Category Archives: Unified Giving

Giving for Church Revitalization
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January 13, 2022

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GB-12, Unified Giving

Giving For Church Revitalization

By General Baptist Ministries

The mission of General Baptist Ministries is to be for the church. A meaningful way that we are seeking to fulfill that call is through the launch of a new ministry in 2022 called Church Revitalization. The new ministry will focus on developing healthy leaders and healthy churches. In 2021, a pilot program was started to explore precisely this kind of focus (see the post from January 7, 2022, on the GB-12 project).

Church leaders and churches themselves have had a difficult two years. Many of the trends of church decline and leadership shortages that were on the horizon in 2019 were accelerated through 2020 and 2021. Now more than ever, we must concentrate on developing healthy leaders and revitalizing struggling churches. Now is the perfect time for us to be doing this work together!

If your church is a Unified Giving partner, then you are making Church Revitalization possible. Unified Giving provides the funds for staff and programming for Church Revitalization and our other ministry departments. Because of our faithful partners in 2021, we can start this new ministry in 2022. Your faithfulness impacts other churches across the country and around the world!

If your church is not a Unified Giving partner, get involved! We want you to participate so that your church can fulfill its mission through our work together. Even the smallest donation makes an impact!

You can give online at generalbaptist.com/donate or by mail at:
General Baptist Ministries
100 Stinson Drive
Poplar Bluff, MO 63901

Let’s do together what we cannot do alone!

New Ministry in Baja California Mexico
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March 16, 2017

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International Missions, Mexico, Unified Giving

A New Ministry in Baja California Mexico

Eylin RodriguezGeneral Baptist International Ministries is pleased to announce a new work in the Baja California area of Mexico. Pastor Rene Rodriguez and his daughter Eylin have played a key role in the development of this work. General Baptists already have an association of churches in the area and a Bible Institute. The new association has a close connection with General Baptist International as well as the Sheffield Association of General Baptists in southern California.

Eylin Rodriguez is the 25-year-old daughter of Pastor Rene Rodriguez, Director of Ethnic Ministry in Southern California. Born in Honduras, at the age of 13 her family moved to the USA. Eylin says of her childhood, “Some people can say that being part of a Pastoral family is difficult, I can say that on the contrary, I am blessed to be able to learn from them. I feel truly blessed to be a witness of the work that our Lord has done through many great men and women who have taken on the privilege of expanding the kingdom of God.”

Eylin married Jose Carlos Hernandez, and they have two beautiful children. In 2015 Eylin and Jose Carlos had a long conversation with the director of Sheffield Association of General Baptist Pastor Rene about the necessity of a new work in Mexico. Her family felt the call to make themselves available to work for the Lord and go wherever he desired to take them. As Eylin so aptly states it, “so now here we are in Mexico.”

On Saturday October 22, 2016, they had their first meeting in Tijuana Baja California, Mexico. Five Pastors decided to associate with General Baptists, giving birth to the Northern Mexico Association of General Baptists. They have also started a Bible Institute under the guidance of Pastor Rene who is the director and teacher of the Bible Institute in California. There are approximately 30 students and 3 fully accredited teachers. To date they are still looking for a more appropriate location between three cities, (Ensenada, Tijuana, and Tecate) since the students come from all three locations.

There are a total of eight associated churches who have started working with General Baptists and are ready to carry on the Great Commission. There are more meetings scheduled with pastors who want to know more of the work of General Baptists. Eylin states, “I am honored and thankful for being part of the all the work that is being done through International Missions of General Baptist here in Mexico.”

General Baptist International Ministries is currently committed to $200 a month to help sustain the new Bible Institute. If you would like to be a ground-floor partner with this new ministry, please contact GBIM, 100 Stinson Drive, Poplar Bluff, MO 63901, 573-785-7746.

National Missions Sunday Church Planting in Jacksonville, Florida
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March 7, 2017

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Church Planting, National Missions, Unified Giving

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National Missions Sunday – Church Planting in Jacksonville, Florida

Church Planting has always been a primary mission for General Baptists. Our movement was organized by a church planter who established churches on the American frontier in the 1820s.

Our denominational mission to plant churches is underwritten by the general budget through Unified Giving, but it is also made possible by special gifts such as those received on National Missions Sunday. This year the National Missions Sunday Offering will assist church planting efforts in Florida by helping to more firmly establish the new work of All Nations Church.

This ethnic church plant has resulted from the long-term ministry of Missionary Cecil Green who discipled a young believer in the Philippines nearly 50 years ago. In 1977 Pastor Pete Lapaz was ordained by the General Baptist Church of the Philippines and in 2016 he began work to establish All Nations Church in Jacksonville, Florida.

In a recent report Pastor Pete noted

  • the ordination of an associate pastor, Dr. Lito Ibaretta,
  • two more new converts ready for baptism,
  • two Bible study centers now in operation, and
  • two Spanish-speaking families now attending.

A Children’s Ministry will begin soon and the search is on for a larger meeting space. The group has outgrown meeting in homes. A recent attendance of 40 placed them at capacity in their current rented space.

On a recent Sunday in January, those attending worship paused for a photo. Pastor Pete is on the left holding his grandson. Pastor Lito is seated in the front center.

Different churches have different traditions about National Missions Sunday. Some churches include National Missions Sunday in the budget, others take up a special offering to aid these special projects. All gifts received for National Missions Sunday will result in winning many people in Jacksonville, Florida who otherwise will not be won to faith in Christ.