CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Learn more about the CBF Foundation at www.cbff.org.
 

The Fellowship also announced a new partnership with the Baptist General Convention of Texas for the ongoing earthquake response in Haiti.

Becoming a member of National VOAD brings credibility to CBF’s response efforts, which are less than five years old, according to Charles Ray, CBF disaster response coordinator. While Fellowship Baptists have historically responded through local churches and state organizations to help those in need, it wasn’t until 2005 that efforts were organized by a national coordinator.

When Hurricane Katrina hit the Louisiana coast in August 2005, Ray was working with Arkansas CBF. He was quickly tapped to coordinate the Fellowship’s response.

“We had no program the day before Katrina hit,” Ray said. “I couldn’t get down there to help until two weeks later because of all of the debris.”

National VOAD includes organizations such as the Salvation Army, Red Cross, Catholic Charities, World Vision, Save The Children and others. “Of the 51 members of VOAD, each brings something strong to the table,” Ray said.

“CBF’s strengths are the generosity of its people – its ability to raise money quickly; the lack of bureaucracy; and its staying power. We’ll come in up to a month after the event and we’ll stay as long as it takes. We like to say ‘we’ll turn the lights out.’”

As evidence of this, Ray said CBF is still invested in rebuilding the Gulf coast following Hurricane Katrina, as well as repairing storm damage from Hurricanes Ike and Gustav.

In addition to its efforts across the United States, CBF Disaster Response is a vital cog in the ongoing recovery efforts in Haiti. Because of CBF’s memorandum of understanding with Convention Baptiste d’Haiti signed in June, the Baptist General Convention of Texas has decided to partner with CBF Disaster Response to coordinate efforts.

“We will help them get there and back, house them and coordinate efforts on the ground there,” Ray said. “We have established our own power supply, our own water system and last week unveiled a state of the art communications system.”

The first team of Texas Baptists to serve through this partnership was deployed to Haiti the last week of June.

To date, Fellowship Baptists have donated more than $1.2 million to the Haitian earthquake relief efforts. For information on the Haiti response, visit the Fellowship’s blog at www.thefellowship.info/blog, or to make a contribution online, go to https://www.thefellowship.info/Give/Donate.aspx?fund=17015.

Registration closed Friday night with more than 2,400 registered participants for the three days of the Assembly, making it the biggest Assembly since the Washington, D.C., Assembly in 2007.

Author and Duke Divinity School professor Lauren Winner brought hope for Fellowship Baptists in the face of mainstream Protestant decline by framing the current challenges as an opportunity to focus on the mission of Jesus rather than internal, denominational problems.

“Really, we really are not powerless,” Winner said. “Remember we are working from the power of God. Also, we’re working from the power of institutions that haven’t, in fact, yet crumbled into uselessness. After all, it is God’s church, and we can’t kill it.”

In response to the offering appeal of George Mason, pastor of Wilshire Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas, Fellowship Baptists gave more than $10,000 Friday for a three-day offering total of $29,276, all supporting the CBF Offering for Global Missions.

Also on Friday, the children’s assembly, with more than 50 participants, paraded through the streets of Charlotte collecting food for those in need on the last day of the Assembly. Pulling along wagons decorated with balloons and streamers, the children gathered non-perishable food items from people working in uptown businesses. At the end of the parade, the children brought the food to local hunger ministry Loaves and Fishes.

In the first Assembly since the death of CBF’s first coordinator, Cecil Sherman, the Fellowship’s executive coordinator Daniel Vestal included a memorial slideshow and moment of silence in memory and tribute to Sherman’s life. Later Friday evening in the Assembly’s resource fair, Smyth and Helwys Publishing presented his daughter, Eugenia Sherman Brown, a framed copy of the cover of Sherman’s last book, “To Be A Good and Faithful Servant.”

Fellowship Baptists learn, connect and reflect in workshops

On Friday afternoon, Fellowship Baptists had the opportunity to participate in more than 30 workshops. Topics ranged from spiritual direction to disaster response ministry, and the Essentials Conference, which featured tracks on practical aspects of ministry.

More than 250 people attended the workshop “A Family Conversation about Same Sex Orientation” to hear the story of pastors Joy Yee of San Francisco, Calif., and George Mason of Dallas, Texas.

“I invite you into the presence of God and God’s people to hear testimonies of people who have struggled with the question that is before the church today. The question is, ‘How is God calling us to be the presence of Christ among persons of same sex orientation?’” said workshop facilitator David Odom, executive vice president of Leadership Education at Duke University. “This is not the end of a conversation, it’s the beginning.”

The potentially controversial conversation was handled in a worshipful manner, with a testimony, a time of silent reflection and a verse of the hymn “Come and Find the Quiet Center.” After Yee and Mason shared their ministry experiences, they had a brief period of dialogue between them before taking written questions submitted by the audience.

Yee said passages from the Bible on homosexuality should be balanced by passages against condemnation. She said if Christians wanted to learn more about the issue, they needed to listen to the stories of persons of same sex orientation.

Mason used the story of Jesus healing the blind man from John 9.  Jesus’ disciples asked “Who sinned?” Mason said Jesus seems to be saying that it’s less important to understand why things happen and more important to see what is possible now that it has happened.

Assembly approves budget, elects new officers

In his moderator’s report during Friday morning’s business session, Vestal reflected on the Assembly theme of 1 John 3:1-2, addressing the present reality of the Fellowship and his hope for the future.

“I believe the great test facing Cooperative Baptist Fellowship ‒ and perhaps the larger Baptist and Christian family ‒ is whether or not we really want to be who we are in Christ: ‘God’s servants working together’ or whether we want to be God’s servants working separately in competition and even in conflict? Will we affirm and celebrate our identity and let it shape our mission.”

Also, in the business session, the Assembly approved the 2010-2011 ministry and missions budget of $14.5 million. The Fellowship’s new officers were elected during the session, including moderator-elect Colleen Burroughs, vice president, Passport Inc., and recorder Joanne Carr, a member of First Baptist Church in Augusta, Ga. Moderator-elect Christy McMillin-Goodwin of Rock Hill, S.C., ascended to the moderator position at the conclusion of the meeting.

In addition, the Assembly approved a motion encouraging CBF partner churches to become prayer partners with the 44 churches in Juarez, Mexico, which has recently experienced an increase in violence. The motion was presented by Dick Hurst, a physician from Tyler, Texas.

Baptists honored at General Assembly events 

On Friday, the Whitsitt Baptist Historical Society awarded its 2010 Baptist Courage award to Carolyn Weatherford Crumpler, the executive director of the Woman’s Missionary Union from 1974-1989 and the founding mother of the Baptist Women in Ministry in 1983. Crumpler, who acknowledged she was a person who often got in trouble for speaking her mind, said, “Hope is hearing the music of the future and courage is the ability to dance to it.”

“I’ve found that my mission field is where I am,” Crumpler told a gathering of more than 100 people. “Look around you for the person in need and do what you can to help them today. It’s global missions wherever you are.”

At the annual meeting of the Religious Liberty Council of the Baptist Joint Committee, Bill Underwood, the president of Mercer University in Macon, Ga., and Gardner Taylor, senior pastor emeritus of Concord Baptist Church of Christ in Brooklyn, N.Y., were presented with the J.M. Dawson Religious Liberty Award, which recognizes the contributions and advocacy of individuals in defense of religious liberty of all people.

Vestal presented the inaugural Coordinating Council Alumna Award to Beverly Greer, missions coordinator for CBF of South Carolina at the Coordinating Council alumni dinner Friday night. Greer had been involved in the missions work of the Council in the early days of the Fellowship and now works as South Carolina’s missions coordinator on a volunteer basis.

Fellowship Baptists celebrate and network during auxiliary events

At the CBF Foundation breakfast, approximately 160 people heard from outgoing Foundation president Don Durham and Vestal. Also, Foundation Board President Rebecca Wiggs announced that interviews for the new president would begin Monday in Atlanta.

More than 170 people attended the luncheon for CBF-endorsed chaplains and pastoral counselors. Dick Hester, co-director of the Narrative Leadership Project at Triangle Pastoral Counseling in Raleigh, N.C., spoke about the power of curiosity.

“As chaplains and counselors, the people in this room have done the work of listening to another person’s story curiously,” Hester said. “And often we have walked away from these conversations saying to ourselves, ‘I am standing on sacred group, and this is why I do what I do.’”

At a luncheon celebrating the You’ve Got the Time Bible listening initiative, people shared stories of transformation from participating in the 40-day program.

“We really appreciated the team from [CBF-partner] Faith Comes By Hearing,” said Kasey Jones, pastor of National Baptist Memorial Church in Washington, D.C. “They had prayer with me over the phone and suggested we do the listening program from Mother’s Day to Father’s Day and distribute the discs on Easter.”

At the Church Benefits Board luncheon, Larry Carroll, president of Carroll Financial Associates, told the 150 attendees that sticking to the basics is the best philosophy in retirement investing.

“People who spend less than they save – good savers – don’t need to worry as much about which plan they are in,” Carroll said. “You have to learn to deal with the ups and downs of the markets and the sooner you get used to market fluctuation, the better. You need to stick to your plan and don’t let daily market results change what you need to do.”

For additional coverage of the Assembly, go to www.thefellowship.info/assembly. The 2011 General Assembly will be held in Tampa, Fla., June 23-24.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.
 

CBF-affiliated Pritchard Memorial Baptist Church hosted the Commissioning Service on the opening day of the Fellowship’s 20th General Assembly, which included the Leadership Institute with Alan Roxburgh, the meeting of the Fellowship’s Coordinating Council and continuation of the collegiate missional experience called the Charlotte Sessions.

“You come with your lives, saying you take this seriously,” said CBF Global Missions coordinator Rob Nash, speaking to the new field personnel. “You are doing what Scripture calls us all to do ‒ following in the footsteps of Jesus. As you go, you have our prayers, our promise of support and our promise to stand with you. Commission means ‘to send together,’ and that is what we are doing tonight. We send with you all we can give as we all seek to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.”

As part of the AsYouGo affiliate program, all the new field personnel are self-supporting personnel serving through the CBF Global Missions field team structure. Whether through business or education employment or through the direct financial support of churches, the program provides a global missions connection for CBF-minded people who have a specific mission calling.

New field personnel and places of service include:

• Anna Anderson, Eastern North Carolina

• Rachel Brunclikova, Czech Republic

• Cindy and Ryan Clark, Baguio City, Philippines

• Anjani and James Cole, Northern Spain

• Lindsay, Southeast Asia

• Mickael Eyraud and Kamille Krahwinkel, China

• Blake and Rebekah Hart, Chile

• Jennifer Jenkins, Haiti

• C.J. and Jack Wehmiller, Murrayville, Ga.

• Mark and Sara Williams, Johannesburg, South Africa

During the service, $12,508 was given to the CBF Offering for Global Missions, which pays for the salaries, benefits and operating and ministry expenses of CBF field personnel.

Task force appointed to carry out restructuring conversation started at Callaway

At its June meeting, the Coordinating Council continued the conversation from the April retreat at Callaway Gardens of leaders of the Fellowship Baptist movement. CBF executive coordinator Daniel Vestal and Baugh Foundation president Babs Baugh reflected on the experience and convened a discussion by the Council that centered on the same questions that were considered at the Callaway Retreat.

“At the retreat, people were eager for things to be done, to move forward,” Baugh said. “People were excited about the future and wanted to be involved. There was a wonderful sense of free and open camaraderie and atmosphere of trust. We want this to continue.”

Vestal has asked Hal Bass, CBF moderator, to put together a task force to meet for two years, reporting back to the Coordinating Council, the 2011 General Assembly in Tampa, Fla., and the 2012 General Assembly in Fort Worth, Texas.

The task force, which was endorsed by the Council, will address three items related to organizational models ‒ models of community that foster missional collaboration, organizational structures that respond effectively to global challenges and ways Baptist churches and organizations can embrace their identity as partners.

“One of the things that came out of the retreat is that it is time for us to evaluate ourselves in terms of structure,” Vestal said. “Is our organizational model the model that best fits the future? We created a model 20 years ago, and now we are at a place where we need to look at the next 20 years.”

The task force will be chaired by David Hull, pastor of First Baptist Church, Huntsville, Ala. Other members will include: Jean Willingham, St. Petersburg, Fla.; Alan Culpepper, Atlanta, Ga.; Ray Higgins, Little Rock, Ark.; Larry Hovis, Pfafftown, N.C.; Tony Hopkins, Greenwood, S.C.; Stephen Cook, Danville, Va.; Rene’ Maciel, San Antonio, Texas; Ruth Perkins Lee, Auburn, Ala.; Hollyn Holman, Washington, D.C.; Kasey Jones, Washington, N.C.; Susan Deal, Orlando, Fla.; Laura Hoffman, St. Louis, Mo.; Connie McNeill, Atlanta, Ga.

CBF Controller Larry Hurst reported to the Coordinating Council that while the Fellowship is currently operating under a financial contingency plan of 80 percent, as of May 31, the Fellowship’s expenditures are $8 million, 76 percent of the projected amount, and revenues are at $8.7 million, 73 percent of the projected amount. The Fellowship is currently $700,000 in the black, but historical giving trends indicate the lowest revenue months are the remaining four months of the fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30. If current trends continue, the Fellowship will end the fiscal year with a 3.5 percent shortfall.

When asked about steps the Fellowship staff are taking to control expenses, Vestal said that because of careful fiscal management and the grace of God, CBF has not had to call any field personnel home. He cited the generosity of an anonymous donor who had helped underwrite the cost of field personnel for the last several years.

Vestal said that in the near future if the goal for the CBF Offering for Global Missions isn’t reached, the Fellowship may have to bring field personnel home.

“I believe when we start speaking in those kinds of terms to our people, they will respond above and beyond what we think they will do,” said Janie Sellers, Coordinating Council member from Abilene, Texas.

“Tonight, we will be commissioning 16 people,” said Rob Nash, coordinator of CBF Global Missions. “God is calling people and we are sending them, even as we deal with all of the other challenges. That is a miracle. That is something we can celebrate.”

Leadership Institute

At Wednesday’s Leadership Institute, Alan Roxburgh, author of “Leading Missional Churches” spoke to more than 150 ministers and lay leaders about how church leaders can assist churches in discern their role in God’s mission. Roxburgh challenged those in attendance to ask the question: “What is God up to in my neighborhood and how do we join in?”

“The primary way we encounter God is in the eyes of a stranger and the primary way we encounter God is the practice of hospitality to a stranger,” said Roxburgh. “Too often, we see ourselves as the people in control of the meal. But in reality, we need to become like the stranger in need of hospitality.”

College students explore impact of relational ministry at Hyaets

For the third year, college students gathered for a week-long collegiate missional experience, the Charlotte Sessions, during the week of the Assembly. The event included a day of learning and missions at Hyaets, an intentional Christian community in Charlotte. Started five years ago by several graduates of CBF partner Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, members of Hyaets seek to make a difference by living in and becoming part of a low-income, high-risk community.

“We try to be family more than anything,” said Jason Williams, a Hyaets member. “We’re not here to be a [ministry] center. We’re here to be good neighbors. We’re not here to do ministry for people or to people; we’re doing it with people.”

Charlotte Sessions participants Jazzmone Sutton, Christy Kilborn and Bre van Velzen are part of an intentional Christian community connected with CBF partner church Winter Park Baptist Church in Wilmington, N.C. Like Hyaets members, the three women live in the community and “try to be a light in the neighborhood,” said Kilbourn.

The students participated in daily activities at Hyaets, including a field day for children at a local park, which helped show the students “what [intentional Christian community] looks like when it’s working,” said van Velzen.

Many of the approximately 20 students participating in the Charlotte Sessions are serving as summer interns in CBF partner churches through the Fellowship’s Lily Endowment-funded program to provide summer church internships to college students exploring a call to church ministry. As part of the Charlotte Sessions, students also participate in the Assembly, including helping lead a workshop about starting a college ministry.

Thursday’s schedule includes the first business session, workshops to introduce and explore the Fellowship’s eight mission communities, state and regional meetings and worship featuring Baptist historian Bill Leonard. For more coverage, including photo galleries and videos of keynote addresses, visit www.thefellowship.info/charlotte.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

CBF Executive Coordinator Daniel Vestal signed the agreement with leadership from the Haitian convention in Atlanta on May 4. The organizations agreed to a three-year transformation development strategy, including partnership in medical ministry, restoration and development, and micro-enterprise.

“I'm grateful for all that God is doing to meet the needs of our Haitian brothers and sisters as CBF works in concert with our partners at the Haiti Baptist Convention,” said CBF Global Missions Coordinator Rob Nash. “We're committed to ministry in Haiti over at least a three-year period of time, understanding that real healing can only occur as we move beyond a band-aid approach to work that truly transforms the lives of the Haitian people.”

A base camp for Fellowship relief efforts has been established in the community of Grand Goave, southwest of the Haitian capital of Port Au Prince. Tim Brendle, a retired Virginia pastor and former missionary to Haiti, has been coordinating the Fellowship’s relief efforts in Grand Goave and has been joined by Tori Wentz, one of CBF’s medical field personnel. In the northern areas of the country, CBF field personnel Nancy and Steve James, who are co-appointed with American Baptist Churches USA (ABC-USA), are continuing their medical ministry.

Since the Jan. 12 earthquake, more than $1.18 million has been given to the Fellowship’s Haiti earthquake response, which includes new initiatives such as counseling earthquake survivors. Recently Reid Doster, a pastoral counselor and coordinator of CBF of Louisiana, and David Lane, counseling program coordinator and professor of counseling at Mercer University, traveled to Haiti to lay groundwork for a new program, which would train Haitians to provide post-traumatic stress counseling to earthquake victims. Ultimately, Lane hopes to develop a training model that can be easily taught by Haitians to Haitians.

“Essentially, we would train trainers, who can teach fellow Haitians lay counseling,” Lane said. “We see this as something that can be very meaningful for a group of hurting people.”

Mercer’s Ha Van Vo, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, is also working with the Fellowship in Haiti, designing and fitting low-cost prosthetics for earthquake victims. More than 20 people have been measured for prosthetics and have begun the fitting process.

Other Fellowship recovery efforts include:

- Meeting needs for food and temporary shelter, including distributing food and tarps through CBF partner Conscience International. Near Cap Haitien, where the Jameses minister, His Nets donated 1,000 family-size mosquito nets to Haitian families.
- Rebuilding orphanages.
- Developing low-cost ways to harvest and treat water, making it safe to drink and use in agriculture. A specialized drilling unit has been purchased and is being transported to Haiti, where it will allow local residents to drill for water.
- Micro-enterprise efforts including savings and credit associations, vocational training for women and business development. Key leaders will be trained to use a successful micro-enterprise model from Ethiopia.
- Building earthquake-resistant housing through Fellowship partners such as Conscience International and the Fuller Center for Housing, which can construct a single family home for $3,000. Already, Conscience International and local residents have laid the foundation for the first house. 

CBF partnering congregations are also continuing outreach efforts. At CBF partnering congregation First Baptist Church in Memphis, Tenn., girls and boys in the “Spark” class raised more than $700 for Haiti relief. The funds, raised through a Valentine’s Day Booth and a basketball challenge, were donated to CBF partner Crosslink International, which has been providing medical supplies to Haiti.

More than 100 volunteers have served in Haiti through the Fellowship, ABC-USA and Conscience International. Though medical and construction teams are scheduled through the end of the year, more volunteers are needed. To volunteer for a medical or construction team in Haiti, send an e-mail to engage@thefellowship.info.

To give to the relief effort, visit the Fellowship’s donate page, https://www.thefellowship.info/Give/Donate.aspx?fund=17015 or send your check to Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, P.O. Box 101699, Atlanta, GA 30392, indicating fund No. 17015 “Haiti Response.”

“It's much easier to have an opinion about how someone else should lead than it is to actually lead yourself ‒ especially a group of Baptists,” she said.

After significant prayer and conversation with a few people, Colleen decided to say “yes” to the nomination because she's committed to the future of the CBF. She has been nominated to serve as moderator in 2011-12.

Colleen is the vice president of Passport, Inc., a Birmingham-based non-profit she began with her husband David while they were in seminary. Passport is now an international student ministry that has hosted more than 75,000 campers over the past 18 years.

“CBF is the Baptist home where David and I have intentionally chosen to live and work and raise our children,” she said. “Passport was birthed out of the Florida CBF and founded on both the freedom to welcome anyone who wanted to join us and the theological conviction that women could be called to preach. Now, though multiple protestant traditions join us at camp, David and I personally choose to be committed Cooperative Fellowship Baptists. It is not because we have to, but because we resonate with CBF's specific theological voice. It is a Baptist voice that is vitally needed in the world and one which offers a philosophy of missions that is long overdue.” 

“Colleen brings extraordinary gifts of vision, passion, insight, and commitment to this position of leadership and service,” said current CBF moderator Hal Bass, a professor at Ouachita Baptist University. “She is extremely well-informed about CBF missions and ministries, and she is well-connected across our broader Fellowship movement. I am delighted that she has accepted the nomination.” 

Colleen sees three areas of priority for the Fellowship in the near future.

“First, CBF needs to be crystal clear about our identity. I believe there are diverse populations of people and churches who would be drawn to it,” she said. “We all need to build a Baptist home together so our children can grow up with a broader picture of the family of God. The diversity would further inform our identity and strengthen our effectiveness as Christians living and working together in a global community.”

“Secondly, CBF is working on more thoughtful and intentional collaboration with states, regions and partners,” she said. “We all need to focus our energy, ideas and resources more practically if we are serious about investing in the next generation.”

And thirdly, I hope CBF will be scandalously gracious in sharing a thoughtful gospel - not just in a world without borders, but more noticeably with each other.”

In addition to her work with Passport, Colleen is the founder of Watering Malawi, a ministry advocating long-term solutions to poverty and hunger through access to clean water, sanitation and simple irrigation in the country of Malawi. Her interest in that African nation is not surprising since she grew up as a missionary kid in Kenya, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Bophuthatswana.

Colleen holds a degree in fine art from the University of Alabama and a master of divinity degree in pastoral care and counseling from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. She received both the John Knox Press and Clyde T. Francisco preaching awards.

As the state representative for Alabama on the CBF Coordinating Council, Colleen has served for two years as the chair of the finance committee. Colleen and David live in Birmingham, Ala., with their twins, Milligan and Walker.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.
 

“It's much easier to have an opinion about how someone else should lead than it is to actually lead yourself ‒ especially a group of Baptists,” she said.

After significant prayer and conversation with a few people, Colleen decided to say “yes” to the nomination because she's committed to the future of the CBF. She has been nominated to serve as moderator in 2011-12.

Colleen is the vice president of Passport, Inc., a Birmingham-based non-profit she began with her husband David while they were in seminary. Passport is now an international student ministry that has hosted more than 75,000 campers over the past 18 years.

“CBF is the Baptist home where David and I have intentionally chosen to live and work and raise our children,” she said. “Passport was birthed out of the Florida CBF and founded on both the freedom to welcome anyone who wanted to join us and the theological conviction that women could be called to preach. Now, though multiple protestant traditions join us at camp, David and I personally choose to be committed Cooperative Fellowship Baptists. It is not because we have to, but because we resonate with CBF's specific theological voice. It is a Baptist voice that is vitally needed in the world and one which offers a philosophy of missions that is long overdue.”

“Colleen brings extraordinary gifts of vision, passion, insight, and commitment to this position of leadership and service,” said current CBF moderator Hal Bass, a professor at Ouachita Baptist University. “She is extremely well-informed about CBF missions and ministries, and she is well-connected across our broader Fellowship movement. I am delighted that she has accepted the nomination.”

Colleen sees three areas of priority for the Fellowship in the near future.

“First, CBF needs to be crystal clear about our identity. I believe there are diverse populations of people and churches who would be drawn to it,” she said. “We all need to build a Baptist home together so our children can grow up with a broader picture of the family of God. The diversity would further inform our identity and strengthen our effectiveness as Christians living and working together in a global community.”

“Secondly, CBF is working on more thoughtful and intentional collaboration with states, regions and partners,” she said. “We all need to focus our energy, ideas and resources more practically if we are serious about investing in the next generation.”

And thirdly, I hope CBF will be scandalously gracious in sharing a thoughtful gospel - not just in a world without borders, but more noticeably with each other.”

In addition to her work with Passport, Colleen is the founder of Watering Malawi, a ministry advocating long-term solutions to poverty and hunger through access to clean water, sanitation and simple irrigation in the country of Malawi. Her interest in that African nation is not surprising since she grew up as a missionary kid in Kenya, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Bophuthatswana.

Colleen holds a degree in fine art from the University of Alabama and a master of divinity degree in pastoral care and counseling from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. She received both the John Knox Press and Clyde T. Francisco preaching awards.

As the state representative for Alabama on the CBF Coordinating Council, Colleen has served for two years as the chair of the finance committee. Colleen and David live in Birmingham, Ala., with their twins, Milligan and Walker.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.
 

Financed by a generous gift from the Baugh Foundation, the retreat included 84 attendees who took on five questions:

• What would not have happened or would not exist if it weren’t for the Fellowship Baptist Movement?
• How are lives being transformed through the work of the movement?
• What are the significant challenges the movement faces in the future?
• What audacious dreams do you have for the future of the movement?
• How can we move from dreams to actions?

The meeting was convened as a first step toward celebrating the Fellowship’s 20th anniversary in 2011. Baugh has agreed to serve as chair of the Fellowship’s General Assembly Steering Committee, and worked closely with Vestal to plan the agenda for the three-day retreat.

“I knew this could be good, but I had no idea how truly wonderful it would be to share this time with these incredibly creative people,” said Baugh of San Antonio, Texas. “I feel like God has given us new marching orders. We’ve done what we’re supposed to do so far, but we have much, much more to do.”

The gathering received ministry reports from Diana Garland, dean of the Baylor School of Social Work; David Burroughs, president and co-founder of Passport, Inc.; and Molly Marshall, president of Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Shawnee, Kansas.

Presentations on lessons learned from the past 20 years were made by Bill Leonard, dean of the Wake Forest Divinity School; Suzii Paynter, director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas’ Christian Life Commission; and Alan Culpepper, dean of Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology.

On the topic of significant challenges facing the Fellowship Baptist Movement, presentations were given by Marv Knox, editor of The Baptist Standard; Robert Parham, executive director of the Baptist Center for Ethics; Pam Durso, executive director of Baptist Women in Ministry; and Bill Underwood, president of Mercer University.

The final session of reports on the way forward were made by Larry Hovis, coordinator of CBF of North Carolina; Colleen Burroughs, president and co-founder of Passport, Inc.; and Connie McNeill, CBF’s coordinator of administration.

Reports and presentations were followed by group discussion times and reporting out by a representative from each of the discussion groups.

“This gathering was an important step in a process of celebrating our history and dreaming for our future,” Vestal said. “The two simply can’t be separated. The invited participants represented some of the leadership within the Fellowship Baptist Movement, and we talked candidly about our identity, mission and structure. It was a very hopeful and encouraging meeting, and the Coordinating Council will receive a report in June.”

Editor’s note: For a gallery of photos from the event and a high resolution version of the attached photo, visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/thefellowship/sets/72157623949169846/.

Sherman, the founding coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, suffered a massive heart attack April 15 and died two days later at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center in Richmond, Va. He was 82.

A worship service celebrating his life will be held at 2 p.m. April 20 at River Road Baptist Church in Richmond, Va. A second service will follow at 2 p.m. at First Baptist Church, Asheville, N.C., on April 23. More details on the arrangements are forthcoming. Updates will be posted to www.thefellowship.info as well as http://www.cecilsherman.com/news.html.

"Baptists have lost a great champion, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has lost its founding coordinator and I have lost a friend,” said Fellowship Executive Coordinator Daniel Vestal. “But I celebrate his fruitful life and the resurrection hope we have in Jesus Christ.”

Born Dec. 26, 1927, Sherman was a native of Fort Worth, Texas. He graduated from Baylor University in Waco, Texas; Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas; and Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, N.J.

Sherman served as pastor of several churches including First Baptist Church of Chamblee, Ga. (1956-1960); First Baptist Church of College Station, Texas (1960-1962); First Baptist Church of Asheville, N.C. (1964-1984); and Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas (1985-1992). He also served at Baptist General Convention of Texas as staff associate in the evangelism division from 1962-1964.

As fundamental-conservative leadership shifts began to occur within the Southern Baptist Convention in 1979, Sherman was among those who recognized and fought against the change, paving the way for the formation of the Fellowship in 1991. He was then unanimously selected by the Fellowship’s first Coordinating Council to become the new organization’s first coordinator. He began serving on April 1, 1992, and served until his retirement in 1996.

“Cecil had the courage and capacity to look reality in the face and make hard decisions. His leadership was widely recognized,” said Jim Slatton, who chaired the search committee that recommended Sherman for the CBF role. “Cecil is a genuine churchman, who has a real life-wish for the local church and for the Baptist denomination and for Baptist principles.”

Clarissa Strickland, the Fellowship’s networking specialist, was among the two Fellowship employees when Sherman joined the staff. “Cecil presided over the nascent Fellowship with the utmost integrity and with an enormous life-wish for the organization,” she said. “Cecil was unstinting in his willingness to spend his energies as he traveled throughout our constituency, building the base of CBF during those early years. And he did so with the full support of his beloved wife, Dot.”

Sherman met Dorothy “Dot” Hair in 1950, and the two were married on Dec. 23, 1953, in Greer, S.C. After 54 years of marriage, Dot died Aug. 1, 2008. Just days before her death, Sherman was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia and underwent repeated treatments at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.

At the time of his diagnosis, Sherman was serving as a pastor of Westover Baptist Church in Richmond, where he had lived for several years. He had also served as interim pastor of several Richmond churches including Chamberlayne Baptist Church, Westhampton Baptist Church and River Road Baptist Church.

Sherman’s cancer treatments had been largely successful, and he was able to continue serving as a visiting professor of pastoral ministries at Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond (BTSR), a CBF partner seminary where he has taught since 1996.

“His devotion to his students was nothing short of legendary. He saw himself preparing a new generation of ministers for local church ministry,” said Ron Crawford, the seminary’s president. “His service at BTSR has made a grand contribution to students.  It is a contribution that will pay dividends in the lives of ministers and churches for decades to come.”

Also an author, Sherman’s writings include a 2008 memoir, “By My Own Reckoning,” and the Formations Bible study commentary series for adult Sunday school classes. Recently, he had been writing a new book, which had not yet been published.

Sherman is survived by family including his only child, Eugenia Brown of Madison, Wis.; a brother, Bill Sherman of Nashville, Tenn.; a sister, Ruth Hamm of Edmond, Okla.; and a grandson, Nathaniel Brown.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Editor’s note: A high resolution version of this photograph as well as a photo gallery of other photos of Cecil Sherman are available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/thefellowship/4525977502/.

"All of us in the CBF family are praying for Cecil and his family," said Fellowship Executive Coordinator Daniel Vestal. "We hold them in our hearts and ask for God’s grace and strength for them in this time."

Sherman, 82, was the first coordinator of the Fellowship, serving from 1992 through 1996. His pastoral ministry spanned decades, including pastorates at Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas, and First Baptist Church in Asheville, N.C. Sherman, whose wife of 54 years – Dorothy "Dot" Sherman – died in August 2008, was diagnosed with acute leukemia in July 2008. He is the visiting professor of pastoral ministries at Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, a CBF partner seminary.

For more updates visit http://www.cecilsherman.com/news.html.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Contributions to the Fellowship’s Haiti response effort vary from an anonymous $600,000 gift to the $900 that children at North Broad Baptist Church in Rome, Ga., raised by designing and selling note cards. Gifts have come from churches in Thailand and the Philippines, the Philippine Baptist Theological Seminary and the Union of Evangelical Baptist Churches in Chile. Shortly after collecting $1,114 for Haiti, the Chile congregations were rocked by a major earthquake in their own country but still decided to send the money to Haiti.

"The Philippines, Thailand and Chile have all seen extensive disasters in their own contexts. Yet, these folks continue to look beyond their own suffering and challenges to join with us in meeting the needs of our Haitian brothers and sisters," said CBF Global Missions Coordinator Rob Nash. "I'm grateful that these institutions see CBF as a place to network in order to meet human need globally."

Gifts to the Fellowship’s Haiti response will fund a long-term disaster response plan that includes:

The Fellowship’s response began immediately after the quake, including a medical supply donation effort as well as the medical ministry of CBF field personnel Nancy and Steve James in Haiti. The Jameses, who are co-appointed with American Baptist Churches USA (ABC-USA) and have served in Haiti for years, are joined in medical ministry by Tori Wentz, one of CBF’s medical field personnel based in Virginia.

Rotating as the Fellowship’s on-site relief coordinator in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, are Scott Hunter, former CBF field personnel who is on temporary assignment, and Tim Brendle, who began serving April 9. A former missionary to Haiti, Brendle lives in Petersburg, Va., and is a retired pastor who has served on the Fellowship’s national coordinating council and as chair of CBF’s global missions coordinator search committee in 2005-2006.

"My hope is that Cooperative Baptist Fellowship can come alongside the Haitian people to empower and encourage them so that by God’s grace they can transform their society," said CBF Executive Coordinator Daniel Vestal, who traveled to Haiti in March to see relief work in progress. "My experience in Haiti, though brief, was humbling and overwhelming."

In partnership with ABC-USA, the Fellowship is focusing on the Grand Goave community – located near the quake’s epicenter – to help rebuild a church school and local churches. By the end of April, more than 80 volunteers will have served in Grand Goave through ABC-USA, the Fellowship and CBF partner Conscience International.

To volunteer in Haiti, sign up on the Fellowship’s Web site at http://www.thefellowship.info/Disaster-Response-Application. The Fellowship will match the skills and resources of volunteers with on-site needs to ensure a meaningful and effective response.

To give to the relief effort, visit the Fellowship’s donate page, https://www.thefellowship.info/Give/Donate.aspx?fund=17015 or send your check to Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, P.O. Box 101699, Atlanta, GA 30392, indicating fund No. 17015 "Haiti Response."

Updates about the Fellowship’s response and recovery efforts will be posted at its blog, www.thefellowship.info/blog.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Board president Rebecca Wiggs said the firm’s president, Jerry Baker, is a graduate of Harvard Divinity School and a Wake Forest University board of trustee member, making him uniquely qualified to help the Foundation find the best candidate.

"What attracted us is the firm is not exclusively Baptist and has strong ties in non-profit, education and for-profit areas," Wiggs said. "They know a lot of people in a lot of arenas and can help us uncover the best candidates."

Wiggs, who is a Mississippi attorney, said the ideal candidate might come from a variety of places such as church life, non-profit agencies or even a lay person looking for a way to combine their professional life and faith.

"We have practical needs in finding the person who will lead the Foundation," Wiggs said. "Baker and Associates supplies that support. First, we’ve got to get the word out to people who have expertise in money management, helping churches or other Baptist agencies grow their resources. People with experience in other non-profit settings may be the ones who can help the Foundation further the goals of moderate Baptists moving forward."

The CBF Foundation exists to raise and manage endowment funds for CBF strategic initiatives and CBF partner organizations and churches. The Foundation is an autonomous organization, closely linked to the Fellowship, but governed by a separate board of trustees.

Wiggs said the timetable for the process is to have a new candidate identified and approved by the board in time for CBF General Assembly which begins June 23 in Charlotte, N.C.

"Don’s only the second president we’ve ever had, so we feel this is an opportunity for someone to make a mark on this institution, to further the work of CBF moving forward," Wiggs said. "We’re not just a reactionary force. I think the foundation is really coming into its own, partnering with others around the world in bringing about the kingdom of God."

Learn more about the Foundation at www.cbff.org.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

“Terry brings to this position a wealth of experience in congregational ministry as well as a passion for missions,” said CBF Executive Coordinator Daniel Vestal. “We are privileged to have him as a part of the leadership team for Cooperative Baptist Fellowship in Tennessee.”

For many years, CBF and Tennessee CBF have actively cooperated in the promotion of their complementary mission and vision throughout Tennessee. As field coordinator, Maples will work to advance both the mission and identity of CBF and the purpose and goals of Tennessee CBF.  He will serve Christians and churches in Tennessee, providing resources, support and encouragement and facilitating opportunities for fellowship and missions service.

“After 27 years of meaningful local church ministry in Florida and Virginia, I am excited to serve as field coordinator for the Tennessee Cooperative Baptist Fellowship,” Maples said. “The Fellowship is my theological home where I find kindred spirits. TCBF folks are deeply committed to historic Baptist principles and values embraced by The Fellowship. I believe the future of TCBF is bright, and I look forward to serving alongside free and faithful Baptists in Tennessee.”

Maples currently serves as associate pastor for education and discipleship at Huguenot Road Baptist Church in Richmond, Va. Previously, he served at Westwood Baptist Church, Springfield, Va., and East Hill Baptist Church, Pensacola, Fla. He has also been an adjunct professor at the Baptist Theological Seminary in Richmond, a CBF partner, since 2001. Maples, a graduate of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and the University of Alabama, has been involved with CBF since its inception.

“At the beginning of our search when the Coordinating Council first articulated its vision of the characteristics of the ideal field coordinator, we had no idea that we were exactly describing the life and ministry of Terry Maples,” said Dr. John Rohde, chair of the search committee and moderator of TCBF. “Among the numerous impressive candidates that were under consideration, we are convinced that Terry is exactly who we have been looking for. In returning to his home state to lead our Fellowship, he is bringing  a combination of new energy and mature leadership to our efforts to support churches and individuals as they seek to be the presence of Christ in Tennessee.”

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Editor’s note: A high resolution version of this photo is available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/thefellowship/4436279516/.

Leaders of the hymnal project, which also includes online music and worship planning resources, dubbed it as a comprehensive mixture of treasured hymns and songs that have been sung by generations as well as new ones by many of the nation’s best-loved composer and arrangers.

Tom McAfee, who was project chairman, said the new volume was five years in the making and was culled down to about 700 from more than 2,500 submissions.

John Simons, coordinating editor of the hymnal and director of The Townsend-McAfee Institute for Church Music studies at Mercer University, said the project was successful in large part because of the grass-roots effort involving churches, music ministers and laity in the creation of a new hymnal. With an editorial board composed of seven people and more than 70 other committee members, leadership involved a broad group of contributors.

"At the beginning and the heart of our project was the driving philosophy that through the power of the Holy Spirit, music changes lives," Simons said. "This very grass roots organization was distinctive because it cuts across denominational barriers, and it unites us in this philosophical cause through the power of the Holy Spirit."

McAfee said a goal from the beginning of the project was to be intentionally inclusive of all Baptists and folks from other denominations.

"One of the things that makes our hymnal unique in the Baptist family and in hymnals in general is we included the Cooperative Baptists, the National Baptists, American Baptists, Canadian Baptists, Southern Baptists – if you are Baptist, we wanted you involved in this," McAfee said. "We also wanted to involve people from the Methodist tradition, the Presbyterian tradition, we wanted it to be something that is yes, Baptist, built by Baptists with Baptists in mind, but we also wanted to bring in these other traditions so others can use the book as well."

Along with the new hymnal, project leaders have developed The Worship Matrix™ and online Supplemental Music Resources, which will provide church leaders planning tools and online access to worship materials that are designed to create cohesion between music elements, scripture readings, sermon illustrations and other worship elements.

Mark Edwards, vice president and worship resource manager for Celebrating Grace, said there will be 900 additional items on the Web at www.celebrating-grace.org, created by more than 100 different composers and arrangers.

"These days, there are many other things that have to go along with a hymnal book if it is going to be used effectively," Edwards said.

Simons said the goal with the new hymnal was to make these hymns and the worship experience as a whole meaningful to congregants. "It’s not so much focused on a certain genre or certain type of Christian music, as it is intended as a worship resource for the entire family."

The hymnal’s debut featured two concerts – March 7-8 – with selections from the hymnal performed by a mass choir made up of musicians from across the country. The hymnal event coincided with the national meeting of Polyphony, the Fellowship of Pastoral Musicians.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

"I have known for 20 years that the time would come for me to leave institutional ministry for a local church setting – it’s time," said Durham, a 1994 graduate of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. "When I decided more than a year ago to move closer to my daughters in central North Carolina, I knew that it was also time to make this ministry transition. I am pursuing bi-vocational ministry among people for whom traditional church doesn’t typically work."

The CBF Foundation exists to raise and manage endowment funds for CBF strategic initiatives and CBF partner organizations and churches. The Foundation is an autonomous organization, closely linked to the Fellowship, but governed by a separate board of trustees.

Durham, 40, has been working with the Foundation’s board since July 2009 to ensure a smooth transition. The board is conducting a national search for a replacement and would like to have someone in place by mid 2010.

"Don’s leadership has allowed the Foundation to provide meaningful support to the work of the Fellowship into the 21st century," said Rebecca Wiggs, a Mississippi attorney and current chair of the Foundation’s board. "He has helped create a genuine partnership between Baptist agencies, churches and families who want to be effective stewards of their money so that the ministry of CBF will be ongoing. Don’s skills for both ministry and financial planning have helped us develop the Foundation in such a way that it will be a resource for the next generation of God’s people."

Responsible for all facets of managing the CBF Foundation, Durham’s primary focus was on securing fund management clients among CBF churches and partners with endowment funds of their own, and providing endowment and stewardship promotion planning services tailored to the local situation and culture of each of the congregations or partners.

By focusing on building funds under management, Durham was able to bring the Foundation to the break-even point in 2008 as projected. This growth allowed the Foundation to add another full time staff position to give primary focus to the Foundation’s long term reason for existing – work with individual donors who can and will make transformational gifts to endowments for the work of the Fellowship and its partners.

He increased the number of CBF Foundation clients by more than double from 17 to 43, and he attracted the first multi-million dollar fund management clients for the Foundation. He secured more than $10 million in fund management accounts and realized estate gifts including the Foundation’s largest realized estate gift to date – over $1.2 million to endow CBF Global Missions field personnel salaries.

"We’ve been blessed by Don Durham," said Daniel Vestal, the Fellowship’s executive coordinator. "Don has approached his work with the deeply-held conviction that financial management and investment not only contributes to help make ministry happen, it is a ministry. He is one of the most gifted development specialists I have ever worked with. CBF has a brighter future because of Don Durham."

A major focus of Durham’s work with the foundation was in his role as a consultant to congregations for planning their endowment promotions in ways that fit the local culture of the church and integrate well with the larger mission and vision of each church.

"Don Durham and the CBF Foundation have been of immeasurable help in getting our Planned Giving Campaign moving and on the right track," said Paul McElroy, co-chair of the Planned Giving Team at First Baptist Church, Winston-Salem, N.C. "He helped us develop an outline of important issues and milestones and spoke to our congregation several times on Planned Giving. The CBF Foundation will be a repository for the gifts and manage the investments for our church. We owe a lot to Don and CBF Foundation."

In addition to helping churches connect their endowments with their missions, Durham led CBF Foundation to offer churches a way to invest a portion of their endowment principal in micro enterprise development loans to entrepreneurial borrowers in poor countries who use the loans to start or expand businesses to support their families.

"I’m more proud of this than anything we’ve done during my time with the Foundation," Durham said. "Churches get really energized when they realize they can invest their endowments in microfinance and do as much good with the principal as with the proceeds. Over a 5 year period, an investment of just $10,000 can offer more than 500 individuals the best opportunity they can have to lift themselves out of poverty – and stay out."

The foundation has just over $1 million committed to microfinance investments so far.

"I’ve spent the last 15-20 years helping pay for an awful lot of good ministry as a fund raiser," he said. "However, I believe it’s time for me to transition to a more direct expression of local ministry with my sleeves rolled up as one seeking to be the presence of Christ."

Learn more about the Foundation at www.cbff.org.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

CBF field personnel Nancy and Steve James will continue coordinating medical work in Cap-Haitien – about 100 miles north of Port-au-Prince. Scott Hunter, one of CBF’s former field personnel serving on temporary assignment, is establishing an operation base southwest of Port-au-Prince, near the epicenter where 98 percent of all local structures were either damaged or totally destroyed. Soon, the Fellowship will be able to receive volunteers in this heavily affected area.

There are limited volunteer opportunities available now for individuals and teams to help prepare the operation base. Once the base is finished, the Fellowship will send more volunteers into the region. Service opportunities include debris cleanup, reconstruction, administrative services, supply logistics and providing medical services.

The Jameses, CBF field personnel co-appointed with American Baptist Churches USA, have served in Haiti for years as healthcare professionals. For days after the quake, Steve, a physician, treated survivors at Haiti Health Ministries’ Christianville Clinic, less than four miles from the quake’s epicenter and close to where the CBF base is being prepared.

"We who have been in Haiti many years have lived with hearing and witnessing terrible tragedies. Yet this present disaster has shaken all of us in the scope and breadth of pain for so many," Steve James said.

The Jameses and Hunter, who previously coordinated portions of the Fellowship’s response to the 2004 Asian tsunami, will soon be joined by Tori Wentz, one of CBF’s medical field personnel based in Virginia.

Those desiring to volunteer must sign up on the Fellowship’s Web site at http://www.thefellowship.info/Disaster-Response-Application. The Fellowship will match the skills and resources of volunteers with on-site needs to ensure a meaningful and effective response.

The Fellowship’s long-term disaster response plan includes working with ministry partners to provide medical services, access to clean water, spiritual formation and pastoral care. Efforts will also include work with children and orphanages, microenterprise development among women and construction of earthquake resistant housing.

As of Feb. 5, more than $193,135 has been contributed to the Fellowship’s Haiti response effort. Also, Fellowship Baptists have sent more than 4.3 tons of medical supplies worth more than $153,000 to CBF partner North Stuart Baptist Church in Stuart, Fla., where the supplies are repackaged and sent to Haiti.

"We thank God for each of you who have loved, prayed and cared for the suffering ones of Haiti and the world," James said.

To give to the relief effort, visit the Fellowship’s donate page, https://www.thefellowship.info/Give/Donate.aspx?fund=17015 or send your check to Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, P.O. Box 101699, Atlanta, GA 30392, indicating fund No. 17015 "Haiti Response." Under newly-passed legislation, donations to Haiti response made between Jan. 12 and Feb. 28 will be eligible for deduction on 2009 taxes.

To contribute medical supplies, download the list of items needed from the Fellowship’s Web site at www.thefellowship.info/haiti.

Updates about the Fellowship’s response and recovery efforts will be posted at its blog, www.thefellowship.info/blog.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

"Within the Baptist family 20 years ago the Holy Spirit quickened, awakened, aroused and empowered Baptists to dream, act and organize in creative new ways so as to give witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ," said CBF executive coordinator Daniel Vestal. "Our 20th General Assembly is a marker of God’s goodness."

Among the new events at this year’s historic meeting is a special missions emphasis June 24 called "Discover Your Passion." Led by CBF field personnel and other ministers, the event will challenge attendees to explore and connect with specific areas of CBF missions ministry, such as poverty, justice, education and faith sharing.

Another all-new event is the Essentials Conference. Designed for church leaders, including deacons, staff, teachers and committee members, the Essentials Conference offers four 75-minute learning sessions on 14 practical topics, including deacon ministry, stewardship, evangelism, pastoral care skills, church planning, age-group teaching and more.

The Assembly theme, "And so we are…" (1 John 3:1-2), will be explored in evening worship services, which feature preaching by Bill Leonard and Lauren Winner, both from North Carolina. Leonard, dean and professor at Wake Forest University Divinity School in Winston-Salem, will speak June 24 about Baptist life. Winner, the author of Girl Meets God, Mudhouse Sabbath and Real Sex: The Naked Truth about Chastity, will speak June 25 about the future of mainline churches. Winner, who teaches at Duke Divinity School in Durham, will also lead a morning prayer retreat on June 26.

Other Assembly highlights include:

As in previous years, the Assembly will offer auxiliary events hosted by CBF partners, events for children and youth, state and regional CBF organization meetings, a resource fair, workshops, business sessions and more. The Assembly will be held in the Charlotte Convention Center and the Westin Hotel, both in downtown Charlotte.

While registration for the Assembly is free, some events require advance paid registration. More information about the Assembly, including online registration and hotel discounts, is available at

Formed in 1991, the Fellowship celebrates its 20th anniversary at next year’s General Assembly June 23-24, 2011, in Tampa, Fla.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

The Jameses, CBF field personnel co-appointed with International Ministries of American Baptist Churches USA, have served in Haiti for years as health care professionals. From Jan. 16-23, Steve, a physician, treated survivors at Haiti Health Ministries’ Christianville Clinic, less than four miles from the quake’s epicenter.

