It’s time to begin planning how your church will learn about refugees this fall! The Southern Baptist International Mission Board in partnership with WMU has chosen the Rohingya people as the focus for this year’s mission study. The most persecuted of all refugees, the Rohingya are stateless with no access to income, education, medical help, or residency.

Materials are available for all ages this year. A Promotion Kit includes posters, teaching guides, and other resources to enrich guide your planning and enrich your presentations. The “Missions Traveler: Rohingya” is a full-color magazine style product contains articles on how missionaries and volunteers are working to introduce refugees to Christ.

Engage your entire church in this year’s International Mission Study! Materials can be ordered at www.wmu.com/ims

October 13 is Global Hunger Sunday. Worldwide, chronic hunger affects 1 of 9 people in the world. Your church’s participation along with GHR can make a difference in the lives of these persons, many of whom are refugees or live in urban slum areas.

Global Hunger funds also provide clean water, agricultural needs, and jobs for the thousands who have fled from religious and ethnic persecution. Last year more than 1,500 communities and one half million people were impacted by gifts to the Global Hunger Relief fund.

During 1917 over 15 million households were categorized as food insecure here in the United States. More than 2.427 ministries were funded and gave more than 16 million meals to hungry North Americans. Indiana has multiple hunger ministries that provide food relief to our residents along with encouragement and a gospel presentation.

Hunger relief funds that come to Indiana through the North American Missions Board are determined by the number of our churches that participate in giving. It is NOT based on a dollar amount, but rather, on the number of churches that give. So, what does this mean? This means that we need 100% of our churches to give something to hunger relief! This means that you as an individual or a family can give and designate it for world hunger, even if your church does not participate!

For more information about Global Hunger Relief go to: www.GlobalHungerRelief.org  For information about hunger ministries here in Indiana, contact Rick Hillard at SCBI.org.

If you missed Missions Lifeline this year, you missed a great blessing! First Baptist Church of Charlestown led a mini missions day camp, and several North American and international missionaries participated and their presentations were motivational. The annual missions event is sponsored by Indiana Woman’s Missionary Union/Women’s Ministries and is designed to inform and equip all ages to be on missions and make disciples.  The 2020 event is already being planned, so watch for the date. Begin planning now to encourage your church members to attend!

Linda Clark is participating in calling all the pastors in SEIBA to gather prayer requests. This is an effort to support the calling and vision our churches have under their pastor’s guidance. If you have not received a call as yet, please call or text Linda with your requests. 502.595.8473 (Of course, all requests are confidential)   Linda is available for consultations to help SEIBA churches be on mission and educate members about how they can become personally involved through praying, giving, and going. She can be contacted via email, text, or phone. Lclark1213@hotmail.com

The annual MK (missionary kid) Re-Entry retreat will be held next August at Highland Lakes. Every year incoming college students from all over the globe gather for a week of activities and speakers on topics that will be of interest to their adjustment to life in the United States. Because many of them were born overseas or have lived most of their lives there, this event is critical to help them face the challenges that will arise due to their unfamiliarity with American culture. WMU needs the support of Indiana churches to make this project a reality!

The estimated cost per student is $400 and your church or individuals can send donations to the state offices designated for “MK Retreat.” We are co-sponsoring this event with Kentucky WMU and must do our part! Contact Linda Clark for additional ways your church can be involved in this important event.

What does the number 131 have to do with missions? If you attended the annual Woman’s Missionary Union meetings in Birmingham last month, you got a glimpse of what can happen when missions-minded women, men, and children come together to celebrate! 2019 is the 131^st anniversary of WMU and no effort was spare for the 2-day event that culminated in a day with 131 (yes, 131, count them!) different missions activities.

Held at the national WMU building on Missionary Ridge, the activities were held inside and outside and there was something for everyone! Guides dressed in historical clothing told the story of Southern Baptist missions and WMU. Ministry projects for Baptist Global Relief, packing meals for hunger relief, and making tee-shirt jump ropes were hands-on experiences. The new Walk of Faith made from bricks given in recognition of missions advocates or in honor of individuals who supported mission causes was featured. There were gutter sailboat racing, banana boats, and porcelain painting under the outside canopies. Breakout sessions included Baptist Nursing Fellowship info, the Baptist Friendship House in New Orleans, how impoverished women survive, and witnessing to friends.

It was hot on Monday, June 10. It was crowded. And, it was a great time of learning, encouragement, and fellowship!

In just one month fill a bulletin board at your church or an entire wall with pictures of people doing personal missions projects. Challenge families and individuals to choose a project in their neighborhood or community to reach out to others with the love of Jesus. Take pictures of your project and make a copy of the best one to put on the bulletin board. Here’s how to make this happen:

• Make a list of missions project ideas and post them on a bulletin board, include them in the church bulletin, online, etc.
• Promote the summer projects each week.
• Projects can be done by families, Sunday School classes, or missions groups.
• Challenge the church to fill the bulletin board with pictures before the month is over.
• Create a slide show for a Sunday worship service.

This emphasis could be a great launch for personal missions involvement. NOTE: This missions idea was written up by Indiana WMU Vice President, Chris Conrades, Richmond, IN. Thanks for the great idea, Chris!

The state WMU leadership team has launched an effort to contact every pastor in Indiana for prayer requests for him and his church. Requests will be gathered through our associations as the team is composed of representatives of each association. It is our goal to reach every pastor by August 1. What a challenge!

An email was sent to each pastor of SEIBA on July 2 with an introduction by Gary Yochum. With our renewed emphasis on evangelism of our nine-county area, we know that prayer is a critical element in reaching the goal of reaching residents who don’t know Jesus as their personal Savior.

If as a pastor, you feel it will be difficult to reach you via phone due to your schedule or travel, don’t hesitate to text me with your requests! Text to: 502.592.8473.  I look forward to talking/texting with you!

The annual women’s Transformed events were held in March and April. Approximately 600 Indiana women gathered for a time of learning, inspiration, and fellowship. Keynote speakers and seminar leaders focused on the theme for 2019: Endless Joy. Joy was in the hallway! And, in the worship  sessions! And, in the conference sessions!

One hour-long track on Saturday featured various missions-related topics ranging from missionaries sharing about their place of service, ministering to victims of human trafficking, finding your missions/ministry niche, counseling those in need, praying for political leaders, and beginning missions in churches. Special guest, Kay Bennett from Baptist  Friendship House in New Orleans, lead sessions on ministry to women who have come out of human trafficking and homelessness.

Two missions projects were sponsored by Transformed this year. Donations of shampoo, lotion, diapers, and other supplies were given at the Seymour Transformed event for the Jackson County clothing center. The Marion Transformed event collected gift cards for backpacks that will be given to women coming out of trafficking in the New Orleans area.

Indiana women are blessed to have these statewide events. Encourage the women of your church to plan to attend the 2020 Transformed events!

Have you ever wondered what the church planters in our association might need? Do they need things like housing, sustainable incomes, and medical care? Of course they do! Our churches can be supportive in providing some of these needs, but there are some things every church planter needs that cannot be purchased at the grocery store or through a healthcare system.

Church planters need our prayers! Here are some ways you can lift them and their needs up in prayer every day:

• Pray for them to connect with families in their neighborhood.
• Pray for their communities to respond as they demonstrate God’s love.
• Ask God to keep them from becoming discouraged. Progress in planting a new church is usually slow, and it’s easy to feel no one is interested in the gospel message.
• Pray that the church plant will reflect the demographics of the neighborhood.
• Ask God to provide others who will invest in the church plant.
• Pray that the church planter will be creative in his outreach to unchurched people.