evangelizationChurches going beyond The Passion to tell the rest of the story about the Risen Savior
PHOTOGRAPHY BY PHILIPPE ANTONELLO
As the stir continues about Mel Gibsons The Passion of the Christ, in theaters February 25, how can churches and on mission Christians respond to questions about the person of Jesus Christ? John Yarbrough, vice president of evangelization for the North American Mission Board, says churches should consider the impact the movie will have on those who view it in their communities:
Some will go to the movie with questions about Jesus.
Many will leave the movie with questions about Jesus and how His sacrifice relates to them.
Others, even church people without a relationship with Christ, will confront Christ and His suffering like never before.
People will see a powerful portrayal of Jesus suffering and sacrifice.
Believers have a responsibility to share the truth of the gospel in the midst of the questions and opportunities that this event will afford, says Yarbrough. We must tell them the rest of the story. We must take them beyond the passion to the reality of His resurrection and provision of eternal life and forgiveness of sin in Him alone.
In preparation for these opportunities to share Christ, Yarbrough encourages churches and believers to become involved in The Passion Outreach by obtaining resources provided by their North American Mission Board, SBC. Planners recommend using The HOPE, a video/DVD that communicates to viewers in contemporary, accessible terminology the history of Gods redemptive plan for man and answers the deepest questions concerning God, man and eternity.
Seekers also can find answers on the web at www.PassionChrist.org. Churches can make use of downloadable resources, training materials, order information, downloadable sermons and links to ministry partners, including order information for individual copies ($19.99) and bulk copies ($3 each for 500 or more) of The HOPE video/DVD through www.namb.net. The NAMB website links to http://passion.pastorlife.com where pastors can find a collection of downloadable sermon outlines.
strategic focus citiesGOD AT WORK IN OUR URBAN CENTERS
ANSWERING believers PRAYERS IN NEW YORK
One Chinese pastor worked for 21 years without a salary while his wife worked to provide for their needs. Now he is securing funds for an immigrant from China. God protected this young immigrant during his 18 months in a Chinese prison where jailers had threatened to cut out his tongue if he preached the gospel again. He continued to preach. Now he is planting a church in Brooklyn for Fujinese immigrants.
A Haitian pastor took a second mortgage on his home to close on a church building for his congregation. Another Haitian church of about 2,000 has no paid staff and encourages members to find their place of service, then equips them for their assignment. Each year they take 80 or more to a world mission site for two weeks and see hundreds come to faith in Christ.
A French-speaking congregations younger generation, who did not speak French, dropped out of church. The church started a contemporary English service and grew to 500 in attendance.
PLANTING CHURCHES ACROSS THE CONTINENT
Hope Baptist Church in Las Vegas, a joint venture of FBC Woodstock and NAMB, has grown to see more than 600 in attendance after two years, and they are already planting their first church.
Church-planter catalysts Gary Irby and Gihwang Shin in the SFC Seattle effort have helped facilitate the planting of 60 new churches since church planting took root there in 2001.
Steven Nurger, a pastor in Miami working with the SFC Miami initiative, has overseen the planting of 38 churches in the past two years. Their goal is 100 with 20 per year from 2002-2006.
Partnership with an Acts 1:8 purpose
The International Mission Board and the North American Mission Board recently announced The Acts 1:8 Challenge, an initiative to help associations, state conventions and the mission boards partner more effectively to resource churches in their effort to take the gospel to all the world. Trustees from the two boards will gather for a joint service at First Baptist Church in Woodstock, Georgia, May 19.
Well have a celebration of one of the most historic events in Southern Baptist life, says NAMB president Dr. Bob Reccord. Two major Southern Baptist entities are coming together in a united message and strategy that will make it even easier for churches to forge partnerships on the mission field.
IMB president Dr. Jerry Rankin says, Im really excited about this vision and the level of cooperation between our denominational entitiesnot to focus on promoting our own programs, but to facilitate how Southern Baptists fulfill that Kingdom vision of reaching our world for Jesus Christ.
volunteer mobilizationTaking Christ to camp and beyond
Just because theyre called Campers On Mission doesnt mean this faithful band of on mission volunteers is cooking up Smores and ghost stories around campfires.