"So many have lost so much," Steve wrote in an e-mail update. "Yet only in the wisdom of God and the love of Jesus can glimpses of meaning be found in the midst of all this suffering."

As of Jan. 21, more than $49,600 has been contributed to the Fellowship’s Haiti response effort. These funds will be used for the Fellowship’s developing response, which could include responding to long-term needs ranging from sanitation and clean water to medical care and rebuilding homes. Scott Hunter, who formerly served as one of CBF’s field personnel in Asia, has arrived in Haiti for a three-month assignment to help the Jameses develop and coordinate CBF’s response. Previously, Hunter coordinated the Sri Lankan portion of the Fellowship’s response to the 2003 Asian tsunami.

In Port-au-Prince and the surrounding areas medical supplies are still needed, and the Jameses have provided a list of the most needed items. Individuals and churches are encouraged to download this list from the Fellowship’s web site at www.thefellowship.info/haiti and ship donated supplies to North Stuart Baptist Church, a CBF partner congregation in Stuart, Fla. Supplies are being sorted, re-packaged and transported to nearby Fort Pierce, where they will be flown into Haiti by Missionary Flights International.

CBF partners such as Conscience International have also been responding in Haiti. In addition to sending medical supplies, Conscience International sent a three-person medical team to treat earthquake survivors Jan. 16-21 in Port-au-Prince. Also, Fellowship-partner the Baptist World Alliance through its relief arm, Baptist World Aid, sent its Rescue 24 team to provide emergency medical services.

To give to the relief effort, visit the Fellowship’s donate page, https://www.thefellowship.info/Give/Donate.aspx?fund=17015 or send your check to Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, P.O. Box 101699, Atlanta, GA 30392, indicating fund No. 17015 "Haiti Response." Under newly-passed legislation, donations to Haiti response made between Jan. 12 and Feb. 28 will be eligible for deduction on 2009 taxes.

Updates about the Fellowship’s response and recovery efforts will be posted at its blog, www.thefellowship.info/blog.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Located in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., Smokey Mountain Christian Village (SMCV) provides retreat and meeting space for churches, groups and individuals.

"We see Smoky Mountain Christian Village as being a valuable partner in our mission by providing sacred space for churches, ministry partners and staff to gather in pursuit of our desire to be the presence of Christ in our world as we train, worship and fellowship," said Daniel Vestal, CBF’s executive coordinator.

As part of the partnership, the Fellowship will promote SMCV’s facilities at regional and national gatherings. The Fellowship will receive 5 percent of the gross revenue from any bookings by a CBF-related entity or individuals.

"Smoky Mountain Christian Village was created to allow the frequent Christian visitors to the area to have a safe, Christian and cost-effective environment for their gatherings," said Randy Tullos, board chairman of SMCV. "There are very few venues in the area where as many as 480 Christians can gather, fellowship and retreat with guests who are of the same mind."

SMCV was founded in 2009 after five years of operation as a secular facility. It’s mission is "to provide Christian groups, ministries and families with a comfortable Christian environment in which to retreat, train or simply get away from the secular world."

To learn more about Smokey Mountain Christian Village go to www.tsmcv.org.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

The Jameses, CBF field personnel co-appointed with American Baptist Churches USA, are safe. They were in the U.S. attending a conference and have returned to Haiti, where they will be gathering a team and traveling to Port-au-Prince to assess how to respond. Both medical professionals, the Jameses are bringing emergency medical supplies with them and plan to establish a staging area from which the Fellowship’s response supplies and efforts will be channeled.

“We need your prayers for all the suffering ones and for us to know how God might want to use us,” Steve wrote in an e-mail update.

While not a first responder in such disasters, the Fellowship will focus its efforts on making a long-term impact in the affected region, working significantly with ministry partners.

“It’s going to take coordination [with partners]. No one can do this alone,” said David Harding, the Fellowship’s coordinator for international disaster response.

The Fellowship has already connected with partners such as Conscience International, which is sending a medical team to Haiti by early next week; Crosslink International, which has already received donations of medical equipment to accompany the first teams to go in to the affected region; and Virginia Baptist Mission Board, which will help connect Fellowship Baptists with volunteer opportunities in the coming weeks and months. The Fellowship is continuing to connect with other partners. 

“As CBF field personnel and partners are listening on the field for needs and resources, CBF churches and individuals will be called on to share their resources, skills sets, and specialized training,” said Chris Boltin, short term assignments and partnerships manager. “We need to hear from you so that when specific projects are identified, we will be able to quickly match the need with the resource.”

Those interested in and available to travel to Haiti should visit www.thefellowship.info/Disaster-Response-Application to list their skills and experience. The first teams will be deploying as early as next week.

To give to the relief effort, visit the Fellowship’s donate page, https://www.thefellowship.info/Give/Donate.aspx?fund=17015 or send your check to Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, P.O. Box 101699, Atlanta, GA 30392, indicating fund No. 17015 “Haiti Response.”

Updates about the Fellowship’s response and recovery efforts will be posted at its blog, www.thefellowship.info/blog. Those with a desire for a deeper level involvement are invited to join the Haiti Network at http://fellowshipportal.ning.com/group/haitipartnersforchrist.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

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In Mexico, the Fellowship provided $2,500 to victims of flooding in the Tabasco region, where some areas were underwater for more than 10 days. According to Associated Press reports, floodwaters forced more than 40,000 people from their homes. The funds are being utilized by local ministry groups such as the Mexico Baptist Convention.

In El Salvador, where Hurricane Ida made landfall in early November and killed more than 190 people, the Fellowship has contributed $5,000 to aid victims.  The funds were provided to two Baptist conventions in the country: Asociacion Bautista de El Salvador and Federacion Bautista de El Salvador.

Recovery efforts continue in Indonesia, following major earthquakes in late September and early October. CBF field personnel are exploring ways to help local residents rebuild houses that have a better chance of surviving future earthquakes.

Financial contributions to relief and recovery efforts for the earthquake can be made online at www.thefellowship.info/Give/Donate.aspx?fund=17016. Because disasters can happen anywhere and at anytime, the Fellowship also has a general disaster response fund that provides immediate emergency relief.  Contributions can be made at https://www.thefellowship.info/Give/Donate.aspx?fund=DR.  Gifts by mail can be sent to  Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, P.O. Box 101699, Atlanta, GA 30392, indicating fund No. 17016 "Earthquake Response” or No. 17000 “Disaster Response.”

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

• Bo Prosser, the Fellowship’s coordinator for congregational formation, introduced the Council to the You’ve Got The Time, an initiative to enlist all partnering congregations in a Bible listening program next year. The Fellowship is offering a free MP3 New Testament to every person in a partner church and others who support the work of the Fellowship who agrees to engage in listening to God’s word. The Fellowship is asking churches to designate a 40-day period during 2010 to participate in this transformational ministry.

• An update on the 2010 General Assembly, to be held June 24-25 in Charlotte, N.C., was given by Connie McNeill, the Fellowship’s coordinator of administration. The theme for this year’s event is “And so we are,” based on 1 John 3:1. This will be the 20^th General Assembly for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Bill Leonard, dean of the Wake Forest School of Divinity, and Lauren Winner, professor of Christian spirituality at Duke Divinity School.

• An update on the recent global missions strategic visioning process included an overview of the four priorities that have emerged ‒ innovative models for missional engagement in the 21^st century; focus on ministries affecting justice reconciliation; ministries affecting the most neglected; and empowerment, involvement and encouragement of local leadership through ministry training.

• The Finance Committee approved a 5 percent administrative fee that will be applied to designated gifts, with the exceptions of gifts for field personnel funding, the CBF Offering for Global Missions and CBF state and regional organizations.

• Don Durham, president of the CBF Foundation, reported that the Fellowship’s investments had rebounded and now totaled approximately $16 million under management with the Foundation. Overall, the Foundation’s investments had recovered and now are at a more than $30 million.

• Keith Herron, chair of the personnel committee, presented a statement of affirmation related to one of the priorities: “The personnel committee affirms CBF’s efforts to honor, race, gender and generations and encourages the continuation of this focus in all operational areas for the on-going health of the organization.”

Following Typhoon Parma, which made landfall Oct. 3, the Fellowship sent $5,000 to the Philippine Baptist Theological Seminary. This seminary is one of nine schools in the Asia Baptist Graduate Theological Seminary consortium, a CBF Global Missions partner.

The Philippine seminary is located in Baguio, a mountain city where heavy rain – some of the worst in decades – caused fatal landslides. The landslides blocked or destroyed many roads, making relief supplies difficult to provide to the thousands who have been displaced from their homes. According to Associated Press reports, more than 850 deaths have been caused by Parma and Tropical Storm Ketsana, which hit Sept. 26.

In Indonesia, CBF field personnel continue their response to two major earthquakes that struck the Indonesian island of Sumatra on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. CBF field personnel have treated hundreds of survivors for related injuries and diseases. Now, they seek to help families rebuild in a region where more than 140,000 homes were destroyed by the most recent quakes.

Rebuilding in Indonesia is challenging as the country sits along a major fault line, making it susceptible to many earthquakes, including the 2004 tsunami that led to more than 230,000 deaths across Southeast Asia.

Local residents, including many who live on less than $2 a day, need homes that can withstand future earthquakes.

"That could make the difference between a house collapsing on a family and the family being able to get out to safety," said one of CBF’s field personnel serving in the area. "There are so many ways that we can be the hands of Christ to people that have nothing left but their lives and rubble."

One way is by providing a construction booklet to families, teaching them how to build a more earthquake resistant home.

Financial contributions to relief and recovery efforts for the earthquake can be made online at www.thefellowship.info/Give/Donate.aspx?fund=17016. Because disasters can happen anywhere and at anytime, the Fellowship also has a general disaster response fund that provides immediate emergency relief. Contributions can be made at https://www.thefellowship.info/Give/Donate.aspx?fund=DR. Gifts by mail can be sent to Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, P.O. Box 101699, Atlanta, GA 30392, indicating fund No. 17016 "Earthquake Response" or No. 17000 "Disaster Response."

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Scott is one of those broken. He was an out-of-work mechanic and former drug addict with no other place to turn when he showed up at one of Canvas’s monthly community lunches. Church members John and Anabel — taking seriously the Canvas challenge of being an inclusive and redemptive community — took Scott in.

"Their offer was a gesture that spoke volumes to Scott about a God that joins us in the chaos of our struggle, surrounds us and begins to journey with us toward redemption," Collins said. "With a place to stay and a supportive community, Scott quickly found work, began to get his finances in order and joined us for worship."

Canvas was organized in October 2008. The church doesn’t track membership but has 20-50 people meeting together on Sunday nights. They met first in homes, then a bar, and now, are moving from place to place until they can find more permanent space.

Collins described CBF as "relentlessly supportive."

"They helped us to ask important questions, and challenged us to think through the implications of realizing our dream," he said. "They took us seriously and opened their hearts to the possibility that God was moving in an unlikely group of misfits in DeLand. They’ve since covenanted with us as supporters of the church and provided financial assistance, resources and education."

And what about Scott? "Several weeks into his restoration, Scott relapsed and began using drugs again," Ben said. "This greatly complicated John and Anabel’s agreement with him and took the wind out of our sails.

"It was at this point, however, that we really were challenged with how the future of the church was going to look," Ben said. "How do we continue to love those so difficult to love, who throw our graciousness in our face, who lie, manipulate, take advantage and abuse our goodwill?

"We’re a young congregation, and the learning curve of practical faithfulness to the person and way of Jesus is proving to be steep," he said. "But, we continue to spend countless hours praying, discerning and pouring our lives into wrestling with how we can incarnate Jesus for those who are disinterested, disenchanted, disenfranchised, distrustful and self-destructive... we can’t think of a better way to be church."

With a strong desire for true cooperation and fellowship among believers, Powell ached over political discord in the church she had been a member of for 73 years. In response to seeing the young people in the church "losing their calling because they were abandoned and pushed out," in early 2009, she and her husband, Jack, began inviting youth to their home on Wednesday nights, providing supper and Bible study. At the same time, they began researching starting a new church – one that would focus on "true spiritual community," not only welcoming young people, but also encouraging them to find ways to serve.

Through a friend, the Powells learned of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, and its focus on missions, emphasis on the autonomy of the local church and equality in leadership resonated strongly with their ideals. The Powells, along with a small band of other "disenfranchised" people, began to meet and discuss the formation of a new church. They wrote a covenant, statement of beliefs and mission statement.

On Easter Sunday of this year, Centerpoint Community Fellowship held its first service in borrowed space. Now offering Sunday School, worship, a mid-week Bible study for youth, women’s prayer group meetings and sometimes an outdoor service in a local park, the church has a core group of 25-30 people, including three youth who lead in contemporary praise and worship music with drums and guitars.

"CBF has supported us with encouragement and friendship, phone calls and financially by providing materials for a children’s day camp," said Calaway. "We believe that young people are not just the future, they are the present. Equipping all believers, and especially our youth, for a life of Christian service and ministry is what we are all about."

"The Lord is really, really blessing us every way we turn," said Powell. "We could not ask for any greater God."

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship's mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

In December 2006, Alabama CBF named Camacho pastor of the new church start, which would serve the growing number of Hispanics in the Birmingham area. The first services were held in June 2007 in the living room of the apartment where Jorge and his wife, Maria Pueblo, lived.

Two couples joined them for the first service, and after three months, the congregation had grown to 12. At that point, they rented a community clubhouse. By September 2008, the church had grown even more and another move was warranted to a larger rental space.

Today, the congregation of 65 holds Bible study and worship service on Sunday and has a Wednesday prayer service. Camacho hopes to start a Friday night service soon to accommodate those who cannot attend at other times. Members come from Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Mexico.

Over the past two years, the church has baptized 22 people and is sponsoring a new congregation in Clanton, Ala. -- Iglesia Bautista Neuvo Vida.

CBF and Alabama CBF have helped Jesús el Buen Pastor get started, and so have several local congregations including Riverchase, Vestavia Hills, and Shades Crest Baptist churches.

"The church has solid partnerships with Alabama CBF Anglo congregations," said David King, the Fellowships associate for CBF New Church Starts. "Jorge’s bi-vocational work and energy to plant the church is also amazing. The changing demographics of the Hispanic population in Hoover and surrounding areas in Alabama is interesting and Alabama CBF is responding."

"Even though many of our members are out of work right now, I think they are very happy," Camacho said. "Our people are very strong. We work together with the same faith and I think that is something that will make the church stronger as we move forward, no matter how hard it is."

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship's mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Amy and Andy Wilson and their three children had previously helped start Trinity Baptist Church in nearby Cordova, Tenn. "As school teachers in Olive Branch, they wanted to become part of a church within their own community that values CBF affiliation," said Martha Strong, whose husband, Chuck, is pastor of Olive Branch Fellowship.

The Wilsons talked with leaders from CBF of Mississippi and Tennessee CBF about their willingness to help with another church start. They found Maxine Moseley and Carolyn Wray, who also were seeking a CBF-friendly church in the Olive Branch area, and began working with the two state CBF organizations and Trinity to help sponsor the new church. Enlisting the help of the Strongs, who moved from Senatobia, Miss., to Olive Branch as church planters, the group soon gained additional support from First and Second Baptist Churches in Memphis.

Olive Branch Fellowship held its first worship service in March 2005. Today, the church has about 40 members with 25-35 in attendance on Sunday and 25-30 on Wednesday evenings.

"One aspect of our church that all our members seem to appreciate is our willingness to have open, thoughtful discussions of questions about the Bible, the church and God that allows us to agree to disagree when needed but always to approach our study with commitment to explore the Holy Spirit’s leading in our lives," Martha said.

The congregation meets in a free-standing building that is part of the Pigeon Roost Place shopping center in Old Towne Olive Branch. They are looking for a larger facility to provide significantly more classroom, office and storage space. "Finding affordable property that is also suitably located is proving to be a significant challenge for our congregation," said Martha.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship's mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

If Jamestown Baptist Church – primarily a white congregation in a community that had become mostly populated with working class African Americans – was moving, what did God intend for the left-behind church building?

Adamson knew the answer. "God was calling me to the site," she said.

Deciding to go see the pastor, Adamson said, "I told him I was praying for his building fund. ‘Why?’ he asked. ‘Because you’re in my church,’ I said. He told me I must have been faithful in small things and that I was an answer to prayer. Within three weeks, he was giving me a key to the church for a Bible study."

Three years later, on October 1, 2006, Palmetto Missionary Baptist Church was formally established. Today, the core group of 35 people continue their mid-week meetings at Jamestown Baptist, but because the Jamestown congregation has not yet moved, Adamson’s church holds worship services in another local church, St. Paul’s Episcopal.

Adamson finds the situation freeing. "We’re virtually a church without walls. Because of [the other churches’] generosity, we can serve the community with our resources. Servant evangelism is our major focus."

Thanks to a $25,000 CBF "It’s Time" grant, volunteers from Palmetto Missionary Baptist now run an after-school music and arts academy for 134 children in the community at a local elementary school. The culturally-enriching program includes character education learning through African drumming and dancing. Volunteers hope to add a guitar lab this year.

During the summer, the church partnered with local organizations to offer character education through drumming, nutrition help and Bible study at a housing project. The church also holds quarterly free yard sales – where furniture, clothing, books and toys are given away. "We are learning to divest ourselves," said Adamson.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship's mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

In April 2008 they began seriously exploring some of the key questions of church starting: who, what, where, how, when and why. Between work and school they spent their off hours collecting demographic data, raising prayer support, going on prayer walks, asking theological questions, gathering expert advice and critiques, researching church starts, formulating plans and talking with local community members and leaders.

After graduating from McAfee in May 2009, the Deans decided to work in Edgewood, a growing and transitioning neighborhood east of downtown Atlanta that is home to nearly 17,000 economically, racially and educationally diverse people.

"Composed predominantly of single adult and single-parent households, this is a community that has great potential for Christian ministry," Nathan said. "An estimated 80 percent of the people within a one mile radius of the center of Edgewood are not actively involved in church (13,450 people)."

The Deans want to change that statistic with a new church and are "getting to know the people and the rhythm of the neighborhood," Carrie said. "We are not aiming to start by a specific date, but focusing on establishing a reputation of trust and hoping to gather a core group of 10-12 people from the neighborhood who want to be a part of a missional church.

"Our intention is to be a church that is connected and relevant to its community," Carrie said. "All our efforts in the Edgewood neighborhood share the goal of developing positive relationships as well as growing in our understanding of the people, culture and community rhythm of Edgewood," she said.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship's mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Believing that he needed to relocate to a part of the country where Christianity was not a deep-seated part of the culture, Ryan felt drawn to one of the least churched states in America – Montana.

"Traditional church models are an abject failure out here," Tucker said. "Only 11 percent of people in Montana associate themselves with a denomination or faith." 

Fighting culture shock and the peculiar sense that in his new home, ministry was not as easily definable as it had been, Ryan and his wife, Courtney, pressed on with support from the Fellowship, focusing on investing themselves in people instead of programs. In the fall and winter of 2008, the Tuckers hosted a Bible study, attended by 12 people. 

The following spring saw the group diminished to six people. It felt like a setback. But in May, despite the decrease in numbers, The Well at Billings was formally established. Now, 20 people comprise the core group, and 35-40 show up weekly to listen to Tucker preach. 

Defining church as "not a place, but a body of people," The Well at Billings espouses non-traditional Christian tenets, avoiding the use of "churchy" words, forgoing the responsibility of owning or leasing a building so that more money can be invested in missions, and refusing to rule anything out because of "the way it might look." 

As a case in point, The Well at Billings holds Sunday evening "gatherings" at a microbrewery warehouse downtown, bearing witness to the belief that though man may look at outward things, God looks at the heart. 

Committed to helping and serving people, the church shares 50 percent of its resources with its missional partners and seeks to address the needs of the most neglected in the local community through service projects.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship's mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

ATLANTA – The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has initiated a response to the major earthquakes in Indonesia and is continuing the response to severe flooding in areas of Georgia.

CBF field personnel are traveling to the disaster zone on the Indonesian island of Sumatra to deliver supplies and explore how the Fellowship and its partners can collaborate to provide relief assistance. Rescue personnel from BWAid, the disaster relief arm of CBF partner Baptist World Alliance, are also on their way to the region.

The Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 quakes – registering 7.6 and 6.6 magnitude, respectively – have left more than 1,100 dead, according to Associated Press reports, with that number expected to climb as rescuers continue their search for survivors amid the rubble.

In Georgia, many families continue recovering from late September flooding that damaged many houses in the Atlanta area. In Austell, Ga., the Fellowship has identified one neighborhood of significant damage where Fellowship Baptists could provide assistance insulating houses, hanging and finishing drywall, and painting.

"There are compelling reasons to step in and model the presence of Christ to people who have literally lost everything," said Charles Ray, the Fellowship’s national coordinator for disaster response.

Randy Shepley, pastor of First Baptist Church in Tucker, Ga., is serving as the local disaster response coordinator. To find out more about service opportunities, contact Shepley at rshepley@fbctucker.org, (770) 938-1688 or Chris Boltin, the Fellowship’s short-term assignments and partnerships manager, at cboltin@thefellowship.info, (800) 352-8741.

Financial contributions to relief and recovery efforts for the earthquake can be made online at www.thefellowship.info/Give/Donate.aspx?fund=17016 and gifts for the flood response can be made at www.thefellowship.info/give/donate.aspx?fund=17006. Gifts can also be sent by mail to Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, P.O. Box 101699, Atlanta, GA 30392, indicating either fund No. 17006 "Atlanta Floods" or fund No. 17016 "Earthquake Response."

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

The man is David Jackson, a member of Immanuel for 30 years who died in 2008. The clinic is in the village of Katombora, where Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel Fran and Lonnie Turner identified the need but had no funds to complete the project.

Jackson had “a long and storied career in Kentucky,” said Jane Brake, chair of the evangelism and missions team at Immanuel. He was president of a Baptist boarding school for troubled and disadvantaged youth; and held leadership positions in community mental health, the state juvenile justice cabinet, vocational rehabilitation and the state department of education.

“But more than all that,” Brake said, “he was a tremendous witness for what it means to walk daily as a follower of Jesus Christ.”

When Jackson died last August, after a short battle with brain cancer, Immanuel wanted to honor his memory, and decided to raise the $50,000 needed to build and equip the maternity clinic. The church kicked off its fundraising campaign on Feb. 1, Super Bowl Sunday, and hopes to have reached it goal by Dec. 5, Jackson’s birthday.

Brake said Immanuel hopes construction on the clinic can begin this summer after the rainy season.

“The maternity clinic is being built to address maternal health and reduce child mortality,” the Turners said in an e-mail “Many women in the rural areas are forced to give birth at home; therefore, when complications arise they find themselves many miles away from an urban area and medical facilities. To have access to a clinic in the urban areas, the women must walk or be pushed in a wheelbarrow through the ‘bush,’ which is home to many wild animals and snakes. If they reach the main road, they have to find an automobile to get them into the city. This can be very expensive indeed.”

The new maternity clinic in Katombora is in a rural area and will provide labor wards;
showers and toilets; pre-natal and post-natal care; and volunteer counseling and testing for HIV/AIDS.

Immanuel averages about 150 in attendance. “You can see that taking on a fund raising project of $50,000 is quite a challenge for such a small congregation,” Brake said. But by early April, the church had already raised $31,803, which is 64 percent of the goal. Sunday School classes have collected money, church groups have planned special events and members have developed creative fundraising ideas.

The church has also sought contributions from outside sources and organizations of which Jackson was a part.

“David truly lived as a humble man, always seeking to learn more about God and pursue justice for the disadvantaged,” Brake said. “He was an ordained minister who served many churches in Kentucky. Despite having numerous physical infirmities that caused him to struggle with walking, with using his hands and with vision, David projected a vibrant spirit, always full of stories and loving to laugh. David was a magnet for young people. They flocked to him because he was tolerant, firm and loving and always positive and supportive.”

“David was a person of great faith,” said Chuck Queen, Immanuel’s pastor. “But he did not merely believe in a God of love, he emulated and embodied that love in many ways, with family, friends, and with people he hardly knew. He shared his wisdom humbly from the perspective of one who was still learning and growing. His mind was as open as a new seminary student eager to explore faith and grow.” 

“In addition to all of this,” Brake said. “David loved missions and always encouraged foreign missionaries as he had nurtured many in his ministry. He was particularly fond of the Turners. I can't think of anything else that we could be doing right now that honors David, partners with our fellow Kentuckians, the Turners, and represents the best of what can happen when CBF churches work together for the kingdom.”

To learn about partnership opportunities with the Turners contact Chris Boltin at engage@thefellowship.info or (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

ATLANTA – In the tropical climate of Southeast Asia, one of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s field personnel is working to bring justice to some of the most marginalized people in the world.

Describing her passion as wanting to “see the world’s most neglected set free to experience life in rewarding and liberating ways,” Lindsay advocates on behalf of women and children in a region where human trafficking is a serious problem.

Described by the U.S. Department of State as a “multi-dimensional threat,” human trafficking not only deprives individuals of their human rights and freedoms, it increases global health risks and fuels the growth of organized crime, undermining the health, safety and security of every nation it touches.

Southeast Asia accounts for about a third of the estimated 800,000 women, children and men who are trafficked globally each year. Most face forced labor and/or sexual exploitation. Others are forced into armed conflict and drug trafficking. Although exact figures are impossible to obtain, it is believed that 80 percent of human trafficking victims are female and 50 percent are children.

“Thousands of women and children are exploited each and every day, thus unable to see God among them,” said Lindsay. “I hope to empower women and children to see God at work in their lives by encouraging them to seek justice and mercy in their own life situations.”

Currently at work on a child safety curriculum for small village schools along a river route in Indonesia, Lindsay is focused on providing culturally appropriate information that will reduce child exploitation and disarm potential perpetrators.

“According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the majority of perpetrators of children are people the parents or child already knows,” said Lindsay. “Couple this disturbing fact with the explosion of sex tourism and human trafficking in Southeast Asia in recent years, and you have a very dangerous environment for young children.”

Lindsay’s curriculum – geared for children ages 3-12 – has goals of empowering children, parents and communities; building self-confidence and self-esteem in children; promoting ‘safe living’ for families; and replacing fear with education. Lindsay hopes to begin training local teachers to implement the curriculum in local schools in the coming months.

“We believe children who are informed can make communities transform,” said Lindsay.

On a two-year assignment with CBF, Lindsay is also creating materials for a campaign related to human trafficking and pedophilia that is planned for the fall. When not writing new materials, she said, much of her time is spent investigating the work of non-governmental organizations and seeing if CBF might partner with them in their prevention work.

After returning from a recent Southeast Asia conference on child sex tourism, Lindsay said, “We hope to sponsor with new contacts made at the conference to begin raising awareness and implementing child safety training in some of the villages on another island in Southeast Asia.”

She also is involved in helping an autistic child who lives in a Hindu family compound receive the necessary funding to attend a school where his special needs can be met. Thanks to Lindsay's efforts to get to know the family, her work to establish a project fund for the boy, and the financial contribution and partnership of Snyder Memorial Baptist Church in Fayetteville, N.C., the boy will be able to begin a school for special needs children in the fall.

“The status of women and children in Asia is a great challenge,” she said. “Trying to teach communities to value those who are currently oppressed, and have been for years, is a daunting task – but extremely important if we are going to affect lasting change.”

To learn more about opportunities to partner with Lindsay’s ministry, contact Chris Boltin at engage@thefellowship.info or (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

As a teenager, Rosa did gain legal status, and she also got involved with LUCHA Ministries (Latinos United through Christ in Brotherhood and Support), a nonprofit in the Fredericksburg, Va., area directed by Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel Greg and Sue Smith. Rosa recently shared her story with a group of LUCHA teens after they prepared a grant proposal to a local foundation for a summer program for Latino middle- and high-school students.

Rosa said when she was finally able to visit Mexico, she better understood her parents and the sacrifices they had made. When she saw how happy her father was to see her grandfather, she realized he had given up time with his own parents. And her father told her how he had initially entered the United States by wading a river and running barefoot across a thorny bank. As he ran, he thought his feet felt wet because of the river; when he stopped he realized they were bleeding.

Having Rosa and her peers present the grant proposal is one way that LUCHA helps children of Latino immigrant families learn skills for success. The Smiths said that setting young Latino people on a productive path into the future has become a primary focus of their ministry.

After learning about her family’s story, Rosa said she is now determined to take advantage of the opportunities available to her, and she hopes to attend college or join the Air Force.

The Smiths’ youth ministry evolved from working with adults through efforts such LUCHA’s food pantry, a ministry they undertake with partner churches. The Smiths believe that it’s important to deal with immediate needs such as hunger, but it’s also important to engage in long-term efforts that might reduce the need for emergency help when today’s Latino adolescents are adults.

“The youth are suffering the same human needs, but the kids are not getting the support they need to grow up to become productive citizens,” said Sue Smith, a native of Carthage, Ark., and graduate of the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, Va., a Fellowship partner. 

Traditionally, Latino parents keep their children close to home, so the Smiths have worked to gain parents’ trust. They build relationships with families and make available for the children activities such as lock-ins, a trip to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., college visits and service programs such as a “Rights and Responsibilities Day” at a hospital, in which they encouraged teens to act as translators and advocates for their parents.

“This is not all about having fun and playing games,” Smith said. “We are helping these kids deal with tough issues of racism, power and discrimination. We teach them about responsibility.”

The Smiths, graduates of Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Ark., have also organized summer programs to help youth gain an understanding of their parents, the culture they came from, the culture they live in and what they can do to bridge the gaps. Unlike Rosa, most Latino youth do not have the opportunity to visit their parents’ home country and be exposed to its culture.

This summer’s emphasis will be on “cultural, personal and spiritual dignity.” For the teens, the highlight of the summer program for the past two years has been their participation in community service, serving meals to the homeless. This year, the Smiths will take 12 students to a Passport Inc. missions camp to engage in hands-on mission projects as well as to explore the motivation behind Christian service and mission.

To learn about partnership opportunities with the Smiths, including financial and prayer support or serving in Virginia, contact Chris Boltin at cboltin@thefellowship.info or (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

ATLANTA – On two islands in Southeast Asia, the presence of Christ can be found in ome unlikely places. Through a vegetable farm, a goat barn, water purification systems and a traveling medical boat, the love and hope of Jesus Christ is being shared with hundreds.

Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel Bryan and Rebecca Rosser* provide leadership for these vital ministries, having spent more than a decade serving in this predominantly Muslim region of Southeast Asia. There, the Rossers have seen agriculture and medical ministries change not only lives but hearts, too.

There’s a growing group of local Christians that are starting churches, sharing the gospel and running with a vision to see their community transformed. And the Rossers help that happen.

“The biggest part of our job is making it possible for local Christians to build relationships. Through those relationships, they can share Christ,” Bryan said. “We work with Christians in a local organization that in turn works with individuals in the villages.”

Several other CBF field personnel also work with this local organization, which each month provides a variety of life-giving ministries. New water purification systems are being installed, providing safe water that doesn’t spread disease. A medical boat travels on local rivers, daily seeing up to 90 patients that normally don’t have access to basic healthcare. Goats are helping provide 20 families with milk, fertilizer and income.

The ministry also started a fishing cooperative and a scholarship program, which provides much-needed access to education. After graduating high school, one scholarship recipient felt called to be a pastor. With a scholarship he was able to complete Bible school and is now a bi-vocational pastor in the small village where he was raised.

“He is doing very well and reaching out to the community as well as being a pastor of the believers,” Bryan said.

As the global economy continues to contract, localized poverty in these river communities continues to grow, creating seemingly endless human need. With another doctor, dentist and agriculture worker, the Rossers are convinced more lives could be touched. But for now they focus on maximizing the impact through what God has already provided.

Each year numerous CBF partnering congregations provide prayer and other support to the ministry. Faith Baptist Church in Georgetown, Ky., has sent a three-person team – a doctor, dentist and electrician. Two Georgia churches – First Baptist Church in Rome and First Baptist Church in Columbus – have traveled to lead camp programs for children of field personnel. Several churches in Virginia have sold handicrafts made by local village artisans, and many other congregations contribute in other ways, such as praying for and funding ministry projects.

“Church partnerships have been very important to the existence and expansion of the ministries here,” Rebecca said. “Their prayers and support are essential.  We gain so much encouragement through these relationships with churches.”

And encouragement is sometimes just what the Rossers need. Their ministry doesn’t come without obstacles. Some of the villagers have not been initially supportive of the ministry, but the Rossers think that’s slowly changing. One man who is suspected of setting fire to a Christian’s house several years ago now regularly invites Christians to visit in his home.

Being open to God’s leadership was how the Rossers ended up in Southeast Asia. Serving as CBF field personnel has been the fulfillment of many years of discernment and following God in the small steps, whether going on a mission trip to Kentucky – where they met each other – or resisting the temptation to follow their own plans for their lives.

Both attended school in Virginia, where Bryan studied dairy science and Rebecca pursued engineering, each later pursuing graduate studies at other schools. In 1996, they left their careers and home in Michigan to become CBF field personnel.

“Our calling is to share Christ’s love to those that are in the greatest need,” Rebecca said. “It is a passion I feel from God over and over again to be here doing what we do.”

Like many CBF field personnel, the Rossers’ ministry is funded by gifts to CBF’s Offering for Global Missions. Without financial gifts to the Offering, Bryan and Rebecca would be unable to serve among people whose lives can be so significantly changed by the love and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

“The Offering for Global Missions is what makes it possible for us to live and work in Asia,” Bryan said. “When Fellowship Baptists give to the Offering, they are becoming a part of the work of CBF field personnel all over the world, not just what we are doing.”

Give to support this life-changing ministry and others at www.thefellowship.info/Give/Donate.aspx?fund=GMOF5. This year’s goal is $6.1 million. Learn more at www.thefellowship.info/ogm.

For information on how you or your church can partner with the Rossers’ ministry, contact engage@thefellowship.info.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

The memorandum was signed July 1 on the eve of the CBF General Assembly in Houston, Texas.

“My hope and prayer is that several among our CBF family will sense a calling to ministry in Japan among our Japanese brothers and sisters,” said Rob Nash, the Fellowship’s coordinator of global missions. “This is a significant opportunity to express gifts of teaching and worship leadership in a challenging ministry context.”

In the three-year partnership, the Fellowship and Japan Baptist Convention will coordinate their efforts related to church planting, faith sharing and education ministries.

As part of the partnership, the Fellowship will work with the Convention to facilitate short-term mission engagements for Fellowship Baptists to serve at Convention churches in Japan. The primary ministry of mission personnel will be teaching English in the local churches.

“The Japanese Baptist Convention and CBF view this partnership as a creative and innovative means to share the love of Christ and increase the influence and number of Japanese Baptist churches,” said Harry Rowland, CBF’s director of missional church ministries. “For those willing to minister in a cross cultural environment this partnership provides a wonderful opportunity. The very fact that one speaks English is a missional tool which – with a little training – becomes the entry point for others being introduced to the love of God.”

The Japan Baptist Convention was formed by 12 churches in 1947 and founded on a commitment to church planting and mission work. Today, the Convention consists of more than 270 churches with approximately 34,000 members. The Convention is a financially independent missions sending and equipping organization.
 
To learn about partnership opportunities with the Japan Baptist Convention, contact Chris Boltin at engage@thefellowship.info or (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

“This partnership offers the local church a proven model of how to create a congregational mission experience in a local setting,” said Harry Rowland, CBF’s director of missional church ministries. “It is not enough to just believe that every Christian is a missionary. One also has to go on mission. CBF is committed to being a missional journey partner with congregations, and Operation Inasmuch assists local churches in how to use events to strategize long-term. In the partnership, we are helping churches transform their communities by being the presence of Christ.”

In the three-year partnership, the Fellowship and Operation Inasmuch will coordinate their efforts related to congregational engagement in local communities. The organizations will share resources and work together to foster transformational engagement both locally and globally.
 
Operation Inasmuch began in 1995 at Snyder Memorial Baptist Church in Fayetteville, N.C. Its mission is to “empower congregations worldwide to catalyze community ministry with the Operation Inasmuch model and create a culture of compassion ministry.” The organization facilitates regional and city-wide mission events through the training of local church leaders. The events are designed to provide people of all ages with opportunities to serve in a single day.
 
“We are pleased to enter into a working relationship with CBF to facilitate the mobilization of CBF congregations to be the hands and feet of Jesus in their community,” said David Crocker, executive director of Operation Inasmuch. “We share a common vision of seeing churches return to the biblical mandate to put good deeds with the good news as spelled out by Jesus in Nazareth in Luke 4. God will use this relationship to transform churches and communities.”
 
To learn about partnership opportunities with Operation Inasmuch, contact Chris Boltin at engage@thefellowship.info or (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Mostly Hispanic migrant workers, these caretakers do everything from groom and saddle horses to lift hay bales and clean stalls. It equates to long hours, low pay and a hard life, where they’re often invisible or overlooked – but not to Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel Diann and Phil Whisnand. 

As racetrack chaplains, the Whisnands are a spiritual presence on the “backside” of the Emerald Downs track, where nearly 800 workers, mostly migrants, will live and work through the end of racing season in October. 

By opening race day in mid-April, the number of racehorses at Emerald Downs grows to more than 1,250 racehorses – many of which earn less racing than what it costs to feed and care for them. With slim profit margins, workers are paid often below minimum wage, making it nearly impossible to afford living anywhere but the backside’s dorm rooms or in a small tack room with saddles, bridles and other equipment.

The backside is like “a small town in the middle of nowhere,” said the Whisnands, natives of Midland, Texas, complete with its own celebrations, defeats, good times and bad. And for all of that, the Whisnands are there, supporting an isolated, mostly male Hispanic population in the northwestern United States.

In the horse racing world, the Whisnands said Hispanics are often hired by horse trainers for their widely-known skill with high-spirited horses. In the off-season, some workers will move with the horses to another farm or training facility, and others might return home to their families in Mexico and Central and South America for a brief visit before returning to the track. 

“For many, it is a life of dangerous work, isolation, loneliness, alcohol, drugs, depression, suicide and even murder,” said Phil, a graduate of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. “We are there to offer them hope.”

Usually wearing a hat or coat with “CHAPLAIN” on it, the Whisnands are easy to notice and often called upon to help. Once, Phil was called to a barn, where a worker had just died of a heart attack. Later he delivered the devastating news to the man’s wife, who asked the Whisnands to conduct the funeral in a racetrack facility.

“It was an opportunity to speak to the whole backside about life after death,” said Diann, a graduate of the University of Texas in Austin, Texas.

The Whisnands offer chapel services and Bible studies in English and Spanish. Diann leads Spanish and English songs, and sometimes a worker brings an instrument and plays.  Phil preaches, and during one sermon about forgiveness, a man interrupted and asked why he should forgive people in that room who were mean to him. Phil encouraged him to do as Jesus said, looking at his own heart before blaming others.

“The man agreed and said he’d give it a try,” Phil said.

By the end of racing season, trust is built and some workers will linger after chapel or dinner to meet with the Whisnands about personal struggles or for spiritual counseling. Diann also looks for ways to specifically minister to the few women working at the track.

In a given week, the Whisnands’ ministry might include providing food, clothes, medicine and transportation to the doctor. Sometimes they visit the hospital when a worker has been injured. And most recently they have started a program to help connect addiction counselors to the many workers who fight loneliness and isolation through alcohol and drug use. “Without affordable or free intervention, it can easily spiral out of control,” Diann said. 

More and more the Whisnands are expanding the ministry to involve churches and Christians, who by helping with the ministry can minister in an international setting without leaving the United States. Already some churches gather clothes and blankets to donate or provide an occasional hot meal for workers, who may be “down to their last dollar” and worried about when their next meal will be.

One 75-year-old woman sponsored a migrant family for a Christmas outreach project.  Though she was nervous about interacting with people of another culture and language, she found purpose in the experience and wants to help again.

“Helping people discover and fulfill their God-given mission, even if they are 75 years old, is very worthwhile,” Diann said.

The Whisnands know a little something about joining God on mission. In 2005, after years of involvement in short-term missions in Mexico and Peru, Phil, a veterinarian, and Diann, an educator, left their jobs to be commissioned as CBF field personnel. As certified chaplains with Racetrack Chaplaincy of America, they began their work at Hollywood Park racetrack in Los Angeles and moved to Emerald Downs in 2008.

“I really feel at home when I am walking on the backstretch and talking with the workers, sharing God’s love,” Phil said.

“Christ was born in a manger, and that’s exactly the lowly place in which our ministry takes place. We walk with these ‘manger dwellers,’ talk with them, eat with them, and pray with them. We are their trusted friend. They can depend upon us for help,” Diann said.

As with many CBF field personnel, the Whisnands are financially supported through CBF’s Offering for Global Missions, which provides for operating expenses, salaries and life-changing ministries.

“The Offering allows us to live and work in the Seattle area. It provides a way for us to live out being the presence of Christ everyday,” Diann said.

To support the Whisnands and other CBF field personnel, please give the CBF Offering. Online contributions can be made at www.thefellowship.info/give.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

This is a woman who had by chance heard a message of hope through Jesus and decided to become a Christian. She is an indigenous church planter who now shares the same message she heard where she lives, a predominately Muslim country in the Middle East. She has no assurance when she begins her day that she will not be killed by the end of it for the work she is doing. For her, the risk she takes is worth letting others know about the hope in Jesus that she has found.

This year, a portion of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Offering for Religious Liberty and Human Rights will support this woman and dozens more who work through an international organization that trains new believers to build house churches.

“We are so excited [that this project] is included in the Carter Offering,” said Lita Sample, one of CBF’s field personnel. Sample and her husband, Rick, are based in Fremont, Calif., where they work with internationals in the Bay Area and partner with various groups to support work in the Middle East.

“There is no religious liberty outside of Islam in this country,” Sample said. “However, people are hungry for Christ and so very open to the gospel. But the laws and the punishments for converting are getting more strict.”

Currently 135 women have been formally trained as church planters. The Carter Offering will provide financial support for some of these women. A salary of $400 a month would provide for one woman’s basic needs and would be just above the poverty level.

“These women need support so they can continue to do what they do,” Sample said. “It is a great need for a great work. What we do here in the U.S. with prayer and financial support helps indigenous women to share the gospel – we share in reaching this part of the world.”

Each qualifying recipient of the funds has already planted at least three churches and is actively leading them, as well as actively witnessing and tithing. Each woman also has demonstrated that her priority is to do the work of her ministry; has completed foundational classes in Christianity, baptism and kingdom living; and has completed three basic leadership classes. The church planters are all associated with a particular international organization to which they are accountable through monthly reports and supervision.

Many Muslims find their way to these churches through indigenous language Christian broadcasts, but more and more also come through word of mouth as believers increase and share Christ throughout the Middle East.

“There are those that come to know Christ through this ministry,” she said. “When they come to know Christ, a local believer disciples and encourages them. After a time, they are introduced to a local church, or if there is none, a new church is planted.”

The Carter Offering will be collected during this year’s General Assembly in Houston, Texas, July 2-3. To learn more or contribute, go to www.thefellowship.info/carteroffering.
 
CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

• In the Gaza Strip evangelical believers are under pressure from both Muslims and the Israeli military.
• West Bank Christians struggle with Muslims there to gain government recognition for their buildings and programs. They also are prevented from visiting other nearby believers because of the dividing wall which separates Bethlehem from the rest of the West Bank.
• Belarus has enacted very severe laws against religious gatherings in homes and authorities have made church planting almost impossible because of a church needing a large number of members to be registered – nearly impossible for a church-start.
• Serbia has also adopted religion laws favoring only large traditional faith communities and excluding Baptists and other smaller faith communities.
• Turkmenistan has closed all places of worship other than traditional Muslim or Russian Orthodox traditions. 

The local private high school, Briarfield Academy, is on one side of the community and the public high school, Lake Providence Senior High School, is on the other. And as locals tell it, they don’t get together much. 

That’s what made this football clinic, held in conjunction with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Louisiana’s spring meeting, all the more significant. Though there are no CBF partnering congregations in Lake Providence or East Carroll Parish, the Fellowship has had a presence in the area for several years. Together for Hope, the Fellowship’s national rural poverty initiative, ministers in 20 of the poorest areas in the United States, and East Carroll Parish is one.

Together for Hope uses an assets-based approach to community ministry, building off what a community does well, existing resources and dreams for the future.  Ministries like the football clinic, which drew approximately 50 teenagers, help unite the community in order to build relationships and learn from one another, with the ultimate goal of working together to improve the community and reduce poverty.

“The camp was a good example of tapping people’s interests, skills and abilities,” said Jeremy Lewis, the Fellowship’s program manager for Together for Hope. “It’s welcoming to the community and lays a foundation for future relationships.”

The camp was led by Fitz Hill, president of Arkansas Baptist College in Little Rock, Ark., and a former football coach at the University of Arkansas and San Jose State University. After the clinic, the local football teams ate and worshipped together at a community rally, where Hill spoke about courage, comfort zones, getting to know neighbors and strength that comes through unity. 

At the end of Hill’s address, CBF of Louisiana announced that it would fund a scholarship to send a Lake Providence student to Arkansas Baptist College, with which CBF of Arkansas has a ministry partnership. A committee made up of local community members will soon be formed to select what Reid Doster, CBF of Louisiana’s coordinator, hopes will be the first of many students to receive a scholarship to the college.

In addition to the football clinic and community rally, CBF of Louisiana hosted a variety of community activities including a carnival, cookout, painting a mural and more.

“Through this [weekend] event I felt we extended some bridges of understanding. We’re not trying to present ourselves as people with all the answers. We’re just doing our part along with a lot of other people,” said Doster. “Every time we go to Lake Providence we deepen trust and strengthen friendships.”

More ministry events are planned later this summer. Approximately 200 teenagers will serve in the parish through a “Mission Serve” project July 12-18. At the end of the summer, CBF of Louisiana will host its annual back-to-school event, which provides backpacks and school supplies to school-aged children in East Carroll and nearby Tensas Parish.

For more information on Together for Hope, visit www.thefellowship.info/togetherforhope.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Gulf Coast began in October 2007 in Santa Fe, Texas located outside of Houston. It is one of numerous churches that cater to the western, outdoor horse lover. Participants worship in jeans and boots and listen to country-western music during the services.

“Our entire church culture is designed to be seeker sensitive,” said pastor Rocky Louthan. “We preach the gospel in everything we do. We spend our time together looking into God’s word and applying it to our lives. At Cowboy Church, we are not about theology, but we are about living out our faith and giving people hope.”

During the outreach events, such as those designed to teach rodeo skills, Louthan shares the gospel, prays with participants and offers information about Gulf Coast Cowboy Church.

“I have baptized four of my ropers who now come to church regularly,” Louthan said, “all as a result of a weekly team roping practice and devotionals.”

At a county fair event on Galveston Island, Louthan and other members of the church led 20 people to make a public profession of faith, including a horse whisperer from Louisiana.

Louthan had been a youth minister and held other staff positions in traditional churches for 17 years when he began to feel a call to be a senior pastor.

“I looked at options and decided planting a church is what I would do,” he said. “I got connected to the Texas Fellowship of Cowboy Churches, and that’s how Gulf Coast Cowboy Church was born.”

The jump from traditional church to a cowboy church was not difficult for Louthan, who earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural science from Sam Houston State University and grew up on a farm with animals.

Louthan and his wife, Amy, a librarian, helped solidify their thinking on how to start a cowboy church at the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s New Church Start Boot Camp two years ago.

“The boot camp helped prepare us by exposing us to lots of information,” Louthan said. “We sorted through what we learned to pull out things that would help our unique situation.”

The Fellowship sent the Louthans to the boot camp and paid for their demographic study. Probably the best gift the Fellowship has given them was a $4,000 check at the church’s one-year anniversary, Louthan said. That check was presented on the Sunday before Hurricane Ike hit the Houston area, a day that saw 165 people in worship. The hurricane sent church members scrambling just to make ends meet and attendance dwindled.

“There were a couple of months when people’s lives were just in a mess and the crowds at church were sparse,” he said. “We are just now getting back to a routine. Had we not that $4,000 gift from CBF, I don’t know if we would have survived.”

