The promotional materials for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for international missions are out in circulation. This time of year, our Missouri churches often use the materials for promoting a week of prayer for our 3,800 international SBC missionaries, or some churches host a missions event that promotes all levels of missions – international, domestic, state and associational missions. One of the stories in the packet especially caught my interest because of Missouri Baptists’ … [Read more...]
Ozark’s School to the Nations equips Missouri Baptists for global outreach
OZARK – Untrained eyes might see a small farm here, but many around the world know this 30-acre plot as a launching pad for the gospel. The School to the Nations, founded by Randy and Maureen Copeland in 2000, is a missionary training facility fully equipped with an African training village, a jungle training village, and a professional ropes course, all designed to help churches prepare teams for the mission field. According to Randy, the ministry exists to equip local churches to take the … [Read more...]
Missouri Baptists touch children’s lives in Rwanda
RWANDA – The Journey of a shoebox begins in many Missouri Baptist churches. The manner of collecting the shoebox gifts for Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse, varies with each congregation. “It is great to hear how a shoebox gift touched a young person,” Jesse Barnhart, pastor of Parker Road Baptist Church (PRBC), said, “and pointed them to follow Christ for the rest of their life.” PRBC serves as a drop-off location as well as packing more than 1200 shoebox … [Read more...]
Churches advance the glory of God in Italy
ITALY – Italy may seem like an unusual country for missions, but according to Rick Hedger, Missouri Baptist Convention’s (MBC) Multiplying Churches Catalyst, Northeast Italy is a great area for mission partnerships. “Missouri Baptists were contacted by the International Mission Board (IMB) to consider mission partnerships in Italy,” Hedger said. “It is considered an unreached area. Only four out of 100 have a relationship with Christ which is extremely low for any place. Many have an … [Read more...]
Where God leads, De Soto man goes
DE SOTO – The line of people spanned at least three and half blocks. The mission team in Matamoros, Mexico, was giving away shoes, filled backpacks and hot dogs, and the locals were ready to receive. “We looked at the people and guessed there were about 1,200 and then we looked at the supplies and we knew we didn’t have nearly enough,” said Russ Sander, a deacon at First Baptist Church here. “It was a true fishes and loaves miracle and I know God provided. When the day was done everybody … [Read more...]
Collection of pioneering missions photographer new to SBC archives
NASHVILLE (BP) – The late award winning photographer Don Rutledge tried his hand at pastoring, but realized his true calling in uniquely displaying God’s creation and the global missions impact of the Cooperative Program. Photographs and related items spanning more than 40 years of his ministry and missions comprise a new Southern Baptist archival collection. “I love photojournalism and enjoy using it as a worldwide Christian ministry,” the renowned photographer has said. “It forces me … [Read more...]
MBCH trustees cement partnership in Ukraine
BRIDGETON – It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Missouri Baptist Children’s Home has had a lot to celebrate over the past several months Earlier in the summer, the MBCH hosted leaders from New Hope Ukraine, a children’s ministry wtih a mission similar to MBHC’s. In September, several leaders from MBCH and trustees flew to Kiev and the surrounding areas to further explore partnership possibilities. While the exact nature of those possibilities are still being worked out, the MBCH … [Read more...]
A call to battle modern-day slavery
Human trafficking is a worldwide enterprise with a revenue estimated to be in the range of $32 billion per year, according to the United Nations Office and Drugs and Crime (UNODC.org). Equality Now (equalitynow.org), a charity focused on women and children trafficked for sex, estimates the total trafficking market in the world for all purposes (labor, servitude, sex slavery, etc.) to be in excess of $150 billion per year and the trafficking of women and girls for sex to be $99 billion per … [Read more...]
CP speeds Central Asian outreach for Movement Church
RICHMOND, Va. (BP) -- A young Richmond, Va.-area church saw the effectiveness of the Cooperative Program this summer while helping a Central Asian village build water wells. "The work is thrilling," said Cliff Jordan, a church planter and pastor of the eight-year-old Movement Church, where about 250 people attend Sunday morning worship. Jordan appreciates International Mission Board (IMB) missionaries who laid the foundation for his mission team to arrive in the village and make a … [Read more...]
Freeway Ministries: Ex-cons, drug addicts profess faith
SPRINGFIELD – Roughly 3,500 people heard of the gospel’s power to transform lives during a revival hosted here, Sept. 7-9, by Freeway Ministries, a Springfield-based outreach and discipleship ministry to ex-cons, drug addicts and other hard-to-reach people. Nearly 60 people professed faith in Christ during the three-day event, and another 70 people took other spiritual steps towards Christ, according to John Stroup, a member of Crossway Baptist Church here and one of the founders of … [Read more...]
An ocean of mercy: HLGU grad shares God’s love aboard hospital ship
HANNIBAL – Nicole Lukens, a 2008 graduate of HLGU’s nursing program, has spent the last year working with Mercy Ships. “Their results are life changing,” she said. “They are literally in the work of making the lame walk and the blind see.” A couple years ago, Nicole felt called to use her skills in a long-term missions capacity, and after much research, decided to partner with Mercy Ships aboard the Africa Mercy (AFM), a faith-based floating hospital that delivers free, world-class … [Read more...]
After Irma, Baptists already issuing food in Caribbean
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (BP) -- Food and water shortages in the Caribbean are being relieved by Southern Baptist partners and disaster relief workers nearly a week after Hurricane Irma trampled islands and killed at least 38 people. Baptist Global Response (BGR) is already distributing food in Cuba, where Irma hit 13 of the 15 provinces. The Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions is working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the North American Mission Board (NAMB) … [Read more...]
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