In addition to sharing Christ from RVs and campers in North Americas parks, Campers On Mission volunteers repair damaged churches, frame houses and spread the Good News through labors of love. Many chapters also help churches hold revivals and work with them to minister to their communities through various outreach events. A ministry of NAMBs adult volunteer mobilization team, Campers On Mission includes more than 5,000 volunteers making up 39 organized state chapters of camper volunteers who reside in 49 states. The ministry plans to start five new projects in Alaska this year.
Look in the Summer issue of On Mission to read how Bob King plus some of his fellow Florida Campers On Mission have been reaching people for Christ through their time, talents and tireless acts of kindness.
For information about getting involved with COM and other volunteer efforts, visit thebridge.namb.net or email Martha and Wintford Haynes at com@namb.net or call NAMBs volunteer mobilization center at 800-462-8657.
cross-cultural evangelismSeoul Baptist
Kang Han-Sug, 70, has changed his spiritual path late in life. A graduate of a Buddhist college and a former member of the military police in communist Korea, Han-Sug fought against U.S. efforts in the Korean War and up until about five years ago was a violent man. Who ever would have dreamed hed become a shepherd? Of course, Han-Sugs sheep are actually people, most of them Asian nationals, who have come to Houston for economic and educational development.
Han-Sug, only five years into his walk with Christ, is giving these seekers a spiritual education as well. He is one of the many internationals changed through Gods work at Seoul Baptist Church, a somewhat unconventional Southern Baptist fellowship that, according to Pastor Young Chai, is getting back to the practices of early-church believers. Instead of the primary meeting places being the sanctuaries and Sunday school rooms of a church building, they meet in the homes of members who have taken on the task of shepherding Houstons multi-ethnic flock.
Many people view fellowship as coffee and doughnuts, says Rev. Young. What I wanted to do was see a community of lay believers develop who could really minister to the large multi-ethnic population.
More than one hundred house churches exist in the Seoul Baptist fellowship, and the sizes of these small fellowships8 to 10 peoplelend themselves to the type of close-knit ministry required to reach the large and otherwise overlooked influx of Koreans and other ethnicities to the area.
House church members work as a team to welcome new people to the area, direct them toward suitable housing and transportation, pick them up from the airport and get them settled into the area as quickly as possible. In return, these newcomers often visit and even join the house churches that took them in. If you want to know the success of this type of ministry, just ask the 258 people, including 168 Korean adults, baptized last year at Seoul Baptistmaking it one of the churches with the highest number of baptisms in all of SBC for 2003.
interfaith evangelismCrossing faiths
Brenda Munger handed her neighbor a NAMB-produced video called The Mormon Puzzle.
Only a few years before, Brendas neighbor had come to Henderson, Nevada, with no money, no job and no friends. Sadly, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS or Mormon), so prevalent in the area, had given her all three, then she and her children were baptized into the cult.
But eventually Brenda, a former Mormon herself, began to share Christ with the single mom and her 12-year-old son. Soon they became open to the truth of Gods word and left the LDS church.
As a NAMB Interfaith Partner, Brenda has been teaching members of Highland Hills Baptist Church how to witness to members of the LDS church for the past two years. Church members are taking these principles and bringing light to their Mormon friends and family.
Theres a Mormon church down the road from me, and my neighbors are Mormon, Brenda says. The LDS church has a presence here, and Christians need to make their own presence known as well.
For more than three decades, the interfaith evangelism team of the North American Mission Board has provided believers with tools necessary to defend their faith and lead people of other faiths to the truth of the gospel. Recently the team started its partner program that takes lay people through multi-level training, equipping them not only to share their faith but also to teach others to do the same.
For more information, visit www.namb.net/interfaith.
disaster reliefThe love of Christ in a time of need
PHOTOS BY JAMES DOTSON
Disaster Reliefs largest effort to date was the 108-unit DR activation in response to Hurricane Isabels landfall September 18, 2003.
Concentrated in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia, Isabels devastation left in its wake dead, homeless and the families of both along with destruction to homes, power sources, water supplies and other necessities. But Disaster Relief workers from more than 22 states struck back with food, showers, home repair and the hope and comfort of Jesus Christ.
December 26 marked the deaths of 30,000 and the homelessness of 100,000 residents of Bam, Iran, when a magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck the city. Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers were there within days providing food, water and medical assistance.
Because of the responsiveness of state conventions to form, train and equip units, Disaster Reliefs 37-year history has culminated to include more than 27,000 trained volunteers working in more than 397 units throughout the United States and Canada.
For more information about Disaster Relief or to find out how you can become a trained DR volunteer, visit www.namb.net/dr.
