Tag Archives: missions offering

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October 21, 2014

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General Baptists, National Missions

The Go Project

By Carl Nichols

In January, when our team (myself, Brandon Petty, and Vince Daniel) was appointed to help navigate the future of National Missions, it was obvious that we needed a clear direction for the next few years.  Before developing any plan or outlining any goals publicly, we had to look hard at the state of affairs in National Missions.  With this in mind we began to develop, and are still developing, healthy systems that enable us to plant churches better and faster.  We also paid off a loan against some endowments almost two years ahead of schedule.  We are now in a more stable place than we have been in the six years I have been involved in the movement.

At this point, the question became: “What are legitimate goals that stretch us to work hard and trust God?”  It was in answer to this question that the Go Project was birthed.  The Go Project is a five year initiative that officially begins in 2015 to launch 15 healthy churches in the next five years.  We recently hosted our first assessment and will share details of our first Go Project plant in Bonita Springs, FL in the very near future.

I shared some numbers at Summit this year and wanted to take a moment to share once again.  Take a look at the five year impact of the Go Project on our General Baptist Movement.

If we take the average attendance, salvations, baptisms, and Unified Giving numbers of our five most recent church plants, and spread them over 15 more new churches in the next five years:

  • 8,922 more people will be attending worship services in a General Baptist church
  • 6,278 more people will receive Christ
  • 2,688 more people will be baptized
  • $278,400 more a year to Unified Giving

This is so exciting for the Kingdom of God and the future of our movement. We take our call to serve General Baptists seriously, and we believe if we can make this happen, we can help be a catalyst for the greatest days of our movement in the years to come. If you know someone who would be interested in planting a church, our next assessment will be held in the spring of 2015 in the Atlanta area.

On behalf of the National Missions Advisory Team, it has been a great experience working alongside our Executive Director, and I believe the best days of our movement are yet to come.

A special offering will be received October 26th in our General Baptist churches.  If you would like to give on National Mission Sunday, your support will help fund the Go Project.  You can give online at www.generalbaptist.com, by phone at 573-785-7746, or by mail at 100 Stinson Drive Poplar Bluff, MO 63901.  Be sure to designate your gift to the Go Project. 

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September 25, 2014

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Christian Life, General Baptists, International Missions, National Missions

Updates from the Mission Field

Read the articles below to catch up on what is happening in General Baptist missions, both internationally and here at home.

By Carl Nichols

Last month, National Missions hosted our first in-house assessment for future church planters, and boy, did we learn a lot!  I speak for the entire advisory team when I say we are so excited about the future!  We will soon be releasing an update with an introduction to our newest church planter slated to plant in Bonita Springs, FL in late 2015 or early 2016.

October 26th will be National Missions Sunday, and we will be receiving an offering.  All of this offering will help fund the Go Project to launch 15 churches in the next five years, like our newest plant in Bonita Springs.  (To read more about the Go Project, click here)  Thank you so much for your faith in our team. Keep your eyes open in the coming weeks for more information and updates.

 

From Jessey and Brittany Vemula, missionaries in India

This is a personal story of an Indian woman who was brought to Christ through the work of the Lydia Sewing Center in Siddipet.  This year’s Ed Steven’s Day offering is helping make stories like Pushpa’s a reality in India by funding not only the sewing center, but mission work out in the community, and food and clothing distributions also. 

Pushpa is an India woman from Irkod village, which is eleven kilometers from Siddipet.  She was brought up in a Hindu family.  Pushpa, who is 25 years old, has three older siblings.  She joined the Lydia Sewing Center at the beginning of this year.  She had to walk the 11 kilometers from her hometown to train, and was rarely afforded the opportunity to travel by rickshaw.  There are devotions every morning at the Lydia Sewing Center, and after hearing these, she decided to give her life to Christ.  However, when she chose to become a Christian her life here became much harder.

update from India

Pushpa with Alan Motley, short term mission trip participant, this past summer.

