Blog items tagged with "missions"

Click here to read an article “Keep Calm and Carry On’ written by Linda Clark and recently posted on Woman’s Missionary Union’s website. You may find it helpful in developing your leadership skill set.

December is the month to emphasize how Southern Baptists support mission efforts around the world.  Named for a missionary to China, Lottie Moon, gifts to the mission offering now total more than $2 billion! Moon’s name has become synonymous with love and sacrifice. Week of Prayer materials are printed every year to encourage churches to support more than 5000 career missionaries in over 100 nations.

Prayer resources are available through the Indiana state Woman’s Missionary Union office. Call or email to order free posters, Week of Prayer guides, and offering envelopes. Go online to imbconnecting.org to download videos for use in worship and to promote giving to your church’s offering goal. The resources are excellent and certain to motivate giving!

One in seven people in the U.S. uses food banks to help meet their needs.

One out of six children (roughly 100 million) in developing countries is underweight.

Sunday, October 14, 2018 has been set aside to emphasize meeting hunger needs around the world. 100% of every dollar goes directly toward meeting hunger needs. A downloadable resource packet is available through Woman’s Missionary Union. The pack contains plans for an experiential hunger meal adapted in age-appropriate ways for preschoolers through adults. The resource is also available in Spanish. 

Once your church knows more about hunger in your area, you may want to suggest ways you can fight hunger together:

• Start a food pantry in your church.
• Enlist volunteers to deliver Meals on Wheels to senior adults.
• Join Habitat for Humanity and help build houses for low-income families.
• Participate in a backpack food ministry through an elementary school in your area.
• To collect funds for hunger relief, give each family a Global Hunger Bread Bank (these can purchased through WMU for $1.50 each). If funding for banks is limited, make them from potato chip cans, small cartons, etc. Go to Pinterest for ideas and instructions.

August is the month Southern Baptists demonstrate special support for our North American Mission Board missionaries as they serve across North America through a wide variety of ministries. It’s not too late for you and/or your church to participate by purchasing items the missionaries have requested for their projects and ongoing ministries.

Lists of items can be found on Woman’s Missionary Union’s website. Go to www.wmu.org and in Search type “Christmas in August.” There are missionaries’ lists for every age group. Choose a missionary and then print their list of requested items. Do not purchase any items not on the list. You don’t have to buy all the items though! Publish the list in your church newsletter, bulletin and on your church website. Set a Christmas-decorated box in a high traffic spot in your church for the items church members will bring. Box the unwrapped items and attach the mailing address label to the outside of the box. Include a self-addressed stamped postcard for the missionary to acknowledge your gifts.

Christmas in August is an important way to encourage our missionaries in their efforts to tell others about Jesus and his love.

Creating an awareness of God’s mission for His followers should be an integral part of our churches. Learning about missions is one part of this awareness. As we learn how God is working in the world, we will be challenged to participate as individuals, families, and churches. Following are some resources available through Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU), auxiliary to the Southern Baptist Convention. The website – www.wmu.org – gives resources and information to help you begin your missions journey.

Additional resources are provided by Southeast Southern Baptist Association through its missions efforts. Contact Linda Clark, lclark1213@hotmail.com or call 502.595.8473 for more information about how your church can become more engaged in missions.

Age-Level Mission Groups:   Preschoolers, children, and students can learn how missionaries share Christ around the world. Each age has its own age-appropriate missions magazine and materials for leaders of the groups. Co-ed materials for children and youth are also available.

Adult Mission Groups:   Adults on Mission is a co-ed mission group with online resources. Adult women can find mission stories and ministry ideas in its monthly publication, Missions Mosaic.

New Mission Groups:   Starter Kits for any age-level mission group are available through WMU. Six month’s mission curriculum is FREE when processed through Indiana’s State WMU Office (www.scbi.org/wmu). Southeast Association can help you through this process.

Churchwide Missions:  WMU publishes many resources to help churches reach their communities for Christ and motivate members to develop missions lifestyles. Go to www.wmu.org/ministries for project ideas, mission experience opportunities, and how to support Southern Baptist mission endeavors.

33 Easy Ways to Do Missions in Indiana:   A new print resource (available via email upon request), this leaflet outlines 33 “user-friendly” ways you and your church can tell others about Jesus and support missions through praying, giving, and going.  (Email request: lclark1213@hotmail.com)

If you would like specific information about starting or strengthening missions education in your church, Linda Clark is available to explore avenues of partnership with you. Email: lclark1213@hotmail.com or call 502.595.8473

Now that summer is here, there are many children in our area who need to be fed. Just because school isn’t in session doesn’t mean they aren’t still hungry! Several county agencies provide hot meals certain days of the week. If your church is in a position to participate in this type of ministry, contact the county or district school office for information. If your area has no such program, think about how you could begin one. A centrally located church could cook and pack the meals and volunteers could deliver the meals to another church or park. This is a wonderful opportunity for your church to get to know unchurched families in your community and connect with them while feeding the children.