I was overwhelmed at the willingness to give of themselves, in the name of Christ, and to come to my rescue when I didnt know where to turn for help.
Alice Northington Newport News, Virginia
Our small community is an established one whose residents (quite a few) are elderly or fast approaching same. We, therefore, thank God you were able to supply help when needed.
Catherine Whitaker, president, Chesterfield Heights Civic League, Norfolk, Virginia
It was so uplifting to know that godly men and women from Tennessee, Missouri and other states had come to clear trees and assist all those so hard-pressed by the hurricane. Helping people when they really need it, and passing out tracts concerning the gospel is one of the best outreaches Ive seen.
Wayne Ritter Springfield, Virginia
Our yard is now cleared of all the tree limbs, and we are so thankful. Blessings on all those involved in this tremendous ministry.
Bob and Jane Wingfield Virginia
Words cannot express my gratitude for the assistance given by Bob Williams and the mission team that did tree removal for me. It was a blessing! I dont know when I would have seen my backyard again if they had not come to the rescue.
Naomi McCoy Norfolk, Virginia
The team spent many hours in our backyard cutting up large oak trees that were felled by the hurricane. Their ministry to us truly represented the great outpouring of Gods love.
Dwayne and Joanne Hinton Yorktown, Virginia
World Changers: notes from the field
In answer to years of prayer by its residents, South Texas Childrens Home in Beeville, Texas, funded by the Baptist General Convention of Texas, sent 12 students to spend a week with World Changers renovating homes in Cheyenne, Wyoming. With a scholarship and funds raised through bake sales and other fundraisers, the 12 youths gained a first-hand understanding of missions involvement, and several of the team started new relationships with Jesus Christ.
In southern Illinois 17 churches from West Frankfort, Thompsonville, Benton, DuQuoin, Sesser, Carbondale and Wayne City purchased $30,000 in building materials, and 250 World Changers volunteers launched into 29 projects. Twenty-seven people in 17 communities accepted Christ, the gospel was shared 320 times, and 490 local volunteers got in on the action. Its very exciting to see the local churches become involved and to see young and old alike share their faith, says Don Bullard, a member of First Baptist Church Thompsonville and a longtime World Changers construction volunteer.
church plantingplanting in Puerto Rico
More than 65 churches, five of which are for the hearing impaired, have partnered in Puerto Rico with NAMB and with state-side SBC churches to form the Convencion de Iglesias Bautistas del Sur en Puerto Rico (CIBSPR). CIBSPR leaders hope that partnering will not only enable them to reach the island for Christ but that they will be able to double the number of SBC churches on the island over the next decade.
Now that the emphasis of our convention is church planting, this will become a reality more easily, says Ernesto Rene Pereira Sola, president of the executive committee of the CIBSPR. This means we can count on the logistical, financial and spiritual support from NAMB.
Puerto Rico Baptist Theological Seminary (PRBTS) is also working alongside Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary to provide pastors and ministers with more educational options. Sixty percent of SBC churches in Puerto Rico come from PRBTS.
event evangelismEvangelism=thousand words
A picture is worth a thousand words and so much more at JoePix. At Kitty Hawk you saw their orange hats floating among FirstFlight enthusiasts. In Atlanta their cameras captured runners in the Peachtree Road Race. Chances are youll see them at Mardi Gras and at a number of other events in 2004 with their JoePix baseball caps, T-shirts and digital cameras. But what does it all mean? That is the question JoePix, an evangelistic organization partnering with NAMBs direct evangelism team, wants people to ask even as theyre partying, vacationing or just spending a day away with family.
This is a way that Christians can go to where the people already are, says Thomas Hammond, director of direct evangelism, NAMB.
How does it work? JoePix volunteerson mission Christians who have gone through JoePix traininggather at major events, split up into guy-girl pairs, take photos of people who then receive a personal ID number that theyll use to go on www.joepix.com, view the photo and order a free print of the imageno strings attached. But while theyre there, trying to find out who in the world would give away these otherwise pricey images, visitors to the site will see that the answer goes back to a garden and a cross. Visitors then have the opportunity to view the gospel message or call the NAMB hotline to find out more about Christ.