In addition to the assistance from CBF, Gulf Coast Cowboy Church also got start-up help from Tallowood Baptist Church in Houston and more recently from First Baptist Church, Houston; Highlands Baptist Church, LaMarque, Texas; South Main Baptist Church, Pasadena, Texas; and Williams Trace Baptist Church, Houston.

Since its founding, Louthan estimates he has baptized about one-third of the 120 people who have made a public profession of faith at outreach events.

“Since we do a lot of things outside the church, people that we talk to and lead to Christ may plug into a different church,” he said. “But that’s okay. Our goal is to share the gospel, not to bring more members into our church.”

Gulf Coast is a partner with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, CBF of Texas, and the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

For more information on CBF new church starts, contact David King at dking@thefellowship.info or (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Under the theme “Embrace the World: Welcome to your Neighborhood,” the Assembly will explore a familiar concept while in the nation’s fourth-largest city.

“The idea of neighbor is very relevant to the mission of the Church, and Houston is a great laboratory in which to learn,” said Daniel Vestal, CBF’s executive coordinator. “Houston is in many ways a microcosm of our country – diverse, synergistic, multi-cultural, complex and dynamic.”

To be held at the George R. Brown Convention Center and the Hilton of the Americas Hotel, the Assembly begins with auxiliary events on Wednesday, July 1. At the annual Leadership Institute that afternoon featured speaker Al Winseman, Gallup’s global practice leader for faith communities, will focus on his book “Growing an Engaged Church: How to Stop ‘Doing Church’ and Being the Church Again.” 

On Wednesday evening six people will be appointed for mission service in the United States and around the world at the annual CBF Global Missions field personnel commissioning service. The service, set for 7:30 p.m. at nearby South Main Baptist Church, will also feature the inaugural commissioning of a CBF ministry network. Made up of three churches and current CBF field personnel Bill and Michelle Cayard, the Sichuan China Ministry Network represents an important step in the Fellowship's growing emphasis on local church-based missions.
 
"Local churches are at the heart of the global missions enterprise," said CBF global missions coordinator Rob Nash. "When we commission this network and others in the future, we are affirming these congregations and others as they engage in their God-given mission in the world."

Throughout the week of the Assembly, Fellowship Baptists will engage in service projects with local agencies such as SEARCH Homeless Services, Star of Hope homeless mission and Volunteer Houston. College students, who have their own event called “The Houston Sessions,” will travel to Galveston to explore the impacts of poverty and Hurricane Ike on community members.

The Assembly officially begins Thursday, July 2, with auxiliary events hosted by many of the Fellowship’s partner organizations, an evening concert with Dove Award-winning singer and songwriter Kyle Matthews, and approximately 50 practical ministry workshops. Topics include human rights, religious liberty, global mission opportunities, 400 years of Baptist history and becoming a missional church.

During worship and business sessions, the Assembly will hear from young Baptist ministers, as well as from Vestal and current CBF moderator Jack Glasgow, who is pastor of Zebulon Baptist Church in Zebulon, N.C. 

On Friday, July 3, the Assembly will vote on the Fellowship’s nominating committee report, which includes Christy McMillin-Goodwin, associate minister at Oakland Baptist Church in Rock Hill, S.C., for the position of national CBF moderator-elect. Joanne Carr, a member of First Baptist Church in Augusta, Ga., is being nominated to fill the position of recorder for a second year.

Hal Bass, a professor at Ouchaita Baptist University in Arkansas and the Fellowship’s current moderator-elect, was affirmed by the Assembly last year and will become moderator at the conclusion of the Houston event.

This year’s assembly incorporates new ministry directions adopted following the Fellowship’s year-long strategic reprioritization process that concluded at last year’s Assembly. Those three new priorities are honoring race, gender and generation; interacting with the world community; and missional engagement.

“Worship and programming will reflect a commitment to these strategic priorities. We will hear God’s Word from one another in languages, mediums and perspectives that are fresh and different,” Vestal said. “This event will help equip Baptists for ministry in the 21st century.”

Further information about these Assembly events and more are available at www.thefellowship.info/assembly. Pre-register online or by calling (800) 352-8741. A hotel discount at the Hilton Americas hotel is available following pre-registration.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

ATLANTA – For one medical worker in Southeast Asia, the adventure story of a lifetime takes place on a riverboat that doubles as her transient home and a health care clinic.

Despite daily challenges and setbacks – including a perpetually failing generator and local doctors attempting to shut the ministry down – she and the crew persist in their mission to improve the quality of life for people who generally have little access to health care.

Karen, one of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s field personnel, ministers to small farming communities along the river in Southeast Asia. With a background in environmental science as well as medicine, she is uniquely positioned to care for the sick and provide health education.

“Most of their health issues [are] related to environmental issues,” she said. “[The villagers] are almost completely dependent on the river water for drinking, bathing, washing clothes and dishes, going to the bathroom, fishing, and irrigating their rice paddies and other fields.”

Since many of the villages have no road access, the river is often the primary means of transportation. It’s also where industrial plants dump waste.

“With raw sewage and chemicals in the water,” Karen said, “this river is the number one source of illness and disease.”

However, most people can’t afford the fuel needed to boil their water before drinking it.

“Conditions are harsh and the level of poverty is extreme,” said Karen. “Most families live on less than $1 a day, which the World Health Organization calls ‘the poverty that kills.’ If a family member gets sick, the family must literally decide between seeking medical attention for that individual or feeding the rest of the family for the week.”

The most common conditions that Karen treats are routine issues such as coughs, colds, runny noses, ear infections, dental problems, stomach problems, scabies and lacerations.

“We see a lot of infections that can be easily treated with antibiotics or even just good hygiene, but have become debilitating or even life-threatening due to the poor conditions in which most people live,” Karen said.

Sometimes, the riverboat team sees more serious cases. Karen told the story of a 9-year-old boy whose mother brought him to the boat to be examined. As it turned out, he had tuberculosis and an infection in his lung. Karen saw that the boy was admitted to a hospital and assisted the family in completing the necessary steps to qualify for a free medical program so he could continue treatment after discharge.

“I am continually awed and humbled by their stoic acceptance of hardship,” Karen said. “People who live along the river are used to not having health care. They habitually live with chronic and debilitating illness as just a normal part of life.”

The staff on the medical riverboat often serves as many as 150 people a day, and village leaders offer fruit and fish as tokens of their gratitude.

“We spend a considerable amount of time educating patients as to the nature of their illness and ways to prevent a reoccurrence,” Karen said. “In the villages where we have been working for almost a year, we have seen a decrease in the severity of illness. There are young children who have regained function of limbs that were previously useless, and adults who are less likely to suffer a stroke or heart attack because their blood pressure is under control and they are eating healthier.”

For Karen, the riverboat ministry is an attempt to reach out in a tangible way to share the love of Christ.

“I always think of Matthew 25:35-36, which says ‘I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me.’ To really show people what Christ looks like,” she said, “we must explore ways to help people obtain their most basic and critical needs.”

To this end, Karen and her co-workers are working to address the root causes of poverty at many levels. In addition to providing free basic medical care on the boat, they are building water filters in the villages for clean drinking water, and operating an experimental farm looking for ways to improve agricultural practices to boost economic stability.

Karen’s ministry is funded through gifts to the CBF Offering for Global Missions. To give to the offering, go to www.thefellowship.info/give. To learn about partnership opportunities with the riverboat, contact engage@thefellowship.info.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

There, the congregation found Dowey-Gaston African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, whose sanctuary couldn’t seem to escape localized flooding. Beginning with Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the church had flooded three additional times: Hurricane Rita in 2005 and hurricanes Gustav and Ike in 2008.  To make matters worse, floodwaters didn’t rush in and immediately leave. Water levels stayed high for days, leaving four distinct marks on the pews as a result of standing water.

Bridgewater Church used some of the funds from a missional ministries grant, awarded by the Fellowship in 2007, to help renovate Dowey-Gaston AME’s sanctuary.  In a mission effort that crossed cultural and racial lines, the two congregations worked together and formed relationships along the way.

“On our first day, 26 volunteers showed up to help, but the rain poured all day, forcing us to work inside and get to know each other,” said Bridgewater Church’s pastor Reid Doster. “A problem became a blessing.”

Dowey-Gaston AME is led by Enola Lee, who in her short tenure as pastor has seen the church grow from just a few members to now more than 30 youth and 18 adults. “And the repairs to the sanctuary may just help continue that growth,” Doster said. “That congregation is so grateful, and so are we. It’s been good for our church, for their church and for CBF.”

The Fellowship’s disaster response efforts continue in Louisiana and along the Gulf Coast in places like Pearlington, Miss., and Plaquemine Parish, La., where there are still families waiting to rebuild their homes and lives. Some churches, like Johns Creek Baptist Church from the metro Atlanta area, are still sending mission teams to the area to help. 

“We’re not finished on the Gulf Coast, but volunteer teams have not been coming nearly as much,” said Doster, who helps coordinate the Fellowship’s disaster response efforts. “If a church-based team wants to come, I’ll do everything I can to connect them with a meaningful project and arrange for meals, housing, supplies and supervision on the site.”

The Fellowship’s continued hurricane recovery efforts haven’t gone without notice from other response groups. In April, Catholic Charities of Arkansas transferred the remaining $10,000 of disaster response donations to the Fellowship’s response efforts.

“This is a reason to be thankful,” said the Fellowship’s disaster response coordinator Charles Ray. “And it’s a reason to create partnerships. We can help each other.”

Since Katrina, the Fellowship has actively developed numerous disaster response partnerships that will enable a more effective response when future disasters strike.  Nearly 10 Baptist organizations have met several times to discuss ways to combine resources, mobilize volunteers and work together.

“The intent is if a disaster strikes in a state with one of our members, we will generally bow to the partner closest and strongest to the disaster. We would follow their leadership, and they would be expected to use us as an equal under their leadership,” Ray said.

Among the partnering groups are the Fellowship, Texas Baptist Men, North Carolina Baptist Men, Canadian Baptist Ministries, National Baptist Convention USA, American Baptist Churches USA and Virginia Baptist Men. 

For more on the Fellowship’s disaster response efforts, visit www.thefellowship.info/cbfresponds.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

The Banjara people’s socio-economic status often limits their access to healthcare, education and jobs with decent wages.

“The same God who created you created me and loves us,” Macarena Aldape, a registered nurse, tells her patients. “As a nurse, Christian, woman and mother, I try to show them love and acceptances. It is what God has told us to do – to love our neighbors as ourselves. That’s what I try to do.”

Macarena Aldape and her husband, Eddie, who serve as Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel in India, hold medical camps twice a month in cities across northern India. Often, they conduct a camp for six to seven hours in one location and then conduct another one in the afternoon at another location.

The extreme poverty in which many of the Banjara people live prevents them from seeking the care of a physician. The Aldapes, natives of San Antonio, Texas, provide a variety of medical services – from treating diseases and common illness to providing education about good health practices.

“When a person learns something, that knowledge is power,” Macarena Aldape said. “It makes them feel so good about themselves. It makes a world of difference to them.”

The Aldapes are also work to educate people about HIV/AIDS. With limited health education and medical care, many do not know that they are infected. Eddie Aldape said that in one Banjara community it is estimated that approximately half the adults are HIV positive.

In 2006, the Aldapes started a boys’ home to serve families living in extreme poverty that  could no longer care for their children. Approximately 100 boys wanted to live in the home, but only 50 could be accepted. Many of these children come from homes where one or both of the parents is infected with HIV/AIDS. The Aldapes predict that the need for children’s home will increase in the next few years and more children are orphaned by AIDS.

Rajesh, the oldest of the three children, was 5 years old when he came to live at the boys’ home. His parents, who were both HIV positive, did not want to separate their children, but also recognized that they could no longer provide them with adequate care.

“When Rajesh’s father’s health went from bad to worse, he called us over to make a promise to him that we would take good care of Rajesh,” Eddie Aldape said. “He also asked us to take the other two boys once his wife was not able to care for them. He apologized over and over and he had never before seen the love of God. He and his wife accepted Christ as their personal savior and became active members of the local church. He has since gone on to be with the Lord.”

The Aldapes conduct medical clinics at the boys’ home and other children homes. They dream of outfitting a school bus or van with medical equipment and supplies. Such a mobile clinic would give them more flexibility and “go wherever the needs are.”

“Fellowship Baptists have a vision to reach out to marginalized people –those that have been ignored and neglected,” said Macarena Aldape. “For me, it is an answered prayer to have people that care that much for others and send people all over the world to work. Through CBF we are doing the work of many others in India. It is a privilege to know that there are people out there that still care for those nobody else does.”

To learn about partnership opportunities in India, contact engage@thefellowship.info. To financially support the ministry of CBF field personnel, give to the CBF Offering for Global Missions at www.thefellowship.info/give.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

It began when CBF of Texas decided to invest $10,000 – 10 percent of its reserve – in the CBF Foundation’s new micro finance initiative. Texas challenged CBF of Florida to add 10 percent of its reserve or endowment funds into the project. Then the challenge spread to all of CBF’s states and regions, who enthusiastically endorsed the idea.

Now, more than $1 million is committed to micro finance through the CBF Foundation, said Foundation president Don Durham. But he cautioned that CBF is not in the banking business. CBF Foundation invests the funds in micro finance banks through an investment banker who monitors and evaluates them regularly. These banks then make short-term (six months to a year) loans of $50 to $1,500 to entrepreneurs in low-income countries who, Durham said, “are ready to be productive caretakers of their families and homes.” Between 96 and 98 percent of the loans are repaid.

According to research by Duetsche Bank approximately $25 billion is available worldwide through micro enterprise banks, but the same research also shows that demand for these loans is around $250 billion.

That’s why Rick McClatchy, coordinator for CBF Texas, wants to extend the 10 percent challenge he made to CBF of Florida and subsequently taken up by other states and regions to local churches at the General Assembly in Houston so that more money is available for micro enterprise lending.

“This venture is important because it works to reduce poverty, and the need for capital in these countries is great,” McClatchy said. “For us to have such resources in our hands and not be willing to lend them to the extreme poor of the world is a sin.”

Ray Johnson, coordinator for CBF of Florida, agrees. “We felt that this use of our wealth was an appropriate expression of our values,” he said. “In fact, our boards were all very pleased and excited to have a chance to invest our funds in this way.”

Johnson said that CBF Florida is investing 10 percent of its funds-under-management in micro enterprise financing, approximately $91,000.

“The overwhelming consensus of our governing boards was that investing in micro enterprises helps CBF Florida align its financial stewardship with the principles of Matthew 25 – to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give water to the thirsty,” he said.

CBF’s micro finance project is not a charity approach, McClatchy said, “It is a financial capital approach that promotes responsibility, hard work, and cooperative partnerships.”

Both McClatchy and Johnson said that CBF’s involvement with micro finance is one way the Fellowship can help meet the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

“My research indicated that micro finance has been proven to make a significant impact upon the lives of those who live in abject poverty and connects with several of the MDGs,” McClatchy said. “We think that many Texas CBF churches have endowments and could use some of their endowment funds to provide capital for microfinance, but we could not ask churches in Texas to do so unless we, that is CBF Texas, had done so too.”

“This kind of investment makes sense at a number of levels,” Johnson said. “It is a simple, concrete way to help the poor. It is one way for CBF Florida churches and individuals to become more aware of what we can do to help achieve the MDGs. It is exactly the kind of investment that CBF Florida churches can be excited about. And, investing in micro enterprises is a very stable investment strategy, particularly in today’s world where typical stock investments are a bit more volatile.”

“Our bigger mission in the CBF movement is to advance the kingdom of God vision that Jesus gave us,” McClatchy said. “The kingdom of God is concerned about the spiritual and physical needs of human life upon this world. Caring about the poor is kingdom work and any failure to understand this and do this is failure to follow Jesus. Microfinance is a tool that enables us to successfully help the poor and is therefore kingdom work.”

“CBF Florida’s basic mission is to motivate and equip followers of Jesus to be his presence,” Johnson said. “Micro enterprise financing extends our reach beyond our own borders. It is, to use the theme of this year’s CBF Offering for Global Missions, an additional way for us to ‘embrace the world.’”

To learn more about the CBF Foundation’s micro finance initiative, contact Don Durham at ddurham@thefellowship.info or (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

“I reminded them that ministers, especially in the latter stages of their careers, should be careful, lest they lose some of the vitality of their ministry commitment and simply settle for coasting until retirement,” Newell said.

Knowing the potential for such stagnation existed, Newell and his wife, Janice, continued their own personal and professional growth throughout their careers, so that as their ministry matured, they themselves would be ready to meet new challenges.

It came then as no surprise that the Newells were prepared for the calling they began to recognize in the late 1990s to work with Albanian refugees. At the time, Bob was pastor and Janice organist at Memorial Drive Baptist Church in Houston, Texas.

The inkling of a call started at a conference in Stockholm, Sweden, when Bob learned about ethnic cleansing and tensions among Balkan people. When he returned to the States, he learned that Houston had become home to more than 500 Kosovar Albanian refugee families, and that relatives of a church member were beginning a ministry among Albanians in Kosovo.

“Seemingly at every turn, factors conspired to alert us to a fresh concern for ministry among Albanians,” Janice said. “Bob led the church to focus its ministries on Albanian people; as a result, Albanian children became members of my children’s choir and we led ministry teams to work with Albanians in Macedonia and Kosovo.”

By then, the Newells were convinced God was calling them to some form of cross-cultural ministry in the final chapter of their careers. They began to explore opportunities through the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. In 2003, they were commissioned as CBF field personnel to Athens, Greece.

“We were not surprised that, after prayer and conversation, we both sensed a powerful tug toward the needs of Albanian immigrants in Athens,” Bob said.

Everything matched. Houston was about the same size as Athens. Their skill sets, abilities, and experience equipped them for innovative ministry. They had worked on a university campus and in a local church.

“In addition, our years of experience in working with ecumenical and interfaith groups, merged with Bob’s training in sociology/anthropology to help us to be somewhat prepared for an assignment which focused on the needs of a minority ethnic group with Muslim, Christian and atheistic backgrounds, living in a foreign cultural milieu dominated by the Greek Orthodox Church,” Janice said.

“For us, this opportunity to serve has been a genuine gift from God,” Bob said. “Our gifts have been utilized; we have been challenged to remain alive and growing in our ministry; and, we have found adventure, excitement and fulfillment, despite the terrific challenges associated with learning two languages and adapting to different cultures.”

The Newells’ primary ministry venue is through PORTA – the Albania House in Athens. Located in a neo-classical house, built in 1916, this distinctive facility houses an art gallery, library, and four classrooms. The center offers a variety of programs (such as language and computer classes) to a large group of non-Christian Albanian refugees while about 300 Albanian Christians take advantage of Bible studies, evangelism and Christian discipleship programs, marriage and family enrichment, social events and relationship and reconciliation workshops at PORTA.

A photo exhibit, “Albanians in Athens – a Positive Picture,” was created by Gary Barchfeld, a professional photographer from Houston. Barchfeld and his wife, Martha, went to Athens three times to take photos of Albanians at work, worship and play. Sixteen photos were included in an exhibition that was shown first at PORTA and now is traveling to churches throughout the United States. It will conclude its United States tour at the CBF General Assembly in Houston.

“This traveling exhibit has literally put a face on the ministry among Albanians in Athens,” Janice said.

The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship will hold its 2009 General Assembly in Houston, Texas, July 2-3. To learn more or register for the event, go to www.thefellowship.info/assembly. To learn about partnership opportunities with the Newells in Greece, contact engage@thefellowship.info or (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

“I have a heart to work with internationals in an international setting,” said Angel, one of CBF’s field personnel. “Although I didn’t know much about working among Muslims when I arrived, I felt Belgium was the place God wanted me. Almost five years and a lot of experience later, I still feel the same way.”

Angel’s ability to build relationships with those she teaches affords her opportunities to minister on a more personal basis. 

“Everyone knows I am a Christian – the English teacher,” said Angel, a native of Effingham, Ill. “They know I am in church every week. They know my priority to worship and know God. My Muslim students know more about God by the way I live.  I am asked countless times about my God, my worship, my faith. If I meet people in the classroom, in the church or on the street I become the hands and feet of Jesus. We try to live out that idea by meeting the physical needs, educational needs, relational needs and spiritual needs. For me that is being the presence of Christ.”

One major change that has happened since 2004 when Angel arrived in Belgium, was her 2008 marriage to Hary, a man she met while attending the local Arab Protestant church.  Together they open up their home for others seeking to know more about their faith. 

“With his [Hary’s] help I have taken a giant leap into the Arab culture,” said Angel, a graduate of Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Ill. “Together we open our hearts, our lives and our home to Muslims and Christians and disciple those who are seeking the truth.”

In addition to Angel’s teaching English in the community, the couple works with the local Arab church where they first met. Angel assists in worship and preaching.  Together they lead Bible studies, disciple men and women desiring to know more about the Bible, feed the homeless and visit church members in their homes.

“Our goal is to help grow a sense of unity and connection in the Arab church. Sometimes we are disconnected with our diversity and need to feel the responsibility of the body of Christ,” said Angel. “We want to teach the church how to serve the Lord and others in a practical give-a-person-a-cup-of-water way.  And we constantly have people in our home for dinner and fellowship.  We are an open door.”

It is through that open-door policy where Angel sees the difference they are able to make in the lives of others, like the single Muslim woman who moved to Belgium from Morocco on her own. The woman lived alone and only left the house long enough to drive back and forth to work every day with no outside social life. Soon she began attending Angel’s English classes to brush up on her grammar, then she became a regular at a café Angel hosted on Friday nights at the Centre Oasis for English. It was apparent the woman was seeking a sense of community in her new city, and she and Angel quickly became friends.

When she asks Angel why she is so happy all the time, and not depressed like she is, Angel patiently tells her the stories of Jesus.

“She now celebrates Christmas with me and my husband.  And her whole family knows about me.  She told them the reason she is drawn to me is because she loves the way I worship my God,” said Angel.

As she looks to the future of her ministry, Angel remains open to the possibilities. 

“As God opens new doors we are ready to walk through them, we are continually learning the art of flexibility in a foreign land and remaining sensitive to the Spirit,” Angel said. “We are looking to see His vision for the future and prepared to see changes along the way.”

To learn about partnership opportunities with Angel in Belgium, contact Chris Boltin at engage@thefellowship.info or visit www.thefellowship.info/angel. To financially support Angel’s ministry, mail your contribution to Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, 2930 Flowers Road South Ste.133, Atlanta, GA 30341 and write “Janee Angel” in the memo line.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Carson Foushee, a first-year graduate student at Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology is planning to lead a group of students to Uganda this summer. 

Working alongside CBF field personnel Jade & Shelah Acker, the students will deliver mosquito nets and conduct soccer skills camps for youth. Partnering with His Nets, a non-profit organization focused on distributing nets to areas plagued by malaria-infected mosquitos, Foushee’s goal is to raise $15,000 to purchase 2,500 nets for people in Uganda and Nicaragua.

“I feel that this project embodies CBF's mission in being the presence of Christ by meeting the physical and spiritual needs of people,” said Foushee.

Mary Beth Gilbert, a junior at Samford University, in Birmingham, Ala., returned from the trip and hosted a simple meal of black bean soup for 12 of her sorority sisters to raise their awareness of poverty and hunger. Gilbert’s next idea is to have all five sororities on Samford’s campus join together to raise money for mosquito nets to send with Foushee and collect toys for the Children’s Hospital in Birmingham.

“What better way to live out the gospel of Christ than to be who God has made me to be, and to meet people where they are, just as Christ continues to meet me where I am,” said Gilbert.

Caitlin Sandley and Jacob Smith, seniors at Auburn University in Auburn, Ala., are developing curriculum for young adults to learn more about the MDGs .

“Jesus often challenged the rich to give up their possessions, stating that it is much easier to follow God without an attachment to the things of the world,” said Smith. “That is what our guide to MDG-friendly living is all about: examples of ways one can give their resources (their possessions) to those who have not been given the same advantages.”

“I know that God, throughout scripture, commands us to seek justice,” Sandley said. “The MDGs are a wonderful blueprint for how the developed and the developing world can partner together to pursue justice for the poor and oppressed. As a young person in one of the wealthiest, most powerful nations, one of the most important tools I have for seeking justice is my voice. Through this project, I can use my voice to educate others, especially my peers, about our role as people of faith in the pursuit of social justice.”
 
Jennifer Wilmore, 23, left in February for a seven-month stay in Uganda through the Fellowship’s Student.Go program, to work alongside the Ackers, whom the group met on their trip.

“Jesus' ministry on earth was one of mercy, healing and redemption,” Wilmore said. “Through this project I pray that God would make my attitude like Christ's and use me to make these aspects of the gospel known: to show mercy and bring some sort of healing and redemption to the poor, the neglected and the outcasts.”

Rosie Stafford, 22, is currently interning with the ONE Campaign in Washington, D.C. through the Student.Go program. Stafford will soon begin writing a series of e-mails sharing her experiences from last summer’s trip and educating readers on practical ways they can respond to poverty both at home and abroad.

“I wanted to find a way to connect my life here in the U.S. with the life I witnessed and was inspired by on our travels,” Stafford said. “By sharing the stories of the work of God's people around the world, I'm inviting other people to share in this ministry, the ministry Jesus began and calls us to continue here on earth.”

To learn more about how the United Nations’ MDGs align with the Fellowship’s mission and vision, order “Our Fellowship At Work” brochure by calling (800) 352-8741. To learn about partnership opportunities, contact Chris Boltin at engage@thefellowship.info or (800) 352-8741. For information on Student.Go, visit www.studentdotgo.org.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission

It’s comforting a mother worried about her son who was beaten up by other teens. It’s spending the night in a hospital with a scared, sick teen who doesn’t have parents that can do the same. It’s working in a food pantry, clothes closet and leading a youth Bible study. For Hambrick, one of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s field personnel, each day is about loving people and being the presence of Christ.

“Jesus cared about people and made it a point to let people know that. My hope is that [through me] people will experience and know the love Christ has for them,” she said.

Since 2007, Hambrick has served as youth and summer camp director for Rauschenbusch Metro Ministries at CBF partner Metro Baptist Church, located two blocks south from Times Square in Manhattan’s Hells Kitchen neighborhood. In this eclectic neighborhood of many nationalities, she works with local teens, providing a safe after school program during the school year and six weeks of day camp for children during the summer.

About 15 youth come four days a week after school to finish homework, play, spend time together and have a weekly Bible study. Hambrick also provides opportunities that expand their horizons, such as a career day and mission experiences in other areas of the city. The teens have also participated in a week-long youth summer camp through Passport, a CBF partner, and in January’s Faith in 3D conference, which the Fellowship co-sponsored, in Orlando, Fla.

Because of the positive influence the ministry is having, now even the teens’ parents are becoming more involved. Parent meetings used to be sparsely attended, but a February “Love Feast” event brought more than 35 people to the church.

“It was a beautiful surprise for me to realize that I’m beginning to gain trust and rapport with the families in the community,” Hambrick said.

One such family is Ben, a 7th grader, and his mother, Linda, who has endured some great hardships in her life.  Hambrick doesn’t have the answers to why things happen, but she finds that “being there” as Linda’s friend is often enough.

“Relationships in ministry, especially in an urban context, are critical,” said Hambrick, who hopes for other long-term workers that will serve with the ministry and build friendships with local people. “Relationships take a long time to develop – building trust is no overnight feat.”

Metro Baptist Church, where the ministry is based, plays an active role as do other CBF partner churches that come regularly to minister alongside Hambrick in New York City. Churches like Tabernacle Baptist in Richmond, Va.; Smoke Rise Baptist in Stone Mountain, Ga.; Deermeadows Baptist in Jacksonville, Fla.; and Boulevard Baptist in Anderson, S.C. have been vital to the ongoing ministries like summer camp.

“The humility and passion out of which these and many others churches partner is a glimpse of how the kingdom should be – a realization that we’re all in this together,” Hambrick said. 

A native of Louisville, Ky., and graduate of Samford University, Hambrick felt a calling to urban ministry while attending CBF partner Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, where she served in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Richmond.

“I realized that not everyone begins on the same page in this world,” she said. “Some people are born to 13-year-old single teenagers in the projects. Some are born into generations of deep addictions or mental illness, and some are born into environments that don’t motivate, encourage or otherwise empower.

“I feel called to empower people to realize they are loved by a God who created them and to believe that they have a purpose and a plan in this world.”

As with many CBF field personnel, Hambrick is financially supported through CBF’s Offering for Global Missions, which provides for operating expenses, salaries and life-changing ministries.

“I love what I do. I’m blessed to have this opportunity,” she said. “If Fellowship Baptists are interested in empowering field personnel to serve people and places that they themselves can’t personally serve – giving to the Offering allows them to take a very real, practical, and meaningful role in missions.”

To support Hambrick and other CBF field personnel, please give the CBF Offering. Online contributions can be made at www.thefellowship.info/give.  To learn more, visit www.thefellowship.info/hambrick.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

“We came to Macau and have stayed here for almost 13 years because we have a sense of calling from the Lord to be here,” said Sarah. “God has gifted us and equipped us to live and work cross-culturally. Our high-density city needs Christian ambassadors demonstrating the Jesus way of grace and hope. Though sometimes challenging, we feel a sense of purpose in living out our life in this city among the Chinese people.”

The Ballews partner with a local Chinese church to reach out to workers in the area’s service industry, many of whom work in restaurants and hotels.

“We seek through our ‘Serving the Servers’ to incarnate the love and grace of Jesus Christ,” said Larry, a native of Hanford, Calif.  “We also seek to model this as we serve the local church. Rather than trying to impose our vision, we at times submit to the needs and desires of our local partners so that we can serve them and support what God is doing through them.”

Their days consist of teaching English and Bible classes, meeting with the local church staff and members, visiting students at their homes or jobs and welcoming friends and visitors into their home in an effort to share their faith in a more intimate and relaxed setting. 

“There are more opportunities for ministry now than before,” said Sarah, a native of Blacksburg, Va. “Though the population has increased the percentage of Christians remains about the same – less than 1 percent of the population.”

Those statistics are the reason that the Ballews choose to stay in Macau with their two teenage sons, Joshua and Nathanael, after all these years.  Despite the difficulties of being foreigners in a foreign land, they still see the possibilities for ministry all around them.

“Sometimes I muse about how much easier it would be to minister and serve using my first language,” said Larry. “Then I just look around at the faces of all the people who still need an opportunity to hear about Jesus Christ in a context that is meaningful to them. That’s what keeps me here – the continuing burden to serve in love and the heartfelt desire to see more and more people come to a place where they can enjoy God's grace through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.”

One young lady in their community named Donna has had the opportunity to study the Bible with the Ballews in their home over the last nine months.  Recently she brought a colleague from the restaurant where she works to meet with the Ballews for Bible study.  When the colleague was unable to attend the Bible study the following week, Donna said, “I can teach this to her, and then I will be able to remember it even better.”

“This is one of those moments that really thrills the heart because we see a disciple being moved by the Holy Spirit to take up the work and begin multiplying our presence,” said Larry.

With strong ties to sponsor churches back in the United States, such as Blacksburg Baptist Church in Blacksburg, Va., and First Baptist Church of Radford, Va., the Ballews are grateful for the financial and prayer support they receive from individual churches supporting their ministry.

“Our greatest need is prayer,” said Sarah. “Our biggest challenge living in a ‘hard to reach for Christ’ city is the feeling of discouragement. We need the prayer support to strengthen us to keep on keeping on.”

“In the last year we have made some significant advancements in our work with people in the service industry,” said Larry. “It is a constant learning process. We don't see ourselves stepping away from this any time soon. I can't even imagine myself being anywhere else in the world than Asia. This is where we belong.”

For more about the Ballews, visit www.thefellowship.info/ballew. To learn about partnership opportunities with the Ballews, contact Chris Boltin at cboltin@thefellowship.info or (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

“I am deeply honored to receive the Jack Naish award this year,” Metcalf said. “Teaching the Bible and preparing teachers to lead is pivotal toward growing disciples and encouraging the mission of the church. Quality Christian education for our children lays a foundation of faith and strengthens the education of youth and adults. I am grateful to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship for recognizing and appreciating this need in our churches. Thank you for affirming my ministry in Christian education.”

The award, given in memory of the long-time Christian educator Jack Naish, is presented to an educator who has distinguished themselves in excellence and quality of Christian Education. The award was presented at the Fellowship’s True Survivor conference for Christian educators Feb. 22-25 at College Park Baptist Church in Orlando, Fla.  

“Karen has consistently gone the extra mile in ministry,” said Bo Prosser, the Fellowship’s coordinator for congregational formation. “She inspires children, parents and children’s workers to live as the presence of Christ in the world. As a writer, minister and friend, she lives her faith in ways that make others want to respond.” 

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Their journey to Belize began two years ago, when the Maases were considering full-time missions work overseas, CBF of North Carolina missions coordinator Linda Jones visited their church and spoke with Eric, a native of Greenville, N.C., about ministry needs in the Central American country.

“She planted the initial seed. We were in the process of discerning where God want[ed] us to be,” said Julie, a native of Raleigh, N.C. “We thought it was Nicaragua.”

Julie jokingly gives a pair of bumper stickers the credit for jump-starting their journey to Belize. She visited her local library and saw a car in the parking lot covered with bumper stickers.

“The top left sticker said ‘Belize’ and the bottom right sticker, on the tailgate, said ‘The answer.’ Those were the only two I saw,” she said.

Prayer, networking and other “subtle hints” led the Maases to decide on Belize by June 2007. By July 2008, after selling their home and nearly all their belongings, the couple moved there with their 5-year-old daughter and now 18-month old son.

The Maases have made a two-year commitment to direct the Baptist training center.

“We see it as a career move,” Julie said. “If God calls us to stay in Belize or move somewhere else, we are surrendered to God’s will.”

Managing the day-to-day operations of the center, scheduling and assisting with groups’ visits and caring for their own children’s needs are the primary activities of the Maases’ ministry.

With a background in construction management, Eric has spent a considerable amount of time doing needed repairs and maintenance to the buildings. Julie, a registered nurse, said that as they are beginning “to get the camp down pat” and are starting to know their neighbors better, they are spending more time addressing the villagers’ needs, both physical and spiritual.

In the small village of Camelote, at the center of which is the Baptist training center, there is great poverty.

“Villagers are just trying to make it day in and day out, pay their bills, and get their children off to school,” said Julie. “We are the eyeballs on the ground, and pretty much wherever we look, there is something that needs to be renovated or torn down, and challenges that each family faces.”

Last October, when a devastating flood with a hurricane-like impact struck Belize, causing millions of dollars in damage to crops and homes, Eric was able to deliver a large box of food and a flashlight to a pregnant woman and her family who were stranded in a remote village.

“When the detailed logistics of ‘how to’ were unknown and seemed impossible, especially in the dark,” said Julie, “God delivered a boat to cross that river when we didn’t know if there would be one. The food was enough to feed the family until the water receded.”

Not only have the Maases ministered in the villages, but they have also opened the doors of their home – the camp – to the villagers, through informal playgroups with their children as well as organized activities. As Eric and Julie work to build relationships, they seek to put Mother Teresa’s words into practice, doing “small things with great love.”

“One thing God has led me to do is start a prayer group with the women in the village,” said Julie. “I love to pray – that’s my passion.”

For the last several months, nine to 13 women have met weekly at the center for an hour and a half for discussion and prayer time.

“We talk about the concept of prayer,” said Julie. “I want to empower them with the power of prayer – not offer money or medicine. I want them to know that God is right there with them; they don’t have to leave their home or get an education to reach out to God, draw close to Him, and learn who He is and His love for His people. My prayer and desire is to empower the women, with God’s help, to truly have a relationship with Christ that will cause a positive ripple effect to those around them.”

The Western Region Baptist Training Center operates year-round. Mission teams that have stayed at the center have led Vacation Bible Schools, completed construction projects, conducted evangelistic outreach, assisted schools and churches with various needs and held medical clinics.

To learn about serving alongside the Maases in Belize, contact Chris Boltin at engage@thefellowship.info.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Some have children. Some are looking for work. Some are substance abusers. And Eric Bebber, one of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s field personnel, believes they all have one thing in common. 

“They are in need of someone to recognize that they have dignity, worth and positive contributions to offer the world,” he said. “Much of my work involves bringing the homeless and church missions groups together and creating opportunities for them to build bridges, find commonality and help each other live out the kingdom of God.”

Commissioned by the Fellowship in 2006, Bebber coordinates service opportunities for CBF churches that bring groups to the nation’s capital for a week of missions involvement. Working with local non-profits and service agencies, Bebber plans experiences that engage the average church member with struggling inner-city residents.

“I believe in the power of being the hands and feet of Christ,” said Bebber, a native of Thomasville, N.C. “When we step outside of what we are used to, when we meet people who have different backgrounds and stories than us, then God shows us that poverty no longer is an issue—instead, it has a face and a name, and it is a beloved child of God.”

And that personal encounter changes lives.  One college-bound student committed to being involved in missions projects for the rest of his life, seeing the importance and difference it makes. That’s the type of response Bebber hopes for – one that motivates church members to return home and help struggling people in their own community.

Whether it’s a group of high school students or senior adults, each engages in doing mercy – meeting immediate needs such as preparing food, cleaning a homeless shelter or handing out bottled water on a hot day – and doing justice – getting to the root of societal problems, understanding why they exist and how they can be prevented.

A graduate of Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology, a CBF partner school, Bebber sees the ultimate goal of this ministry as inviting individuals and church to be “the presence of Christ in their own communities. That is where the Gospel comes alive,” he said.

Last July, Murfreesboro Baptist Church in Murfreesboro, N.C., traveled to serve alongside Bebber for a week. After a meaningful service experience, they returned home and started a ministry in their own community called Loaves and Fishes, which once a month prepares and delivers hot, homemade soup to homebound and community members with disabilities.

“Eric challenged us to not to let our mission experience end when we left D.C.,” said Lee Canipe, the church’s pastor. “God showed us a need that fit the gifts of our small congregation. It’s been fun for me as a pastor to watch how members of the congregation who didn't go to D.C. have responded to the ministry that evolved out of that mission experience.  It may have started with a small group of folks, but now there are about 40 people involved.”

As with many CBF field personnel, Bebber is financially supported through CBF’s Offering for Global Missions, which provides for operating expenses, salaries and life-changing ministries.

“Without the Offering for Global Missions, I am unable to do the work God has called me to do in this city at this time.  Without the offering, I cannot afford to live or to carry out daily ministry needs,” Bebber said.

“I would encourage each individual to consider giving to the Offering for Global Missions because it is an investment in the future of Fellowship Baptists—and, most importantly—an investment in the Kingdom of God.”

To support Bebber and other CBF field personnel, please give the CBF Offering. Online contributions can be made at www.thefellowship.info/give. 

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

The Pittmans serve as Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel in Overtown through Touching Miami with Love (TML), a CBF-supported urban ministry operating since 1993. Drug trafficking, violence, failed programs, racial tension and single-parent families are just a few of the local challenges facing Overtown, but now residents are beginning to come together to talk about community change.

“It’s been great to see them start to take charge and be excited about themselves being part of the solution,” Jason said. “They can do things to help make things better. That’s very exciting to see them catching a vision to what God can do here.”

Appointed as CBF field personnel in 2002, the Pittmans followed their heart for urban ministry to inner city Detroit, moving in 2005 to Miami, where Jason is the ministry’s executive director and Angel is the director of development.

After a year of building relationships, they restarted an after school children’s program at TML with the goal of making education fun. Now, children who couldn’t even identify their country or state on a map can locate all U.S. states and even world continents.

“People in the community started seeing what a great program we were providing and came to us about partnerships,” Angel said. “We got a major grant that has allowed us to increase our hours and [number of] kids served. We’ve seen explosive growth.” 

But the ministry doesn’t just help children. Programs are also offered for parents, and the Pittmans hope entire families will engage with TML and work toward community transformation. 

“Our calling is to this neighborhood and to see it transformed into a picture of God’s kingdom here on earth – a community that’s safe where people can live and raise a family. One that offers hope, opportunity and resources,” said Jason, a graduate of Baylor University’ Truett Theological Seminary, a CBF partner.

After 15 years of TML, positive signs abound.  Youth are turning to Christ.  There’s growing energy behind planting a neighborhood church. Residents are recognizing their own skills and starting to believe they can better the neighborhood. Angel and Jason see the change because they live in the community and are part of its daily life.  

“We experience the same thing everyone else is experiencing. If we hear a gun battle at night, they’re hearing the same thing we hear,” Jason said. “Living here builds a trust and camaraderie that you can’t have if you don’t live here.”

“You cannot be the presence of Christ if you’re not willing to be present,” Angel said.

Through a ministry of short-term presence, CBF partner churches have become a vital part of the ministry. Many churches come each year to help lead summer camps, which impact children and youth and also help establish credibility in the community. After a 2005 hurricane, TML stored belongings for many families whose apartments were damaged and condemned. Many of these families didn’t know TML, but when a respected community leader yelled, “These are the people that love on our kids in the summer,” there was instantaneous trust.

“If we hadn’t had church groups coming in and loving on their kids, we never would have had that open door. Never,” Jason said. “Churches allow our impact to be so much greater.”

Some congregations like Second Avenue Baptist Church in Rome, Ga., have even taken the experience home, hosting a summer camp in their own community.

TML is uniquely funded by CBF of Florida, local organizations and grants, and CBF’s Offering for Global Missions, which provides salary, living and ministry expenses for Angel and Jason.

“If we didn’t have that support, we’d have to cut at least a third of what TML does,” Jason said. 

When churches and individuals give to the CBF Offering, they support the Pittmans, Touching Miami with Love, and many other CBF field personnel serving around the world. Give to support this life-changing ministry and others at www.thefellowship.info/Give/Donate.aspx?fund=GMOF5. This year’s goal is $6.1 million. Learn more at www.thefellowship.info/ogm.

For information on how you or your church can partner with the Pittmans’ ministry, contact engage@thefellowship.info.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

The grant will help fund the church’s partnership with the Hyaets ministry in Charlotte, N.C.  Hyaets, which means “tree of life” in Hebrew, consists of six adults and their children living in intentional community in the poverty-stricken Enderly Park area of Charlotte, N.C. As part of the church’s partnership, grant funds will enable Huguenot Road to build a neighborhood clubhouse. The clubhouse will serve as a ministry point for the neighborhood.

The Fellowship’s Missional Ministry grants resource local congregations as they complete the “It’s Time: A Journey Toward Missional Faithfulness” study and seek to determine how God is calling them to ministry.

“We are pleased that so many of our partnering congregations are catching the missional vision,” said Bo Prosser, the Fellowship’s coordinator for congregational life. “Huguenot Road  has cast a vision for missional ministry that will serve their community and God’s kingdom with energy.”

In 2006, the Fellowship received a grant from the Christ is Our Salvation Foundation.  A portion of that grant established the “It’s Time Missional Ministry” grant to help CBF partner churches carry out missional ministries.  Grants up to $25,000 are available to qualifying churches whose application meets a committee’s approval. Grants are awarded on a one-time basis.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.
 

“The people here face enormous challenges. There are not many jobs here and many people have given up, but there is hope,” Melanie said. “The people here are the county’s greatest asset.  When people come together, there is no end to what can be accomplished.”

Since 1999, the community and CBF partner churches from around the country have been coming together through Sowing Seeds of Hope, a CBF-supported ministry based in Perry County.  The ministry has grown to offer access to job training, housing assistance, health care, children’s enrichment and more in a community where census reports in 1999 found more than 30 percent of the county’s families living in poverty.

As part of Together for Hope, CBF’s rural poverty initiative in 20 of the nation’s poorest counties, Sowing Seeds of Hope embraces the importance of community development and the community’s role in inciting change.

“Because we are very new to this community, we are taking our time to build trust with people before beginning programs.  We don’t want to push our own agenda but want to be aware of how God is leading us to help fulfill the dreams of the community,” said Melanie, a native of Sanford, N.C.

Already, the Stories have been invited to help in the local schools, where encouraging and spending time with children can help shape the county’s future.

“At times it can seem there is an overwhelming need for help, but by focusing on individuals and smaller projects we are hoping to make a difference one child, one teenager, one parent at a time,” said Matt, a native of Salisbury, N.C.

Graduates of CBF partner Campbell University Divinity School, the Stories have both previously served at CBF partner churches including Grandin Court Baptist Church in Roanoke, Va.; Edenton Baptist Church in Edenton, N.C.; and Jonesboro Heights Baptist Church in Sanford, N.C. Even then missions played an important role by placing “the focus on helping others and their needs,” Matt said.

Now the Stories help facilitate missions experiences for other churches who travel to Perry County to serve. One of the first congregations they helped host was John’s Creek Baptist Church in Alpharetta, Ga., which traveled to Perry County to help with construction and repair projects, as well as the assembly of more than 50 bookcases that will hopefully boost literacy among local children. 

“Churches come and show the love of Christ through building handicap ramps, leading activities for children and forming caring relationships with the people here,” Melanie said.

Serving through the Fellowship’s Global Service Corps, the Stories will live and serve in Perry County for two years, continuing to “be the presence of Christ by living out our conviction that in Christ there is unity and love,” Melanie said.

Like many CBF field personnel, the Stories’ ministry is funded by gifts to CBF’s Offering for Global Missions. Without financial gifts to the Offering, the Stories would be unable to live in Perry County and serve among people whose lives can be so significantly changed through a ministry of presence.

“The Offering supports us and enables us to minister,” Matt said.  “I have learned how difficult it could be to try and balance a field mission assignment while at the same time keeping a base of financial support from different churches.  I am thankful for the many CBF churches across the country that give to the Offering, which helps us continue being the presence of Christ to our community.”

Give to support this life-changing ministry and others at www.thefellowship.info/Give/Donate.aspx?fund=GMOF5. This year’s goal is $6.1 million. Learn more at www.thefellowship.info/ogm.

For information on how you or your church can partner with the Stories’ ministry, contact engage@thefellowship.info.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Photo information: CBF field personnel Matt and Melanie Storie helped coordinate a literacy project in Perry County where children were given bookshelves and books to encourage reading in their home.

As a Cooperative Baptist Fellowship representative, Phillips lives and studies in Chengdu, China, where daily she makes new friends, has new experiences and is consistently surprised by the opportunities God places in front of her.  

Though the cheerful, social type, Phillips has never been the life of the party like she became one Friday night on a local college campus. At “English Corner,” Chinese students gather weekly to practice speaking English.  So imagine the crowd and air of curiosity that a native English speaker like Phillips can draw.

“What do you like about China?” the students asked her. “Do you like Chinese food? What is life like in America?”

And then two questions Phillips didn’t see coming, partly because they opened a door like none other: “Are you a Christian? What does that mean to you?”

“It was great to be able to share with them,” Phillips said. “But, even better, on our way back to the dorm my friend asked me more about being a Christian. I was able to share so much more with her about why Jesus is important to me and why I believe and trust in Jesus.”

That’s the primary way the gospel travels in China – person to person, friend to friend. In the Sichuan province, where less than two percent of the population is Christian, Phillips is focused on outreach to university students and young people in the province’s largest city, Chengdu. There, a church was started more than a year ago, and Phillips now teaches its first Sunday school class for college students.

“I hope that in making friends, teaching English, teaching Sunday school, and being obedient to other opportunities God puts in my lap that Christ can be seen in my life and work,” she said.

Commissioned in 2008 for a two-year term of service, Phillips first traveled to China during a summer while a student at University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, Texas.  With ardent devotion to following God’s call and the nagging feeling that her heart was always in China even when her feet and the rest of her were in her home state of Texas, she knew she’d have to return.

“I really didn’t expect China to grab my heart the way it did,” she said. “When I came to China I just really fell in love with it – the students, the culture, the life. I felt at home.”

Determined to return, she didn’t know how until Meadow Oaks Baptist Church, a CBF partnering congregation in Temple, Texas, helped show her a way.  One Wednesday night Phillips used CBF’s missions education curriculum to teach the children about Bill and Michelle Cayard, CBF representatives in Chengdu. Excited about ministry possibilities in China, Phillips applied to serve with CBF and months later found herself in Chengdu working with the same church as the Cayards.  It’s an opportunity she never saw coming, but she can’t imagine living without. 

