Blog items tagged with "missions"

Hot Off the Press

“Across the Street, Around the World: Ideas to Spark Missional Focus,” written by former Indiana’s Diana Davis and Autumn Wall, is a new source with a looong list of missions ideas to jump-start your missions group or church’s involvement in mission activities. Divided into  categories for one-hour, one-day, one-week, long-term ideas, and checklists for mission trips, this resource is a valuable tool to help motivate others to engage in mission opportunities locally, regionally, and globally. Order online at www.wmustore.com

Invite the Neighbors In

The March 2017 issue of Missions Mosaic Magazine included an article about starting a crafting group with your neighbors or women in your church. Pinterest has created a great deal of interest in crafts and is a great source of ideas you can use. Crafting with neighbors gives you a good opportunity to get to know them and establish relationships. A casual atmosphere encourages women to share with others. Add food and you have the recipe for some great times! Missions Mosaic is a monthly missions magazine for adult women and contains not only the month’s missionaries who have birthdays but articles about international and North American mission work. The magazine has a heavy emphasis on what women can do right where they live….like crafting with their neighbors!

Week of Prayer for North American Missions

March 5 – 12, 2017 has been set aside to pray for Southern Baptist North American mission efforts. An informational packet is mailed to every Indiana church, and your church can order free posters, prayer guides, and offering envelopes through the state WMU office. Ordering can be done online or by contacting Terah Adams at: tadams@scbi.org  The North American Mission Board (NAMB) has a Press Kit available online at www.namb.net that contains missionary stories, videos, and photos of featured missionaries.

This year’s theme is “Together for His Kingdom,” and the national goal for the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering is $70,000,000. It’s estimated that 259 million people in North American do not have a personal relationship with Jesus. Prayer and financial support are critical for the work of church planters, evangelism catalysts, and missionaries who carry the gospel throughout North America.

Has your church set a goal for this offering? If not, set one and challenge your members to become actively involved by praying, giving, and going. “Together for His Kingdom!”

It’s a New Year!

As we enter 2017, make plans to introduce your church to mission opportunities every quarter. Here are some ways you can do that:

  1. Winter Quarter: Select a date for the missions-related project and put it on the church calendar. Since cold weather is a real part of these months, gather good, used coats, gloves, mufflers, and hats and take them to a ministry for distribution. Promote the project in your bulletin, on the church website, and in worship services. See the article below for ideas to involve children in missions in February.
  2. Spring Quarter:  Set a goal for the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions. Enlist several persons to work with you to create a promotion display to chart the progress toward reaching the goal. Using scratch-away paper, outline the shape of each state and as certain amounts of the goal are given, scratch away to reveal the colors underneath. Encourage giving so the entire U.S. map is “colored in.” (This scratch-away paper can be ordered through Oriental Trading Company online or at Norton Novelty in Jeffersonville)
  3. Summer Quarter: Go online to www.wmu.com  www.namb.net or www.imbconnecting.com for missions videos to show at a Missions Movie Night during the summer months. Choose videos that are brief and ones that would interest everyone in the family. If your church has a suitable outdoor area, set up the viewing screen and chairs there. Serve popcorn, hot dogs, etc. to make the event a fun evening that will create missions awareness. Pinterest is a great site for fresh ideas about food, outdoor movie screens, etc.
  4. Fall Quarter: As children begin a new school year, lead church members to equip needy students with backpacks containing school supplies such as pencils, lined paper, etc. Find an existing ministry that will distribute them or contact the school nearest your church for information on donating them.

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions

It’s hard to believe, but Christmas is just around the corner! In the midst of plans for Christmas musical presentations and dramas and holiday parties, Southern Baptists turn their thoughts to the rich history of giving to the special missions offering named for Lottie Moon, an early missionary to China.

This year’s goal is $155,000,000!

Here are some facts about supporting international mission efforts you might be able to use to help your church reach its offering goal:

  • It takes $58, 200 a year to support a missionary.
  • That means it costs $4,850 per month.
  • Which translates into $1,119 a week.
  • It costs $159 per day to sustain a missionary on the field.