Pioneering a state of change
Terrell OBriens canoe appears about six times the size of a man and commemorates pioneers such as Daniel Boone, who cut some of the first paths through the western United States. Terrell himself is not too dissimilar to the people he honors with his fine sculpting pieces. He is not only a western artist but also a Mission Service Corps missionary in a state that still needs pioneering by evangelical Christians. Like most MSC missionaries, Terrell loves what he does for a living, but his passion is using his talent to reach people for Christ.
People who become MSC missionaries are saying they commit to 20 hours of ministry per week in addition to their job or career, says Jane Bishop, director of missionary mobilization, NAMB. They often use their jobs as a tool for their ministries.
To learn more about missionaries like Terrell and other opportunities to go on mission with God, visit www.answerthecall.net and see pages 38-46 of this issue.
missionary mobilizationTim Cummins, MSC missionary of the year
In the international village of Atlantas suburbs such as Chamblee, Doraville, Roswell and Norcross, Tim Cummins is taking church to Somalians, Sudanese, Ethiopians, Bulgarians, Romanians, Bosnians, Iraqis, Afghanis and Hispanics, among others.
Through ministries to apartment complexes such as after-school programs for children, English as a Second Language classes, outreach events, Bible study groups, medical services, job networking opportunities, computer literacy, typing classes, Backyard Bible Clubs and sports ministries, the strategy of Whirlwind Missions is to take church to people who typically would not approach a Southern Baptist church to have their needs met.
Otherwise were going to lose this city, Tim says. Weve got to reach into the apartment complex communities, which is where the population density of this city really is. For more information on Whirlwind Missions and how to get your church involved in reaching the international population of your city, visit whirlwindmissions.org or email Tim at timcummins@attbi.com.
student evangelismAn event to remember
Sometimes simple things work, says David Hagan, youth minister at Calvary Baptist in Union City, Tennessee. But whats so simple about an event with keynote speakers, a band, free food and nearly 4,000 people packing the bleachers of the county fairgrounds of Obione, a county of 30,000 in northwest Tennessee?
Perhaps the logistics of such an event are a little complicated, but what attracted thousands of youth last year to Connect events in a 10-city sweep of Tennessee were the youth of these cities connecting with a friend and desiring to see that friend connected with God.
Students were praying for their friends, David says. Then each of our Christian teenagers was reaching out to one teen who was lost.
During the few years that the Tennessee Baptist Convention has helped organize Connect events, youth ministers in partnering churches discovered their youth to be bolder about sharing their faith.
Who would turn down free food and free music, says Kent Shingleton, youth evangelism specialist at the Tennessee Baptist Convention. Among the Tennessee cities of Jackson, Cookeville, Clarksville, Columbia, Memphis, Union City, Knoxville, Cleveland, Gray and Nashville, more than 1,400 people made decisions for Christ including 602 salvations, 629 assurances or rededications, 118 decisions for ministry and 29 baptisms.
What made the Connect events do-able despite costs and labor were the churches of these cities uniting in the effort. They promoted the event to their youth, rounded up people who could work the events and joined together in prayer. Almost 10,000 people showed up to the event last year.
In addition to Connect events attracting youth, Connect with Gods website, connectwithGod.com, provides youth and youth ministers an online outreach and ministry tool to help them share their stories through online chat, email and personalized information about church.
For more information on how to get your church and youth involved with connectwithGod.com and implement this simple evangelism push, contact Chad Childress at cchildress@namb.net.
Whats on your nightstand?
If you were a leader and writer in contemporary Christendom, what collection of words would you read to keep the fire stoked, the spirit going, the pen moving and the ink flowing? We asked three of todays best-selling authors whats on their shortlist of things to read.
Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Community Church in Lake Forest, California, and author of The New York Times bestseller The Purpose Driven Life, says hell be feasting his eyes this spring on How to be a World-Class Christian by Paul Borthwick (Gabriel Publishing, 1999), a book on how to find your critical role in global missions; Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas (Zondervan, 2000), one of the best marriage books Ive seen in years; When Life and Beliefs Collide: How Knowing God makes a Difference by Carolyn Custis James (Zondervan, 2001), a work recommended by his wife Kay that challenges believersmen and womento study the scripture and take the helm as theologians in our pluralistic, contemporary society. Rick also loves listening to West Coast Worship by Rick Muchow and The Saddleback Worship Team.
When Jerry Jenkins, co-author of the bestselling Left Behind series, leaves his writing cave after completing his next novel, he plans to dig into the Gay Talese Reader: Portraits and Encounters, a collection of the essayists works and thoughts; Old School by Tobias Wolff, a novel by a short fiction master; Desperation by Stephen King; and Reagan: A Life in Letters by Kiron Skinner.