“I'm overwhelmed with the love that I have for the Chinese people as I meet them,” she said. “I just really hope that while I'm here I can take hold of every opportunity that God puts in front of me.”

As with many CBF representatives, Phillips is financially supported through CBF’s Offering for Global Missions, which provides for operating expenses, salaries and life-changing ministries.

“Without the Offering for Global Missions I could not be [in China],” said Phillips, who is due to stay in Chengdu until 2010.

“I'm so thankful and so grateful for this opportunity and that people are willing and feel called to give.  It’s by their giving that I'm able to be here and be able to follow God’s call.”  

To support Phillips and other CBF field personnel, please give to the CBF Offering. Online contributions can be made at www.thefellowship.info/give. 

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

He will be on medical leave from the Fellowship through Feb. 28.

“Daniel’s surgery went extremely well, and his prognosis is very good,” said Connie McNeill, CBF’s coordinator of administration. “Earlene (Vestal) said the surgery couldn’t have gone smoother. He is expected to be at Saint Joseph’s for a few days. We offer our prayers on Daniel’s behalf and for Earlene as she cares for him during his recovery.”

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Despite bacteria and chemicals that often make them sick, the villagers bathe, wash, cook and drink from the river. 

“We work to help them find a way to get clean water,” Casey said. “We build [water purification] filters together so they know that they can do something about their situation and can take pride in their work.”

Casey and John, who are serving for two years as CBF field personnel, work with a team of locals to build the filters, which cost about $2,500. Each filter can provide daily drinking and cooking water for up to 100 families and can be used for years with simple and inexpensive routine maintenance.

“The filters are really making a difference for people,” said John, who was commissioned with Casey by CBF in 2007.

One villager told John that he drinks water straight out of the filter and doesn’t get sick.  John was thankful the filter was working so well but wondered why the man was not following the suggestion to boil the water, which ensures safe drinking quality.  With the rising price of natural gas and kerosene, the man simply couldn’t afford to boil the water.

“As we all continue to feel the impact of increased food and fuel prices, it is my hope that our hearts will be softened and opened. May our experience of hardship – no matter how large or small – open us toward action and sacrifice for our fellow human beings,” John said.

The greatest ministry need is funding for the filters, which children and youth at First Baptist Church of Christ in Macon, Ga., and First Baptist Church in Fitzgerald, Ga., have helped raise.

“Not only are we grateful for the funds the churches have raised, but we are even more thankful that we are not alone in what we do,” John said. “People of faith back home are willing to learn about the needs…and to join us in that work.”

Their ministry is about more than water filters. Casey and John work on forming relationships with the people they meet and work alongside. Casey goes to a local high school to help students with English. Friendships are being built, and now students often keep in touch with Casey through text messaging.

Whether it’s through a water filter or a new friendship, Casey and John seek to be the presence of Christ among the people they encounter.

“We seek to work alongside people and not just give them something and walk away,” John said. “These friendships that we build allow us to be more than just a benefactor. We are real, living Christians that have stepped into their lives – not only to offer help – but to have a friendship with them.”

Like many CBF field personnel, Casey and John’s ministry is funded by gifts to CBF’s Offering for Global Missions. Without financial gifts to the Offering, Casey and John would be unable to live in southeast Asia and serve among people whose lives can be so significantly changed by clean water, love and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

“People might give money for filters to be built but without the funds given to the Offering we would not be able to live here and facilitate the building of the filters nor seek to be the presence of Christ,” John said.

Give to support this life-changing ministry and others at www.thefellowship.info/Give/Donate.aspx?fund=GMOF5. This year’s goal is $6.1 million. Learn more at www.thefellowship.info/ogm.

For information on how you or your church can partner with Casey and John’s ministry, contact engage@thefellowship.info.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

The New Baptist Covenant is an informal alliance of more than 30 racially, geographically and theologically diverse Baptist organizations from throughout North America that claim more than 20 million members. The organizations have united around the shared vision found in Luke 4:18-19, where Jesus declared his intention to bring good news to the poor, release for the captive and sight for the blind.

Former President Jimmy Carter delivered the morning keynote address.

“This morning I come representing Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Ga.,” Carter said. “I speak to you as a deacon, Sunday School teacher and husband of the most active deacon.

“There is no way for us to avoid Jesus’ emphasis on the poor, the blind, the oppressed. And as Baptists it is hard to ignore the emphasis on religious liberty. [May] our prayers collectively and individually be guided by Jesus Christ. [May] we have no division among Baptists.”

In the afternoon worship session, participants heard from Marian Wright Edelman, founder of the Children’s Defense Fund, and Wayne Snodgrass, pastor of Progressive Union Baptist Church of Huntsville, Ala.

“The real challenge is ‘What do we do after the benediction?’” Snodgrass said. “Where do we go from here?”

In her impassioned plea to the audience to seize the moment of administration change to bring about improvements in the lives of impoverished children, Edelman called for universal health care for children, enhancements to education, increased involvement in the lives of children by responsible adults and churches reaching beyond their doors into their own communities to come alongside children who need love.

“I know if Dr. King were here today he would say ‘let’s start a movement to liberate the poor children’,” Edelman said. “This is a biblical moment of transformation. That we will stand here and answer the call.”

Arthur Price, pastor of the historic 16th Street Baptist Church, and Gary Furr, pastor of Vestavia Hills Baptist Church, served as co-chairs of the event’s steering committee, which also included pastors and lay leaders from across Alabama, Mississippi and the Florida panhandle.

“Can you imagine that 45 years ago, people used to gather here to strategize on how to put an end to racial inequality?” Price said during the morning worship at the 16th Street Baptist Church, where four African American girls were killed by a Ku Klux Klan bombing in 1963.

“Imagine that 45 years ago this window to my left where Jesus is knocking on the door, the face of Christ was blown out. I believe that God was telling us back then, as he is telling us now, that we are more united than we are divided.”

Furr echoed the call to unity and spoke of the growing friendship between his congregation and Price’s.

“The New Baptist Covenant begins with common worship, which will grow into fellowship, which will grow into friendship, which will grow into possibilities we have not yet dreamed,” said Furr. “This is a new day. We want to be a part of people joining hands.”

The event also included 14 breakout sessions, which focused on the Luke 4 mandate of good news for the poor. Music and theme interpretations were provided by a mass choir which included the Birmingham Chamber Chorus and the local church choir members, the Magic City Boys and Girls Choir, Troy University Dance Ensemble and recording artist Kate Campbell.

The New Baptist Covenant Regional Gathering served to bring together Baptist churches across racial lines in order to celebrate unity in Christ. Organizers hope the event will build relationships between congregations and clergy among various Baptist denominations and create possibilities for shared work in the future.

When asked how Baptists could continue to build on the momentum of the New Baptist Covenant, Carter said, “Pray about it. Each one of us has untapped ideas and innovative thoughts to channel into this goal. Reach out to our neighbors, put away the divisions that separate us and exemplify what Christ taught. It depends on how high on our list of priorities we make this goal.”

More information on the regional meeting can be found at www.se.newbaptistcovenant.org.

The Birmingham event is the first of five regional gathering that will be held this year. Upcoming events include: April 2-4 in Liberty, Mo.; April 24-25 in Winston-Salem, N.C.; Aug. 6-7 in Norman, Okla.; Sept. 10-12 in Chicago, Ill.

Nine Baptist colleges and universities offer undergraduate tuition scholarships for children of CBF field personnel. Scott and Ana Marie Houser, who serve as CBF field personnel in South Africa, have two children studying at Mercer University in Macon, Ga., thanks to the scholarship. Elizabeth, who’s studying to be a physician’s assistant, and her brother Daniel, a sophomore majoring in Spanish, have both found the school’s Baptist atmosphere supportive. 

“I found it very hard my first semester adjusting to life in the States,” said Daniel. “The school is really caring and wants to help with that separation. Faculty understands you better and are more sympathetic in general to your needs.”

In addition to the scholarship from the school, CBF offers direct financial assistance to children of field personnel. Currently, 18 students are receiving $7,696 per year for four years for a total benefit of $30,784 each. Even with the tuition grants from participating schools, CBF still provides a total of approximately $135,000 each year for the room, board and other expenses.

“Given the loss of income a couple normally incurs when accepting an overseas ministry assignment, this tuition assistance partially offsets this loss,” said Scott Houser.

“I know of no other aspect of our support package that is more appreciated than the scholarship assistance to children of field personnel going to college,” said Jim Smith, the Fellowship’s director of field ministries. “These parents want to be able to afford to send their children to college in the United States.”

Ralph and Tammy Stocks, CBF field personnel working with the Roma people in Hungary, have two children attending Baptist schools. Their daughter Amy is at Campbell University in Buies Creek, N.C., to major in social work, and their son Joshua is study criminal justice at Mercer.

“The scholarship opens up the possibilities for our kids to look at schools they might not otherwise consider,” said Tammy Stocks. “It relieves us of some of the financial concerns of putting our kids through college, and they graduate without enormous debt. The fact that the schools partner with CBF and offer such scholarships indicate their special interest in our kids and, with us being an ocean apart, this is reassuring to know.”

In addition to Mercer, the other schools offering scholarships include: Bluefield College, Bluefield, Va.; Campbell University, Buies Creek, N.C.; Chowan University, Murfreesboro, N.C.; Gardner-Webb University, Boiling Springs, N.C.; Meredith College, Raleigh, N.C.; Mars Hill College, Mars Hill, N.C.; Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, N.C.; Wingate University, Wingate, N.C.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

“Most of life’s achievements come about because we make one tiny stitch at a time, and eventually something complete comes out of it,” Childs said.

Childs is in Croatia representing her home church, First Baptist Church of Knoxville, Tenn., which has a strategic partnership with the Croatian Baptist Union to support the work of the pastoral center in Cakovec. The center provides seminary extension textbooks and classes for Baptist pastors and church members enrolled at the Baptist Institute of Croatia.

While Childs helps out at the center, most of her “tiny stitches” are made during Good News Bible clubs in various Roma villages, which she helps plan and lead alongside Karmen Horvat, a missionary with the Child Evangelism Fellowship. Horvat has been organizing the clubs for the past six years.

During the two-hour clubs, children sing songs, hear a Bible story, play a quiz or game, watch a puppet show and learn a scripture verse.

Sometimes, adults attend the clubs and stand in the back of the host home, listening to the Bible stories. At one of the sessions just prior to Christmas, an uncle of one of the children stayed around to hear Childs tell of the journey of the wise men to see Jesus.

“[After I told] the story, he [said] that he used to be afraid to go out alone at night, but isn’t anymore,” Childs said. “He said, ‘Now I just remember that God is with me.’ I think he’s wonderful evidence of how God works miracles in peoples’ lives one step at a time.”

When Childs first arrived in Croatia last July, the children’s clubs were held twice a day for five days in seven different locations. In the fall, Childs and Horvat resumed clubs in four villages – Kursanec, Pribislavec, Sitnice and Orehovica – and are currently holding sessions about once weekly in each location. Continuing the clubs is important, Childs said, especially for the 27 children who made a profession of faith during the summer.

“These kids choose to use their free time on the weekends to listen to Bible stories. They have such a desire for the word of God,” said Childs. “Looking into their faces, I [am] amazed by how much they want to know.”

According to Childs, there is a real need for continued Christian education and discipleship for young people once they are too old to attend the children’s clubs.

“The church teenagers don't have what we would think of as a youth group where they can discuss issues with each other,” she said.

In November, Childs began hosting a Bible study for young people in her flat. She is leading a small group of girls through Old Testament wisdom literature, beginning with the book of Job. She hopes that out of this small group study, she will be able to identify a core group of youth who would be interested in regular Sunday worship services.

To learn about partnership opportunities in Croatia, contact engage@thefellowship.info or call (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Started by church planters Bruce and Susan Hunter, the church has focused on ministering to the community since it began a year ago.

“We’re concerned about bringing people into relationship with God,” said Bruce Hunter. “Jesus was concerned about people on the periphery of society. And we recognize that we can make a difference where we are.”

And with a $20,000 grant from the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Crossroads has expanded its ministry to the community – from a neighborhood block party to reaching out to low-income residents who were being displaced from their homes.

“Church starting is hard work which requires lots of commitment and resources,” said Bo Prosser, the Fellowship’s coordinator for congregational life. “Giving to help fund new starts allows the Fellowship to continue supporting our church starters with the needed tools to enhance their ministries. Your gifts also allow more and more new starts in areas where there may be no Christian voice at all.”

Ministers in Charlottesville for almost 15 years, the Hunters noticed that Zion Crossroads was growing. Development began with a 1,200-home gated community targeted to middle-class families. Then, commercial expansion followed.

The Hunters felt called to plant a church in response to the growth and to minister to long-time residents. Last October, they and two friends hosted two meetings for residents interested in starting a new church. Thirteen individuals joined the effort, celebrated a Christmas Eve service together and started small group meetings in homes.

“We are very intentionally trying to figure out what it means to be a missional church right here,” Hunter said. “Everything we do has that question built into it.”

The church has also received grants from the Baptist General Association of Virginia and Central Virginia Baptist Association. The church held its first worship service in its new facility June 1.

To learn more about supporting new church starts through CBF, contact David King at dking@thefellowship.info.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Mr. President,

On behalf of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship let me express congratulations on your inauguration as our 44th President. We promise our prayers for you, your family and your administration during this crucial time in our nation’s history. Let me also express some heartfelt requests.

Please help us create a cultural ethos that transcends our religious and regional division. In yesterday’s edition of “USA Today” Os Guinness called for “a restoration of a civil and cosmopolitan public square.” Many of us believe it is possible to engage one another in serious conversation, even disagreement, without demonizing one another in rancor. You already model such a spirit, and we are grateful. The religious and cultural differences in our society need not be the cause of bitter division. We pledge to do our part, but we need your strong leadership and continued example.

Please help us take bold steps to make life better for the poor and powerless. As a participating member of Christian Churches Together in the U.S. we affirm the opening sentence of its statement on poverty adopted last week. “As Christian leaders in the wealthiest society on earth, we are called by God to urge our churches and nation to strengthen and expand efforts to address the scandal of widespread poverty in the U.S. and around the world.” You have already made clear that the challenges facing our nation will not be met easily or quickly. But we ask of you to ask of us to serve and sacrifice so that “the least of these” among us may have equality and opportunity.

Please help us realize the fulfillment of Martin Luther King’s dream for America as “a beloved community.” We realize that government can only do so much to bridge the divides among us and eliminate the disparity between us, but we ask for leadership that forges creative partnerships between government and all institutions in our nation to work for the common good and not just for the special interests of some. We ask for policies that are fair and compassionate, laws that are just and government officials who fulfill their duties with competence and integrity. We ask for accountability and honesty in your administration. We ask for you to tell us the truth, even when it’s not politically expedient.

Mr. President, thank you for accepting the mantle of national leadership. Many of us believe that as a country we are living in a time of great peril as well as a time of great opportunity. Many of us also believe that as a country we have become intoxicated with greed and addicted to fear. So we offer to God a prayer written by the American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr and popularized by Alcoholics Anonymous:

God, give us the serenity to accept what cannot be changed;
Give us the courage to change what should be changed;
Give us the wisdom to distinguish one from the other.

Sincerely,

Daniel Vestal
Executive Coordinator
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
Atlanta, Georgia  
 

“I felt a strong urge by God to do more with my life than continue in a comfortable job where I tried to fit God’s work into my own busy career,” said Levesque, of San Antonio, Texas. “I have always been very active in church, but I felt a call to give God more of my time.”

Levesque enrolled in a Christian ministry degree program at Wayland Baptist University’s campus in San Antonio. Soon after starting classes, she began to feel inexplicably drawn toward the people of China – a country she had never visited and knew little about.

Now, four years later, this recently appointed Cooperative Baptist Fellowship representative is living in Nanning, China, teaching English writing and speaking classes to students on the campus of Guangxi University during the week and free English language classes at a Chinese Protestant church in downtown Nanning on Sunday evenings.

Levesque is teaching on the same university campus where recently retired CBF representatives Don and Karen Barnes taught for six years, and her weekly English classes at Gong He Lu Church are the very same classes that the Barnes taught.

Levesque and her husband, Marc, are living in the Barnes’ old two-bedroom apartment – a detail they were surprised – and delighted – to learn upon arriving in China in August.

“I believe God had this plan that we were to come here to replace Don and Karen,” said Levesque. “Don’t get me wrong – we could never replace them. But we’re here in their apartment, teaching their classes. God had [these] plans many years before I knew them.”

This semester, Levesque has 18 classes a week at the University and a total of 80 students – all of whom, she said, are eager to speak English and improve their oral language skills.

“I think it’s because they realize English is a universal language. If they know English, or some English, they will improve their situation in life,” said Levesque. She added that not all of her students are English majors, but all are required to speak English. “Some will become interpreters or go into a business where they must speak English.”

Levesque has been pleased to discover that some University students also attend the free English language classes she teaches at Gong He Lu Church. Though her University teaching contract prohibits her from teaching religion in a campus classroom, Chinese law assures the freedom to discuss religion within a government registered church or meeting place.

In the one-and-a-half hour weekly class attended by 40 to 50 individuals ranging in age from the very young to seniors, Levesque teaches a practical lesson – such as how to say, “Hello, how are you?” – followed by a Bible story. Currently teaching from the gospel of Mark, she uses scripture to explain the difference between present tense and past tense verbs. Vocabulary words, such as “disciple,” are also taken from the text.

“We talk about, ‘What does it mean to be happy? What does it mean to have faith?’” said Levesque. “This opens the door to talk about Christ and what he did for us. I feel very good about being able to share whatever is on my heart in these classes at the church. It’s an open forum to share my faith.”

On the 30-minute bus ride back to the campus following her Sunday evening class, Levesque is often approached by a Chinese individual who will either ask her, “May I practice my English?” or open a conversation by saying, “I went to Guangxi University.”

If it’s the latter, Levesque said she usually asks who the person’s teachers were, and many times, the answer is Don and Karen Barnes.

“You won’t believe how many people taking English classes in this part of China have been impacted by Don and Karen Barnes over the years!” said Levesque.

Like the Barnes, Levesque tries to be an example of Christ by being available to students and fellow teachers for help or friendship.

“Being the presence of Christ here on the university campus is all about relationship and developing friendships that can prepare the way for questions about what I believe,” Levesque said.

Other opportunities involve encouraging Chinese Christians.

“Recently we met a young, disabled Christian man whose hand had been blown off by a bomb,” Levesque said. “He desperately wanted an English study Bible, and we were able to get one for him from Hong Kong. This encouraged not only his English study, but also his faith walk.”

Though she doesn’t know how long she may stay, or what new opportunities may arise, Levesque feels perfect peace about where she is and what she is doing in China.

“I know that God has been preparing this place for me because of all the answers to my prayers. I can’t tell you the big picture, but God has a plan,” said Levesque. “It may be that one person we touch may go on to become a church leader in China some day. I am blessed that my husband has always encouraged and supported me to find and follow God’s will, which now involves both of us being here in China.” 

“Every day we get up and pray, ‘God, show us what you want us to do.’ It’s just such a powerful feeling to be where God wants you to be,” she said.

To learn about opportunities to serve in China, contact the Fellowship at engage@thefellowship.info.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Over several months they’ve talked about life and how painful it’s been for this 12-year-old, whose mother died and whose father is in prison for killing her. In an art class, Kevin drew a picture of a flower blooming from pieces of a broken heart. Craddock asked him what the picture meant. He said that even out of sadness and pain something beautiful can grow.

In the Miami neighborhood of Overtown, one of the poorest areas in Florida, youth flock to Touching Miami with Love’s (TML) after school program for its activities and to spend time with adults, such as Craddock, who care about them. It’s a bright spot in lives surrounded by drugs, crime and violence. Many of the teens live in substandard housing and attend failing public schools with high dropout rates. Yet they come to TML for something different.

“I am seeing young people make choices to follow Christ,” said Craddock, a native of Lexington, Ky. “They are choosing not to get caught up in the crime, violence, drug dealing, and promiscuity around them. Instead, they are choosing to open their hearts up to God and to allow God to mold their lives.”

Teens aren’t the only ones molded by this life-changing ministry. During a summer serving at TML in 2001, Craddock felt God calling her to ministry and social work. After earning degrees in both fields from Baylor University, including CBF partner Truett Theological Seminary, Craddock returned to TML in 2007 to serve through CBF in a two-year assignment. 

As the ministry’s director of youth programs, Craddock is able to live her call to work with at-risk urban youth.

“God has given me a heart to reach out to and care for teens struggling amid difficult circumstances,” she said. “As I have built relationships with the youth over this past year, I am beginning to see several of the youth truly open up and share their lives with me.”

Their stories reveal the challenges many Overtown teenagers face. Their family was robbed and needs help. Their family is homeless and living in a shelter. Drug dealers ask them to make deliveries. Two girls recently came to Craddock with news that their friend had been shot and killed. She talked with them about the emotions of losing a friend, and at the end of the conversation they prayed. 

“After the girls left my office, I thought to myself, ‘This is why I moved to Miami,’” Craddock said. “’I moved here to be with young people as they deal with life’s struggles. I don’t have all the answers and I can’t fix their problems. But, I can offer them love, encouragement, and I can share with them that there is a God who knows their struggles and who longs to heal their hurts.’”

As vital as the youth ministry is, it couldn’t happen without support from CBF partner churches that sponsor the after school program, special events, field trips and more. University Baptist Church in Miami and Beaver Dam Baptist Church in Beaver Dam, Ky., have been significant supporters. But there’s always need and room for more churches to become involved, whether it’s mentoring youth or hosting special events or field trips.

“Our youth need adult role models who can pour into their lives,” said Craddock.  

Through CBF’s Offering for Global Missions, TML receives funding for several staff members, including Craddock. Without financial gifts to the Offering, which support many CBF field personnel, Craddock would be unable to live in Miami and serve among youth whose lives can be so significantly influenced through the presence of Christ.

“Without the funds from the Offering for Global Missions, I would not be able to spend my days working with youth in Overtown,” Craddock said.  “It is an honor for me to work with [these] young people.  Even in the midst of sadness and despair, truly something beautiful can grow.”

Give to support this life-changing ministry and others at www.thefellowship.info/Give/Donate.aspx?fund=GMOF5. This year’s goal is $6.1 million. Learn more at www.thefellowship.info/ogm.

For information on how you or your church can partner with Craddock’s ministry, contact engage@thefellowship.info.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

ATLANTA – The term “Christian artist” can be somewhat ambiguous to the general population – but it’s often problematic for artists who are Christians.

If these artists do not create art with explicitly Christian themes or symbols, they often find themselves ostracized by the Christian community for the type of art they do create. At the same time, these artists are also ostracized by the art community for their faith. So they desire to belong to a community of believers with artistic skills – people who share a similar call to create.

It’s a unique situation that Jonathan and Tina, who serve as CBF field personnel, understand. They are working through Christian-based international arts associations to bring artists who are Christians together, and to encourage them to pursue their art in ways that are true and honest.

“The artists that struggle the most are those who really want to be in the marketplace, but the particular community where they worship says, ‘No, we can never hang your work here [because] there’s no cross in it.’ They’re torn. They live two different lives and these networks help these artists know they don’t have to do that,” said Tina.

The associations are also important because they help artists not feel so isolated. Organizations like the Christian Artist’s Networking Association, which Jonathan and Tina have been members of since 1999, bring artists together to network, share resources and encourage each other.

“Some [artists] are in places where they’ve been told it’s impossible to be an artist and be a Christian, and so the church around them has not supported them,” Tina said. “That probably is why most of these networks began – because we cannot be creative in a vacuum.”

Jonathan and Tina work with Crescendo, a group of classical musicians that believes artists don’t have to sacrifice the quality of their art while following Christ. Jonathan and Tina are both part of Crescendo’s summer institute of the arts, held in Sárospatak, Hungary each year. There, Tina holds dance workshops for opera singers, helping them relax. In one exercise, she asked participants to imagine the qualities of water. She instructed them not only to pretend to be water, but to move like water, whether rough or gentle.

“We had a room of probably 30 students, moving around, bumping into each other, dancing around each other, sliding, and sometimes, if they were a wave, doing a roll on the floor,” Tina said. “Afterwards one of the artists came up to me and said the exercise was very important to her, that through the process she came to peace with her fear of water. The power of art to help people with situations they’ve encountered still surprises me.”

No matter where they go or the diversity of artists they encounter, Jonathan and Tina find that art – music, dance, song, film, painting and other forms – is an international language. Art can powerfully connect people from different cultures through symbols that are familiar. Water is one example, as it is essential for life, and also universally associated with cleanliness. Tina said one conversation she had with a Muslim man was prompted by an abstract painting of water called “prayer.” Tina knew that for Christians, washing is symbolic, but Muslims have to literally wash before they can pray. 

“He said to me, ‘That looks like it could be more from my religion than yours. Why did you name it prayer?’” Tina said. ”We stood and chatted about life just because he thought he could talk to me because of that painting. You can’t anticipate it. If you try to do something that’s going to make conversations happen, it doesn’t happen. So you have to just be honest in your work.”

For international artists, this is one of the messages Jonathan and Tina teach. The other is that God values artists and their craft. “There’s still so much work to be done to let artists know that who they are and their gifts are acceptable to God,” said Tina.

To financially support the ministry of Jonathan and Tina, give to the CBF Offering for Global Missions at www.thefellowship.info/ogm.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

For Angel, who is in the last year of her three-year service with the CBF Global Service Corps and whose ministry is supported by the CBF Offering for Global Missions, this neighborhood is the perfect place to be the presence of Christ. 

The majority of her neighbors are Muslim, and almost all of them have never met a Christian. For Angel, who has found herself surrounded by Muslim culture, her ministry begins with understanding.
 
“I find that tension or prejudice can be broken down when you meet someone face to face,” said Angel, a native of Effingham, Ill. “When I first arrived in Belgium, for me, Muslims were a people group in my mind. I was tainted by media and assumptions of my own from living in a post 9/11 world.”

Angel works as the director of a social center, where she teaches English classes and hosts activities such as a coffee house. She estimates that 90 percent of the people in her neighborhood are immigrants.

“As a teacher, I meet the people in my community and then build relationships with them as friends,” Angel said. “The heart of every relationship that I have is being the presence of Christ to so many who have never known a Christian. It is natural for a Muslim to understand that God is the center of all that I do.”

During daily activities and the natural process of building relationships, she has found opportunities to share her story and her love for Jesus.

One friend, who is also her French teacher, asked Angel about Christmas while they sat at a North African café drinking mint tea. Her friend was curious about the holiday and how it relates to the Christian faith. Another friend gathered the courage to ask her for a Bible during a shopping trip to IKEA. She said she wanted to read about the Jesus Angel had talked so much about.

And one day, a student arrived early to class. The woman, knowing of Angel’s background in music, asked if she would sing for her. Angel sang “Amazing Grace,” and when she had finished the student said, “I don’t understand what the words mean when you sing them, but they give me such a feeling of peace.”

Angel has found that at the heart of Muslim culture is hospitality. She has been invited into homes for dinners and has gained an extended family through her students.

“I have probably been most surprised at how I feel at home among my Muslim friends,” Angel said. “God has opened doors with several women here, and they have brought me into their lives and into their families. The comment that always amazes me is when they say that it is because of my worship with my God that they want to spend more time with me. They don't know my God, but yet it is my walk with Him that draws us into deeper relationships.”

To give to the Offering for Global Missions, which supports CBF Global Missions field personnel and their ministries around the world, go to www.thefellowship.info/involved/give. The national goal for 2006-2007 is $6.32 million.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

The grant will help fund two of the church’s ministries. Leawood has made a 20-year commitment to ministry among the Lakota people as part of Warm Embrace, the Fellowship’s mission to the Lakota Reservation near Bridger, South Dakota. Funds will support a garden and fence project, which will allow the Lakota community to grow organic produce for their own use and for sale. Other grant funds will support the Special Needs Enrichment Program and Sibshop, a monthly ministry to provide care for children with special needs and their siblings.

The Fellowship’s Missional Ministry grants resource local congregations as they complete the “It’s Time: A Journey Toward Missional Faithfulness” study and seek to determine how God is calling them to ministry.

“We are pleased that so many of our partnering congregations are catching the missional vision,” said Bo Prosser, the Fellowship’s coordinator for congregational life. “Leawood has cast a vision for missional ministry that will serve their community and God’s kingdom with energy.”

In 2006, the Fellowship received a grant from the Christ is Our Salvation Foundation.  A portion of that grant established the “It’s Time Missional Ministry” grant to help CBF partner churches carry out missional ministries.  Grants up to $25,000 are available to qualifying churches whose application meets a committee’s approval. Grants are awarded on a one-time basis.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

For many residents, the celebration is the only recognition of their birthday.

Some residents attend the birthday parties because they are regular members of the weekly HIV/AIDS support group that Estle leads. Others come to satisfy an empty stomach.

“I make it clear that everyone is welcome,” said Estle, a member of Speedway Baptist Church in Indianapolis, Ind. “When a resident objects that someone only comes for cake, I explain it is not up to me to judge.”

Estle, a certified pastoral counselor with an endorsement through the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, is the Spiritual Advisor with the Palliative Care Team at Wishard Health Services in Indianapolis.

During the 13 years that Estle has led the support group, residents have shared how others have abandoned or rejected them because of their HIV status. But the residents’ expressions – hardened by years of anger and fear – begin to soften when Estle shares her own story of rejection.

Estle, who survived polio as a child, shares how some people were afraid to touch her when she had the dreaded disease of her day. Once she was in her front yard when a man arrived to deliver some important papers to her parents. Rather than delivering the papers to the door and risking contact with someone who had polio, he instead tossed the papers into the yard.
 
“It amazes me how this story still calms down an angry new resident today as they realize I understand,” Estle said. “I model Christ’s unconditional love by touching, listening or being present. It creates an atmosphere in which topics and questions can be raised, discussed and wondered about. Over time trust develops and healing comes.”

The support group gives participants emotional and spiritual support as well as practical help with daily living. Residents have learned how to use the bus, where to buy groceries, how to access social services and how to deal with the side effects of medications, she said.

 Estle has seen members of the group transformed by Christ’s love. One man recently told Estle that he had let go of his anger and gave her a note asking her to keep spreading the “light.”

Other residents ask Estle to buy a gift for a hospital patient in place of a birthday gift for themselves.
 
Members of Estle’s church, Speedway Baptist Church, have joined Estle in her ministry at the apartment complex. The church, a CBF partner, covers the costs for monthly birthday celebrations.

One of the women’s Bible study classes at Speedway provides meals for the residents four to five times a year. The women, who range in age from 50 to 90, eat with the residents and often play board games.
“I believe each of the women have helped residents heal from broken family relationships,” Estle said.

“The new residents are always surprised to find women who are like mothers and grandmas who are coming to feed and nurture them,” Estle said.

One of the women, Joyce Finch, lost her son to AIDS in 1992. She seldom mentioned his death and the disease that caused it at the time “because it was not a thing that was talked about,” she said.

Finch’s friendships with the residents have helped her heal from her son’s loss. Her first-hand experience with the challenges her son faced while living with HIV/AIDS now helps her relate to the residents, she said.

“It takes a really courageous person to live with the physical effects of the disease and the social stigma attached to it,” Finch said. “They need all of the encouragement and help that they can receive because it isn’t an easy way to live. They need to be accepted as they are.”

Finch said she follows the example set by Jesus Christ.

“Jesus was inclusive,” she said. “He didn’t turn his back on anyone.”

To learn about partnership opportunities related to HIV/AIDS ministries, contact Chris Boltin at engage@thefellowship.info or (800) 352-8741. Go to www.thefellowship.info/aids to learn more about CBF ministries and access resources.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.
 

The father is a member of the Karen, an ethnic minority group from eastern Burma that has suffered religious and political persecution from highly repressive, authoritarian military regimes since 1962. Examples of violence committed against the Karen include armed Burmese troops raiding and destroying unarmed Karen villages, destroying food supplies, and raping, torturing and killing the Karen, forcing them to live on the run or flee into Thailand for safety.

With no end in sight to the persecution, the United States and other countries have begun to accept Karen from the camps in Thailand for resettlement. While the young bride and groom were both accepted by the United States for resettlement, the aging father has not been.

In July, when Duane Binkley, one of CBF’s field personnel, made a visit to the refugee camps, Binkley sought out the father to offer a measure of comfort.  As he picked up a package of traditional bridesmaids dresses to deliver back to the bride for the wedding party, Binkley promised the father, “Though you cannot be there, I will be there, and I will take pictures and video of the wedding, and I will bring them back to you.”

Connecting Karen refugees – being links between those still in the camps to those who are now in the United States – and helping Karen refugees find churches and resources in the U.S. for a smoother transition to American life and culture – is Duane and Marcia Binkley’s ministry.

Jointly commissioned by the Fellowship and American Baptist Churches USA International Ministries in July 2007, the Binkleys have a longstanding relationship with the Karen, dating back to 1982, when they were first appointed as American Baptist missionaries to Thailand. Now living in Ohio, the Binkleys consider themselves “resource people, catalysts and encouragers to pastors and churches in America where the Karen are located.”

As the Karen people were some of the first converts to Christianity in Southeast Asia in the early 1800s, many claim a centuries-old “Baptist connection.”

“The Karen church in Burma is the fruit of our Baptist mission efforts there nearly 200 years ago, beginning with the work of [American Baptist missionaries] Adoniram and Ann Judson,” Marcia said. “Through the generations, the Karen have never forgotten the historical roots of their faith. In this sense, our mission history has come full circle, as the Karen so desire to make a connection with our Baptist churches when they arrive in the U.S.”

The U.S. has accepted Karen refugees since 2006. Each year, the U.S. agrees to accept refugees from another one of the nine camps along the Thai-Burma border.

“Currently, tens of thousands of Karen are being accepted from four camps into about 130 cities across the U.S.,” Marcia said. “It would be impossible for us to try to be hands-on with all the Karen communities – so we rely on leaders in churches across the U.S. We get them started, and then they go with it.”

The Binkleys provide Karen ministry resources to congregations, including a DVD, Web site and resources in both English and Karen.

Mary Ann Anderson of Agape Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas, began a ministry to the Karen at her church after being introduced to the Binkleys and subsequently “going looking for the Karen.” Though local U.S. agencies were at first reluctant to provide information, Anderson’s persistence led her to discover a nearby apartment complex housing 86 Karen. With encouragement from the Binkleys, Anderson was able to establish a church ministry team to welcome the Karen and help them settled in America.

“Now we minister to around 75 Karen, and we have 15 host families to care for them,” said Anderson. About 60 members of Agape Baptist’s 350-member congregation are actively involved in helping Karen in the Fort Worth community, providing transportation to and from the church, the hospital, doctor’s offices, grocery stores and Asian markets; helping them register their children for school; providing English language study and mentoring; and helping procure necessities not provided by food stamps or the local agencies.

In August alone, Anderson said that church volunteers drove a total of 2,400 miles and gave 435 hours to meeting the needs of the Karen.

“To see so many people involved – and such enthusiasm – that is the main thing to me,” said Anderson. “Nearly every time I visit the apartment complex where the Karen live, I see an older lady from our church sitting on the floor teaching Karen women how to make quilts. It is a blessing to see each other work. Many of us are retired, and we have time [to give]. We want to see our lives count for something.”

The Binkleys say they have heard similar sentiments from other CBF churches involved in Karen ministries. 

“Given the history of Burma, God is definitely working something special in our churches,” said Marcia. “It is with sorrow we see the Karen forced from their homes, but it is with great joy that we welcome the Karen people to America. It’s a blessing both for us and the Karen, who, through persecution, lived on nothing but faith. When churches invest in people, it gives them a purpose and a focus.”

To learn about partnership opportunities with the Binkleys or resources for ministering to the Karen, contact Chris Boltin at engage@thefellowship.info or (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Too often laypersons desiring theological education are unable to attend seminary by a traditional route for two main reasons – financial costs of graduate schools and the logistical constraints of not living near a seminary.

For nine years, Campbell, a Fellowship partner, in Buies Creek, N.C. has offered a certificate in preschool and children’s ministry to students working towards a master of divinity degree. Janice Haywood, who directs the certification program, serves as an adjunct professor on Campbell’s faculty. In addition to her roles on campus, Haywood has expanded the certification program off campus as well.

In the spring of 2000, Haywood began leading short-term intensive sessions for students seeking certification, but who were unable to attend seminary. The short-term sessions have been offered in both North Carolina and Virginia, and now, thanks to a partnership between CBF and Campbell, they will be offered for the first time in Georgia in the fall of 2009. 

The Atlanta short-term intensive courses will be held at the Ignatius House, a Jesuit retreat center located on the Chattahoochee River, where students will gather twice a semester for three days. Classes within the certification program focus on teaching students not only how to teach, but also why they teach, what to teach, and when to teach it. 

“If [laypersons are] responsible for overseeing the children’s ministry, they need to know how to do that,” said Haywood, “They need to know how to enlist and maintain volunteers, how to counsel children about their faith commitment, how to deal with crises in a child’s life, how to structure programs that give their children a balanced spiritual diet and how to encourage and equip parents to become the faith nurturers of their children.”

“This is a real ‘fullness of time’ opportunity for us,” said Bo Prosser, the Fellowship’s coordinator for congregational life. “The energy of Campbell Divinity School, the expertise of Janice, and the mission of the Fellowship will create a powerful synergy for education, theological reflection, and practical experience. I’m excited about what God is going to do in the midst of these gatherings.”

To learn more about the certification, contact Jana Kinnersley at kinnersleyjana@yahoo.com or (706) 224-3779.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Half the Fellowship’s relief funds will aid CBF field personnel Jade and Shelah Acker, who serve in Uganda and are aiding Congolese refugees fleeing into the nearby country.

"The situation seems to be getting worse, and if fighting intensifies, then there will be many more refugees entering Uganda," said Jade Acker.

The Fellowship’s remaining $5,000 will assist Baptist World Aid, the relief and development arm of the Baptist World Alliance, with their response to the crisis in the Kivu area of eastern Congo. There, Baptist leaders have reported violence, few resources, children being forced to join rebel armies, and Baptists being arrested and imprisoned on false charges. There is an urgent need for relief supplies such as food, medicine, blankets and clothing.

Baptist World Aid has worked in Kivu province since the 1994 genocide crisis in Rwanda, which neighbors Kivu. According to the Associated Press, ethnic fighting and violence in Congo worsened in late August when rebel fighters advanced to Goma, the capital of Kivu province. Now, doctors are working to contain cholera outbreaks in refugee camps, and United Nations peacekeepers are trying to ease the violence, according to AP reports.

To contribute to relief efforts in Congo, send a check payable to Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, P.O. Box 101699, Atlanta, GA. 30392, indicating fund No. 170017 "Sub-Sahara Africa Response" in the memo line or call (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

ATLANTA – The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and CBF of Virginia (CBFV) have partnered to employ a field coordinator for the state of Virginia. Rob Fox has been named to this position and will begin work Feb. 1. He will be based out of Richmond, Va.

“This position represents a strategic partnership between CBF and CBF of Virginia, as we seek to better serve churches in Virginia,” said Daniel Vestal, the Fellowship’s executive coordinator. “Rob’s energy and experience make him a great fit for this role.”

For many years, CBF and CBFV have actively cooperated in the promotion of their complementary mission and vision throughout Virginia. As field coordinator, Fox will work to advance both the mission and identity of CBF and the purpose and goals of CBFV.  He will serve Christians and churches in Virginia, providing resources, support and encouragement and facilitating opportunities for fellowship and missions service.

“Answering the call to serve with CBF is the fulfillment of a longtime hope and dream,” Fox said. “We have a bright future in Virginia. We are a small body, yet we are uniquely positioned to empower and equip partner churches to do God’s work in creative and visionary ways. Possibilities abound. My heart overflows with thanksgiving as I imagine all we can and will be together.”

Fox, a native of Culpeper, Va., currently serves as pastor of Mt. Hermon Baptist Church in Milford, Va., and as director of the ministry fund and interim director of communications at Union Theological Seminary and Presbyterian School of Christian Education. He is a graduate of Mary Washington College and the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond (BTSR), a Fellowship partner.

“Rob’s arrival couldn’t be at a more strategic time for CBFV,” said Jack Mercer, CBFV moderator and pastor of Harrisonburg Baptist Church in Harrisonburg, Va. “He’s the right person, with the right skill set to help CBFV move forward. He has a unique set of gifts as a minister, relating to students at BTSR and also helping raise funds in his current position. He’s really going to help us fulfill our goal of reaching the next generation for CBF and CBFV.”

BTSR will provide office space for Fox and CBFV staff. Fox previously served as director of admissions at the seminary.

“BTSR enjoys a warm and healthy partnership with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship at both the national and state level,” said Ron Crawford, president of BTSR. “With Rob Fox’s employment we have a unique opportunity to deepen and expand those relationships and, thereby, better serve the needs of local congregations”

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.
 

Throw in a local barbershop and it’s a combination tailor-made for a church whose evangelistic approach focuses on using modern technology to communicate the good news.

The Mansfield area is growing, and Moses said many of the families are not connected to a church. Moses’ strategy is to use emails and text messaging as a means to attract people who don’t attend church regularly. Most of their contacts come from two church members who operate a barbershop.

Antioch held its first worship service in December 2007, targeting families moving into the Mansfield/South Arlington/Grand Prairie area of north central Texas. It has quickly become a close-knit fellowship with several families vacationing together in Washington, D.C., this past summer. A tour of colleges is planned this fall so that children and teenagers in the congregation will have the opportunity to visit the campuses of all colleges in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area.

“Patrick contacted me last year with the hope of starting something new in Mansfield, an area with no moderate African American churches,” David King, CBF’s church start assistant. “We worked with him to develop his plan and also put him in contact with the Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT).”

Antioch was launched with support from BGCT, CBF, several local African American Baptist churches and a group of pastors serving as mentors to Moses.

CBF and CBF of Texas signed an official covenant of partnership with Antioch at this year’s General Assembly in Memphis. While there are some financial aspects to the partnership, it also involves connecting Moses with other CBF church planters in Texas and beyond. The church will hold a “block party” this fall, sponsored by BGCT, another way to connect people with Antioch.

“CBF is committed to developing a strategy of church starting that is a partnership between national and state CBF leadership as well as new church starts,” said Bo Prosser, the Fellowship’s coordinator of congregational life. “This new church start has certainly benefited from this strategy. Patrick’s energy for the work and his sensitivity to God’s spirit are evident. We are pleased to partner in such an exciting setting.”

Moses earned a bachelor of arts in political science and a master of public administration degree from Southern University. He was ordained in June 2005, just before he graduated from Texas Christian University’s Brite Divinity School with a master of divinity degree. He was introduced to CBF while attending Greater Saint Stephen’s First Church in Fort Worth, a connection that helped him become a CBF leadership scholar.

A bi-vocational pastor, Moses is an 18-year federal employee, having worked in several government agencies in the Fort Worth area. In May, he was recruited to serve in a position in Washington, D.C., with the Department of Homeland Security. He is responsible for the law enforcement and physical security of federal facilities located in the Washington metropolitan area.

Moses’ wife, Ronda, is director of social services at Life Care Center of Haltom, and recently earned a bachelor of social work at Texas Woman’s University. She is a part of the ministry team at Antioch.

“I love transforming people and I feel called to doing a church start,” Moses said. “It is exciting to watch God create a new church - a church with a new DNA.”

To learn more about CBF church start resources, contact David King at dking@thefellowship.info or (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

As Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Global Missions field personnel, the McNary’s lives provide a wealth of opportunities to be the presence of Christ. The Bible is filled with stories of Jesus reaching out to the outcasts of society – tax collectors, thieves, lepers. In modern-day Slovakia and the Czech Republic, the Romany people live as outcasts.

Also referred to as gypsies, Roma are a minority who experience discrimination not only socially but by government systems as well. Even in Košice, the second largest city in Slovakia, Roma live in settlements that are separated from the rest of the city by natural or man-made barriers such as railroad tracks, creeks or walls. Shacks are constructed from scavenged materials and the smell of trash and waste often permeates the air.

“God has made my heart soft for people who are ignored or unwanted,” Dianne said. “We are working with the Romany people because they are some of the most despised, unwanted people in Europe. Many are poor and unemployed, struggling to live on public assistance. Most are concerned with what’s happening today with little thought for tomorrow or next week or next year.”

Distinguishable by their dark hair, short stature and olive complexion, social discrimination extends even into the churches. Catholic baptisms for Romany babies are often held at different times or in different cities than the regular services. The McNarys break these social barriers every day – whether by smiling at a Romany child instead of frowning or turning away, saying thank you to a Romany store clerk in her native language, or accepting cooking lessons from a Romany woman.

“I often feel that I am most being the presence of Christ when I sit at the back of the bus and speak to a Roma person,” Shane said. “So often, the prejudice is tangible. The power of a word spoken with love can transform the usual tension on the bus as the Roma respond to the unusual gesture by a non-Rom.”

Since 2005, the McNarys have been involved with a Romany fellowship in nearby Cinobaňa. The small fellowship began by worshipping in the woods and later moved to renting a room in the village. But last year, the McNarys partnered with Lučenec Baptist Church to help the fellowship purchase its own worship space – a house in the center of the village near where many of the Roma live. Although the house needs work and additional funds to be fully functional, the McNarys believe it will be a lighthouse to the community, as the fellowship continues its Thursday afternoon Bible study, after school ministry to children and coffee shop outreach.

“As we met with them for the first meeting in this house of worship, I was struck by their joyfulness as they sang and praised God for the blessing of this building, where they could meet and plan and dream together about their future ministry center without fear of being forced to move,” Shane said. “We talked about God preparing a place for us not only in heaven but in the here and now. As I listened to the singing, I was touched. There was a wonderful Spirit moving in this humble little house in the middle of Cinobaňa, and I was thankful for the opportunity to share the experience with our brothers and sisters in Christ.”

The McNarys are also providing encouragement to Romany children in Košice. They teach English to students and teachers at the all-Roma school, the first of its kind in Slovakia. Students have the opportunity to learn about Romani language, Romany history and literature. The school builds confidence and hope for children like Michal, who lives in a high-rise apartment building that has no electricity or water.

The McNarys’ dream for their ministry is to facilitate the establishment of Romany-led churches throughout Slovakia and the Czech Republic. With continued funds from the CBF Offering for Global Missions, which pays for the McNarys’ salary, living and ministry expenses and health benefits, their dream may become a reality.

“Without the Offering, we would not be here,” Shane said. “Fellowship Baptists should give to the Offering because it is not used to create a paternalistic, codependent relationship with the people we seek to reach. We have a unique ministry focus that is needed here – a ministry which seeks to empower Roma to be ministers of Christ.”

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

The memorandum was signed October 30 at the CBF Resource Center in Atlanta.

“To this partnership, CBF brings the resources of volunteers, churches and a passionate constituency for human rights, justice and peacemaking,” said Harry Rowland, the Fellowship’s director of missional church ministries. “As Conscience International works alongside CBF field personnel, and CBF joins in the dialogue and engagement of Conscience International, the critical issues of justice, religious tolerance, genocide, human trafficking and peacemaking will have a stronger and more vibrant voice. Those churches and individuals passionate about these ministry challenges now have a new way to be the presence of Christ in a global setting.”

In the three-year partnership, the Fellowship and Conscience International will coordinate their efforts related to humanitarian aid, human rights advocacy and peace making in the Middle East. The Fellowship will provide support for Conscience International projects that are compatible with CBF ministries. The organizations will work together to foster mentoring and short-term mission immersion opportunities.

Conscience International was founded by Jim Jennings and began as an emergency medical response to the siege of Beirut in 1982. Over the years, Conscience International teams have provided emergency medical care and refugee aid following wars and natural disasters in countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Sudan, Eritrea, Lebanon, Pakistan, Palestine and India.

“Conscience International’s partnership with CBF presents a challenge to both organizations to act out our beliefs in some of the world’s most difficult places,” Jennings said. “Seeing the image of God in others is the beginning point for loving service, and acting on conscience is a genuinely transformational experience. We eagerly anticipate contributing to the great work CBF is doing.”

To learn about partnership opportunities with Conscience International, contact Chris Boltin at engage@thefellowship.info or (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Odds are there are only a handful of people in the market who’ve ever heard the story of Jesus, and one of them is the woman walking beside Moras – her friend Karima. They’ve been friends for years, and in this Islamic country, Karima has heard the gospel in one of the most common ways it’s shared – through relationships with Christians like Moras.

