partnership and the Japan Evangelical Missionary Association, encourages Christians around the world to sign up for one-hour prayer slots during the Tokyo games. Those … [Read more...]
Christians count the cost and carry their cross
Adam*, a national believer, knew death was coming. He told Jonathan, an International Mission Board worker, he would be killed. His days were numbered, and though he didn’t know the number of days, he knew what God had called him to do. Six months before his death, Adam was in a difficult place in his spiritual life. In one of their Bible studies, Jonathan and Adam read in Luke 14:25-34 how Christians are called to count the cost and carry their crosses. “No one builds a tower without … [Read more...]
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