Pushpa started attending church, and even told her siblings about Christ. They came to church with her and also became believers.  However, their father was not pleased with this.  He told them that if they didn’t come back to Hinduism, they would not get their share of the Mango orchard he owned.  Pushpa and her siblings stood strong and refused to convert back to Hinduism.  Since they refused, their father signed over the property to his nephew.

Pushpa and her siblings pray for their father’s conversion daily.  As her pastor, Jessey has conducted prayer meetings and talked with the father, but to no avail.  Pushpa and her siblings, however, remain faithful to God in this time of hopelessness.  The situation is helped by the fact that Pushpa received free training at the Lydia Sewing Center and received a sewing machine.  She and her family are using the sewing machine to bring in extra money.  She is very thankful for the help she received from the Lydia Sewing Center.  Currently, she is preparing to follow Christ’s example in baptism.  Please remember our sister Pushpa and her siblings in your prayer.  Most importantly, pray for their parents who have yet to accept Christ into their hearts and lives.

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September 16, 2014

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General Baptists, International Missions

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Ed Stevens Day

In October 1946, Ed Stevens, a General Baptist foreign missionary, arrived in Guam to share the gospel with the people who called it home.  Ed and his wife would go on to serve on Saipan and Chi Chi Jima also, until Ed died on a ship en route to Guam for medical treatment on September 20, 1952.  We have set aside the third Sunday of September every year to remember his example of faith and missionary commitment with an annual offering for international mission work.  This year, Ed Stevens Sunday is September 21.

Ed was born in Boonville, Indiana on January 23, 1917.  He accepted a call to ministry and was ordained by United Association Presbytery in September 1945, and appointed by the Foreign Mission Board to serve on Guam in July 1946.  Ed arrived via steamship October 6, 1946, and led the first service on Saipan on April 4, 1948.  Ed Stevens was the first General Baptist missionary to die while serving on the mission field.  We remember the sacrifices Ed and Gertie Stevens made to serve as pioneering missionaries for the General Baptist movement.

ClothingDistribution_SlumAreasThis year, the Ed Stevens mission project is dedicated to the General Baptist work in India.

India has a population of 1.252 billion people, and only 2.3 percent claim Christianity as their faith.  Most Indians have never had an opportunity to hear the good news of the gospel.  Pray for our missionaries and national workers as they minister in a hostile Hindu environment.  Pray that Indian Christians may demonstrate true spirituality and life transformation to their culture.

General Baptist outreach is targeted in two areas of South India:

Kakinada/Pithapuram in the state of Andhra Pradesh, which has a population of 84 million.  FoodMinistryOnly 1.51% are Christian, and General Baptists have been working to spread the gospel to those in this area since 1982.  Ministry in this area is under the direction of Dr. Prakash and his wife, Jemima.  Their work in Andhra Pradesh includes operating 10-15 Dorcas Sewing Centers, Grace Home for widows, holding pastor’s retreats to provide proper training to those leading churches, a witnessing group called Bible Women, and a bedding and clothing ministry for those who cannot afford their own.

Siddipet in the state of Telangana boasts a population of 35 million.  The General Baptist work here is headed by Jessey Vemula and his wife, Brittany who work to raise the 1.2% Christianity rate.  The work begun by the Vemula family now includes the Good Shepherd’s Children’s Home, Lydia Sewing Center, audio Bibles for illiterates, a Jesus Film ministry, digging water wells, and the Timothy Initiative that trains pastors and church planters to do effective ministry.

The offering goal this year is $50,000, to help fund the purchase of a badly needed mission vehicle for use in each of the India mission areas to help transport equipment for ministry RiverBaptismand food and clothing for distribution in the slums and remote areas.  These funds will also be distributed to the child care ministry, sewing centers, and poor widow ministry.  To be a part of the 2014 Ed Stevens Day, mail your contributions to International Missions, 100 Stinson Drive, Poplar Bluff, MO 63901.  You can also use our online form to give.

Be a part of spreading the gospel in India.  Help the 2014 Ed Stevens Day Campaign reach it’s goal of $50,000 to help support the work that God is doing in such a hostile environment.