In North Africa – where sharing the gospel in public settings is illegal – Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel like Jane and her husband, Sam, can’t hand out Bibles on a street corner, project the Jesus Film on the side of a neighborhood house, or invite people to attend church. But they can love people.

“We share the lives of people during their struggles, we share the lives of people during their celebrations, and through that we hopefully share God’s love,” Sam said.

“Jesus helped others with a hands-on approach. We don’t have to pass out Bibles to teach others about Jesus. Our call is to love others, take care of the poor, the needy, the widows, the orphans and to let others see Christ shining through us,” Jane said.

That’s exactly what the Morases do among the Berber people, the original inhabitants of North Africa, who are often nomadic or disconnected from the larger Arab population. For one group of Berber women, the Morases purchased sheep whose wool is providing a much-needed source of income. For homeless children, the Morases partner with an organization that provides food and showers and exchanges clean clothes for dirty. The Morases also give away medicines in rural villages and help ensure people with mobility impairments have wheelchairs.

But ministry doesn’t stop there. Sharing the gospel through meeting human need only goes half way. The Morases believe they must speak the words of Christ.

“How else will they hear?” Jane said. “We hope for opportunities to speak the words of Jesus Christ, to speak of the hope that is within us, and share information whereby people can choose … to receive Christ.”
 
Often, it takes years of sharing and dialogue before a Muslim will choose to follow Christ.  In North Africa, it’s a costly decision. Sometimes Christians lose their job or are shunned by their families. So disgraced by the decision, families will even report their Christian relatives to police since converting from Islam is illegal. The Morases know North Africans who have been imprisoned, beaten or even raped because they have turned from Islam. And yet many stand firm, believing in the depth of their soul that following Christ is something they must do.

When Hasan first became a Christian, he remembers being so scared. He didn’t know who he could tell, where he could go to find other Christians, but he couldn’t deny that Christ had spoken to him. “Follow Islam or choose to follow me,” he remembers hearing.

Hasan chose Christ and, years later, is part of a secret church for other former Muslims. Each time they meet, they willfully break the law but feel it’s necessary to worship with the only other followers of Christ they know. They meet in homes, changing locations each week as to not be suspected or caught for meeting as Christians. They sing and worship – but they do it quietly. They read the Bible, pray and disciple each other.

The Morases have worked with underground churches like Hasan’s for years. Instead of leading a church themselves, the Morases connect new believers with these indigenous churches, allowing North Africans to disciple, support and lead their own.

“We walk besides them, support them, encourage them, love them and do what they feel is necessary to see their part of the world reached for Christ,” Jane said.

In North Africa, reaching Muslims with the gospel comes one by one. One follower of Christ invests in a friend, loves them and answers questions that friends naturally ask each other – What do you believe? Why aren’t you a Muslim?  Will you tell me about Christ? 

“If you’re in contact with people, they want to know who you are and they want to know about God,” Sam said. “I can’t even tell you how many times somebody might say to me, ‘I’ve never met a Christian before and I’ve never understood what it is that you really understand and believe.’”

After nearly 10 years of living and building relationships in North Africa, the opportunity to share Christ occurs daily for the Morases. And although it takes years of friendship, love and conversation, North Africans are choosing to follow Christ. It may be only two or three people a year, but the church is growing.

Like other field personnel around the world, the Moras are supported by the CBF Offering for Global Missions, which provides for their salary, ministry and living expenses. Gifts to the Offering enable the Morases to live in North Africa, build friendships and continue sharing Christ’s love in word and deed.

“Without your participation and support for the Offering for Global Missions, the opportunity for these people to hear the Gospel message wouldn’t be there,” Sam said. “We love the people who are around us. We love our friends, and we couldn’t do what we do without the Offering.

“Thank you for your gifts to the Offering. Thank you for helping us embrace the world.”

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

It was a challenging project – so much so that the hired plumber took one look at what water damage and lack of plumbing had done and never returned.  So while Allen didn’t expect to help do the project herself, it was the only option. Nothing went right and everything took longer than expected, but the family had a working bathroom by the summer’s end.

“This family ended up with a working sink and toilet and a floor that was sturdy,” Allen said. “Toward the end, the daughter came in and said, ‘It looks like somebody could live here.’”

That Greenville family was just one touched by Allen’s summer ministry in the Mississippi Delta, where the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s rural poverty initiative has been working to build community and reduce poverty.  Called Together for Hope, this CBF ministry has identified 20 of the poorest U.S. counties in which to focus poverty-reducing efforts.

While not one of the 20 poorest, Mississippi’s Washington County has faced significant economic downturn. Allen, a first-year student at CBF partner Wake Forest University Divinity School in Winston-Salem, N.C., wanted to do what she could to help, and CBF of Mississippi was more than willing to support her.

“Within 30 days an organization that operates off $150,000 a year had raised $20,000 to support a summer ministry for Courtney to be there,” said Steve Street, coordinator of CBF of Mississippi. “There was true enthusiasm around it.”

Seeing Allen as someone who could bolster Mississippi’s rural poverty ministry efforts, donations of all sizes came from every CBF partner church in Mississippi, including Allen’s home church in Jackson.

“Because everybody knew Courtney, they had an enormous amount of confidence,” said Jill Buckley, Northminster Baptist Church’s associate pastor for community ministry. “It was a connection that we could support someone we already loved to help her grow in her ministry.”

Harvest Fellowship, a congregation in Greenville, made the first financial contribution to the summer ministry and welcomed Allen as part of their ministry team.

Allen began her ministry in Greenville by listening to people. She’d go to social service agencies and just sit in the waiting area. She’d ask for a meeting with anyone willing – elected city officials, pastors, social service agency leaders and others. By the end of the summer, she had built dozens of relationships and had helped start a new ministry at Harvest Fellowship called Helping Hands of the Delta.

The ministry began with a food pantry and clothing closet, and as it grew, more CBF partner congregations became involved. Members of First Baptist Church in Leland, Miss., built a wheelchair ramp for a woman who had recently suffered a stroke. Members of Olive Branch Fellowship in Olive Branch, Miss., came to help with the clothing closet but did something entirely different when a trailer of corn was donated by a local farmer.

“We got on the back of the trailer and rode through the neighborhood and handed out corn. People would say, ‘What do I owe you?’ and we’d say ‘Nothing, it’s just for you,” Allen said.

More than any ministry project, Allen’s relationships with local people made the real difference in the community and in her understanding of what God has called her to do.

“I feel called to be engaged in the nitty-gritty of peoples’ lives, where generally there are significant physical needs,” she said. “This summer was an incredible opportunity to be able to think and pray and envision what new ministry looks like in a place like Greenville.”

Allen’s presence also left a profound impact in Greenville.

“[Courtney’s] efforts left an ongoing vehicle [for ministry] in the Helping Hands of the Delta. Our challenge is to make sure it continues,” Street said.

For more information on Together for Hope and CBF rural poverty efforts, visit www.ruralpoverty.net.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Yoo Yoon, the Fellowship’s Korean initiative consultant, traveled to North Korea to deliver more than $30,000 in food and grain that will help alleviate a growing food shortage in areas of the country.  The Fellowship partnered with Texas Baptist Men, each giving $15,000 to the hunger relief effort that purchased 36 tons of flour and 4.2 tons of corn noodles.

While in North Korea, Yoon visited a corn noodle factory, where half the corn used to make noodles was rotten. A bad crop season only amplifies the food shortage, leaving many pleading for more corn and flour to be sent to desperate areas.  

The Fellowship has contributed toward numerous hunger relief projects in North Korea, including purchasing dried food for an estimated 500,000 people and providing 20 tons of vinyl sheeting to create greenhouses for vegetables.

“I have had chances to share the love of Christ and works of CBF to the [North Korean] people,” said Yoon, who is based in Dallas, Texas.

In the Middle East, the Fellowship has given $4,000 to purchase food and blankets to help Dom Gypsy families, many of whom have lost day labor jobs that they relied on for income. Now, they struggle to buy food, winter clothing and blankets.

For more than a decade, the Fellowship has worked among the Dom people, a minority people group who are typically oppressed by the varied Middle Eastern countries in which they live. The Fellowship’s ministry among the Dom includes Bible translation, vocational training, hunger and clothing relief, literacy programs and support of a new church start.

“We are enabling direct assistance to hidden individuals that are suffering great hardship,” said David Harding, who coordinates the Fellowship’s international disaster response. “Our web of networks allows us to shift resources where it helps real people coping with survival issues to know the love of God in tangible ways.”

To contribute to the Fellowship’s worldwide hunger relief efforts, send a check payable to Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, P.O. Box 101699, Atlanta, GA. 30392, indicating fund No. 17001 "Hunger Relief" in the memo line or call (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given missio

Editor’s Note: In recognition of Pastoral Care Week Oct. 20-26, this story highlights the ministry of one of CBF’s approximately 600 chaplains and pastoral counselors.

ATLANTA – Sometimes Laura Mannes wishes she could fix the pain, grief and suffering that she encounters each day as a chaplain. Then she reminds herself of her mission.

"I have to realize that I am a human ‘being’ and not a human ‘doing’ and that sometimes sitting on the ash heap being beside someone is the most powerful care one can give," said Mannes, a Cooperative Baptist Fellowship endorsed chaplain at Northeast Baptist Hospital in San Antonio, Texas.

Mannes, a graduate of Fellowship partner school Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, fulfills her mission by caring for patients and family members when they face new diagnoses, end-of-life decisions, spiritual and emotional distress or death. Often that care involves connecting patients and their families to their faith communities.

Recently Mannes responded to a call for an emergency room patient who was not responding to treatments. Mannes helped facilitate the family’s discussion as they confronted end-of-life decisions regarding their mother’s care and ultimately decided to follow their mother’s wishes by foregoing life support.

The family shared with Mannes that their mother found joy in singing. So Mannes led the family in song and prayer at their mother’s bed side. As they sang a benediction hymn, their mother died.

"It was a very holy moment, one that you knew and felt God’s presence in that room," Mannes said." That room was a sacred place at that moment."

Mannes believes that death is not a taboo subject and no longer fears it like she did as a child.

"Jesus talked about his impending death with his disciples, and his disciples had trouble with it," Mannes said. "I think that is the way it is today – many individuals have trouble with it – but I see death as part of life. I do not see it as an end, but another beginning to life eternally with God."

Mannes did not grow up in church, but started attending a church as a teenager when a friend invited her. Her background gives her insight into patients or families who do not belong to a church or came to know Christ later in life, she said.

For Mannes, a prayer by Teresa of Avila inspires her to be the presence of Christ to others. One line states, "God of love, help us to remember that Christ has no body now on earth but ours, no hands but ours, no feet but ours."

"I believe that being present with others and being that reminder of Christ on earth is what my ministry is all about," Mannes said.

In addition to her work with patients and families, Mannes mentors chaplain residents and interns and confronts ethical challenges as a member of the hospital’s ethics committee. As a participant in interdisciplinary care rounds, Mannes collaborates with a nurse, social worker, physician and dietician to care for patients’ physical, spiritual and emotional needs.

She also ministers to staff and conducts a "Blessing of the Hands" ritual to remind staff members "that their hands are a tool of healing by bringing touch and comfort to the patient, and that what they do is a calling, not just a job," she said.

Mannes said she sought endorsement from CBF because of the organization’s emphasis on relationships. Endorsement, an official declaration by the Fellowship that a person is in good standing as a minister, is often necessary for certification and employment.

"I have found CBF to be a family and relationship-oriented which is one of the most important things I need in nurturing my spirit," Mannes said. "George Pickle (CBF’s specialist for chaplaincy and pastoral counseling) has been a comfort and one of my chaplains when I have needed a chaplain. Endorsement to me is about relationship, being connected, and being accountable to the gifts and graces that God has given me."

To learn about endorsement with CBF or to locate a CBF-endorsed chaplain, contact Pickle at gpickle@thefellowship.info or (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

ATLANTA – “How do you plan to stay in touch with your family while you’re deployed?” Army chaplain James “Jim” Kirkendall frequently asks young soldiers.

It’s one of the many topics Kirkendall addresses during personal visits with military personnel of the U.S. Army’s 95th Division in Oklahoma City, Okla., to prepare them for deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan.

As one a Cooperative Baptist Fellowship endorsed chaplain, Kirkendall extends the ministry of the Fellowship to members of the military and their families.

Soldiers are required to attend mandatory briefings by many Army departments – from the judge advocate general to family readiness. During these sessions, Kirkendall addresses the emotional impact of deployment and suicide prevention. He shares experiences from his own year-long deployment in Iraq.

From 2006-2007, Kirkendall was attached to the Logistics Support Area (LSA) Anaconda, in Balad, Iraq, where he counseled soldiers and visited the wounded and workers at the Air Force Theater Hospital and the Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility.

Kirkendall saw suffering among civilian and military personnel. While visiting soldiers and chaplains at the Air Force Theater Hospital, he heard, “Trauma code ER, trauma code ER.” He and another chaplain arrived in the emergency room as medics rushed into the facility a 10-year-old boy who had been shot in the head.

“So there he was, a small 10-year-old with no family around him but with two Christian military chaplains, each holding onto his hands and praying as he died,” Kirkendall said.

While in Iraq, he ministered to a mixture of American, Filipino, Indian, Pakistani, Turkish, Russian and Iraqi civilians and to soldiers from all branches of the U.S. military. He also conducted training sessions for 25 junior chaplains.

“At LSA Anaconda, suffering was demonstrated by being absent from our loved ones for a very long time, death of a comrade, frustration in the office due to overbearing supervisors, lack of communication with family, spouse deciding to start a relationship with someone else and leave the soldier in Iraq, injured soldiers with limbs violently removed from their bodies, civilians caught in the middle between scratching out a living and having a war exploding around them, to interpreters using false names so their identity would be concealed,” he said.  “And the list goes on. The bottom line is God is still there.”

Now, Kirkendall talks with Oklahoma-based soldiers about the challenges they are likely to face. He also serves as the Oklahoma state chaplain for the Office of Juvenile Affairs.

“I love being a chaplain because I have a unique ministry of going where others cannot go,” said Kirkendall. “The average pastor doesn’t get to go behind the fence of the medium and maximum secured areas…with 12- to 18-year-old adjudicated juvenile delinquents…[or] to serve in a combat zone and serve soldiers where life-and-death issues are addressed every day.”

To learn about endorsement by the Fellowship, contact George Pickle at (800) 352-8741. To support the ministry of CBF chaplains and pastoral counselors, visit www.thefellowship.info/chaplains. “Prayer Pathways,” which includes chaplains and pastoral counselors birthdays, can be ordered by calling (800) 801-4223.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

ATLANTA – Frank Morrow was in the Middle East doing relief work after a natural disaster when a local official turned to him and asked an all important question: “Why do you do what you do? Why did you come?”

For Morrow, the answer was easy. He opened a paperback Bible and shared the story of Jesus.

“Those moments are the open doors,” Morrow said. “That’s why we’re there.”

As Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel, Frank and his wife, Karen, have had many opportunities to share Christ among one of the most unreached people groups in the Middle East, which cannot be named for security reasons. Commissioned by CBF as strategy coordinators in 1996, the Morrows began ministering in Germany, where large numbers of Middle Eastern refugees had come seeking asylum.

The Morrows helped these refugees in whatever way they could, all the while learning their language and more about this people group that was once mighty but were now repressed, persecuted and nearly forgotten. Their land had been stolen and their culture outlawed.

After 10 years of ministry in Germany, the Morrows returned to the United States, where they base their work out of Fort Worth, Texas. There, they concentrate on building partnerships with other ministry organizations and helping to provide translated media, books and Bibles for distribution in the Middle East.

Another important aspect is connecting with CBF partner churches about ways they can connect with ministry in the Middle East. Whether it’s through prayer, financial support, or going to a Middle Eastern country to serve, churches can partner with the Morrows to make a difference among a largely unreached people group, where the gospel is slow to spread.

“We don’t see mass conversions or quick change. It’s a long process,” Karen said. “For them to come to faith is a cutting off who they are. It’s a disgrace to their family. They risk their life to [come to Christ].”

One husband and wife became Christians in Germany and have returned to the Middle East to start a church among their own people. Even though they’re thousands of miles apart, Karen keeps in contact with the wife, who she considers a dear friend.

“I encourage her to keep the faith and to testify that God is at work and that God is alive. [She told me] ‘I don’t have another person like you who can share my deepest feelings and hurts with.’ We’re there to be that with people and to be that [presence] in their life.” Karen said. “I feel the biggest part of our work is enabling others to do the work.”

Like many CBF field personnel, the Morrows’ ministry is funded by gifts to CBF’s Offering for Global Missions. Without financial gifts to the Offering, the Morrows would be unable to serve among people whose lives can be so significantly changed by the love and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

“Without the Offering, it would be impossible to do the work,” Karen said.

Give to support this life-changing ministry. This year’s goal is $6.1 million. Learn more at www.thefellowship.info/ogm. For information on how you or your church can partner with the Morrow’s ministry, contact engage@thefellowship.info.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

• Interacting with the world community
• Honoring race, gender and generations
• Missional engagement
• Training and development
• Spiritual formation
• Resource utilization
• Broadening the CBF community

• Support and promote the Millennium Development Goals (#2)
• Expand advocacy efforts for human rights, religious liberty, and social justice (#3)
• Develop a national framework to address poverty in the United States (#4)

• Invest in young Baptists (#1)
• Model racial, gender and generational inclusion in hiring and leadership (#5)
• Heighten understanding of women in leadership (#13)

• Increase funding for global missions efforts (#6)
• Educate and develop missional leaders (#7)
• Increase awareness of global missions efforts (#8)
• Provide training for indigenous church leaders and pastors (#9)
• Facilitate short term mission engagement opportunities for churches and individuals (#10)
• Provide missional resources (#11)
• Facilitate long term relationships among churches, individuals, and field personnel ministries (#12)
• Expand communication of CBF’s mission and vision (#14)
• Increase the number of field personnel (missionaries) (#15)

In his global mission update, Rob Nash, the Fellowship’s coordinator for global missions, talked about the future of global missions engagement. He talked about CBF Global Missions’ three primary teams – field ministries, missional church and bridge. The field ministries team, directed by Jim Smith, facilitates the work of 145 field personnel. The missional church team, directed by Harry Rowland, facilitates the engagement of congregations around the world. And, the bridge team, facilitated by Grace Powell Freeman, supports and facilitates the work of other two teams in the areas of finance, personnel recruitment and selection, training, rural poverty and student missions.

• Voted to authorize the Leadership Development Initiative Team to convene a group of young CBF-related Baptist pastors to respond to the question: “What does it mean to CBF to invest in young Baptists?”
• Recognized the service of Tom Prevost, who will retire as the Fellowship’s poverty initiative and projects specialist at the end of year. Prevost has served on the CBF staff since 1995 and helped facilitated Together For Hope, the Fellowship’s rural poverty initiative.
• Named moderator-elect Hal Bass as chair of the Council’s United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals task force, along with Colleen Burroughs of Birmingham, Ala., and Debbie Ferrier of San Antonio, Texas.

“The government will no longer pay for health care for your daughter,” said the doctor to Fatime’s mother. “We cannot waste the money on a child who will die anyway.”

And with that, $60 of medication a month stood between the possibility of life and death for Fatime. When local Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel Arville and Shelia Earl heard what was happening to this Macedonian family, they gathered funds from CBF and told Fatime’s mother that the medication would be paid for.

“She cried and said to tell the people who made this possible ‘Thank you,’” Shelia said. “So ‘thank you’ for your support of CBF missions.”

More than two years later, Fatime’s cancer is nearing remission – almost assuredly because of the medication. This year she enters primary school – healthy and better prepared because of the educational head start she received at Future of the Family kindergarten, one of the Earls’ most significant ministry projects.

The kindergarten began four years ago when the Earls realized that many children in one area of Skopje couldn’t afford to attend kindergarten. Because they were poor, they entered first grade without an educational foundation. CBF started the school, and Shelia helps develop curriculum and teach. So far the kindergarten is making an impact, already setting up nearly 200 children for educational success in public schools.

“No one thinks of [Future of the Family kindergarten finishers] as being from a ‘poor, ignorant neighborhood,’” said one of the directors of a public primary school. “They can perform and contribute on a level that exceeds even our top students. We praise God for this kindergarten.” 

Through the kindergarten, the Earls became aware of other pressing human needs. Some children like Fatime had serious health issues, and many others were hungry for a nutritious meal. Some families couldn’t afford water or heat in cold Macedonian winters. The Earls respond to those needs and others with a benevolence project that helps “the most neglected of our city, especially those who cannot help themselves, in particular the elderly, the invalid, the disabled, widows and orphans,” they said.

The Earls also work with one of Skopje’s poorest public schools, where classrooms are in poor condition, textbooks are out-of-date and children find it difficult to walk to school in the winter because they don’t have warm clothes or shoes. This ministry and others have opened doors for numerous CBF partner churches to get involved. Some have raised and sent money for vital projects; others have sent missions teams for construction work, food distribution and children’s activities.

“We have invited people from congregations to walk where we walk, into those places where we interact with people on a daily basis,” the Earls said.

In 1994, the Earls were appointed by CBF to minister among Albanians, a people group plagued by conflict for the last several decades. Under communist rule, Albania was declared an atheist state and was closed off from the outside world. Many Albanians migrated to countries like Macedonia, where they are an ethnic minority.

During the conflict in Kosovo in the late 1990s, the Earls ministered among Albanians in refugee camps, villages, hospitals, clinics and schools. When another major conflict erupted in Macedonia in 2001, the Earls made reconciliation ministry a priority. They established a Center for Ethnic Cooperation and moved to Skopje so the reconciliation work could expand.

But as much as their ministry is concerned with helping the poor and promoting peaceful relationships, it’s ultimately about being the presence of Christ and “living out our calling in such a way that the real truth of the gospel can be seen as authentic, accessible and applicable in Macedonia,” they said.

Like many CBF field personnel, the Earls’ ministry is funded by gifts to CBF’s Offering for Global Missions. Without financial gifts to the Offering, the Earls would be unable to live in Macedonia and serve among people whose lives can be so significantly changed by medicine, education, love and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

“Praise God for the Offering for Global Missions,” the Earls said. “Fellowship Baptists should not only be encouraged to give but challenged to do so – not withholding contributions to special [ministry] projects but making comparable contributions to the Offering.”

Give to support this life-changing ministry and others at www.thefellowship.info/Give/Donate.aspx?fund=GMOF5. This year’s goal is $6.1 million. Learn more at www.thefellowship.info/ogm.

For information on how you or your church can partner with the Earls’ ministry, contact engage@thefellowship.info.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Through a relationship between their home church of San Jacinto Baptist in Deer Park, Texas, and Iglesia Bautista Bethel (IBB) church in Tuxpan, the Tuckers have been taking annual mission trips to this beautiful tropical town on the Gulf of Mexico since 1994. Though they never envisioned permanently relocating to Mexico, after much prayer, Dan accepted the call to become pastor of IBB last year. This March, the couple packed their belongings into a 6-by-12 trailer, drove across the border into Mexico, and moved into their new home – an apartment above the church.

Now, their days are so full with plans for church building renovations, improvements to the children’s and youth ministries, and outreach projects (not to mention sermon writing, sermon translation and Spanish lessons), that the Tuckers hardly have time to feel homesick.

“Having strong ties and relationships with the people here has made our transition easy,” said Jolene. “Tuxpan has been our second home for quite a while.”

Long and slender, about nine miles long and two miles wide, the small country town of Tuxpan is known to be tranquil and peaceful by Mexican standards. Lacking the crime of Mexico’s larger cities, Tuxpan is a family-oriented community, with many children and teenagers.

According to Dan, the people of Tuxpan are thirsting for God’s word, and IBB’s congregation of about 100 people has a heart hungering for missions. The church’s motto is “transforming lives.” After years of learning from and serving side-by-side with American teams from San Jacinto Baptist, the members of IBB now desire to get to work in the world discipling others. “They are ready to be goers and givers,” said Jolene.

The church recently approved a five-year plan that would plant three new churches and start a school for children.

“It’s a little bit overwhelming,” Dan admitted. “We need pastors for the mission churches, and suitable plots of land for the church buildings. We also have teaching needs, as far as bringing teachers in for the school and creating the curriculum. We cannot do it ourselves, but we can do it with the people God sends.”

As roughly 50 percent of Mexico’s population is composed of children under the age of 18, the Tuckers plan many activities and outings for Tuxpan’s young people. In April, they held a Bible study and served cake to children on Children’s Day (Día del Niño). In May, Jolene took 10 youth on a three-day, out-of-town retreat, and the Tuckers planned a day of Bible study and chaperoned fun on the beach for mission children who rarely get to go to the beach. Then in June, they assisted IBB’s youth praise team in planning a community-wide concert with games, music and preaching by a guest speaker.

During two weeks in July, IBB held four vacation Bible schools. In the first week, 220 children attended programs held at three different locations in Veracruz, and 90 percent of the attendees were non-church members. “More than one parent said to us, ‘What else can we send our children to?’” said Jolene.

One of the VBS locations was in a small community where there had been no Bible school for three years.

“At the end of the week, they pressured us, ‘When are you coming back?’” said Dan. “The adults would come to the VBS and sit in the back. The first night, we had 40 children; the next, we had 72 children and 30 adults. The response was overwhelming. We told them we’d come back and do a backyard Bible club for the kids and a worship service for the adults on the first Saturday of every month.”

The Tuckers have also discovered the people’s eagerness to learn English.

“Everywhere we go in town, people ask us about English classes. It is connected with economics. If you know English, you are much more marketable,” Dan said. “We have heard that a worker can increase his pay by 30 percent if he can speak English.”

IBB started English as a Second Language classes in the spring, mostly with church members as students, but hope to turn the course into an outreach vehicle.

With so much going on, the Tuckers welcome church mission groups, families and individuals who want to minister alongside them in Tuxpan – whether Tuxpan is their destination, or a stop along the way to somewhere else.

“What’s really cool about us being here is that anybody can come participate in ministry with us anytime,” said Dan. “We are open year-round to hosting people for a variety of missions opportunities, including medical work, construction work, and teaching. Now that we’re here full time, we’re better able to connect people in the United States with our group here, and plug people in to whatever their passions are.”

“It’s not touristy, and it’s not glamorous, but we’ve got a pretty river and beach, and it’s close enough to the United States that people can come,” said Jolene. “The relationships that are formed here – it’s unexplainable. Everyone who comes says, ‘Man, I’m coming back!’ Christian growth is happening all over Mexico, as well as in the Tuxpan teams and American teams. Lives are being changed on both sides of the border.”

To learn about opportunities to serve in Tuxpan, contact Chris Boltin at (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

The church began thinking about a community ministry when several nearby buildings came up for sale. Jorge Zayasbazan, pastor at First Baptist Church, said the buildings’ proximity to the church seemed an ideal ministry opportunity, but the church lacked the finances and people to move forward. But a man who had purchased one of the nearby houses came to worship at FBC. His plan was to start a home for men recovering from chemical dependency.

“At the same time, we were completing the Fellowshipʼs ‘Itʼs Time’ study and were seeking Godʼs will in regards to a ministry to impact our community,” Zayasbazan, who also serves as coordinator for North Central Region CBF. “One easily identifiable stronghold in our community is the problem of alcoholism and drug addiction and our church already hosted the largest Narcotics Anonymous meeting in the county. The opportunity presented by BAM House was a clear answer to prayer.”

FBC received a CBF missional ministry grant of $15,000 for facility improvements that would qualify BAM House to be licensed by the state, thereby making it possible for state agencies to refer clients. The Fellowship makes such grants to churches that complete the “It’s Time” study and want to develop ministries that impact their communities.

In a short time, windows were replaced, equipment purchased, repairs made, remodeling and painting done, inspections passed. State licensure was granted in June, and now BAM House can accommodate up to eight men. Much of the labor for the renovations was provided by Trinity Baptist Church in Raleigh, N.C., which sent an 82-member team to help.

“We have always been a missional church,” Zayasbazan said, “but we were looking for something that we could focus on, one thing that we could put our energy into. When we listened to God, we found the BAM House.”

BAM House is one of only three faith-based, state-licensed recovery homes in the north Chicago area, Zayasbazan said. It focuses on the spiritual and behavioral development of its clients and helps them become more responsible and productive members of society. Among the services offered at BAM House are substance abuse counseling, spiritual counseling and Bible study, vocational and employment resources, 12-step recovery meetings and personal finance education.

It is also a place where the men find a Christian community. They are involved with service projects throughout the week, and often work alongside church members in a ministry that helps elderly and people with disabilities with yard work and home repairs and delivers donated furniture to the poor.

“In the short history of BAM House we have already baptized two residents and had one commit his life to Christian ministry,” Zayasbazan said. “Not every story ends in success but there have already been several men who were homeless and without hope, who found jobs and permanent housing, reconciled with their children and, most important, found purpose in Christ.”

“First Baptist Waukegan’s story illustrates the level of missional awareness that is raised as churches engage in the ‘It’s Time’ church-wide experience,” said Rick Bennett, the Fellowship’s director of congregational life. “Like FBC, many churches are called to a deeper awareness of what it means to be the presence of Christ in their community and around the world; the BAM House ministry is a perfect illustration.”

To learn more about the missional ministry grant, contact Rick Bennett at (800) 352-8741. To order “It’s Time,” call The CBF Store at (888) 801-4223.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

The two churches were among 20 CBF-related churches and organizations that participated in this year’s Eleven-on-11 day of service. Facilitated by Current, the Fellowship’s network of young leaders, local missions projects that day offered a constructive way for Fellowship Baptists to make a difference in their communities and honor the memory of Sept. 11.

“Eleven-on-11 was a great event for the young adults of our congregation,” said Abby Thornton, minister of spiritual formation at Freemason Street. “People in this age range are eager to be involved. They don’t want just to give money to missions but want to get their hands dirty right in their own community. This event helped speak to that passion in our congregation.”

The Freemason Street group worked at the International Seamen’s House in Norfolk, a hospitality ministry for merchant seafarers from around the world.

“This is a ministry that our congregation has supported for decades, but most of our group had never even seen the section of Norfolk where the house is located, let alone known anything about this ministry,” Thornton said. “With a few hours of work, we were able to improve a space enjoyed as a home-away-from-home by people from all over the world, and also have our own world-views—and community-views—broadened a bit.”

Metro Baptist Church, located in Hell’s Kitchen just a stone’s throw from the events of Sept. 11, 2001, has participated in Eleven-on-11 for the past two years. This year, Amanda Hambrick, director of youth programming at Rauschenbusch Metro Ministries (a ministry of Metro Baptist Church), took a group of teens from a youth center associated with the church to work among the homeless at a shelter on Madison Avenue.

“[It was] kind of funny that we’re on Madison Avenue and there’s a homeless center here,” said Angelo, one of the youth. “That’s like the most extreme money and the poorest in the same place. Something’s not right about that."

“I was happily amazed that Angelo, a freshmen in high school, was able to notice the blatant injustice present in his own city; something that some people never notice, or choose not to notice,” said Hambrick, one of CBF’s field personnel.

At the center, four of the youth served hot lunches while the rest of the group played games and talked with the clients.

“Our teens’ initial responses to the homeless were challenged,” Hambrick said. “We projected that if everyone would take the time to hear people's stories, events like 9-11 could possibly be prevented.

“I loved seeing the youth from the teen center – youth who themselves have stories that often include homelessness, economic strife and exposure to gang and domestic violence, drug abuse and other realities of urban life – realize that the gift of their time on a Saturday morning, their willingness to listen to another’s story and their ability to see the homeless as dignified and significant members of society are some of the greatest things they can offer the world.”

Ashley Gill, associate pastor at University Baptist Church in Hattiesburg, Miss., and Shannon Rutherford, minister to college students at University Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, La., coordinated the projects.

Some of the other projects completed on Eleven-on-11 Day include:

·         University Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, La., put a tarp on a couple’s roof in the aftermath of Gustav, and cleaned a room in a child development center.

·         The Oaks Baptist Church in Lyons, Ga., provided care and cleanup at a hospice house.

·         Virginia Intermont College in Bristol, Va., worked with a shelter for families facing homelessness and abuse;

·         Gayton Baptist Church in Richmond, Va., worked with a non-profit organization helping families transition out of homelessness.

·         Columbus Fellowship Church in Columbus, Miss., created a community garden wall and cleaned up a local park.

·         The Cooperative Student Fellowship of Mercer University worked with HIV/AIDS patients in a housing/resource center.

·         University Baptist Church in Hattiesburg, Miss., cleaned and made minor repairs at the local Christian Women’s Job Corps office.

Sponsors for Eleven-on-11 included the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, Campbell University Divinity School, CBF Church Benefits Board, CBF of Florida, CBF of Georgia, CBF of Mississippi, CBF of North Carolina, CBF Virginia, Duke Divinity School, Kentucky Baptist Fellowship, McAfee School of Theology, and PASSPORT Inc. Through these sponsorships, Gill said, T-shirts were sent to volunteers at each site as a token of appreciation for their participation.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

The Johnson Family Endowment to provide assistance to students seeking theological education was the first fund established through the CBF Foundation. Its proceeds have helped Kyle Welch and many other students complete their theological education.

The fund was established by Mae Ora Johnson Capshaw after her first husband, Billy, died of cancer in 1990.

“We believed in education,” Capshaw said. “Billy always felt one of his main ministries was to educate young people. So, when he died, I thought a good way to remember him and his love for young people was to start this fund.”

Billy Johnson had been a Baptist pastor in Mississippi and Alabama for 40 years when he died at age 58. The endowment was initially begun with insurance proceeds and gifts given in his memory, and Capshaw said she adds “a little bit each year.”

“I’m not wealthy by any means but this is something I’m interested in and am glad to do,” she said.

Kyle Welch was one of the young people Billy and Mae Ora Johnson took under their wings. Welch served as a summer intern and in a permanent part-time position on Billy Johnson’s staff during the time he was diagnosed with cancer.

“In [that time] he taught me more about the grace of God in the face of death than I will probably ever learn the rest of my life,” Welch said. “In conversations during that time, he communicated his desire for me to receive financial assistance through his life insurance policies.

“I was humbled that he wanted to help me. He was not selfish but willing to invest his resources in me. Without this financial assistance, I may have given up on finishing my education.”

Welch thinks other seminary students are much like him.

“Most students entering seminary are struggling financially as they are usually holding a new polished degree with a whole lot of debt to go with it. I was this student,” he said. “Because of the Johnsons’ gift, I resumed and finished my education. The financial assistance I received was a blessing of God that made the pursuit of my calling possible. For this, I am indebted and would hope that one day I will be able to make a contribution that would support others in pursuing a seminary education.”

A retired school teacher, Mae Ora Capshaw, 75, now lives in Ellisville, Miss. The Johnson Endowment Fund totals about $20,000 with about $1,000 each year available for scholarships.

“The money we have given is not so much a way to honor Billy as a way to extend his ministry,” she said. “Maybe some day it will work up to where it will be valuable enough to be a real help to young people.”

For Kyle Welch and other students like him struggling to pay for a seminary education, the value already received is immeasurable.

To learn more about endowments through the CBF Foundation, contact Don Durham at (800) 352-8741 or ddurham@thefellowship.info.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.
 

Haiti, which was recently hammered by four consecutive major storms, is reeling from the destruction of crops and infrastructure such as bridges and roads. Tropical activity from storms Fay, Gustav, Hanna and Ike affected this Caribbean nation, killing hundreds and leaving thousands with little access to food and clean water. The Fellowship sent the funds through partner organization Baptist World Aid, the relief and development arm of the Baptist World Alliance.

In India, cyclone floods have displaced more than two million people. Several are local ministry partners who have been trained, commissioned and sent as evangelists and church planters through the ministry of Sam Bandela, one of CBF’s field personnel serving in India.

Bandela said one man named Emmanuel, who graduated from a CBF evangelism training program, had a thriving congregation, which was hoping to build a church building. But the flooding destroyed the building where they were worshipping as well as Emmanuel’s house. This month, Bandela used CBF disaster relief funds to assist 200 families in Emmanuel’s village with rice, blankets, clean drinking water, a small amount of money and a Bible.

“After seeing the situation, watching the news on CNN, BBC and hearing the story from Emmanuel and his church members, I promised to pray with them and try to help them in some ways to come out of the present situation,” Bandela said.

To contribute to relief efforts, send a check payable to Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, P.O. Box 101699, Atlanta, GA. 30392, indicating fund No. 17016 for India or fund No. 17013 for Haiti in the memo line. You can also donate by calling (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given missio

This summer 13 undergraduate and graduate students embarked on a 50-day worldwide journey to experience how the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s efforts intersect with the United Nations’ eight Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) for reducing global poverty. Part of the Fellowship’s Student.Go missions program for students, this one-of-a-kind trip offered students a firsthand look at poverty’s impact as well as the opportunity to explore what Christians are, can and should be doing to help the world’s impoverished.   

“The gospel is why we took this journey,” said CBF’s training manager John Derrick, who helped develop the experience after a CBF student conference in January 2007. 

In a workshop about the MDGs, then Auburn University student Rosie Stafford asked Derrick how students could respond.  Seven months later, Derrick called Stafford with an answer – a MDG-related trip she couldn’t resist.

“There was little choice involved in deciding to go,” Stafford recalled. “How could I have said no?”

Twelve other students felt the same way, and in late June this Student.Go team began their two-month journey in Washington, D.C., where they met with the ONE Campaign and CBF partners Bread for the World and Baptist World Aid. From there they went to Romania, where they learned from CBF field personnel Susan and Wes Craig about Ruth School, which provides education to Roma Gypsy children who are often the subject of discrimination.

“[It was] meaningful for me watching the students interact with the Roma children, loving them unconditionally,” said CBF missions advocate Jennifer Fuller, who traveled with the team in Romania.

The next stop was Ethiopia to visit CBF field personnel David and Merrie Harding and to witness the impact of AIDS, famine and lack of clean water. The students saw the magnitude of the AIDS crisis in a children’s home housing more than 400 AIDS orphans. They heard stories of people desperate for food. And – side by side with Ethiopians – the students helped drill a well that will provide clean water.

“I have never been a part of such an awe-inspiring thing in my whole life,” said Carson Foushee, 23, a student at CBF partner McAfee School of Theology in Atlanta, Ga. “The completed project was going to mean life for the people [in that village].”

Next the students traveled to the nearby country of Uganda, where they met local CBF field personnel Jade and Shelah Acker and again saw other MDG-related projects in action. They visited schools, churches, slums and an isolated refugee camp, where 2,000 people had been displaced by civil war and were living without a clean water source and no assistance from outside aid organizations.

“I witnessed an injustice, a forgotten people,” said Stafford. “It haunts me still.”
 
From Uganda, the team spent several days in New York City, where they visited the United Nations’ Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and attended a presentation at the United Nations before traveling to experience one of the poorest areas of Nicaragua. Through a partnership with Witness for Peace, the students stayed in homes with local residents, sleeping on the floor or in hammocks, bathing in the river and eating whatever their host family offered. 

“We left full of awe and appreciation. This leg of our journey has been absolutely… full of renewed hope,” said Karen Taylor, a student at CBF partner Christopher White Divinity School at Gardner-Webb University.

Attending the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City, Mexico, was the final leg of the two-month journey. As 13 of the 25,000 attendees, the students learned more about what they could do in response to the global pandemic.

“God opened our minds and hearts to learn about the virus that is still growing, still killing, and still has no cure,” said Caitlin Sandley, an Auburn University student.
 
As a way to encourage a tangible response to the trip, the students are required to develop their own MDG-related project at their university, seminary, church or other venue. One student is coordinating a sports development program to support primary education and pediatric health initiatives in Uganda and Nicaragua. Another student hopes to develop an awareness program among sororities at her school.

But the project is only one tangible aspect of the transformation these students have experienced.

“We hear about global need and hunger everyday but to see such a thing, to have those faces and names and stories to go along with it, is an invaluable tool of clarity and purpose,” said Caleb Tankersley, 20, a student at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Giradeau, Mo.

“There is no way I will ever be the same,” said Samford University student Mary Beth Gilbert, 20. “I began a journey that has no end in sight.”

And that’s just what John and Amy Derrick, who joined the students for portions of the trip, hoped this experience would do.

“To have this kind of experience at such an early age is an incredible gift,” said Amy Derrick, CBF’s student missions specialist. “They have the rest of their lives to act upon it. My hope is that they do just that – act on this for the rest of their lives.” 

To read more about the trip, go the Fellowship blog at www.thefellowship.info/blog.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

It is true that the Northeast is a long way from Alabama both geographically and culturally, but we actually have a lot in common.  There are a number of CBF churches and individuals in the BFN who are ministering in vital ways in some exceptional places, just as we are here.  CBF churches in the Northeast minister in some of America’s largest cities and at some of its premier Universities. 

Here are a few examples.

• Bay Community Baptist Church in Swansea, Massachusetts, has provided an excellent church-based ministry to students at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island since 1985.  The church is strategically located on the coast between Providence and Cape Cod, Boston and Newport, Rhode Island.
• Dale Peterson is Dean of Students at Yale University in New Haven, CT.
• David Draper leads a CBF church on Beacon Hill in Boston.  His wife, Betsy, works with students at M.I.T.
• Trinity Baptist Church of Hanover, New Hampshire, and has been working with Dartmouth College students since 1979.
• Mary Beth Caffey is founding pastor of Pathways Community Church in Lewiston, Maine.  Lewiston is home to Bates College.
• Metro Baptist Church is adjacent to the Lincoln Tunnel in Midtown Manhattan, New York City and ministers in the Hell’s Kitchen district. 

• Dan Ivins, former pastor at the Baptist Church of the Covenant, is now the pastor of the First Baptist Church in America in Providence, Rhode Island
• Mike Lewis, Coordinator for New Church Starts for AlabamaCBF, was the founding pastor of Bay Community Baptist Church and served there for eighteen years
• Jamie Mackey, Minister to Students at First Baptist Church, Huntsville, served as Minister to Students at the U. S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut
• Gary Furr’s daughter, Katie, is currently serving at Metro Baptist Church in NYC 

According to Charles Ray, the Fellowship’s U.S. disaster response coordinator, the Fellowship is ready to assist CBF-affiliated congregations that may receive damage from the storm. The Fellowship will also help as called upon by two of its disaster relief partners, Texas Baptist Men and American Baptist Association.

Ray said it’s important to remember that the Fellowship specializes in rebuilding efforts – not first response or search and rescue efforts.  After the storm, CBF personnel will assess the needs and determine if a Fellowship response is needed.  

Hurricane Ike has already caused major damage in Cuba, where CBF will send $5,000 in relief funds to the Eastern Cuba Baptist Convention. CBF of Florida, which has a partnership with the convention, will send an additional $1,000.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Gustav, CBF disaster responders are needed in Baton Rouge, La., where two CBF-affiliated churches, University Baptist Church and Broadmoor Baptist Church, were impacted by the storm’s Sept. 1 landfall. University Baptist’s educational facility was damaged and both churches were without power for many days. 

Though Broadmoor Baptist’s facilities were undamaged, many of the church’s neighbors in the Broadmoor area were not as fortunate.

“Many people in the Broadmoor area are retired and on a fixed income,” said CBF of Louisiana coordinator Reid Doster. “One of the shocking realities for many of them is that their insurance policies include a $10,000 hurricane deductible. Since hurricane damage is uncommon in Baton Rouge, this fact was overlooked by many residents who have already paid dearly to have trees removed from their roofs. Not only will they not be reimbursed but are now worried about how they will afford to finish cleaning up the mess.”

The church is ready to host small teams of CBF responders who can assist neighborhood families with debris removal and minor repairs. Food and accommodations for responders will be provided by the church. Over the next three months, Doster hopes to rotate in five-person response teams to work in the area. 

“Our experience is that smaller teams work more effectively, and three to four days is the optimum length of stay,” Doster said. “As things evolve over the next few days, we might be in a position to accommodate a few more responders at a time and assign them to assist University Baptist Church and her neighbors.”

To serve in Baton Rouge, contact Chris Boltin at engage@thefellowship.info or (800) 352-8741.Then, complete the online application form for disaster responders at http://www.thefellowship.info/Disaster-Response-Application. Lastly, secure supplemented insurance from Adams and Associates at www.aaintl.com. Information about insurance is available on the online application form.

If available immediately, individuals or churches with only one or two responders can be placed on an existing response team, Doster said.

For more updates on hurricane response, visit www.thefellowship.info/cbfresponds. To contribute to hurricane relief efforts, send a check payable to Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, P.O. Box 101699, Atlanta, GA. 30392, indicating fund No. 17004 "Hurricane Relief" in the memo line, call (800) 352-8741 or go to https://www.thefellowship.info/Give/Donate.aspx?fund=HURR.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

For more than a decade, the Wyatts, who serve as Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel in Canada, have ministered among internationals, including students, immigrants and refugees. They began their CBF ministry in Thailand, where the firsthand experience of being an international helped them better understand those with whom they now minister. In 1998, they began serving at Matthew House, a refugee shelter in Toronto that has helped refugees from more than 75 countries resettle into Canada.

So successful and inspiring, the vision of refugee ministry grew and other similar ministries were soon born. As more individuals and churches became involved, the Wyatts widened their ministry scope to include meeting needs of other internationals, such as the large population of immigrants and international students living in Canadian-American border cities and Montreal, Canada’s second largest city and the second largest French-speaking city in the world. 

Last year the Wyatts, along with their children Rebecca, 16, and Jon Marc, 13, moved to Ottawa, the country’s capital and fourth largest city, to be more centrally located to the mostly French-speaking congregations with which they partner.

One of these local churches is Eastview Baptist Church, a Portuguese and English-speaking congregation that the Wyatts are helping rediscover its missional presence. The church has connected with refugees like Pierre and his wife. Originally from the war-torn African country of Congo, the couple recently moved to Ottawa after years in Hong Kong, where they constantly feared deportation.  The Wyatts have helped network churches and ministry organizations to assist this couple with furniture, employment, friendship and even a baby shower to celebrate the birth of the couple’s first child. 

“How wonderful it is when churches … community leaders and municipal service providers … work together for the common good, blessing immigrant families and communities,” said Kim, a native of Durham, N.C.. “That is when we are so proud the word cooperative is in our name.”

Lately, the Wyatts have started ministering among a growing population of refugees from Haiti.  These refugees journey to the United States and, feeling the risk of deportation, flee north to large Canadian cities such as Ottawa, where their native French language is more commonly spoken.

In Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal, the Wyatts are partnering with Baptist churches to create a refugee ministry that would include emergency housing assistance, a food bank and clothing giveaway, counseling services, immigration assistance and orientation to living in the country.

“Our work is to seek, discover, advance, encourage and bless the work [of Canadian churches] among internationals in their local neighborhoods,” said Marc, a native of Boone, N.C.

Ottawa is home to many immigrants, refugees and international students from approximately 150 countries. The doors for ministry are open, and through partnerships the Wyatts believe that more people can be reached with the presence of Christ.

“We work hard to include others with sharing the Great Commission of Jesus,” Marc said. “Much more is possible together than separately.”

While most of their work is with Canadian churches, the Wyatts also involve CBF partner churches such as First Baptist Church in Reidsville, N.C., which added the sending of a summer missionary to Canada to their already faithful prayer and financial support. Other supporting churches include First Baptist Church in Danville, Va., and Monument Heights Baptist Church in Richmond, Va.

“God is sending his church to so love the world, to share and demonstrate the gospel to everyone, everywhere,” Marc said. “God is bringing those he loves into proximity of his people, his church, his good news. Missionaries and churches are needed to send, support, pray for and welcome those [internationals] God is literally bringing to us.”

Like many CBF field personnel, the Wyatt’s ministry is funded by gifts to CBF’s Offering for Global Missions. Without financial gifts to the Offering, the Wyatts would be unable to live, minister and share the gospel in Canada.

“The churches and individuals who give faithfully to the Offering for Global Missions, those who pray, participate in our lives and work and send care packages are our family,” Kim said. “Each dollar that is given to the Offering makes [ministry] possible. Every dollar matters.”

Give to support this life-changing ministry and others at www.thefellowship.info/Give/Donate.aspx?fund=GMOF5 or by calling (800) 352-8741 or sending a check payable to Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, P.O. Box 101699, Atlanta, GA. 30392, indicating “Offering for Global Missions" in the memo line.
 This year’s goal is $6.1 million. Learn more at www.thefellowship.info/ogm.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.
 