Beth Moore, prolific writer, speaker and author of The Beloved Disciple, an 11-week study on the life of the apostle John, plans to find a break in her schedule and jump into the latest book in The Mitford series by Jan Karon (Viking, 2003).
prayer evangelismUsing The National Day of Prayer to seek revival
The annual observance of the National Day of Prayer, established by Congress for the first Thursday in May each year, has become so well known that it can be used to draw your church or town together for a meaningful prayer time for our nation. Here are some ways to get members of your church involved in this essential time of seeking God:
Concert prayerdivide the congregation into small groups of about three people so everyone feels comfortable praying aloud.
Leadershiphave a pastor or prayer leader direct the focus of prayer from personal to family to church to community to state and finally to a national level praying for leaders and military.
Advertisementget the word out in your community through flyers, word of mouth and other media so the whole towns attention is at least drawn to the idea of prayer.
Comprehensivenesspray for revival in the hearts of fellow believers, but also emphasize the importance of praying for leadersnational, spiritual, political and military.
One in a Millioncontinue to keep the importance of prayer on the minds of church members by encouraging them to become One in a Million praying for spiritual awakening across the continent. Visit www.oneinamillionprayer.com.
For more information visit www.nationaldayofprayer.org.
How About ICE to warm up a community to Christ?
Members of New Life Community Church in East St. Louis were waiting for people to come to them before sharing the gospel. But during a three-day weekend training seminar, one of NAMBs Inner-City Evangelism (ICE) teams helped New Life and five other area churches navigate the waters of what it means to be on mission.
As a group of 35 members spread through the community with their stories, their faces lit up at the receptiveness of the people there. New Lifes Sunday attendance jumped by 100 people from 150 to 250, and the benefits of ICE training were multi-foldstretching beyond numbers in Sunday school, says New Life pastor Kindle Granger.
We were able to get a feel for the community, and our members began to understand what it means to fulfill the Great Commission, Kindle says. Now the whole church is seeker- sensitive instead of just letting a few carry out the job of outreach.
And this is just the beginning of growth and change at New Life. Kindle says members are just getting their feet wet, but the vision is growing for a New Life that helps new believers grow in their faith and more mature believers to develop a deeper evangelistic and missions-active lifestyle.
To find out more about bringing ICE to your church and community, visit www.namb.net/evangelism.
church plantingDeaf Caf
People who come to Deaf Caf want to feel the bass of praise songs while watching the praise leader who leads them in American Sign Language (ASL) aided by PowerPoint presentations and I-Worship video songs displayed on a screen providing lyrics in caption.
Deaf Caf is a mission of Louisville Baptist Deaf Church in Louisville, Kentucky, a Christian Fellowship funded by the Kentucky Baptist Convention, the Long Run Baptist Association and the North American Mission Board.
Pastor Tim Bender, born 50 percent hearing impaired, says he has developed a burden for deaf people from ages 18-40. Deaf Caf provides a younger population of deaf with an opportunity to hear the message of Christ from one heart to theirs through American Sign Language.
The deaf who come here are comfortable, because there is a one-on-one communication relationship through sign language, Tim says.
The Deaf Caf has grown in attendance from 40 to more than 80. An estimated 5,000 hearing impaired, including 1,000 deaf, live in Louisville. There are nearly 100 deaf SBC congregations and close to 450 SBC deaf ministries nationwide.
For information on Southern Baptist deaf congregations and ministries, contact Rodney Webb at rwebb@namb.net.
baptist menResources for being men on mission
Baptist Men On Mission (BMEN) is updating its strategy to help Baptist Men go on mission with God. The purpose is to more effectively reach Baptist men with the importance of serving in their churches and communities and the necessity of discipleship to the growth and effectiveness of their walk.
The update includes the new resource Men@WORK, which outlines ways men can do service projects for each other while also staying accountable spiritually to one another. Patrick Morley of Man in the Mirror Ministries and Kenny Luck of Every Man Ministries are involved in the new direction for BMEN.
Baptist men also can take their son or a boy in their church through Sons of Virtue, a recently released resource that creates a mentorship relationship teaching young boys the plan of salvation and the importance of being on mission with God.
For information on ordering resources and getting involved with BMEN, visit www.namb.net/educate/bmom.