The annual Missions Lifeline event will be held Saturday, August 11 at Calvary Baptist Church in Greenfield. The event is designed for anyone interested in missions involvement and learning about how Southern Baptists “do” missions. There will be a variety of breakouts to encourage local ministry, disaster relief, partnering with other for ministry, and hearing guest missionaries. A mini Kids on Mission camp will be held for children grades 1-6. Registration includes all breakouts, lunch, and an Invitation to the Journey, a missions experience for all ages. Special guest is Sandy Wisdom-Martin, Executive Director of national Woman’s Missionary Union in Birmingham, Alabama.

This is an event you don’t want to miss! Make plans now to bring people from your church. Register online soon at: www.scbi.org/missionslifeline

Here are some ideas for taking a mission trip right where you live. Finances or time may not allow you or other church members to travel overseas, but that doesn’t mean you can’t engage in projects to share Christ in your immediate area. Plan several ways to reach out into the neighborhood around your church.

• Enlist youth to visit local businesses and volunteer to wash their windows. When asked why they are doing it, they can reply, “We are grateful for what Jesus did for us when he washed away our sins, and we want others to see him clearly.”
• Host a family fun night at the church, at an apartment complex, or in a block party format. Pinterest has great ideas for easy games such as fishing, ring toss, or pick a duck that children will enjoy. For information on making “salvation necklaces” go to wmu.com/projects  Invite non church members to participate.
• Face-Painting is always popular and doesn’t require a lot of effort. Enlist volunteers with a bit of artistic ability and others to interact with the parents while they wait for their children. Find out some key information: Where do they live? Do they go to church? Have they heard about Jesus?
• During warm weather set up a water stand in a community park and distribute bottled water. Ask to pray as you give away the water. Make labels with your church address and service times and attach to the bottles.

If you and your church are looking for ways to plug into existing ministries in Southeastern Baptist Association, here are a few ways to do that. In our 9-county area, there are many ways to be of help and share the gospel through your compassionate actions.

Louisville Rescue Mission – Go to www.LousivilleRescurMission.org to see the variety of ministries that need your help in providing care and guidance for clients. You can participate in this ministry for homeless people by:

*organizing a drive for cleaning supplies, food, home essentials, and personal toiletries

*leading a chapel service to encourage residents   *partnering in prayer for healing and transformation

*preparing a meal for residents                                  *serving at the Thrift ‘n’ Thrive shop

*serving in the Day Shelter which provides vital relief services in a safe environment

*taking a customized group mission tour of the Louisville mission 

 *teaching a class or mentoring adult students on a variety of topics

Another ministry that relies heavily on volunteers is the Pearl Street Feeding Ministry. This ministry serves a Community Meal each week. Prayer requests are taken along with a brief message before a hot meal is served. Volunteers can help with food prep, serving, and presenting the gospel. Contact Bruce Farnsley for more information.

Choices Life Resource Center has reported that so far in 2017, 629 gospel presentations have been made to clients using the prenatal, mentoring, sonogram, and counseling resources. In the past 12 months staff, and volunteers have welcomed 68 babies into the world! Contact Rose Contra, Executive Director, for specifics of how you can become involved in this valuable ministry.

   These ministries continue to exist and expand because of your faithful support through prayer, involvement, and giving!

Southern Baptists, through their cooperative giving, work together to tell unreached people groups around the world about the good news of Jesus. More than 47,000 churches partner with the IMB to disciple new believers and plant churches in places that have never heard Christ’s name. Use the following information to encourage your church’s missions awareness.

Southern Baptists give: $153 million to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and $98 million through the Cooperative Program.

Southern Baptists see: 87, 287 new believers and 4,550 new churches started.

Southern Baptists go: For the first time in history, the Bible has been translated into the Udmurt language for people in Eastern Europe. The first church ever was planted among a Muslim people called the Mwani in Sub-Saharan Africa.

In a time when missionary-sending has been declining, Southern Baptists are again on a firm financial foundation and are commissioning new missionaries to go to the “ends of the world” with God’s love.

Each of us has a role to play in God’s Mission; explore your next steps at www.imb.org/next