The delegation included the leaders of the five government-recognized religions in China – Buddhism, Catholicism, Islam, Protestantism and Taoism. Hosted by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Ministry to Internationals of Forest Hills Baptist Church in Raleigh, N.C., and World Pilgrims of Atlanta, the delegation visited Atlanta religious sites such as the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the Martin Luther King National Historical Site, Al Farooq Mosque and Second-Ponce de Leon Baptist Church.

The delegation also attended an Atlanta Braves game at Turner Field; traveled to Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Ga., to attend President Jimmy Carter’s Sunday School class; met with Georgia Rep. Charlice Byrd, R-Woodstock, and Georgia Sen. Judson Hill, R-Marietta, the Rev. Gerald Durley, pastor of Providence Missionary Baptist Church and chair of Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin’s Multi-faith Council, at a business and civic leaders forum; and participated in a multi-faith dialogue at Mercer University with their American counterparts.

“People in the United States have stereotypes of the way religion is treated in China and vice versa,” said Davis “Dee” Frober, minister to internationals at Forest Hills Baptist Church and the chief organizer of the trip. “The best way to overcome these misconceptions is to meet face to face, eat together, sit at table together and build relationships.”

During the business and civic leaders forum Sept. 8, Byrd and Hill spoke on the way faith influences government and how religious belief provides a foundation for values. Durley, a veteran of the Civil Rights movement, described the higher authority that leaders must answer to in order to be effective public servants.

“Any effective leader must realize they are human,” Durley said. “They will reach a point when they don’t know what to do. When they reach that point, they must call on a higher authority than themselves.”

Gao Feng, president of the China Christian Council, spoke of the ways religion contributes to a stable and harmonious society, allowing both government and business to prosper.

“Without the harmony in religions, they cannot have any positive influence on the society,” Gao said. “Harmonious religions should encourage their members to love the country and love the faith, to abide by the laws and regulations, to adapt themselves to the society and keep pace with the times, to stress the moral development and social services and care, to emphasize the cultural heritages and personal training, to tolerate and to set up dialogues and cooperation.”

The Multi-faith Dialogue Sept. 9 focused on religion and family. Moderated by Graham Walker, associate dean and professor at Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology, the dialogue featured presentations from Jing Yin, member of the standing committee of the Buddhist Association of China; Ding Changyun, deputy president of the China Taoist association; Abbott Michael Elliston of the Atlanta Soto Zen Center; and Monsignor Henry Gracz, pastor of Atlanta’s Catholic Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

Exploring the impact of single child families in China on the well being, Jing said there was often a conflict between pursuit of wealth and happiness. He suggested religion and family can and should work together to achieve happiness and fulfillment.

In his presentation, Gracz described the media as replacing the family and religion in imparting values to successive generations. “The role of faith as lived in the context of the Christian church, of course Catholics, is paramount in the modern age. All humanity function with certain paradigms, that is, those principles that are the very basis of their decision, which form their values.”

From the Taoist perspective, Ding said family and society benefit from the principles of selflessness and “curtailing desires.”

“We say ‘no crime is greater than having desires. No calamity is greater than not knowing contentment,’” Ding said. “Same as Buddhism, Confucianism and other world religions, Taoism is aware of the different demanding levels on life, and indicates the danger that the material desires destroy human nature…”

Elliston, a Buddhist, expanded the idea of family and applied the principles to society in general. 

“Buddhism is adapting to the American culture and vice versa,” Elliston said. “Imagine Buddhism as American as apple pie… The Buddhist family, or community, is a legacy of optimistic inclusion. All are invited to join.”

The Chinese delegation will be in Washington, D.C., Sept. 9-14, where they will be hosted by the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. There they will participate in several forums on the intersection of religion and government in the United States and China. U.S. Rep. David Price, D-N.C., and Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., will serve as honorary co-hosts for an event sponsored by the Faith and Politics Institute, The Interfaith Conference for Metropolitan Washington and the Ministry to Internationals of Forest Hills Baptist Church.

Also, Ambassador Jeffrey Bader of the Brookings Institution will host a forum where representatives of the China Christian Council, State Administration for Religious Affairs and numerous other Chinese religious leaders will speak and allow questions following their presentations. The event is from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Thurs., Sept. 11, at the Brookings Institution at 1775 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, in Washington. The Deputy Administrator for the State Administration for Religious Affairs, Wang Zuo’an, will provide an overview of religious policy in China, and the general secretary of the China Christian Council, Kan Baoping, will give an overview of Christianity in China, including the influence, major challenges and trends of Christianity in the country.

“Trusting relationships are being formed in these few short days,” Frober said. “Dialogue about substantive issues has taken place, and vision and dreams for the future are being cast that will form new realities to help us accomplish these goals.” 

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel Janice and Bob Newell started PORTA, a center for culture, reconciliation, art and spiritual growth. Two churches with which they were formerly affiliated sent volunteers to get ready for, participate in, and follow up after the celebration.

The celebration included an exhibition of photos of Albanians taken by Houston photographer Gary Barchfeld, a reception for several Greek government officials and other community leaders and a service of Christian dedication for PORTA, which was held at Second Greek Evangelical Church, the Newells’ primary local church partner.

“The symbolism of utilizing the Sunday evening worship service for this most accepting Greek Evangelical Church was powerful,” said Janice Newell. “Worshipping in Greek, Albanian and English, a pluralistic congregation composed of Greek and Albanian believers, colleagues from the missionary community in Greece and PORTA partners from Baptist congregations in the States set apart PORTA for God’s work in Athens.”

The celebration, called Dedication Days, produced immediate results for the center, including new members of the English-language classes.

“It allowed us to garner significant attention from the Greek and Albanian press in Athens, it solidified a working partnership between some government officials and it informed many ordinary Albanian immigrants of our presence,” said Bob Newell.

Church members from Memorial Drive Baptist Church in Houston, Texas, where Bob Newell formerly served as pastor, arrived early to provide some last minute-cleaning of the building and also added plants and decorations.

Church members from Willow Meadows Baptist Church, also located in Houston, remained in Athens for an additional week, to help with Vacation Bible School for the Second Greek Evangelical Church that included 85 Albanian children. The Newells were previously members of Willow Meadows for 22 years.

To learn about partnership opportunities with the Newells and PORTA, contact Chris Boltin at engage@thefellowship.info or (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Charles Ray, the Fellowship’s disaster response coordinator, said it’s important to remember that the Fellowship specializes in rebuilding efforts – not first response or search and rescue efforts.  After the storm, CBF personnel will assess the needs and determine if a Fellowship response is needed.  

Tommy Deal, CBF of Florida’s associate coordinator, will be helping coordinate the Fellowship’s response to Hanna, which is expected to affect the coast of North and South Carolina. 

Along the U.S. Gulf Coast, CBF personnel are currently responding in the aftermath of Hurricane Gustav, which made landfall in Louisiana Sept. 1. CBF is working to assess how the Fellowship can help best in recovery efforts following a storm that could have been much worse. 
 
“[With Gustav], I have witnessed the finest preparedness … of my lifetime,” Ray said. “The states of Louisiana and Mississippi did it right.  Our military did it right.  Those in harm’s way did it right.  Now, we must determine how to help those who need it.”

Mass power outages have slowed communication attempts to CBF-affiliated churches. Many congregations were unharmed, though in Baton Rouge, La., University Baptist Church, a CBF-affiliated congregation, reported damage to the church building and to several church members’ homes. 

Ray said the Fellowship will continue to work alongside state/regional CBF organizations as well as disaster response partners, including American Baptist Association, Volunteers of America Southeast, Texas Baptist Men, American Baptist Churches-USA and Save the Children Federation.

“We have some great partners that are ready to help us, as we help them,” Ray said. “They offer us expertise in child care in disaster, sheltering, feeding, debris removal, rebuilding, counseling and financial support. CBF brings a coordination of all these assets together to help those with the greatest need and least resources.”

As several storms develop in the Atlantic Ocean, Ray urged Fellowship Baptists to stay ready.

“Not only is Ike moving toward us but so is Josephine.  The next few weeks may be critical,” he said.

Churches and individuals are encouraged to contact the disaster response coordinator in their state/regional CBF organization for more information on ways to respond. A list of these disaster response representatives can be found at www.thefellowship.info/Missions/Communities/Disaster-Response/State-or-Region-Contacts.

Updates on the Fellowship’s hurricane response, including opportunities to respond, will be available at www.thefellowship.info/cbfresponds.

To contribute to hurricane relief efforts, send a check payable to Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, P.O. Box 101699, Atlanta, GA. 30392, indicating fund No. 17004 "Hurricane Relief" in the memo line, call (800) 352-8741 or go to https://www.thefellowship.info/Give/Donate.aspx?fund=HURR.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission

On Sept. 13, Fellowship Baptists will engage in Eleven-on-11, a day of service facilitated by Current, the Fellowship’s network of young leaders. Every fall, Current coordinates local missions projects across the country – from California to Mississippi to New York. These projects offer a constructive way for Fellowship Baptists to make a difference in their communities and honor the memory of Sept. 11.

“As CBF churches seek to live out their missional calling, Eleven-on-11 is simply another opportunity to actively engage in their community in the name of Christ,” said Ashley Gill, one of the coordinators of the event. “The added bonus of the day is knowing each individual project is not alone, but one piece of this nationwide effort in Fellowship churches.”
 
Churches and organizations participating in the 11-on-11 are as follows:

• The Oaks Baptist Church, Lyons, Ga.
• College Park Baptist, Orlando, Fla.
• WOW Church, Freeport, Fla.
• Hendricks Avenue Baptist Church, Jacksonville, Fla.
• First Baptist Church in Pensacola, Fla.
• University Heights Baptist Church, Springfield, Mo.
• University Baptist Church, Baton Rouge, La.
• Mercer University, Macon, Ga.
• Columbus Fellowship Church, Columbus, Miss.
• Freemason St. Baptist Church, Norfolk, Va.
• Gayton Baptist Church, Richmond, Va.
• Nineteenth Avenue Baptist Church, San Francisco, Calif.
• Campus Ministry/ Virginia Intermont College, Bristol, Va.
• University Baptist Church, Hattiesburg, Miss.
• Franklin College, Franklin, Ind.
• Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, Va.
• Harvest Fellowship, Greenville, Miss.
• Olive Branch Fellowship, Olive Branch, Miss.
• Northminster Baptist Church, Jackson Miss.
• Starlight Baptist Church, Meridian, Miss.
• Metro Baptist Church, New York, N.Y.

To learn more about Current, visit www.thefellowship.info/Current.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.
 

“Albanians typically do not have the personal discretionary funds required to bridge the digital divide – that is, the gap between those who have access to computers and the Internet with all of their advantages and those that do not have access – that gets wider every year,” said Stewart, who lives in Biloxi, Miss.

Stewart recently set up a computer lab at PORTA, an Albanian cultural center in Athens started and operated by Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel Bob and Janice Newell. Stewart installed computers which were provided with funding from Williams Trace Baptist Church in Sugarland, Texas, a congregation where Bob Newell served as founding interim pastor 30 years ago.

“We challenged this congregation to create the Computer Learning Center because we knew this was a great need,” Janice said. “We recognized that Albanians in Athens are far behind the curve in computer-learning and that computer knowledge will significantly enhance their chances of competing in the Athens job-market, one in which they are already disadvantaged because they are a despised minority.”

Phil Lineberger, pastor of Williams Trace Baptist, said the church provides monthly support and special needs support to the Newells, with whom they have partnered for many years. Church members plan to work with the Newells in Athens on short-term mission experiences.

The Computer Learning Center is one example of the way PORTA is providing resources and skills required to help Albanians gain equality in Greek society. English classes, art exhibits and jewelry design workshops are other resources PORTA offers. While Stewart helped with the computer center installation, his wife, Cindy, taught a two-day jewelry workshop to Albanian women.

“Ric and I are so impressed with the enthusiasm that Bob and Janice have generated with the Albanians for PORTA,” Cindy said. “To be included in the work that the Newells are doing is both an honor and a blessing from God. It makes us feel like ‘mini-missionaries’ with them.”

The Newells first met the Stewarts at Clear Lake Baptist Church in Houston. They were among the first PORTA partners who went to Athens in May 2007 to help with a cross-stitch project.

“We’re convinced that our work is enhanced by innovative partnerships with local churches, both in the States and here in Greece,” Bob said. “I know that the congregation is both headquarters and the heartbeat of missions and ministry. By partnering with laypersons in churches, we believe that we are providing an opportunity for all of us to be busy about the mission given to us by God. We are pleased that the ministry of PORTA allows us the chance to do, together with local churches, what neither of us could do alone.”

To learn about partnership opportunities with the Newells and PORTA, contact Chris Boltin at engage@thefellowship.info or (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Charles Ray, the Fellowship’s disaster response coordinator, said it’s important to remember that the Fellowship specializes in rebuilding efforts – not first response or search and rescue efforts.  After the storm, Ray and other CBF personnel will assess the needs, determine how the Fellowship can best respond, and then communicate what Fellowship Baptists can do to help. 

“We will respond [with teams on the ground] when it’s safe and the affected states give us permission,” said Ray, who will be in close communication with state officials and the local branches of the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD).

When given clearance to begin on-site relief efforts, the Fellowship will work alongside its disaster relief partners, sharing equipment, resources and “often following their lead when they are more qualified or better equipped,” Ray said.

Though there may be opportunities for CBF responders to engage in immediate debris cleanup and removal following the storm, the long-term mission of CBF’s disaster response is to identify survivors with the greatest needs and the least resources to recover. In 2005 following Katrina, this guiding principle helped identify communities like Lacombe, La., and Pearlington, Miss., where the Fellowship has been engaged in ongoing rebuilding and restoration efforts.

Churches and individuals are encouraged to contact the disaster response coordinator in their state/regional CBF organization for more information on ways to respond. A list of these disaster response representatives can be found at www.thefellowship.info/Missions/Communities/Disaster-Response/State-or-Region-Contacts.

Updates on the Fellowship’s response to Gustav, including opportunities to respond, will be available at www.thefellowship.info/cbfresponds.

To contribute to hurricane relief efforts, send a check payable to Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, P.O. Box 101699, Atlanta, GA. 30392, indicating fund No. 17004 "Hurricane Relief" in the memo line, call (800) 352-8741 or go to https://www.thefellowship.info/Give/Donate.aspx?fund=HURR.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

The 14-member Latino youth missions team from Fredericksburg, Va., had never met the 22-member Roma choir from the Gandhi School in Pecs, Hungary, until they boarded the choir’s rented bus in Budapest on July 28. The Virginia group, led by CBF field personnel Greg and Sue Smith, had just finished leading Bible clubs for Roma children in Hungary the week before.

The Gandhi School choir, led by CBF field personnel Glen and Clista Adkins, headed to Leipzig to perform at the BWA conference. Romany people are often discriminated against in Europe, and the Adkins said the youth were anxious about how they would be received.

“When the Latin students boarded the bus carrying guitars and wearing smiles, a line of communication opened up that set the course for the rest of the trip,” said Clista Adkins, of Greenville, S.C. “Within 20 minutes, the two groups were singing songs to one another, then with one another. Most of our students speak little or no English, but the music and the friendly acceptance of the Latin American students gave them the courage to try.”

The BWA, a Fellowship partner, is an international organization with members from 214 Baptist conventions and unions. The BWA’s World Youth Conference, which the groups from Virginia and Hungary attended July 30 - Aug. 3, included times for worship, concerts, Bible study, fellowship, networking and cultural exchange.

“At the BWA conference, it seemed that all the participants had an appreciation for all the cultures represented,” said Glen Adkins. “As groups from around the world performed in various ways through music and dance, the audience was always attentive and expressed appreciation, even if the verbal language was not understood. Even though we have heard it many times before, music truly is a universal language, and at the BWA, when there were people gathered from as many as 80 different countries, music was the primary means of communication.”

The Gandhi School choir performed three times at the conference, and the Virginia mission team was present at all three of their performances.

“The fact that the two groups hardly understood each other’s language didn’t seem to make a difference,” said Greg Smith. Larry Jimenez, team pastor of the Virginia missions team, and his wife, Katherine, agreed. “We used the language of friendship and the language of Christ’s love [to communicate],” they said.

The power of music in worship moved many of the young people. In the words of Daniela Jorge, a 17-year-old high school student from Sterling, Va., and a member of the Smiths’ team, “The best part of the conference [was] the worship. It would just touch my heart every single time I sang songs during that time. I could just feel the Holy Spirit working in me.”

“Although our students understood few of the words they heard at the conference, they understood love and acceptance,” said Clista Adkins. “We think that they left with the picture of the family of God – that believers in the family of God have every skin color, speak every language; come from every country and ethnic group. They were amazed by the fact that dark-skinned and fair-skinned people were mixing, talking, laughing, praying, singing, and worshiping together. Truly, the conference was a living parable for the Gandhi students, just as we had hoped.”

To learn about partnership opportunities with the Smiths or Adkins, e-mail engage@thefellowship.info or call (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

The Fellowship contributed to relief efforts through Baptist World Aid, the relief and development arm of the Baptist World Alliance, which has also given funds to aid Georgian Baptists.

“All of us feel …devastated,” wrote Malkhaz Songulashvili, the archbishop of the Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia, who reports that thousands are without shelter, food and medicine. “A humanitarian disaster is inevitable. Something has to be done.”

The Betheli Humanitarian Association in Georgia, a 10-year-old charity founded by Georgia’s Evangelical Baptist Church, has been reaching out to victims. In the capital city of Tbilisi, Betheli is providing temporary shelter for children and mothers, as well as distributing food, medicine and water.

Songulashvili said the most urgent needs are for shelter, food and water, though the need for medical assistance and counseling are also significant. With a cold winter looming, blankets, clothes and fuel for heat will also be needed. 

In the United States, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Georgia has had a partnership with the Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia since 2006. The partnership has included prayer, dialogue and exchange to promote cultural understanding, and CBF of Georgia’s support of several ministries including a care center for the elderly, an orphanage, a theological school and an organization that supports and ordains women to ministry.

“We need to pray that the war will cease and that the troops will return to Russia. We need to pray that the oil and natural gas lines will be restored in time for the winter. We need to pray for the wounded and the families of those who have died. We need to pray that sufficient aid from governmental and non-governmental sources will arrive in time,” said Frank Broome, coordinator of CBF of Georgia. 

First Baptist Church in Columbia, Mo., a CBF-affiliated congregation, also has connections to the country. For 12 years, the church has been connected with Georgia’s Peace Cathedral, the country’s first Baptist church. In response to the conflict, First Baptist hosted an Aug. 19 ecumenical and interfaith prayer service that attracted individuals from throughout Columbia, which has a sister city relationship with a city in Georgia. 

While prayers for peace and safety continue to be important, the need for physical assistance can’t be overlooked, according to John Baker, pastor of First Baptist in Columbia.

“There are 120,000 internally displaced persons [in Georgia],” said Baker, who has traveled to Georgia eight times. “The people need everything. The homes that they had have been burned and destroyed. It’s going to be a longstanding relief effort. This is going to take years for this country and these people to return to a sense of normality.”

To contribute to the relief efforts, send a check payable to Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, P.O. Box 101699, Atlanta, GA. 30392, indicating fund No. 17025 "Georgia Response" in the memo line, call (800) 352-8741 or go to https://www.thefellowship.info/Give/Donate.aspx?fund=GARLF. One hundred percent of donations go directly to rebuilding and restoration efforts.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

“Since they were 2 years old, someone has abused or taken advantage of them,” said Campos, medical director and president of Operación San Andrés, a holistic ministry in Peru.

Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel Christopher and Jessie Rose, along with their son, Joshua, moved from Texas to Peru in February to serve at Operación San Andrés. Serving a two-year term, the Roses live in Collique, located near Lima. They help students learn math and reading, teach Bible stories and conduct classes on healthy families.

“They are helping to create an atmosphere of camaraderie and trust among the children as they seek to address the spiritual, educational, physical and economic needs of the community,” Campos said.

Operación San Andrés is a mission endeavor of Fellowship partner church South Main Baptist in Houston, Texas, which has sent medical mission teams to Collique since 2003. Other partners of the Roses include their home church, Tallowood Baptist Church in Houston; Buckner International, a Dallas-based global ministry that helps orphan and at-risk children; and other churches.

Before their move to Peru, the Roses served as teachers. They speak Spanish and have previously lived in Latin American countries. Christopher, originally from Lakeport, Calif., became a Christian while living in Chile after a missionary told him about Christ.

After their marriage in 2003, Christopher, 33, and Jessie, 31, felt called to return to South America. Friends, prayer and scripture helped the couple confirm that Collique was where God wanted them. They packed their belongings, gave away their two cats and said goodbye to family.

“Serving in Collique has been a blessed experience,” the Roses said. “God has already done some amazing things since our arrival in February in many areas of our ministry. We are serving loving, but neglected peoples in this community. It is amazing to see the joy of Christ in people who live everyday in serious and challenging situations.”

Collique children face myriad challenges. Their fathers typically work manual labor jobs, earning less than $7 a day, and many families live in shacks that don’t keep out water or cold air.

Children often eat only one meal a day. The lack of vital nutrients slows their physical and mental development, often causing academic struggles.

The 42 third- and fourth-graders participating in a tutoring program at the OSA House also receive nutritious food. Public school teachers report that the children’s academics as well as their classroom behavior have improved, said Jessie, who grew up in Shelley, Idaho, and Central Pointe, Ore.

The Roses also work with the children’s parents and other adults. Jessie leads devotions during a class on healthy families, and she plans to start a literacy class for some of the mothers.

The class also includes lessons on handicrafts, such as embroidery. Organizers hope that the new skills will help the mothers increase their families’ incomes, Jessie said.

“I talked with a mother recently who knits children’s clothes,” Christopher said. “She makes less than $1 per jacket, and she makes five jackets in two days. I told her to come to the workshop so she could expand her work skills.”

A team of women from Tallowood Baptist Church will travel to Collique in September, and will bring sewing machines, which will be used by Collique women at the OSA house. In addition to sewing, the team will teach cooking, jewelry and candle making, Jessie said. Christopher hopes to connect the Collique seamstresses with micro loans to help them further grow their sewing businesses.

“Most of all, we want to share the love of Christ with the women of Collique,” Jessie said.

To learn about partnership opportunities with the Roses, contact Chris Boltin at cboltin@thefellowship.info or (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

The three ministry organizations signed a memorandum of understanding for this collaborative ministry during the Fellowship’s annual General Assembly in June in Memphis, Tenn. CBF’s involvement will be through its rural poverty initiative, Together for Hope, which addresses poverty in 20 of the poorest counties in the United States.

The collaborative will facilitate mission immersion experiences for U.S. churches along the border in an effort to educate Baptists about how to reach Hispanics in their own communities. Building off the success of KidsHeart – a ministry partnership between Together for Hope and Buckner in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas – this new collaborative will expand similar ministries to Arizona beginning this summer.

“Arizona – in particular – has the border and border towns, and we thought we could do the same [projects] here,” said Glen Foster, pastor of Pantano Baptist Church in Tucson, Ariz., and coordinator of CBF West.

“This partnership paves the way for significant ministry by CBF churches among the most neglected in the southwestern portion of the nation,” said CBF Global Missions coordinator Rob Nash. “I am delighted that CBF and Buckner can extend our collaboration beyond Texas and in partnership with CBF West.”

The ministry collaborative aims to reach as far as California, where San Isidro Baptist Church is ready to work in partnership to reach needs in their area and in Mexico.   

“Just like the Rio Grande Valley, poverty is the overwhelming need,” said Dexton Shores, Buckner’s director of ministry development for Mexico and Border.

Mission teams will be able to help orphanages, people living in sub-standard housing and churches with construction needs. Other area needs include water purification, medical and dental assistance, and teaching job skills.

“We will partner together to respond to these needs,” Shores said.

The collaborative will address poverty in a Christ-centered, asset-based approach that is consistent with the principles and objectives of Together for Hope.

“We work with communities in long-term ways to address root causes of poverty through relationships with people,” said Jeremy Lewis, manager of Together for Hope. “Anytime we work with communities we learn more. My hope is that by learning from new relationships with people along the [Arizona and California] border will be able to more effectively assist others in our commitment addressing poverty along the border and elsewhere.”

Ministry projects begin next summer in Arizona under local coordination of Leo Garcia, who serves as pastor of The Lighthouse, a Spanish-speaking congregation in Tucson. To learn about participating in these projects, contact Chris Boltin at cboltin@thefellowship.info or (800) 352-8741. 

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Sent from CBF moderator and Zebulon (N.C.) Baptist Church pastor Jack Glasgow, the letter read as follows:

Dear Cecil:

In recent days, we have learned of the death of your beloved wife Dot and of your own intense battle with Leukemia. You have continued to be our teacher in living with Christ-like love and compassion as you have cared for Dot with such tenderness and devotion. We offer you our deepest sympathy in this time of grief and loss. Though we cannot imagine how difficult these last several weeks have been for you and your family, we do want you to know that fellow believers from all over your Baptist family are standing with you and praying for you.

Words are inadequate to express the depth of our love for you or the extent of our gratitude for the visionary, energetic and sacrificial leadership you have offered to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. For us, you are a compelling example of Christian devotion and pastoral excellence. You have loved us enough to lead us in the best of times and the most difficult of seasons, and surely we have not always been an easy people to lead. Your legacy as our first coordinator will forever be an important part of the telling of our story. You have been steadfast in your integrity, constant in your commitment to the truth, and you have shown a persistence in your love for the church and your life-wish for our movement that can only be rooted in a devout faith and a sure and certain hope in the resurrection of Christ.

Even in your retirement you have carried out a significant ministry on behalf of the church and the movement you love. Your Sunday School lessons have nourished the life and faith of the churches, your seminary teaching is forming a new and excellent generation of Baptist ministers, your preaching has been a source of renewal to congregations in times of transition, and your recent book has provided a lasting witness to pastors and denominational leaders on what it means to live a life worthy of the Gospel.

You have stood with us through the years and led us, even when doing so was supremely difficult. Now, in these supremely difficult days for you, by our signatures we affirm our love for you. We promise that we will pray for you and your family, and we will ask our churches to do the same.  And we pray that the Holy Spirit will rest upon you and dwell within you, giving you power, strength and courage for the facing of this hour and the living of these days.

In Christ,
L. Jack Glasgow     
Moderator      
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship

Sherman, 80, was diagnosed with acute leukemia in late July, and his wife of 54 years, Dorothy “Dot” Hair Sherman, passed away following a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s on Aug. 1. Memorial services will be at a future date to be determined by the family. Two memorial services will be planned, one for River Road Baptist Church in Richmond, Va., and one at First Baptist Church, Asheville, N.C. Dr. Bill Sherman, Cecil’s brother, will officiate both services.

In a recent e-mail to friends and family, Sherman’s daughter, Eugenia “Genie” Sherman Brown expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support she and her father have received. Smyth and Helwys Publishing, a CBF partner and the publisher of Sherman’s latest book “By My Own Reckoning,” has established a Web site at www.cecilsherman.com/news.html where loved ones can get updates on his condition.

Those wishing to send personal notes should address them to Cecil Sherman, Brompton Court, Apt. 673, 7510 Brompton, Houston, TX 77025. Those who are Internet active can utilize Facebook to join the “Support Cecil Sherman Group” and express their love and concern.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

“They are so pretty; they’re going to sell like hotcakes at General Assembly,” said another college student.

And sell fast they did. 

The jewelry-making co-op called Delta Jewels, then just weeks old, sold more than 250 pairs of earrings at the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s General Assembly in Memphis, a short 90-minute drive from the Helena-West Helena community center where the co-op is based.

Delta Jewels, made of about 10 girls and several adult mentors, is the latest economic development project in Helena-West Helena, where CBF field personnel Ben and Leonora Newell serve as part of Together for Hope, CBF’s rural poverty initiative in 20 of the poorest counties in the United States.

“This is the next platform for missions – creating jobs,” said Ben Newell. “This project helps teen girls earn a decent living and begin to see things in a positive mode instead of the continued negative mode associated with poverty.”

The business works like this: the girls make the earrings that sell for $10 per pair. About half of that covers expenses to make and sell the product. Of the $5 profit, the girls give 10 percent back to the community, whether it’s to support a local ministry or another community betterment project. In the end, the girls take home $4.50 in profit per pair of earrings.

Three days a week the girls meet to make earrings.  An adult mentor starts the session with prayer and a devotional, and then the work begins. Using their own creativity, they combine different colored and textured beads – and they always sign their name on the back of the packaging that holds the finished product. 

“[Delta Jewels] teaches them a trade and gives them a head start in the business world,” said mentor Brenda Miles, 18.

The idea for a jewelry-making co-op started in March, when Wanda Kidd of Cullowhee, N.C., realized her jewelry-making skills could be used by a ministry. Through sales at CBF of North Carolina’s spring assembly and at churches, Kidd helped raise $1,000 in start-up funds that bought each girl tools and materials to make her first 25 pairs of earrings. In May, Kidd traveled to Helena to train 10 girls.

When they lined up side-by-side each girl’s first pair of earrings, one girl said, “I can’t believe I made earrings!”

In the co-op, Kidd’s not-for-profit business – Embracing Hope Design – operates as the wholesaler that finds materials at affordable prices. Delta Jewels produces the product, and Open Hand Enterprises – an economic development nonprofit that birthed out of Together for Hope – helps with sales. While event sales like that at General Assembly are good, Open Hand is currently looking for retailers that will sell the earrings on a consistent, year-round basis.

Next, Kidd will travel to Brooklyn, N.Y., and Nada, Ky., another Together for Hope ministry site, to train more girls and start more jewelry-making co-ops.

To learn more about partnership opportunities with Together For Hope, contact Chris Boltin at (800) 352-8741 or cboltin@thefellowhship.info.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

In partnership with the Korea Baptist Press (KBP), the Fellowship will help connect teachers with opportunities in South Korea. The South Korean government has reported a need for more than 50,000 English teachers. Teachers, who must have a college degree, serve for one year, teaching English classes during the week and connecting with local churches on the weekend to assist in ministry. The positions are paid and include airfare, housing and food.

Yoo Yoon, the Fellowship’s Korean initiative consultant assistant specialist, said that among the students wishing to take English Bible classes are refugees from North Korea.

“We are hoping that many individuals in our CBF churches will sense a calling to this ministry of teaching English in Korea and respond,” said Rob Nash, CBF global missions coordinator. “It is a unique opportunity to work alongside our Korean partners in sharing the good news of Jesus Christ there.”

To learn more about partnership opportunities, contact Chris Boltin at (800) 352-8741 or cboltin@thefellowship.info.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

On a Tuesday evening this summer, the teens and children walked hand-in-hand toward the playground, with the children’s excitement building as the slides, swings and playhouse came closer into view. 

“When we got within 50 feet of it, the children started running,” said the church’s youth minister Blake Kendrick. “It was a thrill to watch them play on it for the first time.”

But the smiling, climbing, running and playing wasn’t all that caught Caroline Burch’s eye. It was one local man who stood at the end of the slide to make sure the children didn’t go too fast or hurt themselves. It was the other adults of Walden Memorial United Methodist Church who gathered to watch the children. It was the laughter, the conversation – the community – that made Burch grateful to be in Goodman in that moment.

“Our playground helped make that happen, but the best part is, even without the playground, the little church would have been that way – community in the most sincere sense of the word,” said Burch, 18.

Burch was one of 16 teenagers who traveled to Goodman to serve with the Methodist church whose pastor, Martha Williams, suggested the youth could make a difference by building a playground.

“There was nothing in the community for these children to do. There was no gathering place,” said Steve Street, CBF of Mississippi’s coordinator, who connected the South Carolina church with Williams’ ministry in Holmes County.

Ranked statistically as one of the nation’s poorest counties, Holmes County is a focal area of Together for Hope, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s rural poverty initiative in 20 U.S. counties. Together for Hope’s goal is to work alongside local people and at the direction of local leadership who know the community best.

Under the theme “Let the children come to me” (Mark 10:14), the middle and high school students explored the importance of children in Christ’s eyes. They also learned about socioeconomic issues, racial reconciliation and hospitality.

“The [Walden] church welcomed us and really taught us a great lesson in Christian hospitality,” Kendrick said. “They were really open to being in conversation and dialogue with us.”

As a finishing touch on the playground, the youth group nailed together two extra pieces of wood, and to the top of the playhouse they added a cross – a reminder of the reason for all their efforts.

“The children of Goodman, Mississippi … will continue to grow in that church and become community leaders,” said Caleb Hopkins, 17. “Our work made it easier for kids in Goodman to come to Christ.”

On the last day, Kendrick knew the youth had made a difference for local children but he didn’t know how much it had meant to the church until Williams issued an invitation. She invited the youth to return and for Kendrick to preach when the church moves into its new building.

“It was a profound thing for her to say,” Kendrick said. “Wherever I am, I want to be part of that service.”

Opportunities to serve are available in nearly all of Together for Hope’s focal counties. Visit www.ruralpoverty.net for more information or contact engage@thefellowship.info to explore the possibility of serving.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

The memorandum was signed at the Fellowship’s General Assembly in June, where CBF also presented a plaque to UBACH president Raquel Contreras commemorating the 100th anniversary of UBACH.

“We're very excited about this connection with the Union of Baptists in Chile because it offers so many opportunities for CBF churches here in the United States to connect with our Chilean brothers and sisters and for real collaboration in working with Chileans here in the United States,” said Rob Nash, CBF’s coordinator of global missions. “I'm grateful to President Contreras for her vision and leadership in helping us to put this network together.”

In the five-year partnership, the Fellowship and UBACH will share personnel, financial and training resources in order to strengthen ministry and leadership formation. Through a network of congregations, the organizations will work together to strengthen ministries related to evangelism, missions and social services.

“The Chilean Baptists are looking forward, with a sense of expectation, to see the many blessings that will come from this new relationship with CBF,” Contreras said. “We are sure this relationship will be beneficial for all of us in many ways. We thank God for the churches in CBF, and we are hoping to show you the way God is working among us.”

First Baptist Church of Austin, Texas, a Fellowship partner, has also entered into a partnership with UBACH. First Baptist signed a missional church engagement covenant, committing to offer prayer and financial support for CBU and CBF and to engage in mission immersion experiences in Chile.

UBACH is a union of 500 churches with more than 32,000 baptized members.

To learn about partnership opportunities in Chile, contact Chris Boltin at cboltin@thefellowship.info or (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

“All of the CBF family grieves the passing of Dot Sherman,” said Daniel Vestal, CBF executive coordinator. “Her quiet strength was endearing to everyone who knew her. We send our love to Cecil and their daughter, Genie.”

Cecil is currently undergoing treatment for acute leukemia at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. Memorial services will be at a future date to be determined by the family. Two memorial services will be planned, one for River Road Baptist Church in Richmond, Va., and one at First Baptist Church, Asheville, N.C. Dr. Bill Sherman, Cecil’s brother, will officiate both services.

A native of Spartanburg, S.C., Dorothy Hair Sherman earned a master’s in religious education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and worked as an editor at the Sunday School Board in Nashville as well as Southwestern. She met Cecil in 1950, and the two were married Dec. 23, 1953, in Greer, S.C. Cecil and Dot have one daughter, Eugenia Sherman Brown of Madison, Wisc.

“Dot’s name is Dorothy. The name means ‘gift of God,’ and she has been that to me,” Cecil wrote in his recently released memoir, “By My Own Reckoning.”

Those wishing to express their care for Cecil and Eugenia can visit www.thefellowship.info/cecil and add their names to a letter that will be hand-delivered to Cecil the week of Aug. 4.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.
 

Central Baptist Theological Seminary, founded in 1901, is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches, USA, and in full support of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.  For more information about degree programs offered to ministerial candidates and lay leaders, please contact Steve Guinn, Director of Admissions, sguinn@cbts.edu, 913.667.5707.
This exceedingly generous transformational gift will endow the Des Peres Chair in Congregational Health (a new faculty position), create a Des Peres Church Resource Center in Central’s new library/learning resource center – part of Central’s “Cultivating Excellence” Capital Campaign, and fund an initiative in ministerial preparation for the St. Louis area.
 
At the heart of Central’s ministry is service to congregational life. The challenge faced by the Des Peres church is not uncommon. As Dr. Mauriece Smith, a trustee of the church, observed, “Closing a church leaves the feeling (for some of us anyway) that we have failed in the legacy entrusted to us. But creating a means to train candidates for the pastorate somehow lessens the feelings of failure and provides a hope and promise for the future.” Indeed, Central is committed to finding ways to help churches nurture congregational health in honor of the ministry of Des Peres Baptist Church. Our missional purpose is to prepare effective congregational leaders to lead churches faithfully.

Central Baptist Theological Seminary, founded in 1901, is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches, USA, and in full support of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.  For more information about degree programs offered to ministerial candidates and lay leaders, please contact Steve Guinn, Director of Admissions, sguinn@cbts.edu, 913.667.5707.
 

It took him months to reach the North African coast, where one evening – in the dead of night – he boarded a small boat with 20 others trying to make it to Spain. Lucky to survive the 33-hour journey, Dabou was detained in a refugee camp for months before being granted rare permission to stay.

For migrants, such as Dabou, life in Europe isn’t easy. It’s hard to find and keep work, and there is a sadness and loneliness of having left everything else behind – family, friends, home.

But along the way some African migrants will cross paths with Joel and Tiffne Whitley, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel serving in southern Spain. The Whitleys, who have been in Spain since February 2007, are there to be the presence of Christ among the large migrant community.

“I want others to be able to have a personal relationship with God,” Tiffne said. “There are many migrants and refugees from countries in Africa who have not heard [the gospel]. It is our hope to build relationships with them, helping them with humanitarian needs and spiritual needs.”

During a year of language and culture study, the Whitleys have developed relationships in two migrant neighborhoods. They’ve met migrants like Ester, who is from Equatorial Guinea and was thankful the Whitleys could connect her with a church, and Mamadou, who is from Senegal and has been teaching the Whitleys about migrants’ greatest needs.

The Whitleys met Ester and Mamadou through a weekly food distribution, which helps meet the often overwhelming physical needs of migrants. Each Wednesday morning they collect excess vegetables from a nearby produce factory. They sort, bag and distribute the produce in migrant communities.

“This small scale food distribution has been a very meaningful and beneficial way for us to meet individuals, start friendships and nourish hungry stomachs,” the Whitleys said. “We hope that in time we will be able to share the ‘food of the gospel’ and nourish hungry and hurting hearts.”

For the Whitleys, this migrant ministry is built on prayer. They pray for those they meet on the street, around town and near their home. In January, a prayer team from CBF partner Oakland Baptist Church in Rock Hill, S.C., came to Spain to join the Whitleys in praying for people in need.

 “Prayer is such a vital element of ministry because it puts the power where it belongs – with God,” Tiffne said.

Other churches partnering with the Whitleys include Nineteenth Avenue Baptist Church in San Francisco, Calif., and Texas churches First Baptist Church in Hereford and Rock Hill Baptist Church in Aubrey. As their ministry grows, the Whitleys hope churches will come to Spain to serve.

“Sometimes it is not until one experiences being a foreigner in a foreign land that they begin to see the needs of and become sensitive to internationals in their community,” Joel said.

Through these missions experiences, the Whitleys hope churches and individuals will begin to see how they can become missional in their own communities.

“What a better way to live – giving and loving on others in every opportunity that God places right in front of you,” said Anjani Cole, a member of First Baptist Church of Abilene, Texas, who is traveling to Spain this summer. 

The Whitleys are supported by CBF’s Offering for Global Missions, which enables them to live and serve in Spain.

“For Fellowship Baptists who want to be actively involved in missions, giving is a key way to participate,” Tiffne said.

“The Offering allows us to be the presence of Christ and facilitate others in being the presence of Christ, too, when they come and serve,” Joel said.

To support the Whitleys by giving to the Offering for Global Missions, visit www.thefellowship.info/Give, call (800) 352-8741 or send a check payable to Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, P.O. Box 101699, Atlanta, GA. 30392, indicating “Offering for Global Missions" in the memo line.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

“Butch and Nell have been instrumental in helping our church open its eyes to the many international people living in our backyard,” said Oakland’s associate pastor Christy McMillin-Goodwin. “They have taught us, led us and encouraged us.”

The Greens, who formerly worked among unreached people groups in Brussels, Belgium, said that, at one time, distance between cultures was measured by geography. Now, it is measured by differences in language, culture and worldview.

“Not only do these things create barriers to the gospel but they create barriers to meeting social needs,” Nell said. “The church is poised to minister holistically to the entire world right here. No longer is the career missionary the church’s window to cultures far away. Now we need only look out the window into our own backyards.”

With the Greens encouragement, Oakland sponsored a trip last year to visit CBF field personnel in several European and North African locations.

“Visiting our CBF field personnel and having field personnel visit Oakland has helped us as we are developing ministries for internationals,” McMillin-Goodwin said. “They have helped us understand the plight of the international person, whether refugee, legal or illegal migrant. They have helped us learn how to pray for migrants and refugees. They have given us the courage to respond to those around us and to respond to God’s calling us in new areas of ministry.”

Oakland also used the experiences from the trip to apply for an “It’s Time” grant of $25,000, which was awarded by CBF. The grant will be used to help resettle three refugee families and to expand the ministry the church has begun among international students at nearby Winthrop University. The church has plans to visit CBF field personnel working with international students in the U.S. to help it develop this ministry further.

Joel and Tiffne Whitley, who work with migrants and refugees in southern Spain, were among the field personnel Oakland members met on their 2007 trip. The Whitleys encourage churches to send teams to see their work.

“Once an American has been the minority, been treated with suspicion, misunderstood, completely unable to communicate, or blundered through a culture different from their own, they are better able to understand the situation of internationals in their home cities and more able and willing to get involved,” Joel said. “So, having mission opportunities here where we work is one way for us to help churches.”

“Internationals living in the States may know very little about American culture, customs, norms, language,” Tiffne said. “They may look and sound different, but they are people. They have a need to be accepted and understood.”

The Whitleys said churches can help meet those needs by conducting English classes, helping with physical needs or holding special services. Individually, church members can do something as simple as striking up a conversation with someone.

“It isn't about mass ministry,” Butch said. “It is about seeing that one person of a different background and loving them in the way Christ would.”

Oakland’s journey is one the Greens would like to see replicated. There are several ways, they said, that churches can be intentional about ministry to internationals:

• Learn what it means to be culturally sensitive, learn about other faiths, learn how to invite and maintain cross-cultural relationships.
• Virtually every college/university, no matter how small, has at least some international students. Most of these students never enter an American home. Churches can be intentional about providing them a home away from home.
• Thousands of refugees that have been approved for settlement in the U.S. but can’t come because they have no where to go. Churches can connect with local agencies to provide places for these refugees.
• Churches can help families and individuals see the neglected immigrants, refugees and students in their town.

At Oakland, in addition to the refugee resettlement and student ministry, the church also has a growing Spanish-speaking group that emerged from an English as a Second Language class and a group of young people composed of Baptists and Muslims that meets regularly.

“You should not expect this ministry to grow your church numerically,” Nell said. “But your church will grow spiritually. As we engage with God's world and as we become intentional about missions, God changes us. Missions is more about what God would do in us rather than through us. As Oakland and other churches have discovered, this will bring a joy and excitement than can only come as cultures intermingle and share.”

CBF field personnel are available to help churches minister to internationals in a variety of ways – working with congregations to assess their communities and the possible opportunities to connect, mapping out a plan for preparing for and introducing international ministry, teaching seminars on cultural sensitivity, world religions and visioning. In addition, field personnel can facilitate experiences for churches to engage in ministry to internationals in the United States and overseas.

To connect with CBF field personnel, contact Chris Boltin at cboltin@thefellowship.info or (800) 352-8741. To financially support the ministry of CBF field personnel serving around the world, give to the CBF Offering for Global Missions at www.thefellowship.info/give.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

• Creating a youth ministry network,
• establishing a collegiate support network,
• funding congregational-based internships for college students and
• convening a summer ministry summit for college and graduate students involved in summer ministry, such as CBF’s Student.Go program, Passport Inc. summer camp staff, the Baptist Joint Committee on Religious Liberty and more.

• Instituting a pastors and scholars studio that would bring together 20 professors and 20 pastors to improve the process of forming missional leaders,
• creating a supervised ministry network composed of faculty and staff members from theological schools and pastors of churches hosting seminary students in internship-type ministry positions and
• establishing a doctoral student network from among Baptist students in doctoral study.

Besnik was out of work and two months behind on his rent when the check from CBF of Mississippi came to Bob and Janice Newell, Fellowship field personnel working with Albanians in Greece. His plight – and a lot of prayer – led the Newells to use the $600 to help Besnik until he could get a new job.

Besnik has now found work, and has volunteered his services to complete the second floor of the Newells’ ministry center called PORTA, the Albania House in Athens.

“Most of the work at PORTA is being done by volunteers like Besnik, who, having finished an eight-hour shift at their manual labor jobs, work well into the evening doing the repairs at PORTA,” the Newells said. “We have also seen Besnik at the English-speaking, Assemblies of God church, and he has participated in some of the programs at PORTA, including English-language classes.”

The CBF Foundation is the caretaker and manager of CBF-Mississippi’s endowment fund, established four years ago.

“In addition to providing access to top shelf money managers, we have provided the CBF-Mississippi staff with periodic consultation on endowment promotion as well,” said Foundation president Don Durham.

It is paying off for people like Besnik.

“Long ago, I learned that no matter what the size, gifts which keep on giving are superior to one-time wonders,” said Bob, a native of Meridian, Miss.. “When money is wisely invested through the CBF Foundation and the periodic earnings are directed toward on-going needs, the giver, the gift and the effectiveness of the gift grow over time. Mississippi CBF has decided to stretch out its support by allowing us to utilize some of the earnings gained on its investments. Albanian immigrants in Athens will benefit for a long time to come from this savvy, kingdom-approach to ministry support. They and we are grateful.” 

Steve Street, coordinator of CBF of Mississippi, said that state organization’s endowment was established in 2005 to provide an on-going funding source for CBF mission causes. Quarterly earnings are split among CBF field personnel who have Mississippi roots. That includes the Newells, and two other couples who work in high-risk areas. Street said the endowment totals more than $70,000, and the goal is to reach $100,000 by year’s end.

Durham describes the CBF Foundation as “a type of community foundation for the CBF community.” The Foundation helps individuals, churches, state and regional organizations and partners manage funds and promotes new gifts to their endowments.

“By using CBF Foundation as a fund manager, CBF churches and partners help the entire movement,” Durham said. “In the long run, the larger the amount of funds under management in CBF Foundation, the lower the overall cost of managing everyone’s money.”

“For Albanian immigrants in Athens, very little in this world seems secure or stable,” Janice said. “By being able to provide this small amount of financial assistance, we offer a small amount of precious stability when bad times come to worthy families. Thank you Mississippi CBF for your generosity and CBF Foundation for your wise financial stewardship.”

To learn more about the services provided by the CBF Foundation, call (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Dee Donalson, whose front porch serves as a makeshift classroom, teaches nine students about letters, numbers and shapes. She uses whatever educational tools she can find locally, including stones, wheat straw and juice boxes, to instruct the students and two teacher trainees.

Before Donalson, one of CBF’s field personnel, arrived in Hossana, Ethiopia, last year, most of the village’s young children did not attend kindergarten because it was too far away. Only 20 percent of Ethiopia’s children attend school because the Ethiopian government does not have the financial resources to provide enough classrooms or teachers, Donalson said.

Donalson is working to build a kindergarten at Ethiopian Kale Heywet Church Ministry Training College in Hossana. She expects the school, with six classrooms, running water and furnishings, will cost about $100,000.

“Kindergarten taught in a developmentally appropriate way gives them a foundation to build the rest of their education,” she said. “It also teaches them to problem solve, investigate, explore, examine and experiment.”

Donalson, 65, of Sanibel Island and Ft. Myers, Fla., spent her career establishing schools for young children and training teachers in the United States. In 2004, she felt called to serve in Ethiopia. From 2004-07 she served as a teacher trainer and director of a kindergarten in Butajira, Ethiopia. But then she felt the Lord was calling her to do more.