There are several ways you can ignite your church members’ excitement about giving this year:

1. Share from the pulpit or enlist someone to make presentations during worship services.

2. Use the free resources available from the International Mission Board (IMB). Go to: www.imbcomecting.org  for resources (videos, mission sermon, missionary testimonies).

3. Order bulletin inserts, prayer guides, and posters through the Indiana State WMU Office.

4. Set aside time to study about Norway, the country emphasis for 2016. Order materials for preschoolers, children, students, and adults at www.wmu.com  Use the age level or church wide studies as a kick-off for the Christmas giving season.

5. After you set your church goal, make plans for encouraging members to reach it! Take a percentage of the national $155,000,000 goal and create a visual to show the progress toward the goal. Ornaments for a specific amount of your goal can be added to a tree or bows on a Christmas wreath will keep the offering before the church. Encourage children to give by asking them to donate pennies in separate jars for the boys and the girls in a contest-like friendly competition.

What Can Missions Education Do for Your Church?

Missional living is developing a missions lifestyle that permeates every area of a person’s life. Resources, ministries, and activities through Woman’s Missionary Union support 6 purposes: Pray for missions. Engage in mission action and witnessing. Learn about missions. Support missions. Develop spiritually toward a missions lifestyle. Participate in the work of the church and denomination.

Go to www.wmu.com for more information about how you can begin missions education for your preschoolers, children, students, and adults. Email Linda Clark at lclark1213@hotmail.com for a consultation to customize missions education in your church. Be informed about how Southern Baptists are working to share Christ with a needy world!

Impact the World on Your Knees!

Before you get caught up in the stress and busy-ness of holiday preparations, make the decision to make a difference for Christ by praying for the world. Fall celebrations melt into Christmas which merges into winter with almost no separation. If we aren’t careful, praying for others around the world gets relegated to the “back burners” of our minds.

You and your family can impact the world with your prayers. Use the prayer guide below to help guide your prayers. The guide can be copied onto cardstock and cut into bookmark-size strips for easy reference and use. Insert in church bulletins or distribute to Bible study groups.

MONDAY: Pray for international and state missionaries as they, too, enter the busy fall and Christmas seasons. Pray that God will guide their plans to reach out to people with God’s love during these special times of year.

TUESDAY: Thank God for the special skills and abilities He has given state and international missionaries. Ask that He will touch the hearts of their listeners.

WEDNESDAY: Thank God for men and women who have heard His call to serve in countries around the world and in our nation.

THURSDAY: Ask God to give missionaries wisdom and patience in ministering to others in need. Pray that they will have energy during the holiday season with its extra activities.

FRIDAY: Pray that missionaries will develop good relationships with people where they serve and that they will have opportunities to share the story of Jesus’ life and death.

SATURDAY: Ask that God keep missionaries’ families strong and healthy so they can do the work He has sent them to do.

SUNDAY: Pray that God will bless every gathering where His word is preached and the good news is proclaimed.

It’s almost here!

The annual meeting for Indiana Woman’s Missionary Union will be held at First Baptist Church of Gasburg on Friday and Saturday, August 5-6. The event will feature missions-related workshops and special guest speaker, national WMU President, Linda Cooper.

This event is a great opportunity to learn about new resources available to help you promote missions in your church and training that will equip you to lead others to learn about missions in North America and overseas.

For more information, go to www.scbi.org/missionslifeline

Did You Know?

Did You Know…

There are some great short videos you can use in worship services to tell your church about missions!

On Vimeo, go to “wmu missions for life” for an invitation to participate in missions education. It’s a great way to introduce church members or women to the ministries of WMU.

Other vimeos on the history of WMU, WorldCrafts, and how WMU can help your church promote missions involvement. Free and full of great information!

Here's How They Did It

Walnut Ridge Baptist Church emphasized international missions in December by participating in giving to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions. They set a goal of $300.00 and members gave $352.86. Pastor Don Hinton and Alene Fisher spearheaded the Christmas emphasis, and Linda Clark brought a missions presentation. Information can touch our hearts, and when hearts are touched, we are motivated to become part of a worthwhile annual emphasis on the work over 5,000 international missionaries do around the world. Congratulations Walnut Ridge for reaching your goal!