“I had a definite message from God that I was to train many more teachers in Ethiopia to teach the thousands of children who were school age, but didn’t have a space in the classroom,” Donalson said.

Soon, she knew God was calling her to the Bible college in Hossana. It is one of seven Bible colleges in Ethiopia run by the Kale Heywet Church, the country’s largest evangelical denomination with about 3.5 million members and 6,000 churches.
The Kale Heywet Church, which translates into “Word of Life,” sends missionaries worldwide, including some countries where American missionaries are not welcomed, she said.

“I love the idea that [CBF Global Missions Coordinator] Rob Nash put forth when he said that, ‘The church is God’s missionary to the world,’” Donalson said. “And I feel that there are many opportunities to bridge with other organizations like the Kale Heywet Church in Ethiopia.”

In addition to her kindergarten work, Donalson has taught English at the college. Learning English is a critical tool for field personnel since it is the most commonly used language both in Ethiopia and abroad, she said.

She is also working to help her community improve its access to water, plant vegetable gardens and learn good health practices. When Donalson learned that there was no running water on campus, she contacted David Harding, one of CBF’s field personnel who works to bring clean water to Ethiopian communities.

Harding’s team evaluated the campus’ well and recommended a submersible pump. CBF donated the pump, holding tank and a platform. Donalson’s home church, Sanibel Community Church, is raising funds to pay for the installation of the pump and pipes.

More financial support will be needed when the pump begins operating to cover the additional electricity costs and to pay for a guard to oversee the well.

Once the school is constructed, about $1,080 a year will be needed to provide the salaries of two kindergarten teachers. Donalson hopes to add a grade level each year after the kindergarten is established.

She often reminds herself of Acts 17:28, “It is in Him that I live and move and have my being.” That verse helps her to focus on being the presence of Christ.
“I hope that as I am in His presence I will be totally submissive in allowing the Holy Spirit to manifest itself through me to help fulfill the Great Commission.”

To learn about partnership opportunities with Donalson, contact Chris Boltin at cboltin@thefellowship.info or (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

As Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel, Jay and Cokie Westfall balance the demands of work and ministry. Jay’s job as an independent clinical and regulatory compliance auditor for U.S.-based pharmaceutical companies allows him the opportunity to work in any part of the world. But Jay said it was Cokie’s call to serve the people of India that led them to the village of Kothanur, located outside the city of Bangalore, where they have lived since September 2007.

Cokie traveled to India in 2004 on a prayer walk with CBF field personnel. In 2005, she returned, participating in CBF tsunami relief efforts in Cuddalore. Since then, the Westfalls have served alongside CBF partner organizations in medical camps throughout southern India.

In India, the need for healthcare providers outweighs the supply, especially in rural and slum areas. In these areas, a lack of potable water and sanitation increases water-borne diseases, making medical care even more necessary. The United Nations estimates that there are between 2 to 3.6 million people in India living with HIV. These factors place a strain on India’s healthcare system.

“Trying to help all the poor in India is like trying to empty the ocean with a teaspoon,” Jay said. “But in being here, I’ve learned the importance of showing basic decency and common courtesy. Some of the people we serve feel invisible.”

The Westfalls serve in a variety of medical outreaches – medical camps in slum areas surrounding Bangalore through Humanitarian India Mission, medical liaison role within ProVisionAsia and a medical clinic for children affected with AIDS at the Infant Jesus Children’s Home.

“I have clearly seen God utilize my background as a resident nurse and my firm belief that Jesus loved, supported and empowered women throughout his ministry and calls us to do the same, to touch the lives of women and children who live in oppressive poverty stricken situations in India,” said Cokie, a graduate of Campbell Divinity School, a Fellowship partner. “My hope is to bring the deep love of Jesus to those who find themselves in these situations.”

The Westfalls said that CBF partner churches – Winter Park Baptist; First Baptist Church of Wilmington, N.C.; and First Baptist Church of Mt. Olive, N.C., have sustained them with continual encouragement through prayer, financial support and correspondence.

To learn about partnership opportunities with the Westfalls, contact Chris Boltin at (800) 352-8741 or cboltin@thefellowship.info.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.
 

For the Romany people, also referred to as gypsies, the words of the song reflect their experience of discrimination, persecution and suffering. The Gandhi School in Pecs, Hungary, where Clista and Glen Adkins serve as Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel, provides unique educational opportunities for 250 Romany youth.

“Glen and I hope that we can help [the students] to understand that God loves them,” said Clista, who teaches English classes at the school. “To understand that God loves Roma people, that they are part of the larger family of God, and that God’s gift of love in Jesus Christ was for Roma just as much as it was for everyone else. We have this goal in mind in everything we do.”

Only 3 percent of Roma attend a university, and less than 20 percent attend high school. Those who do enroll in a public school are often placed in classes for students with mental disabilities in order to separate them from non-Roma. The Gandhi School  provides a nurturing alternative for Roma, who come from impoverished backgrounds. The students travel from throughout Hungary to attend the school, and all of them come from families facing hardships – poverty, unemployment, life-threatening illnesses, social discrimination.

“When students graduate from Gandhi, perhaps they will have what few Eastern European Roma have – hope for their future,” said Clista Adkins. “That hope might include a broader view of the world and their potential to be a part of that world, the ability to lead, opportunities for jobs and education, ambition for their future, the ability and knowledge required to make life better for the next generation or the ability to maintain their heritage while working within the larger society.”

The school gives hope to students such as Jaelle, who when asked at Bible club one evening what she was most afraid of, responded “I don’t ever want to have to stand on the side of the road.” Jaelle, who has seven siblings and whose father must travel to Germany to find work, was referring to girls in Hungary who enter into prostitution in order to survive.

“We are finding that people all around us seem to be looking for hope,” Clista said. “We are constantly surrounded by Roma people, particularly, who seem to be hanging on to their lives by a thread. So, with every word we say and every coin we give, we hope we are being the presence of Christ.”

The Adkins, members of members of First Baptist Church of Greenville, S.C., first served at the school in 2005, but last year they move to Hungary to minister full-time. First Baptist’s partnership with the Gandhi School was facilitated by church members Ethel and Jim Childress in 2005. Since then, missions teams have traveled to the Gandhi School each fall, teaching English classes and leading special programs.

“Our focus of each trip has been to build relationships, share God’s love, and teach conversational English,” said the Childresses, who have participated in six trips. “The common thread in these interactions and relationships is openness and acceptance. Over the years we have come to love these remarkable Roma teenagers. Knowing them and working with them has been life changing. We are humbled that even though they are treated so poorly by most people outside their culture, they still treat us with acceptance and respect.”

First Baptist is one of several churches partnering with Glen, a former music minister, to sponsor choir members as they prepare to perform at the Baptist World Alliance Youth Conference in Leipzig, Germany this summer. In addition to learning hymns from the Romany tradition, Glen is also teaching the choir songs such as “Oh Happy Day” that communicate God’s love.

“Our partnership through CBF with field personnel at the Gandhi School is one opportunity for our members to live out [the church’s] mission statement and covenant,” said Laura Shelley, missions coordinator at First Baptist. “As we share the inclusive love of Christ with the Gandhi students, we serve alongside CBF personnel, Gandhi teachers and Hungarian Christians. An important aspect of our partnership with the Gandhi School is the recognition that God may speak to us through this mission experience, transforming us in ways yet unimagined.”

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Wentz has been fulfilling her calling as a medical missionary for as long as she’s been a registered nurse – 22 years. While some of that time has been spent on short-term international trips to Kenya, Thailand, Burma and Ethiopia, Wentz counts her work stateside as missions-based, too.

“My call to missions isn’t an experience I’ve had,” said Wentz, of Fredericksburg, Va. “It’s an understanding of God’s love for the world that results in a commitment to serve. In whatever setting God places me, I pray and ask that God would open the eyes of my heart and allow me to see past the surface in order to discern the real needs of the individual in front of me. People in this world are hurting and the causes of their pain are often related to more than the effects of their physical illnesses.”

Appointed as one of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s field personnel in 2007, Wentz has already been on a two-month trip to Ethiopia. She plans trips to both Zambia and Kenya later this year. With a background in hospice, her main work focuses on bringing palliative care philosophies to people in countries where early diagnosis and treatment of diseases like HIV/AIDS and cancer are limited by poverty and a lack of medical resources. 

While in Ethiopia this past spring, Wentz interacted with health care professionals in many different settings. At a hospital run by a South Korean Presbyterian church, she met with and educated doctors, social workers, chaplains and nurses about hospice care.

“It’s so new,” Wentz said of the philosophy, “that many misunderstand what it is all about. Pain control is not a main focus of their care. They associate hospice with death, and therefore are hesitant to use many of the strong pain medications commonly used in the States.”

Wentz shared with the staff at the hospital a book that explains how hospice philosophies have been implemented in other African countries. The book, which offers correct information about pain medications, also details the benefits of helping terminal patients make necessary decisions and face death with dignity.

“Talking was helpful,” said Wentz. “The discussion broke down barriers and led to the formation of a multi-disciplinary committee.”

She expects that relationships formed on that committee will make progress easier during her next visit to the hospital. She knows change will take time. After meeting and talking with a nurse who runs a small home care hospice in the capital city, Wentz learned that a group of health care professionals have been trying to influence government policies on palliative care and pain control since 2003. In four years, the hospice has treated about 250 AIDS patients. With approximately 368 people dying from AIDS in Ethiopia per day, according to the Ethiopian AIDS Resource Center, there is much work yet to be done.

Nevertheless, Wentz believes that God is creating opportunities for her to make a difference in the lives of hurting individuals even now. She shared the story of her encounter with the father of a 13-year-old boy with a brain tumor, who traveled 700 kilometers to the mission hospital where she worked in Ethiopia.

Visiting them daily during their hospital stay and letting them know she was praying for them, Wentz communicated by gestures and bits of Amharic, the family’s native language. Because the boy did not do well after surgery, his father was distraught. Wentz sat with him while he cried and listened while he talked. She encouraged the hospital’s medical and nursing personnel to implement interventions for relieving the boy’s symptoms.

When at last the time came that the father was able to secure aid to take his son home to die – against medical advice – Wentz wanted to show that she cared by doing something to make the trip more bearable.

“I approached the nurses and asked if they thought it would be appropriate for me to ask the father if he would like to take a shower and have me wash his clothes for him before he left. Grabbing some soap and hospital scrubs for him to change into, they went back to his son’s room and asked him in Amharic if he would like for that to happen,” Wentz said. “He readily agreed. He had been wearing the same outfit for more than two weeks.”

When saying goodbye, Wentz gave the father a hug and promised she would continue to pray for them. While she doesn’t know if they made it home before the boy died, Wentz said that’s not important, “What matters is that they knew that God did not leave them to suffer alone.”

“When Jesus healed, He did not do so from a distance,” Wentz said. “He reached out and touched [people], even those considered outcasts. That is the focus of my ministry … being the presence of Christ to those who fear that God might not want to have anything to do with them.”

To learn about partnership opportunities with Wentz’s ministry, contact Chris Boltin at (800) 352-8471 or cboltin@thefellowship.info. To become involved in CBF’s community of practice related to medical ministries, go to www.thefellowship.info/medical.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

They come to watch progress happening before their eyes. They come to support the work, and they come to say thank you. They know the change it will bring to their community, and they know the difference it will make for their young children.

“It’s just unbelievable,” said Williams, who has helped construct two child development centers in Kenya as part of the ministry of CBF field personnel Melody and Sam Harrell.

The Harrells call this education project Change for Children because the construction of eight integrated child development centers around Kenya has the potential to better the lives of the nearly 650 children, ranging in age from 3 to 6, who will attend the schools this year.

“Those who follow after Jesus will recall how he often welcomed children. He also said that it would be better not to have been born than to cause harm to come to a child,” said Sam Harrell. “Unfortunately, children as a group, remain among the most vulnerable, marginalized and neglected sectors of the human family.”

Children in sub-Saharan Africa countries such as Kenya are among the world’s most vulnerable children. In 2004, statistics showed the region was losing ground in child mortality, Harrell said. Then, 42 percent of all children who died before the age of 5 were living in sub-Saharan Africa. Lack of access to nutrition, vaccines, safe drinking water and other resources are just some reasons these children are so vulnerable.

The Harrells, who have served in Kenya since 1999, wanted to build on the change they have seen through previous feeding projects, agriculture advances and education initiatives. While government-sponsored primary school has been free for children since 2002, pre-school and kindergarten programs are not or are not available in rural areas. Seeing a need, the Harrells launched Change for Children with the hope that the centers would give children a head start in school and also help marginalized communities.

The Harrells turned to Fellowship partner churches for funding and support of the project. Williams’ church, Rosalind Hills Baptist Church, is one of several Roanoke-area churches who have helped fund child development centers.

“The [centers] give children an opportunity to be in a school. It gives them a place to learn – that they can come to and not only be fed from school work but be physically fed with food,” Williams said.

Change for Children includes a daily nutritionally-balanced meal. so that no student has to learn on an empty stomach. The project also ensures children have all the materials necessary for learning, are immunized and treated for parasites and malaria, have access to safe drinking water, and receive an insecticide-treated mosquito net to protect them from malaria at home while they sleep. The construction of foot bridges ensure children can get to school even during Kenya’s rainy season when river levels rise and are impassable.

The centers are also in line with the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals, which focus on improving quality of life among the world’s poor by 2015.

“Change in the lives of children through education, better nutrition, elimination of disease, and Christian love and compassion is the goal of this effort,” said Harrell.

The students’ families and the larger community also benefit from the project’s community health education efforts and micro-enterprise development that will enhance money-making potential for families.

“Our role is coming alongside these communities to give them the backup they need in these efforts and to help them succeed,” Harrell said.

But Kenyans aren’t the only ones changed. 

“An equally important benefit is the change that occurs in the lives of those who commit to be partners in the initiative, using their God-given gifts, resources and skills and discovering God in the process,” Harrell said.

And that’s just the kind of project CBF of Missouri was looking for when it committed to funding and supporting a child development center.

“We wanted to do more than raise money and give it to the project,” said CBF of Missouri coordinator Harold Phillips. “We wanted it to be an experience that had some personal involvement. [Change for Children] helps us to have our eyes opened to a part of the world and some needs and challenges beyond where most of us live.”

That’s one reason CBF of Missouri will continue sending teams of church members to Kenya to teach, play with children, do construction and provide medical services.  Other churches supporting Change for Children have sent similar teams to serve and learn. 

With all eight centers now constructed and educating children, the Harrells look to the future – adding playground equipment to better develop children’s motor skills and continuing work to ensure children have access to food and clean water no matter the season in Kenya.

“It has been said that it takes a village to raise a child,” Harrell said. “In these days, a global village response is [needed] in order that children in difficult circumstances are treated with the dignity they deserve and are not forever hampered due to improper treatment during the most crucial developmental periods of life.”

To learn about partnership opportunities in Kenya, contact Chris Boltin at cboltin@thefellowhsip.info or (800) 352-8741. To financially support the Harrell’s ministry, give to the CBF Offering for Global Missions at www.thefellowship.info/give.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

A few years ago, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel Darrell and Kathy Smith traveled to Priddy, Texas, located 75 miles west of Waco, to speak at Priddy Baptist. The Smiths spoke to the congregation about their ministry in Macedonia – the languages, culture, ethnicities and the needs. The Smiths, who have served with the Fellowship since 1996, have been involved in environmental sustainability projects and ministering to children and families living in poverty. 

Many of the approximately 30 members of Priddy Baptist are ranchers, farmers, teachers, retirees and foster parents. They were moved by the stories of the children living in poverty in Macedonia. A few months later, they invited the Smiths back to the church.

“When we were invited back, the church wanted to know more about the kindergarten project,” Darrell said. “The kindergarten had touched the heart of this church and given them a vision for where God was working.”

In Macedonia there are no state sponsored kindergartens or preschool programs, but children are still required to pass a test before they can start first grade. The kindergarten started by the Smiths and CBF field personnel Arville and Shelia Earl provides a free education to children living in the ghettos of Skopje, who otherwise might not have access to education.

In addition to their annual contributions to missions, Priddy Baptist members gave $17,000 last year to support the kindergarten in Skopje, and they have pledged to do the same again this year.

“We are a very small church and contact and support for this project gives us a sense of contributing to a cause outside and greater than ourselves,” said Butch Pesch, pastor of Priddy Baptist. “We love the Smiths and the Earls and are thrilled to have a small part in what God is doing in Macedonia We love what CBF is doing and feel privileged to have a small part in global missions work.”

The church’s funds have provided educational opportunities for 40 children, paying for the expenses of the kindergarten for half the year – utilities and rent, plus backpacks and school supplies.

“Just as hope came into the world as a small child, so hope has come to the families of the kindergarten through the efforts of a small church,” Kathy said. “Though they might never meet each other, Priddy Baptist has changed the lives of these children and their families. Only God knows how these seeds of hope that have been planted will sprout and grow.”

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

ATLANTA – The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s response to two major Asian disasters – an earthquake in China and a cyclone in Myanmar – continues to develop as the recovery and rebuilding phase nears in both areas.

Representatives from several Baptist agencies, including one of CBF’s field personnel who recently traveled to Myanmar to assess damage, met May 24 in Bangkok to discuss relief efforts in both countries.

In Myanmar, the Myanmar Baptist Convention has set up 47 relief centers serving more than 13,500 cyclone survivors. Food, medicine and fuel have also been distributed in hard hit areas. Lack of infrastructure and government restrictions on foreign aid are continued challenges in the response.

The Fellowship, which has contributed an initial $5,000 to the Myanmar convention’s efforts, is also planning to provide training on how to construct low-cost water wells and purify water through bio-sand filters. The Fellowship has also contributed $5,000 toward recovery efforts in China. In addition, Fellowship Baptists and partner churches have contributed nearly $34,000 to CBF response efforts in China and Myanmar.

In China, CBF representatives Bill and Michelle Cayard are working with local partner Hua Mei International to distribute relief supplies to survivors. In 10 distribution trips, Hua Mei has helped more than 10,000 people.

"People still fear aftershocks and are more comfortable in makeshift dwellings of tarps and tent-like setups with their beds, belongings and families inside," said Bill Cayard, who recently traveled to Pengzhou, an area close to the earthquake’s epicenter.

With more than 67,000 reported dead in the earthquake and many others injured or affected, the Cayards are coordinating grief counseling training for local pastors and church leaders. Gene Wilder, pastor of CBF partner First Baptist Church in Jefferson City, Tenn., is in China helping with training.

Service opportunities could develop in China, where the government has not restricted foreign relief workers as Myanmar has done.

"CBF has very strong and effective partners in both places and our resources are being applied to help victims directly and to help the church take next steps in the long recovery and rehabilitation stage," said David Harding, who coordinates CBF’s international disaster response and has traveled to China to assist in relief efforts.

According to Associated Press reports, nearly 21,000 are missing from the 7.9-magnitude earthquake on May 12. Government officials are estimating the death toll will be 80,000 or more. The May 2 cyclone has left 78,000 dead and 56,000 still missing as more than a million others remain homeless.

To contribute to the relief efforts, send a check payable to Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, P.O. Box 101699, Atlanta, GA 30392, indicating fund No. 17023 "Cyclone Response" or No. 17024 "China Earthquake" in the memo line or call (800) 352-8741. You can also give online for cyclone response at www.thefellowship.info/Give/Donate.aspx?fund=CRF or www.thefellowship.info/Give/Donate.aspx?fund=CHINA for earthquake response. One hundred percent of donations go directly to rebuilding and restoration efforts.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

With a call to missions that began at the age of 13, Diana Bridges has a heart for internationals. She was commissioned as one of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s field personnel in 2007, after 10 years of working with internationals through the Baptist Student Union at Mississippi State, and serving concurrently for seven years as the director of Crossroads International Friendship House, a ministry focusing on the needs of international families in Starkville, Miss.

For a small college community, Starkville has a substantial international population of close to 1,000 individuals. Mississippi State has more than 600 international students from more than 70 countries, including India, China and Korea.

When internationals arrive in the United States they often need help orienting to a new community and culture. Bridges has taught English classes at the university, led weekday ministries for family members, hosted Bible studies, helped parents get their school-age children involved in soccer or other after-school activities and accompanied women who were nervous about going alone to doctor’s appointments.

“The heart of my work is building relationships in the international community, meeting the needs that I’m able to meet, sharing my faith as I share my life,” said Bridges, a native of San Antonio, Texas. “Many of their needs decrease with time, but the need for friendship and a sense of community doesn’t. The level of trust that develops over time allows for the fullest sharing of the gospel.”

At one of Bridges’ conversational English classes last fall, Sun, who is from China, told the group, “You all have a God, and I would like one, too.” Bridges took the opportunity to invite Sun to join her Bible study, and soon Sun was attending church regularly with Bridges. During the Christmas season, Sun read the entire Bible. By spring, Sun had accepted Christ and was baptized on Palm Sunday.

“She then moved to another state,” said Bridges. “But the last time I heard from her, she was teaching Bible school in a Chinese language church.”

A partnership with World Neighbors Association, a local organization that provides opportunities for internationals to share their cultures with the larger community, has helped connect Bridges not only with internationals, but also with Methodists, Presbyterians, and others who share her desire to build friendships across cultures. The organization hosts Thanksgiving and Christmas events, as well as a spring event called “International Fiesta,” held on Mississippi State’s campus. According to Bridges, it’s the international community’s biggest event of the year, with more than 1,000 people in attendance.

Bridges encourages churches that are interested in reaching out to international populations to contact local colleges and universities. She said many international students look for volunteer conversational partners.

“Try to figure out what’s already going on first, to avoid unnecessary duplication” said Bridges. “Look on the university’s Web site for international activities and learn about the population before you start planning.”

Bridges dreams of growing a network of Fellowship Baptists and partner churches who are committed to intercultural ministry.

“We all need to take a look at the numbers,” she said. “There are large concentrations of international students in states where CBF has a sizeable presence. Texas, my home state, has the third highest number of international students and Florida is fifth at 31,000. These numbers don't include visiting scholars or family members, so the number is really much higher. If we want to raise a new generation of intercultural ministers, we don't need to go far. We just need to open our eyes.

“CBF’s paradigm for ministry is a world without borders. Churches can be part of that paradigm by supporting the Offering for Global Missions, but also by getting to know internationals in their own communities.”

To learn about partnership opportunities with Bridges or resource for ministering to internationals, contact Chris Boltin at cboltin@thefellowship.info or (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who are a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

ATLANTA – Infant cries again are heard in Log Cabin Community Church in Smyrna, Ga. And at Bridgewater Church in Madisonville, La., church members create care packages for U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The two churches are among 18 congregations to receive Cooperative Baptist Fellowship missional ministry grants in 2007. The grants resource local congregations as they complete the “It’s Time” study and seek to determine how God is calling them to ministry. Since 2006, the Fellowship has awarded $621,747 in grants to partner churches.

“The missional grants are allowing churches who have a strong desire to join in missional work to do so with immediacy,” said Bo Prosser, the Fellowship’s coordinator of congregational life. “Each of these churches, coming out of the ‘It’s Time’ study, has had a sense of urgency about doing missional ministry. Yet, most of them would have to wait for a new budget year or money to be freed up if not for the grant. I’m excited that each church has seen things that need to be done right now, and we’ve been blessed by partnering with them in this missional journey.”

Beginning two years ago with four friends, the Bridgewater Church has grown to 67 members who, along with a host of visitors, worship in The Maritime Museum.

“We put money into ministry, not bricks and mortar,” said Reid Doster, pastor and professional counselor, who also serves at CBF of Louisiana’s disaster response coordinator.

Before receiving the grant, members were actively engaged in food distribution, care packages to Louisiana soldiers, home repair and yard work for senior citizens and financial assistance for utility and medical bills. They have also provided furniture to Katrina survivors, hygiene kits, uniforms and supplies to school children, grief counseling, transportation and other services.

The missional ministry grant will help Bridgewater Church continue its current ministries and develop additional means to meet its community’s practical needs. The grant also has helped current church members, only eight of which have a Baptist background, grasp the Fellowship’s broader purpose and ministry.

“This grant did more to solidify this relationship between this autonomous body [the church] and the national body known as CBF,” Doster said. “I could have distributed CDs and brochures [about the Fellowship] every Sunday, but it wouldn’t have done as much as Bo Prosser’s coming and preaching for one hour and handing the church that check …. It was like saying, ‘God bless you for your vision.’”

Founded in 1912 as a Sunday school, Log Cabin Community Church began functioning as a church about three years ago, calling its first pastor, Jeffery Howard.

In the early 2000s, children’s classes had languished to the point that the ministry virtually ended. Then the congregation caught a renewed vision to be the presence of Christ to children and young families. The grant will allow the church to pursue a three-phase approach to the ministry.

“On the one hand we are restarting the ministry, but on the other hand we are starting a whole new ministry,” Howard said. “We’ve had four newborns in the last year. The future looks really bright.”

Log Cabin started by renovating its nursery area. Members are now working on refurbishing the children’s rooms and are designing curriculum. The final phase will reach out to parents by providing programs such as Mother’s Day Out and Parents’ Night Out and broaden the children’s ministry to the community.

The grant helped get the vision moving while it was fresh.

“The grant made a huge impact,” Howard said. “If we hadn’t had the grant, the ministry would have eventually happened, but it would have been much further in the future. It helped people get a jumpstart on their vision. It has been instrumental in helping them see this as a mission and a ministry.”

The 18 churches awarded grants in 2007:

• ACD Ministries in Smyrna, Ga.
• Bridgewater Church, Madisonville, La.
• Emmaus Baptist Church in Quinton, Va.
• First Baptist Church in Blue Grass, Iowa
• Grandin Court Baptist Church in Roanoke, Va.
• Highland Hills Baptist Church in Macon, Ga.
• Holmeswood Baptist Church in Kansas City, Mo.
• Log Cabin Community Church in Smyrna, Ga.
• North Brunswick Fellowship Church in Leland, N.C.
• Peachtree Baptist Church in Atlanta
• Pelham Road Baptist Church in Greenville, S.C.
• Rosalind Hills Baptist Church in Roanoke, Va.
• Third Baptist Church in St. Louis, Mo.
• Temple Baptist Church in Durham, N.C.
• Trinity Baptist Church in Moultrie, Ga.
• University Baptist Church in Montevallo, Ala.
• Zion Hill Baptist Church in Camden, Ark.

To learn more about the Fellowship’s missional ministry grant, go to www.thefellowship.info/Resources/ItsTime/Grant or call (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Since February, Arkansas has been repeatedly battered with tornadoes and heavy storms that have killed 26 people, according to Associated Press reports. Longstanding flooding has also affected areas of the state over the past few weeks.

“Arkansas has been continually hit,” said Charles Ray, the Fellowship’s U.S. disaster response coordinator. “When the floodwaters recede, we want to move into long-term recovery for both flood and tornado victims.” 

In the immediate aftermath of these disasters, Ray said CBF has been an “integral part” of weekly relief supply distribution through Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD). In addition, CBF of Arkansas donated $2,000 toward the purchase of portable storage units for disaster victims. In Baxter County, where a tornado ripped through Feb. 5, a CBF shower trailer is still being used by victims. 

The string of disasters has prevented the transition to long-term recovery, Ray said, but disaster relief teams may be needed to serve in damaged areas soon. Financial contributions for recovery efforts are the best way to help now, Ray said.

In Georgia, responders will gather May 17 to assist with debris removal and home repairs following a May 11 tornado in central Georgia. CBF of Georgia is hosting the service day, and churches or individuals interested in scheduling an additional disaster response trip should contact Scott Ford, CBF of Georgia’s disaster response coordinator, at sford@cbfga.org or (478) 742-1191.

To contribute to the relief and recovery efforts, send a check payable to Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, P.O. Box 101699, Atlanta, GA., 30392, indicating fund No. 17000 "Disaster Response" in the memo line, call (800) 352-8741 or go to www.thefellowship.info/Give/Donate.aspx?fund=DR.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.
 

For many years, Fellowship partner churches and Ghanaian Baptist churches have collaborated in ministry. Leaders hope that this formal partnership will enable more congregations to join the work that is already in progress.

“The future of global missions will be shaped by strategic partnerships between Baptist bodies as well as between churches,” said Daniel Vestal, CBF executive coordinator. “This partnership has the potential of being transformative both for the Ghana Baptist Convention and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. It represents a vision of shared ministry that is exciting.”

The Ghana Baptist Convention represents approximately 1,000 churches with more than 65,000 members, primarily located in the country’s rural areas. Twenty percent of these churches have their own church building, and the remainder worship in classrooms or temporary structures. The convention has approximately 600 trained ministers and two ministerial training institutions.

The Fellowship and Ghana Baptist Convention will collaborate in a variety of ministries. These will include establishing church-to-church connections, creating networks of congregations focused on meeting the needs of the most marginalized and supporting Ghanaian churches in the United States. The organizations will share resources in five specific areas – prayer, church planting, leadership development, ministry infrastructure and community transformation.

The convention’s Student Holiday Outreach Program will enable student groups from the United States to travel throughout Ghana, ministering in villages through construction projects, sports activities and evangelism.

To learn more about partnership opportunities related to the Ghana Baptist Convention, contact Chris Boltin at cboltin@thefellowship.info or (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

According to the Associated Press, more than 18,000 people are still buried beneath debris in Mianyang, a city near the quake’s epicenter. Bill and Michelle Cayard, CBF representatives in China, had just started a partnership with a church laity training center in Mianyang and also have connections with pastors in Dujiangyan, another city severely damaged. CBF has given $5,000 toward meeting immediate needs for water, food and tents in Jiangyou, where the city’s only church was destroyed.

"That was the only registered church building in a city of over 100,000," said Michelle Cayard.  "The pastor there urgently requested tents as people are sleeping outside without shelter and it has been raining now for almost 24 hours."

"Though this is a small effort, it encourages those facing such a difficult time and provides a witness to the community," Cayard said. "After immediate needs are met, we will work with local partners to identify longer term needs."

Churches or individuals wishing to respond can make financial contributions through CBF with 100 percent of donations going directly to response efforts.

In nearby Myanmar, the Fellowship sent $5,000 in an initial response to the May 3 cyclone that has killed thousands and left even more homeless. One of CBF’s field personnel serving in nearby Thailand is scheduled to travel to Myanmar this week to assess the situation and meet with local Baptist partners.

There are more than 1 million Baptists in Myanmar, primarily in the southern region that was hardest hit. Local Christians report thousands of houses and nearly 200 churches were damaged or destroyed. The Myanmar Baptist Convention has requested $2.25 million for distribution of supplies including rice, blankets, mosquito nets and medicine.

CBF will partner with Baptist World Aid, Asia Pacific Baptist Federation, International Ministries of American Baptist Churches USA, Virginia Baptist Mission Board and others to assist. Because Myanmar has issued limited visas to relief workers, there are currently no opportunities to serve in Myanmar.

In southern Chile, where volcanic activity has forced thousands to evacuate, the Fellowship contributed $5,000 to be used by area Baptist churches helping evacuees with food, clothing and spiritual support.

Financial contributions can be made to the Fellowship to support disaster relief efforts in Myanmar, China and Chile. Give online at www.thefellowship.info/give or by mail at P.O. Box 101699, Atlanta, GA 30392. Make checks payable to CBF and "Cyclone Response #17023," "China #17024" or "Chile #17000" in the memo line. One hundred percent of donations go directly to rebuilding and restoration efforts.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

ATLANTA – The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship will commission 18 new field personnel at its General Assembly June 18 in Memphis, Tenn. These field personnel are the first to apply through the Fellowship’s new online cohort process.

The 10-week cohorts allow candidates to learn about CBF Global Missions and hear first-person testimonials from current field personnel and staff through online discussion, video and audio streams. The cohorts are the first step in the candidate application process, which also includes personal interviews, an exploratory conference and orientation.

"I appreciate the intentionality of the online cohort process," said Lindsay, who will be commissioned in June. "As a candidate, I was given the opportunity to view relevant issues through a theological lens, to interact with other candidates on issues of faith and missiology, and was challenged to weigh the cost of culturally inappropriate methods of mission throughout history. In the end, I discovered that my time participating in the online cohort meant that I was partnering with an organization that did more than just send [field personnel]. They valued free discussion, diverse perspectives, and theological education alongside my call to serve."

Candidates have several opportunities during the year to participate in the cohorts. The cohorts are divided into 10 sessions, which lead candidates through a process of self discernment and reflection on how God is calling them. Topics include introduction to CBF missiology and mission strategy; reflection on childhood, adolescent and adult experiences; personal religious history and identification with CBF; and missional church discussion.

"The ability to combine technology with our written reflection process has been transformational," said Matt Norman, the Fellowship’s selection manager. "These cohorts allow candidates a condensed time of self-reflection and missional discernment that helps inform and empower the unique way they will continue to serve God in the world. Reading and interacting with each other weekly adds a dimension of community building and peer interaction that is essential during times of discernment. Now that we have made this transition, I cannot imagine a candidate process otherwise."

The commissioning service will be held Wednesday, June 18, at 7:30 p.m. at the First Baptist Church of Memphis, Tenn. New CBF field personnel and their places of service are as follows:

• Carita, Southeast Asia
• Lindsay, Southeast Asia
• Brittany Phillips, China
• Matthew and Melanie Storie, Alabama
• Elaine Childs, Croatia
• Leah Crowley, Florida
• Cynthia Levesque, China
• Eric and Julie Maas, Belize
• Gene Murdock, India
• Karen and Kenny Sherin, Missouri
• Dan and Jolene Tucker, Mexico
• Dee Donalson, Ethiopia
• Christopher and Jessica Rose, Peru

For more information on the General Assembly or to register, go to www.thefellowship.info/assembly.

To learn about service opportunities related to CBF field personnel, contact Chris Boltin at cboltin@thefellowship.info. To financially support the ministries of CBF field personnel, give to the CBF Offering for Global Missions at www.thefellowship.info/give.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Leadership from Together for Hope, CBF’s rural poverty initiative that works in 20 of the poorest U.S. counties, had identified the county as a place where transforming ministry could take place, but they couldn’t find anyone to make a long-term commitment.

Kathleen and Ray Kesner, then Together for Hope (TFH) facilitators in South Dakota, had been learning about the county and building relationships with local leaders. When they shared the ministry need with Ashworth Road Baptist Church in Des Moines, Iowa, members responded. As one of the closest CBF partner churches to Buffalo County, a few members made the seven-hour drive to Crow Creek Indian Reservation, where they met with leaders from the county’s largest reservation.

"They just captured our hearts," said the church’s pastor Tim Deatrick. "We realize the importance of making long-term commitments, and we’re hoping to be invested in the work of Crow Creek for years to come."

In less than a year of ministry, church members have made several trips to Crow Creek to build relationships and learn how they could help. Already they’ve provided funding to help financially-strapped Boys and Girls Clubs stay open and have also donated funds and labor to build a new playground.

"The playground was provided to a community that has been completely overlooked," said church member David Phillips, who along with his wife, Jami, serve as TFH ministry facilitators in South Dakota. "The donation of the playground and, even more, the labor to install it communicates to the people of Crow Creek that they are important to us."

Last September church members traveled again to Crow Creek to deliver new clothes and school supplies for 300 children on the reservation. Local leaders worked to give correct clothing sizes to the church, and the church raised the money and purchased each child a new coat and outfit for school.

"We didn’t go to [local leaders] and say, ‘This is something we want to do,’" Deatrick said. "We asked them, ‘How can we help you be successful? What can we do to help you?’ The coats and clothes were their idea."

Church member Scott Oswald was on that distribution trip and has been touched by the community’s desire to better the reservation.

"They have a sense of community and family and try to overcome such huge obstacles to have a better way of life," he said. "We’re excited about being a small part of [helping them]."

Thus far, more than half of the church’s members have been to Crow Creek. The ministry partnership is making missions accessible for every member who wants to experience missions first-hand, Deatrick said.

"The church is being changed and transformed because individuals are going out and being changed and transformed. That’s what we want," he said. "They can go and have the experience and not just do something but really make an impact."

This summer the church has another trip planned, hoping to take 50 church members – about half of the church – to work with children and teenagers and do construction projects. In August, with financial backing from the congregation, two church members will move to Crow Creek. As law school students who will graduate in May, the church members will be a resource for legal issues and economic development on the reservation.

"We’re excited about what’s going on in the church," Deatrick said. "We really think that what’s happening is a God thing. We’re just hanging on for the ride and looking forward to seeing some other great things happen."

"The most important thing churches like Ashworth Road provide is a sense of worth to the people who live on the reservation," said Jami Phillips. "It has been such a joy to see the Native Americans realize that when these church members look at them, they don’t see an Indian or a Marine or a single mother or an alcoholic. They see a child of God who is worthy of love and compassion because that is the way he sees his children."

To learn more about Together for Hope, visit www.ruralpoverty.net.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Cyclone Nargis hit the country May 3, leaving thousands dead and even more homeless. A government-run radio station in Myanmar said more than 22,000 people have died and more than 41,000 are still missing, according to Associated Press reports.

One of CBF’s field personnel serving in nearby Thailand is scheduled to travel to Myanmar next week to assess the situation and meet with local Baptist partners.

Other CBF partners are also responding, including Baptist World Aid – the disaster relief arm of the Baptist World Alliance – which has contributed $50,000 to relief efforts. The Fellowship anticipates contributing further once appropriate relief channels can be determined.

"Our prayers are with the people of Myanmar in this very difficult time," said Rob Nash, CBF’s Global Missions Coordinator. "We will remain in close touch with our field personnel and partners in the area to do our very best to meet human need."

Financial contributions can be made to the Fellowship to support disaster relief efforts in Myanmar and other countries. Give online at www.thefellowship.info/give or by mail at P.O. Box 101699, Atlanta, GA 30392, with checks payable to CBF and "Cyclone Response #17023" in the memo line. One hundred percent of donations go directly to rebuilding and restoration efforts.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

As part of the agreement, the Fellowship has committed to providing $10,000 a year in funding.

"This partnership with Micah Challenge USA makes clear that CBF, its field personnel, and its congregations are determined to do all that we can to help achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) adopted by the United Nations in 2000," said Rob Nash, the Fellowship’s coordinator of Global Missions. "Our intention is to work with Micah Challenge as advocates for the MDGs on behalf of those around the world who live on $1 a day or less. We also will be working to ensure that political leaders around the world, and particularly in the United States, fulfill the commitments they made when the goals were first framed. I’m grateful for this opportunity to join with other U.S. evangelicals in such a worthy effort."

Micah Challenge USA works with more than 20 organizations to increase awareness of the Millennium Development Goals. The campaign aims to deepen Christian engagement with impoverished and marginalized communities and to influence world leaders to fulfill their promise to achieve the MDGs. Micah Challenge is in 40 countries around the world.

"The CBF’s commitment to partner with Micah Challenge USA reminds us that the impoverished are close to God’s heart," said Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, Micah Challenge’s interim national coordinator. "Micah Challenge was created to respond to a critical moment in history – when the intention of all of the world leaders to halve poverty by 2015 echoes something of the mind of the Biblical prophets and the teachings of Jesus concerning the poor. This partnership is an example of the kind of collaboration that can lead to transformed hearts and minds."

Through the partnership, resources developed by the Micah Challenge, including prayer materials and presentations related to the MDGs, can be made available to Fellowship partner churches and organizations. The partnership will also allow for collaboration between Micah Challenge staff and Fellowship staff and field personnel.

To learn more about the MDGs, visit www.thefellowship.info/MDG. For more on CBF’s partnership with the Micah Challenge, contact Tom Prevost at tprevost@thefellowship.info or (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

"Such partnerships would be of mutual benefit," said Bernie Moraga, coordinator of CBF’s Hispanic network. "Baptist churches in Latin America are looking for fraternal relationships with more moderate groups, and they see CBF as a place where they can belong. We struggle here to find pastors to work with Hispanics. These Latin American churches want to work with us to reach people from their own countries living here."

The first church outside the United States to partner with CBF is Igelsia Bautista de Metrópolis in Catalina, Puerto Rico. That church of 300 members voted last November to partner with CBF of Florida.

Florida’s associate coordinator Tommy Deal was a member of a delegation that attended the 2007 annual meeting of the Baptist Churches of Puerto Rico. Also at that meeting in Puerto Rico, the Florida delegation met six pastors from the Dominican Republic who expressed an interest in a similar partnership.

"We are open to all possibilities in nearby Spanish-speaking countries," Deal said. "We believe that not only are we geographically positioned for this endeavor; we sense God is moving and directing in all of these opportunities and connections. We want to be faithful to be the presence of Christ and to work with and encourage others as they are the presence in their own homeland."

To develop further the Latin American connection, CBF representatives have planned two trips in May, one to the Dominican Republic and one to Cuba.

A four-member Fellowship delegation, including Deal and Bo Prosser, the Fellowship’s coordinator for congregational life, will meet with representatives from the Oriental Baptist Convention, a group of 300 churches located primarily on the Eastern end of Cuba May 4-8 to explore partnership opportunities.

"These mission churches are mostly house churches but are reaching many of their fellow Cubans for Christ," Deal said. "CBF of Florida has been licensed under guidelines of the U.S. Treasury Department to send mission support funds to this group. We will be able to observe the work that these funds are supporting."

Another group of CBF representatives will go to the Dominican Republic May 17-26. As part of that trip, Prosser and Rick Bennett, the Fellowship’s director of congregational life, will lead a spiritual formations retreat for pastors.

"Part of our missional church work is to make sure that we are helping churches everywhere make an impact in the kingdom," said Prosser. "Cuba has been kept in bondage spiritually. Perhaps, CBF can make a difference in opening up their awareness of Christ. In the Dominican Republic, Rick and I hope that we can model some prayer practices for them that can nourish their souls and perhaps refresh their churches."

Deal will also participate and will be looking for churches willing to partner with Florida churches.

"We tell every church that we are not so much looking for how we can help them, but how they can help us reach their people who live among us in the Sunshine State," he said. "These partnerships show that CBF of Florida and CBF are serious about being demographically and culturally diverse and all-inclusive."

To learn more about partnership opportunities, contact Chris Boltin at cboltin@thefellowship.info or (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Photo information: Jesus Garcia, pastor of Igelsia Bautista de Metrópolis, leads a prayer at the CBF of Florida Spring Gathering. Amy Morris photo

Hell Kitchen, located on the west side of Manhattan, is one of the city’s most transitional neighborhoods. This is due in part to the location of the Port Authority Bus Terminal, the world’s busiest terminal, at the south end of the neighborhood. Approximately 200,000 people move through the terminal each day, including commuters, tourists and people such as Matthew who are following their dreams – or aching to go home.

"Even with all the luxury high rises that are now being built, this neighborhood is still one of the first stops for people coming into the city and into America," said Ronnie Adams, one of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s field personnel. "There are still tenement buildings and lower priced places to live, but many times there are three or four families living in one apartment – that’s the only way people can live economically."

Metro Baptist Church sits in the shadow of the Lincoln Tunnel and just a few blocks from the Port Authority. Originally built by the Polish community in the early 1900s, the building was purchased by Metro Baptist in 1984. The Fellowship has partnered with Metro Baptist since 1995, when Adams began serving alongside the church.

The congregation has been intentional about carefully identifying the needs of the Hell’s Kitchen community and trying not to duplicate services that already exist in the area. For example, two nearby homeless shelters provide meals and shower facilities to people living on the streets, so the church determined there was a need for distributing toiletry kits and clothes. That was how Metro Baptist connected with Matthew – he stopped by one fall afternoon in need of warm clothes.

"The make up of the church is very diverse," said Adams, a native of Dallas, Texas. "On Sunday mornings you’ll have every one from the homeless to wall street lawyers and a lot of people who are trying to make it in the theatre world. What I love about the church is that although there are only about 50 people on Sunday morning, they have a vision and faith for ministry. It’s a pretty amazing story of being faithful to ministry in your area and how God will provide."

In addition to the homeless community, Metro Baptist also reaches out to families living in the surrounding Single Room Occupancy buildings, formerly known as welfare hotels. Many immigrants, who often work in the nearby factories of the clothing district or at one of Manhattan’s more than 12,000 restaurants, live in the neighborhood’s low-income housing. The church provides a weekly food pantry, along with health education, discounted counseling services, English classes and after school programs for youth and children.

These community ministries are facilitated by church members, staff and CBF field personnel, including Amanda Hambrick who ministers to youth at Metro Baptist. Two part-time staffers returned after previous missions experiences – Brice Friske made six trips to Hell’s Kitchen with Tabernacle Baptist Church in Richmond, Va., and Katie Furr spent a summer serving through CBF’s student missions program.

"It’s important for people to be provided a community where it doesn’t matter how much money you make or where you are from, but what matters is that we are all made in God’s image," said Hambrick, a native of Georgetown, Ky. "I think that is one of the most valuable things a church can be in a urban area – a space and a place for authentic relationships."

Each summer, Adams and Hambrick facilitate six weeks of summer camps, which are led by teams from Fellowship partner churches. Church teams also work alongside Metro Baptist throughout the year, providing not only supplies such as clothes and toiletry kits but much needed hands and feet.

"The whole idea here of reaching people for Christ is relational evangelism," Adams said. "It’s a long-term process of letting them see how God is reflected in your life, and through that having an opportunity to share with them about faith and our walk with Christ and why its important to us."

To learn about partnership opportunities with Metro Baptist and the Fellowship in Hell’s Kitchen, please call (800) 352-8741. To financially support the Fellowship’s ministry, give to the CBF Offering for Global Missions at www.thefellowship.info/give.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

ATLANTA – For centuries, the olive tree has been a central part of Middle Eastern cultures. In Christian and Jewish traditions, the olive branch has long been a symbol of peace, as in the biblical story of Noah and flood, the dove returns to the ark with a leaf from the olive tree, giving hope that the world will be well again.

Now, for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship the olive tree represents a new way of embracing the world. Elizabeth, one of CBF’s field personnel in the Middle East, watches as lives are transformed through the simple process of creating crafts from olive wood. In this microenterprise project, individuals with disabilities and others who have been marginalized by their communities are able to work and provide for their families.

"For many, this is their family’s only source of income," said Elizabeth. "The project not only provides employment, but it raises their self-esteem."

In communities where jobs are scarce and many live in poverty, people with disabilities have a difficult time finding employment. The microenterprise model enables those with little money and a good idea.

Many widows provide for themselves and their families through the crafts they make. These women are able to work from home, sewing table runners or tote bags. They then bring the products back into the shop where they are sold, primarily overseas clients. From individual online orders to church sales, the table runners, Christmas ornaments and nativity sets that are created in this project represent a new way of life for the workers who create them.

For Elizabeth, the most important part of this whole project is the relationships. She loves to sit at a table with girls who are creating crafts or to visit the workers in their homes in the evenings. In fact, hospitality is one of the greatest lessons Elizabeth has learned from living in the Middle East.

"The people we work with, they have so little, but when they invite you into their homes, they share everything they have," she said.

When she first began serving in the Middle East 11 years ago, Elizabeth said it took time for her to adjust to the new language and culture and she was often discouraged. With a medical background, Elizabeth’s ministry originally focused on medical missions. She continues to use her medical skills as she visits workers and their families, providing health education and screenings.

To learn more about partnership opportunities, please contact Chris Boltin at (800) 352-8741 or cboltin@thefellowship.info.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

That’s one reason he traveled to Eagle Pass, Texas – a small city along the border with Mexico – in March for a literacy event in one of the poorest areas in the United States.

"Because of my background, I was eager to go to Eagle Pass and share books and Jesus’ love with needy children and their families," Gilliland said.

Gilliland was one of 10 members of CBF partner Western Hills Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas, who traveled to Eagle Pass to serve with Literacy ConneXus, a nonprofit which helps churches throughout Texas come alongside people in reducing poverty. Literacy ConneXus is a partner with Together for Hope, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s rural poverty initiative in 20 of the poorest counties in the United States.

As part of the trip, church members helped at a Family Reading Fair, where several organizations partnered to give 16 local families a bookcase, seven children’s books and two Bibles. The bookcases, constructed by church members, were decorated by children during the fair.

"This new library in our home will encourage us all to read more," said Lucia Martinez, a mother of four children.

"These books will be a foundation for time spent together as a family for reading. Reading together will give us more unity as a family," said Bianca Ramirez.

Called Books for the Border, the small libraries are a family literacy project aimed at increasing literacy of both children and parents, who often struggle to learn English and many times cannot read or write in Spanish or English.

As a Together for Hope (TFH) partner, Literacy ConneXus plans to take Books for the Border to the seven border counties where TFH ministers. Because literacy and poverty rates often correlate, Books for the Border will be an important step toward affecting change and breaking the cycle of economic disparity in these counties along the Texas-Mexico border.

"Long-term effectiveness in reducing poverty must address root causes such as illiteracy," said Tom Prevost, a CBF poverty initiative specialist who works with Together for Hope. "Books for the Border is a vital piece of our coming alongside folks as we try to obey our Lord in serving the least of these."

"The problem is that poverty and other factors limit the access of too many children to the fundamental experience of early literacy," said Lester Meriwether, founder of LiteracyConnexus. "Research indicates that children who are read to at an early age (0-3) develop greater capacity for learning than those who are not. The presence of books in a child’s home makes a significant difference in the development of the child’s capacity to learn."

There are opportunities for churches to become involved with Books for the Border, whether hosting an event, constructing bookcases or donating supplies.

"Our intent is to heighten awareness for those held in poverty throughout our state and that participating churches will return to their own communities with a fresh heart for the poor and illiterate in their own communities and elsewhere," Meriwether said.

For more information, visit www.literacyconnexus.org or www.ruralpoverty.net.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

It’s one of just three Protestant churches in Chengdu, the capital of the Sichuan province in China and home to approximately 6 million people. The congregation, which started in September, has grown from 30 to 50 members.

"It took the group a while to think about the name for the church," said Michelle Cayard, who along with her husband, Bill, serves as a CBF representative in China. "American holidays have become popular in China, including Thanksgiving, so this same word is the name of the church. Our Chinese Christian friends felt like it was an important concept to convey to non-believers that part of our faith is being thankful for what God provides."

The Cayards, who are from Houston, Texas, worked with local Christians to facilitate the start of the church, which reaches out to the large community of young professionals in Chengdu. The Cayards have helped church members develop a Sunday School program, something that is not common in most Chinese churches. Each Sunday, Thanksgiving Church holds worship and two small group Bible studies – one in English and one in Chinese. The majority of people who attend are under 30 years of age and include seminary students, college professors, recent college graduates and business men and women.

"It has been tremendously rewarding," said Michelle. "We know several folks that are new Christians and that have never attended church regularly before. We can see in them growth and discipleship of attending a church regularly, joining the choir and singing each Sunday and really learning what it means to be part of a body."

Thanksgiving Church is just one of the many the Cayards work with in the Sichuan province. They facilitate leadership training and partnerships between churches in both China and the United States. They also help connect Chinese churches with resources – from a piano to funds for a pastor’s salary to curriculum.

"The number one need in the Chinese Christian church today is leadership training," said Bill. "The church is growing faster than the leadership can keep up with. The Bible colleges are not graduating pastors fast enough, so training for lay leaders and ministers is a great need."

The Cayards encourage churches in the United States to partner with Chinese churches through ministry training. Training is needed in many different areas – church administration, Vacation Bible School, women’s ministry, music ministry, lay leadership and outreach.

For example, Second Ponce de Leon Baptist Church in Atlanta is partnering with the Chengdu Thanksgiving Church. Last fall, as the new church prepared for its inaugural worship, the Atlanta congregation prayed weekly for the its beginning. This spring a group from Second Ponce will visit Chengdu to worship at the church and provide music and Sunday School training.

"One of the most important parts of our ministry is connecting congregations in the United States with churches in China," Michelle said. "This can be such a great relationship on both sides. The Chinese Christians receive tremendous encouragement from knowing that brothers and sisters from other countries care about their work and care about their ministries."

To learn about partnership opportunities with the Cayards and churches in China, contact Chris Boltin at cboltin@thefellowship.info or (800) 352-8741. To financially support the Cayards’ ministry, give to the CBF Offering for Global Missions at www.thefellowship.info/give.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

"The General Assembly is a premier gathering of Baptists with an exciting mixture of worship, learning and fellowship," said CBF executive coordinator Daniel Vestal.

This year’s worship sessions will include a Thursday evening sermon by Lauran Bethell, a Baptist minister and human rights advocate who spent 13 years ministering among human trafficking victims in Thailand. Bethell is an American Baptist Churches USA global ministry consultant based in Prague, Czech Republic, where she helps mentor and facilitate ministry among exploited and abused women and children around the world.

Also Thursday, Vestal will speak during the afternoon business session as the Assembly prepares for a time of prayer and discernment about CBF’s future ministry priorities.

"After 17 years of growing ministry, we will have important conversations about the shape of our future," Vestal said. "Where would God have us focus our energies, time and resources?"

During the annual global missions field personnel commissioning service, 17 people will be appointed for service in the United States and around the world. The service, set for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, will be held at nearby First Baptist Church in Memphis.

Throughout the week of the Assembly, Fellowship Baptists will engage in local ministry projects at local health and community resource centers, a food bank, an animal shelter, centers for at-risk children and others. College students, who have their own event called "The Memphis Sessions," will also do service projects in Memphis and in nearby Helena-West Helena, Ark., where the Fellowship’s rural poverty initiative ministers year-round.

Through keynote speakers, practical ministry workshops and other events, the Fellowship will explore ways to expand its ministry among the world’s most marginalized and neglected people. This includes work toward the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals, which the Fellowship’s coordinating council voted to endorse in October.

"The General Assembly is a time when, as Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, we renew our commitment to a shared mission," Vestal said.

Further information about these Assembly events and more are available at www.thefellowship.info/assembly. Pre-register online or by calling (800) 352-8741. Hotel discounts are available following pre-registration.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Keith Holmes and Mary van Rheenen, a husband and wife team living in the Netherlands, create Christian films, children’s cartoons, and audio recordings of the Bible in major Romany languages. Through their work as Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel, Romany adults and children are learning, many for the first time, about Bible characters such as David, Paul, Luke and Peter.

"Faith takes the long view," said van Rheenen, a native of Fulton, Ill. "We sometimes don’t know the impact our work is having. [But] we establish relationships, see what projects are appropriate, and work with our partners – Wycliffe Bible Translators, our partnering Romany churches and our CBF team members – to make them aware of possibilities."

The Romany people, often referred to as gypsies, have more than 20 different languages and dialects. As a minority, they face discrimination not only socially but by government systems as well. The discrimination extends even into churches. Hoping to stimulate evangelism and discipleship among the Romany people, Holmes and van Rheenen feel called to minister as Paul did.

"Paul asked, ‘How can people believe without hearing?’," said van Rheenen, referring to Romans 10:14. "How can they grow in their faith? Romany Christians grow in their faith by praying, but many have no idea who Cornelius in Acts was. I think they, like us, have a lot to learn from scripture. This is one way they can hear."

One of their recent projects was helping to create versions of the film "Jesus" into two Romany languages – Sinti Romani, spoken in Germany, France, the Netherlands and parts of Italy; and Western Kalderash, spoken in Russia, Western Europe and North America. Holmes also facilitated the creation of a master DVD, which includes the film in five Romany languages, plus Russian, Romanian and French. More than 3,000 copies of the multi-lingual DVD have been distributed in the past year.

"Hundreds were sent to London, Paris, Romania," said Holmes, a native of Baton Rouge, La. "A hundred were sent to Yugoslavia. I took 150 to a church in Germany in February. They had heard of it but not seen it. They were very eager to have it."

Another project involves recording voices for a Sinti Romani version of the 1973 film "Acts," starring Dean Jones as the great physician Luke. The film, narrated by the character of Luke, follows the New International Version of Acts verse by verse. Holmes will soon start work on a children’s video, "David and Saul," creating a version in Kalderash with a church in London.

The recording phase of projects can be tedious, and often only 10 minutes of audio are completed in one day. Text is first spoken by a translator, and then a native speaker repeats it for the recording.

"I play a bit of an acting coach," said Holmes, who is trained as a linguistic anthropologist and certified as a vernacular media specialist. "As I watch the film, I may ask if we can say something a different way to make the intonation match the scene – loud, quiet, angry, excited. And sometimes we have to change the structure or the length of the sentence to match the lip movements."

There are also translation challenges. While recording "Acts," they realized that the Sinti phrase for "he drew some people after him" means "a lot of people were on his back." In instances such as these, the native speaker is able to help the translator rewrite the phrase with more appropriate words.

Holmes and van Rheenen encourage Fellowship Baptists to pray for their ministry and to give to the CBF Offering for Global Missions, which funds their work. While the finished media projects are sold, the sales do not cover the production costs.

To learn about partnership opportunities with Holmes and van Rheenen, contact Chris Boltin at cboltin@thefellowship.info or (800) 352-8741. To financially support their work, give to the CBF Offering for Global Missions at www.thefellowship.info/give.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Smith participates in the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s residency program, part of the Fellowship’s Initiative for Ministerial Excellence and funded in part by a grant from the Lilly Foundation. The program places recent seminary graduates in a two-year position with a Fellowship partner church, which serves as a teaching congregation.

"Serving as a resident, allows me a safe place to practice ministry, a soft cushion to fall on," said Smith, who will graduate from the Baptist Theological Seminary in Richmond, a Fellowship partner, in May. "Just as a doctor completes a residency in order to help heal the human body, it seems so sensible that a minister complete a residency in order to help heal the human soul."

As a resident at Franklin Baptist, Smith is involved in leading a variety of ministries – activities for children and youth, a church-wide Bible study, hospital and home visitation, weddings, funerals and baptisms.

"Being able to walk in the footsteps of more experienced ministers, like those of Franklin Baptist Church, is such a gift because full-time ministry can be a scary and overwhelming task," Smith said. "Being a resident and having teachers to guide me through my first season of ministry has already educated me in ways that I could never fully realize in a seminary class."

Central Baptist of Bearden has also served as a teaching congregation, and Smith is the second resident at Franklin Baptist. Started in 2004, 10 churches have served as teaching congregations, providing a nurturing and learning environment for ministers beginning their careers.

"I have been overwhelmed at the way the church has embraced this ministry," said Franklin Baptist pastor Richard Childress. "FBC truly sees themselves as a teaching congregation. In my opinion, the main focus of the program is to support and develop the next generation of pastoral leaders."

For more information on CBF’s residency program, contact Steve Graham at sgraham@thefellowship.info or (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

"I have been fortunate to sit and really talk with [them] and understand more deeply how difficult it is to leave your life and come here to start with nothing," said Stevenson, one of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s field personnel who lives and serves in Fremont.

As part of her ministry to welcome internationals to the United States, Stevenson works mostly among Afghan women and children, helping with immigration paperwork, the U.S. citizenship process, and English as a Second Language classes. She also works with children on homework and other school projects.

Many of these women have experienced traumatic life events. They’ve seen their homeland slowly destroyed by the Taliban. Some have watched family members and friends killed or kidnapped. Others may have been sexually assaulted or discriminated against because they are female. They’ve seen war, crowded and chaotic refugee camps, and finally the United States – a safer, yet unfamiliar environment.

In places like Fremont, everything is different – the language, buying food, schools and driving. Many times refugees feel isolated because they can’t speak English and have trouble finding community in an area where everyone is a stranger. People who were doctors, lawyers or successful business owners in Afghanistan might become taxi drivers or have no job at all in the United States. Often, they arrive with nothing more than the clothes on their back and maybe a small bag.

"When a refugee family first arrives and they’re just fresh off the airplane, I go and I deliver a meal," Stevenson said. "Inside there are bowls and plates that I can leave there so that they can at least feel welcome into America."

What starts as helping with physical needs often turns into a friendship with Afghan women, who likely wouldn’t find another American friend otherwise. Despite language differences, a relationship forms, fellowship happens and God works. It’s a ministry that not only touches refugees but also people like Stevenson, who said she can’t imagine not being involved.

"When I’m around my Afghan friends and we’re dancing and drinking tea and sharing, I feel so alive," she said. "I would never change that."

Fremont, a suburb of San Francisco, is home to the largest Afghan-American population in the United States. Stevenson has lived there many years but didn’t connect with refugee ministry until a few years ago when CBF field personnel Lita and Rick Sample started attending the same church and asking for people to welcome Afghan refugees.

"God leading me into this ministry was a slow process," said Stevenson, who was commissioned as one of the Fellowship’s field personnel in 2007. "When I realized how much God loves these beautiful Muslim people, it became such a joy to step out and serve in that area."

Wishing the same fulfillment and purpose for other Christians, Stevenson often connects her friends with Afghans. She introduced one friend from church, Mini, to an Afghan woman. Both women have a similar experience – they had both been raised by fathers who had multiple wives.

"The two of them started to share stories and became good friends," Stevenson said. "And through their friendship, Mini was able to share Christ."

Sharing the gospel is such a vital part of Stevenson’s ministry. It’s a message of equality and freedom many Afghan women have never heard. And it’s a message many of them would not hear without field personnel living and serving in Fremont.

"The ministry here is like a small pebble in a pond, but those little ripples end up a huge wave," she said. "Families here talk to families back in Afghanistan. They are hearing all of the amazing things the Christians are doing here. We’re not just saving souls here; it’s global."

And that’s one reason Stevenson is so passionate about Christians across the United States reaching out to refugees and other internationals in their own community.

"My prayer is for others to catch the wind of the Holy Spirit, to get out of their box and to join us," she said. "I have a deep concern that more churches realize the mission field is in America, right now, today. Don’t you want to be a part of something so passionate and powerful that God has brought to your doorstep? It’s just exciting. It’s being alive. It’s wonderful."

To learn about partnership opportunities with Stevenson’s ministry, contact Chris Boltin at (800) 352-8741 or cboltin@thefellowship.info.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

"It is humbling and encouraging that a donor would entrust the Fellowship with this kind of gift," said Vestal. "We are excited to be able to put these new resources to work in fulfilling our vision of being the presence of Christ among the most neglected. Lives will be forever changed because of this gift."

Half of the $1 million gift will be used for a new, micro enterprise initiative coordinated through the CBF Foundation. CBF Foundation is currently conducting due diligence to create a pooled fund that will give CBF and CBF-related churches and ministry organizations a way to invest funds in micro finance banks around the world. Micro finance banks will then loan the money to individual borrowers (usually groups of women) who are starting or expanding businesses to provide income for their families.

For example, an initial loan of $50 - $100 made to a woman in Latin America, Africa, or Asia can allow her to invest in a small business and generate enough income within six months to a year to provide for her family’s basic needs, employ her neighbor, repay the loan and qualify for another one, and experience the dignity of self-sufficiency.

During the last 30 years, micro finance has grown into a stable and sophisticated strategy for permanently lifting families out of poverty and has had more lasting impact to reduce global poverty than nearly any other single strategy.  Last year CBF committed to do its part to make the United Nations Millennium Development Goals for reducing global poverty a reality: at least six of the eight goals depend directly on helping families become economically self-sufficient so that they can address issues like education and health.

"The donor’s visionary investment will help the industrious poor lift themselves out of poverty by providing access to capital to start their own businesses and earn income to support their families and repay the loans," said Don Durham, CBF Foundation president. "Loans to poor people are repaid with amazing reliability, and lending money to poor people has been one of the most reliable strategies globally for helping the poor lift themselves out of poverty. Thanks to this gift, CBF Foundation can provide a way for CBF and other CBF Foundation clients to invest so that their principal does as much good as the proceeds. This provides an exponential increase in the positive impact we are all able to make among the most neglected."

The remaining $500,000 was designated by the donor for a number of ministries, including equipping CBF field personnel with computers, Student.Go summer missions opportunities for undergraduate students, care and wellness program for field personnel among other projects.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

The Fellowship has been working in Pearlington since Katrina heavily damaged the area in August 2005. In partnership with Pearlington Recovery Center, the Fellowship has helped rebuild homes and lives. One of the smallest yet worst hit communities, Pearlington still needs at least 70 houses rebuilt, said Charles Ray, the Fellowship’s disaster response coordinator.

"There are 70 families that want to come back that still own land but can’t find the money to build a house," he said. "Our mission is to help those with the most need and the least resources, and that’s what we’ll do here."

With the National Ministries’ grant, the Fellowship will construct the exterior of up to 10 houses. After the foundation, exterior walls and roof are completed, the new home owner will work with Pearlington Recovery Center to obtain grant money that will finish the house’s interior.

"I’m very pleased that we are able to continue our partnership in response to Pearlington’s need," said Kenneth George, national coordinator for direct human services of National Ministries. "It’s a community that has not received a lot of press attention but has as much of a need as other parts of the Gulf."

"CBF disaster response is grateful for this gift to our continuing efforts to meet human need in Pearlington," said CBF Global Missions coordinator Rob Nash. "This gift represents another step in the ongoing cooperation between American Baptists and Fellowship Baptists that enables us to do far more together than we could ever do separately. People are still reeling from the tragedy of Katrina—and CBF and ABC are still present together with them even almost two and half years after the hurricane."

Many individuals and families still live in temporary travel trailers provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). While small, the greater health concern is formaldehyde levels, which have been confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to be higher than typical indoor living conditions.

"We urgently need help in relieving such human suffering by getting people into safer and more permanent housing," said Reid Doster, who works as CBF disaster response coordinator in Louisiana and Mississippi.

Nearly 2,000 Fellowship Baptists have served in Pearlington since 2005, and volunteer labor will be crucial to maximizing the grant’s impact. The time it takes to finish construction depends on weather and the number of Fellowship volunteers available.

"We need people to serve now as much as ever before," Ray said.

Those wishing to help in Pearlington should contact Chris Bolton at cboltin@thefellowship.info or (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Today, the neighborhood remains racial diverse – African and Caribbean Americans call Crown Heights home, the Hasidic Jewish community is one of the largest in the United States and Hispanic Americans, along with young white couples, are among the fastest growing populations. For a neighborhood known for and scarred by racial tension, peace is still an important message 16 years later.

Greater Restoration Baptist Church began as a Bible study five years after the riots. Currently, more than 30 members, representing countries such as Trinidad, the Bahamas, Jamaica and Panama, attend services each Sunday at the storefront church located along one of Crown Heights’ main arteries.

"We are a small church but a very diverse church, with people from different racial and socio-economic backgrounds," said Ken Bogan, pastor of Greater Restoration. "We are trying to figure out how to be a multi-racial church, and we are really committed to racial reconciliation. It’s important to for us to be a positive witness and provide hope to the Crown Heights community."

The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship began partnering with Greater Restoration in 1998 when Ronnie Adams, one of the Fellowship’s field personnel based in New York, met Bogan. That summer, facilitated by Adams, Fellowship partner churches sent teams to Brooklyn to lead summer camps. Now, an average of 12 churches a year travel to Crown Heights to work alongside Greater Restoration in its community ministries.

"This is a small, community-based church that really wants to be the presence of Christ in its community," said Adams, a native of Dallas, Texas. "And they are doing a great job for a church that has limited funds and attendance is less than 100. They show the hospitality of Christ in a wonderful way."

Adams and Taisha Rose, who serves in Brooklyn as one of the Fellowship’s field personnel, are involved in the church’s two primary areas of ministry – peaceful mediation and education.

While racial tensions have eased since 1991, the community is still affected by violence. Recently, Mark, one of the youth leaders at the church’s summer camps and a local high school football player, was shot nine times in the lobby of his apartment building after standing up for his younger sister. The church frequently partners with the Crown Heights Mediation Center, which was founded as a direct result of the 1991 riots. The center provides resources on solving issues without violence and often connects people looking for a church with Greater Restoration.

"The church talks a lot about reconciliation and being peace makers," said Rose, of Stone Mountain, Ga. "They stress that peace starts with us. It’s an important concept to teach – appreciating people for who they are even though they may be different than you, especially when you have such a diverse community."

With neighborhood schools consistently scoring among the lowest in the state, the church places importance on education. In addition to weekly GED classes, Greater Restoration also provides an after school program, which includes an hour of tutoring and opportunities for children to learn to sing, play the guitar, piano and drums.

"One day a few of the students told me that their standardized test was interrupted at school because a police officer came in to search everyone for weapons," said Adams, a native of Dallas. "The students were upset because the timer for the test wasn’t stopped during the search. That was shocking to me. We want to let the children of this area know that they do have a future – they are people of worth now."

To learn about partnership opportunities with Greater Restoration and Fellowship field personnel serving in Brooklyn, contact Chris Boltin at (800) 352-8741 or cboltin@thefellowship.info. To financial support the Fellowship’s ministries in Brooklyn, give to the CBF Offering for Global Missions by going to www.thefellowship.info/give.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Nancy Bass, the church’s financial coordinator, said the church ultimately decided to keep its members to new plans with the Church Benefits Board of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship because of the customer service they received.

"We all have very busy jobs and we can’t always do things the very minute something arises," Bass said. "But when we have questions or concerns, Gary Skeen and Victoria Whatley at the Church Benefits Board are always helpful and friendly, and they keep their word. They always get back to us when they say they will."

At the beginning of the year, CBB became autonomous, working directly with partners such as StanCorp Financial Inc. and World Insurance Association Inc. to provide retirement benefits, life insurance, disability and medical insurance for church employees. The changes were initiated to provide more flexibility to members, such as not requiring church employees to participate in the retirement plan in order to receive medical insurance.

Bass says Lumberton currently has nearly 30 employees enrolled with CBB, including ministerial staff, maintenance workers and daycare employees. Bass said the change wasn’t done without careful deliberation by the church.

"We had a meeting that included the church treasurer, the deacon chair and several other members," she said. "Our treasurer is a certified public accountant, and he had some technical questions about the switch and the new plans. Gary took the time to talk to him and answer all of his questions."

In addition to the customer service and relationships developed with CBB staff, Bass said there was another overriding factor in the church’s decision.

"In the meeting, we all agreed that we are a CBF church and we want to invest our benefit money with the organization that shares the same values and beliefs that we do," she said.

For additional information or a free consultation, contact CBB at contact@churchbenefits.org or call (800) 352-8741. Additional information, as well as enrollment forms, are available at www.churchbenefits.org.

Smith currently lives in Berlin, Germany, and serves as associate coordinator for mission teams for CBF. Smith’s new responsibilities will begin Oct. 1, and he will be based out of the CBF Resource Center in Atlanta. As director of field team ministries, Smith will supervise CBF field personnel and support teams. Smith will serve as interim director until October.

"Jim Smith brings a wealth of experience to this significant position, including a long career in mission engagement in Europe," said Rob Nash, the Fellowship’s global missions coordinator. "The Smiths are held in high esteem by European Baptists who have often spoken to me of their appreciation for the contribution the Smiths have made in that part of the world. I'm also glad that Becky Smith will continue to serve as one of our area coordinators. We're fortunate that God has brought both of them to CBF."

As associate coordinator for mission teams, Smith, along with his wife, Becky, have provided guidance to CBF field personnel in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The Smiths have served as liaisons between field personnel and the CBF national office, and helped connect field personnel with churches and other partners. Before beginning work with CBF in 1993, the Smiths’ missions service included working in Germany and Austria.

"I am honored to be asked to do this job," Smith said. "It is a challenge to be an advocate for field personnel spread around the globe and working in difficult places. I am humbled at the sacrifices made by our field personnel and hope to support their efforts in every possible way. CBF's ethos of collaboration and partnership with others in carrying out the great commission requires our people to juggle many roles. I want to work toward enabling field work to unfold smoothly. Looking back on nearly 30 years of ministry outside the United States, clearly I have been blessed by non-American friends and fellow believers more than I have been a blessing to them. I desire this same experience for our current field personnel."

A native of Martinsville, Va., Smith is a graduate of Averett College in Danville, Va., and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky.

The position of director of field team ministries was previously held by Jack Snell, who died in September after a six-month battle with pancreatic cancer.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

It was a dream that took Hovis from her Winston-Salem, N.C., home to the slums of Nairobi, Kenya, where she and 99 other high school students gave street children bags of school supplies. Without uniforms and school supplies, a Kenyan child can’t attend school. What Hovis and her friends really gave children was an opportunity.

"When my group of kids received their bags, they were overwhelmed with joy," she said. "They ran up to me with tears in their eyes. It was quite moving. I had never felt so close to God than at that moment."

Hovis, a member of Fellowship partner Ardmore Baptist Church, went to Kenya as part of a cross-culture experience co-sponsored by CBF field personnel Melody and Sam Harrell and Passport, Inc., a Fellowship partner that sponsors youth and children’s camps. She was among 50 American youth that spent a week of camp with 50 Kenyan youth to learn about and from each other while they served together.

For more than 10 years, the Harrells have been facilitating trips like this in Kenya. It’s more than just a mission trip; it’s a missions experience that often transforms participants. Over the years it’s included members of Fellowship partner churches, students from four Fellowship partner theological schools and two Baptist universities, and high school students with Passport, Inc.

In 2006, the Harrells named these experiences Kutana, which is Swahili for "to meet, encounter or come upon." It represents a mutual relationship, recognizing that both Kenyans and Americans have something to offer one another, said Sam Harrell.

"The old assumption is that we are going [to places like Kenya] to do mission to others who receive what we have to say, tell and teach," he said. With Kutana, "Our assumption is that we may indeed have something to share, but we have a great deal to learn together – about each other and about God."

In Kutana, there is equal ground – Americans work alongside Kenyans, not for them. The experience is also not solely focused on serving, but includes substantial opportunity for self-reflection and awareness.

"This is a soul-searching trip," said John Williams, a member of Rosalind Hills Baptist Church in Roanoke, Va., who first went to Kenya in 2005. "It became a part of my life. Things changed for me. What seemed important at one time wasn’t important anymore. The things that didn’t bother me much started to bother me."

Williams has led two trips to Kenya since his inaugural journey and advocates for the Harrells’ ministry. He’s also more aware of how God gives him opportunities to serve in his own community, which is exactly what the Harrells hope for.

"We realize that someone gets it when they get back to the States and begin to make different lifestyle choices as a result of what they experienced here," Harrell said. "Kenyans get it when they realize that they have something to offer the world."

Like Williams, Hovis made some changes when she returned home. The high school junior now wants to major in international studies and study abroad in Kenya during college. She’s also hopes to help the Harrells with a project to supply Kenyan children with uniforms so they can attend school.

"Kutana creates a unique environment where God can be heard and we all can be transformed," Harrell said. "Transformed people will live transformed lives if they are obedient to God’s leading and not numbed by the voices and temptations of their home culture."

Even after three trips, Williams insists he can’t adequately describe how Kenya and Kutana has touched and shaped his life.

"You can sit here and talk about it … but until you’ve gone and experienced it, it’s going to be something you read about," he said. "Until you’ve been there and looked in these deep dark eyes [of children] … and they tell you, ‘When you leave don’t forget about us’… then you know this is what it’s all about."

The Harrells host Kutana experiences for groups year-round. For information on how your church can become involved, contact Chris Boltin at (800) 352-8741 or cboltin@thefellowship.info.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

The word missional is a relatively new word in the Christian vocabulary. It is an adjective to describe a Christian or a church that discerns God’s mission and is discovering what it means to participate in that mission.

God is on a mission to transform the world through Jesus Christ. God’s mission is to create a global community of justice, peace and love. We are invited to participate in God’s mission by following Jesus Christ and being a continuation of Christ’s presence in the world. As individuals and as congregations we participate in God’s mission when we:

• depend upon the power and leadership of the Holy Spirit
• engage in spiritual formation and make disciples of others
• embrace a biblical world view by seeking and serving the Kingdom of God above all else
• think and act locally and globally with the least evangelized and most neglected
• embrace and serve those who are poor and who suffer
• practice authentic community and celebrate God’s blessings

I have written a number of sermons and articles on what being a Baptist means to me, but in all honesty, being a Baptist doesn’t have a lot of meaning until one decides to become a part of a church. Becoming a follower of Jesus Christ is a personal decision but it is never intended to be a private decision. We are meant to live in fellowship and unity with other Christians, encouraging one another, supporting one another, worshipping God together and serving Christ together. This community, this fellowship, this togetherness is what the New Testament calls the church.

But here’s the problem: What kind of church? What kind of Christian community is one to join and be joined to as a Christ-follower? It ought to be clear that there are many different kinds of churches where genuine followers of Christ come together for fellowship, worship and ministry. We need to be clear about this because I can remember a day when people would say, "My church is the only true church." Hopefully that day is over. But having said that, let’s ask the question again, "What kind of a community am I to join as a Christ-follower?"

Without giving a lengthy version of Baptist history or beliefs, let me offer a few statements that summarize this tradition called Baptist. It is a tradition that was birthed about 400 years ago and has resulted in thousands of churches being started.

• Baptists have believed that salvation is experienced by the grace of God as an individual freely and voluntarily trusts in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. No one can trust Christ for someone else. No one can be a proxy for another’s faith and commitment. Neither can we coerce another person to trust Christ. It is always voluntary.
• Baptists have believed that after trusting Christ, one should publicly and freely confess faith in the waters of baptism. Baptism is a voluntary act of obedience to the command of Christ. Baptists have differed over the mode of baptism, although most have practiced immersion. But the important thing to say about baptism is that it is a public act of confession.
• Baptists have believed that every person who trusts in Christ is competent both to respond to God and represent God to others. Every believer is a priest who can go directly to God. Every believer is a minister who is gifted by the Holy Spirit and is called to use those gifts both in the church and the world to further Christ’s mission.
• Baptists have believed that the Scripture is the inspired Word of God and is authoritative for our faith and practice. However, Baptists have also believed that every person is free to read, interpret and apply the Scripture as the Holy Spirit leads them. This means that Baptists have resisted the use of human-made creeds to force conformity of belief. Their source of authority has been the Bible and not a human interpretation of the Bible.
• Baptists have believed that every church is autonomous and ought to be free of eccelastical control or government control. In a Baptist vision, there is no such thing as "the Baptist church." There are only Baptist churches and each church is free to determine its ministry, plan its worship and choose its leadership.
• Baptists have believed that just as churches ought to be free of government control, so government should be free from the control of churches. This means that Baptists have rejected a church state just as they have rejected a state church. They have argued for a free church in a free state.
• Baptists have believed that individual Christians and local churches should voluntarily work together for the sake of the Gospel. This is sometimes called the "associational principle" and it has resulted in many remarkable, collaborative ministries. Cooperation and voluntary connection is as much a part of Baptist history and identity as individual autonomy and freedom.

Now what does all of this have to do with being missional, particularly in the 21st century – a century that is sometimes called post-denominational? There are many missional churches that are not Baptist, and of course there are Baptist churches that are not missional.

• In a missional church that is Baptist every person will be valued because each is a priest before the Lord and a minister of Christ. There are no "first-class" and "second-class" members. Distinction between "clergy" and "laity" is not that important or significant. The ordinances of baptism and The Lord’s Supper can be administered by any member of the congregation if the congregation so chooses.
• In a missional church that is Baptist there is no hierarchy of authority. Rather there is shared decision making and shared ministry. Baptists have varied in their history on the role of elders, pastors, deacons and other leadership. But in a Baptist vision there is equality and an egalitarian spirit that permeates the entire congregation.
• In a missional church that is Baptist the Scriptures will be central to its life and ministry. Because Scripture is authoritative, Bible study is important. Because Scripture is authoritative, Bible truth will be sought and applied more than the opinions or interpretations of other people.
• In a missional church that is Baptist differences of understanding and interpretation of Scripture will be respected. People will be valued even when they differ from one another. If we accept freedom of conscience and the priesthood of every believer, we must expect differences and learn to love one another across those differences. The church that has a strict/narrow spirit and communicates an attitude of "my way or the highway" is not true to a Baptist vision.
• In a missional church that is Baptist there will be voluntary cooperation with other Christians to fulfill Christ’s continuing mission. Although we believe in the priesthood of every believer and the autonomy of every church, that doesn’t mean that we act in isolation from other churches. Rather we cooperate in a spirit of mutual trust and respect. We realize that the needs of the world require cooperation and collaboration.

Can you imagine the transformation that would take place in the world if Baptist churches discerned God’s mission in the world and discovered their participation in it? It would be revolutionary. Can you also imagine the energy that would take place in Baptist churches if they discovered and interpreted the Baptist vision for the 21st century in missional terms? It would be revolutionary. In Cooperative Baptist Fellowship we are working and praying for such transformation and energy.

Daniel Vestal is executive coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, serving since 1996.

Bratton is minister of adult education and outreach at First Baptist Church in Asheville, N.C. The award he received at the Fellowship’s eighth annual True Survivor conference for Christian educators, which was held March 3-5 in Asheville, is given in recognition of those who have distinguished themselves in the model of excellence and quality Christian education.

"Tommy makes it possible for people to practice and live their faith," said Guy Sayles, pastor of First Baptist, Asheville. "He knows education includes information but he goes further so that people’s lives are transformed."

A native of Belton, S.C., Bratton has been a part of the staff in Asheville since December 2004. He is responsible for all adult education, not just Sunday School.

"In addition to being bright, hardworking and creative," Sayles said, "Tommy has a unique grasp of the values of the traditional church while being open to the most current trends. He blends traditional and post-modern in a really good way."

Bratton’s wife, Laura, said her husband’s sense of ministry involves building relationships and making a difference in people’s lives. His philosophy about Christian education, she said, is to build on small group discipleship.

"He wants to provide different opportunities for spiritual formation outside of traditional Sunday morning Bible study," she said. "He wants to enhance what happens on Sunday mornings with a variety of curriculum, including a compilation of lessons written by church members."

Bratton earned a bachelor of arts in religion from Furman University in Greenville, S.C., and a master of theological studies focusing on Christian education and ethics from Candler School of Theology at Emory University.

The award is named for Jack Naish, a life-long learner and minister of education. 

"Jack was mentor to many of us, challenging educators to be visionary long before the ‘vision thing’ became fashionable," said Bo Prosser, the Fellowship’s coordinator of congregational life. "Even in retirement Jack continued to teach and share and challenge adult learners and ministers. His long and distinguished career saw him active in church and denominational life, being recognized by his peers in the Baptist Association of Christian Educators for outstanding leadership and achievement."

Award recipients are chosen by Prosser and his staff based on nominations from True Survivor participants.

"Christian educators are vital to the missional ministries of a congregation," Prosser said. "Tommy Bratton has consistently demonstrated a creativity and quality of leadership that is consistent with past recipients.  He continues to practice innovation and integrity as he leads FBC Asheville."

Bratton enjoys playing racquetball and ping-pong, and watching college basketball. He and Laura have been married for 15 years and are parents to Ryan, 8, Jake, 6, and Ben, 3.

Past recipients of the award include Mary Jayne Allen, Jill Jenkins, Terry Hamrick, Pricilla Tunnell, Finley Edge, Michael McCullar, Carolyn Shapard and Nancy Burke.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission

And in the town of Panshi, China, he wasn’t the only one. Nearly 170 families were left homeless after above-average rainfall caused severe flooding and landslides last summer. No one was killed, but much was lost.

In this area’s hour of need, Bill and Michelle Cayard, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship representatives in China, teamed with local Christians to respond. A $5,000 contribution from the Fellowship resulted in 225 quilts and quilt covers for families who lost almost everything they owned. 

“Since the families lost all of their possessions when their homes were destroyed, they do not have basic household items needed for the approaching cold weather,” said the Cayards. “The donated quilts will help provide basic warmth during the winter season for these families.”  

Recently, the Cayards and the relief project’s others sponsors – Dazhou Christian Church and Hua Mei International Education and Training Center – were invited by local officials to visit the families who received quilts.

“Though the donation [of quilts] is small compared to the many needs of these families, they were very touched that others showed such concern for them,” the Cayards said.

Responding in the wake of disaster is just one way the Cayards are being the presence of Christ among the Chinese people.

“It is because of God’s love for us that we have the desire to show our love to others,” Bill told villagers in Panshi.

The Panshi flood is one of many the Fellowship responds to each year in countries around the world. Whether it’s war, violence, famine or other crises, the Fellowship responds based on availability of funds, field personnel or partners in that area, and the degree of need. Gifts to the Fellowship help support ministries like this around the world. To give, visit www.thefellowship.info/give.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

"In the face of poverty, unemployment, crime, homelessness and all the other challenges that come with generational poverty, the great temptation is to say, ‘What can we possibly do?’" said the church’s pastor Paul Baxley. "This congregation discovered that we don’t have the resources to fix everything, but we do have gifts and abilities that can make some difference."

But the difference this Cooperative Baptist Fellowship partner church could make alone wasn’t nearly what it could make together with another local church. Baxley and others began forming a relationship with leaders from nearby Shiloh Baptist Church, a historically African-American congregation.

Over time the relationship between the congregations grew to include combined worship services, local block parties with backpack giveaways, Christmas caroling and food distribution in a struggling neighborhood, and even inviting another church – Greater Little Zion United Holy Church – to join the partnership.

Greater Little Zion Church is in the Flint Hill neighborhood, where crime had taken its toll and left the church with a choice – do something or leave.

"Rather than move the church, we thought we’d better the community," said Brenda Peace, the church’s pastor. "This is where we need to be."

In November, CBF of North Carolina workers helped tear down some of the older houses in Flint Hill to make way for a new vision of what this community could be.

Though sometimes quiet and invisible, involvement in this partnership effort has spread church-wide, Baxley said. Sunday school classes are forming relationships with community members in need. Church members are also helping with special community projects.

"It’s causing us to see our neighbors differently, to see ourselves differently," Baxley said. "It’s given lots of church members hands-on involvement, and that’s been beautiful to watch."

"I’ve learned that the boundaries of your church go far beyond its brick and mortar," said church member Franklin Mills. "The best way to solve community problems is through church participation … It’s not the only thing you need, but people working together in communities through the church is just incredibly powerful, and it really has worked."

Church members said the partnership has helped break down racial barriers and been a testament that the cause of Christ can unify, overcome differences and bring new life to a community.

"I feel like I have new friends now, new brother ands sisters in Christ," said church member Julia Falkner "We see each other in the grocery store, and it’s really nice to know one another and do things together. I feel closer to some of my new friends than people I’ve known my whole life."

As the partnership continues to grow, take on new life in unexpected ways and change the community, members of First Baptist Henderson recognize it’s changing them, too.

"I don’t think [our church] can ever be the same," Mills said. "Once you step in those waters you can’t ever go back."

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

The Glenns, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel, have heard similar expressions of loneliness during the past three years, as they’ve ministered to international students at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles, which has the highest population of international students of any college in the United States.

Feelings of isolation and homesickness can be overwhelming for students trying to learn a foreign language and culture on their own. Even the nuances of daily living in the U.S. can contribute to culture shock, such as American doorknobs and light switches which operate opposite of what many international students have known all their lives.

"So many world leaders have graduated from USC," said Stephanie, "It’s a great opportunity for us as Christians to express our love of Christ for them while they are here because these people are going to be the future leaders of our world. They are going to impact the ways wars are conducted, inventions that are developed or how social justice issues are handled. These people are going to be very influential in their countries and probably even in our country."

Through a partnership with American Baptist Churches USA, the Glenns serve as Baptist chaplains for USC and have offices at the university’s religious center. They facilitate weekly conversational English classes, lunches and other activities on campus. They also help students acclimate to American culture – picking up new students at the airport, helping students navigate medical systems and hosting holiday parties at their home.

The Glenns have specifically reached out to the large population of graduate students from India. After traveling to India while they were students at Truett Theological Seminary, a Fellowship partner, and seeing the work of former CBF field personnel James and Robbi Francovich, the Glenns developed a heart for India and its people.

"We tell students that we feel like the act of hospitality is the way we are expressing our devotion to Jesus," said Stephanie. "We do this out of love for Christ, and we feel like the table fellowship – the time we spend together over a meal, talking with students one-on-one, playing games or drinking chai tea together – is an act of service to Christ. We believe part of the gospel is to love people not only with our words but with our actions."

The Glenns encourage churches and individuals to reach out to international students in their own communities. As CBF field personnel, the Glenns serve as a resource for churches who are interested in ministering to internationals, offering Fellowship Baptists the opportunity to visit Los Angeles and see their ministry first-hand. Through the CBF speaker’s bureau, the Glenns are also available to travel to churches and lead retreats, worship and workshops.

"Being all things to all people, doesn’t just apply to us when we are overseas," Aaron said. "In this country, with our large immigrant and international student population, being all things means being a neighbor. It’s adjusting our life a little bit so that they might see Jesus in us."

To learn about partnership opportunities with the Glenns or resources for ministering to international students, call (800) 352-8741. To financially support the Glenn’s ministry, give to the CBF Offering for Global Missions at www.thefellowship.info/OGM.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Hal Bass

ATLANTA – Hal Bass, a professor at Ouachita Baptist University, has been nominated for the position of moderator-elect for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. The CBF Coordinating Council’s Nominating Committee offered Joanne Carr of Georgia for the position of recorder.

Bass, who currently serves as the Fellowship’s recorder, is a native of Corpus Christi, Texas. A graduate of Baylor University and Vanderbilt University, Bass works as a professor of political science and dean of the school of social sciences at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Ark. He is a member of the First Baptist Church of Arkadelphia and has served on both the CBF national and CBF of Arkansas Coordinating Councils.

"I am honored and humbled to be presented with this opportunity for service on CBF’s behalf," Bass said. "I look forward with enthusiasm to participating in this capacity for CBF as we support congregations and individuals seeking to embrace the world in Christ’s name through our missions and ministries."  

Joanne Carr

Bass and Carr will be presented to the CBF General Assembly in June for election during its annual business session June 20. Nominations for moderator-elect can be made from the floor of the Assembly.

The moderator-elect’s chief responsibility is to preside over the Assembly and the Coordinating Council in absence of the moderator. The moderator-elect automatically succeeds the moderator at the conclusion of a one-year term without a vote by the Assembly. North Carolina pastor Jack Glasglow is the current moderator-elect. He will assume the office of moderator on June 20, at the conclusion of the General Assembly.

Carr retired as associate medical center director for the Augusta Veterans Administration Medical Center in 2005 and now serves as a consultant with Resource Services Incorporated, a Christian organization based in Dallas, Texas. A member of First Baptist Church of Augusta, Ga., Carr currently serves as a member of the CBF Coordinating Council.

Harriet Harral, the Fellowship’s current moderator, will assume the immediate past moderator position at the conclusion of this year’s Assembly. The chief duty of the immediate past moderator is to chair the Nominating Committee.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

When Wes traveled to a church to tell its leaders about the Gypsy Smith School, which provides education and training to Roma church leaders and evangelists, he noticed a Romanian man with his hand on the shoulder of a Roma teenaged boy. Their relationship seemed like father and son even though it went against all social norms. Wes saw the gospel at work.

“A Romanian treating a Roma like family is a demonstration of the power of the gospel and a testimony to how God can change hearts and bring love and peace between people who normally don’t have such,” said Wes, a native of Garland, Texas.

Since 2006, the Craigs have worked in Romania among the Roma people who have many physical needs resulting from living in poverty.  The Craigs are part of Project Ruth, which has been working since 1992 in the Ferentari neighborhood of Bucharest to meet needs of Roma children. These children drop out or fall behind in school, and Ruth School provides a way for them to re-enter the educational system with hopes of finishing school.

“At Ruth School, they all are the given the opportunity to receive a school education through grade eight,” said Susan, a native of Houston, Texas. “At the end of the eighth grade they take a national exam, and if they pass, then they can continue their education at an academic high school.”

Susan works in the Project Ruth office, helping to coordinate activities, volunteer trips and day-to-day logistics. 

“I am able to be the presence of Christ in my work environment, either at the office or at the school,” she said. “By serving others, I am showing them not only my love but the love God has for them.”

Wes helps extend theological and leadership education to Roma pastors through his work with Gypsy Smith School. This school for church leaders helps equip Romas like Sandu, Wes’s friend who continues to serve as the administrator of his church even though his non-Christian parents harass him for being a Christian.

“At the school, Roma church leaders are encouraged and further equipped for the ministry God has called them,” Wes said. “For the Roma of Romania to be reached with the gospel, it really must come through Roma reaching Roma, and this is one way we can encourage and support this.”

Project Ruth survives on financial donations and hands-on involvement from churches, which include many Fellowship partner churches. The Craigs’ church, DaySpring Baptist Church in Waco, Texas, provides prayer and encouragement. A group from the church will visit this spring to work alongside the Craigs.

Boulevard Baptist Church in Anderson, S.C., has helped the ministry for years by sponsoring children at Ruth School, raising financial support for projects and sending teams of church members to help in tangible ways.

“Boulevard Baptist Church is an example of how a local church can have a lasting and meaningful missional engagement with a world in need,” Wes said.

Even Fellowship partner churches who don’t know the Craigs are still supporting them by giving to the Fellowship’s Offering for Global Missions, which financially allows CBF field personnel to minister among some of the most neglected people in the world.

“Not only does it provide us the financial means to serve here for three years, but provides us with the necessary funds for ministry,” Wes said.

To support the Craigs and other CBF field personnel by giving to the CBF Offering for Global Missions, visit www.thefellowship.info/ogm.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Last winter Eric Bebber, one of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s field personnel, was invited to speak as part of a missions event sponsored by the church’s local Baptist association. After Bebber spoke about his ministry among the poor in Washington D.C., youth minister Trent Sessoms thought the location would be great for a church mission experience.

"The church had never done a mission trip where they had gone out of the state," Sessoms said. "I really want to give the youth and the church a new experience, and this sounded like something that would be really good for our church to do."

Through its face2face speakers’ bureau, the Fellowship connects churches with field personnel, such as Bebber, and other speakers who share about the Fellowship’s ministries and how churches can become vital partners in ministry around the world. Often the partnership grows to firsthand participation, where a church sends a team of people to serve alongside field personnel.

Last summer Neill’s Creek did just that, sending a group of 15 people to Washington, D.C., where they helped prepare meals at a homeless shelter, helped patients at a mental health facility, worked at a women’s shelter and delivered food to senior citizens.

And although they only stayed a week, the trip had a lifetime impact on those involved.

"This church is coming from a very rural setting, so this allowed us to step out of our comfort zones and meet people we would never encounter and do things we might not normally have done," said the church’s former pastor George Sipek Jr., who traveled with the team.

"I had some of the kids come up to me and say, ‘I don’t want to leave yet.’ Some of them told me they wouldn’t forget this trip," Sessoms said. "This trip really put us in the middle of doing ministry with other people – talking with them, finding out their story and sharing love with them."

Because of this trip, Sessoms said the church hopes to do an annual mission experience.

Missions speakers are available year-round and can be matched according to a church’s interests and ministry priorities. To schedule a speaker for your church, contact Amy Morris at (800) 352-8741 or amorris@thefellowship.info.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Hambrick serves as one of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s field personnel, ministering in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of New York. The area’s name dates back more than 100 years to when the neighborhood was filled with factories, lumberyards, slaughterhouses and tenements. With such tight spaces, limited resources and many immigrant communities, the neighborhood became known for poverty and violence.

Over the years, the Hell’s Kitchen has experienced significant changes, and now expensive restaurants and condominiums are being built. But with low-income housing still available and convenient access to the Port Authority Bus Terminal, the neighborhood remains home to immigrant families and many people struggling to survive in the city.

"This neighborhood is always going to remain a place of homelessness and displaced people because of the Port Authority," said Hambrick, a native of Georgetown, Ky. "A lot of people can only afford to come to New York by bus, and they end up right here at our doorstep. I fear that as this neighborhood becomes trendy, attitudes toward the homeless may become more hostile. And that gap between the haves and have nots will increase."

Hambrick serves through Metro Baptist Church and its adjoining Rauschenbusch Metro Ministries, which are located just a few blocks from the Port Authority in Hell’s Kitchen. She is involved in Metro’s community ministries, including a clothes closet and food pantry. That’s how she met John, who was HIV positive and panicked because his medicine was miles away in Long Island. Fearing repercussions from the gang he had left, John knew he could not safely return to Long Island.

"I asked him how he had started using drugs, and he began to cry," Hambrick said. "He said that no one had ever cared enough to ask him that, and he told me he had started living on the streets when he was nine years old, running away from home because his parents had abused him."

John now comes to Metro Baptist regularly, finding ways that he might help other people living with AIDS. He told Hambrick, "I want to help you all, so that you can continue to help others."

Hambrick, who first worked at Metro Baptist as a summer intern in 2006, also ministers to youth and facilitates six weeks of summer camps. She leads after school programs for teenagers four days a week, providing opportunities for tutoring, mentoring, Bible study and fellowship.

"New York is just so expensive, but families are here," Hambrick said. "Many are displaced or here temporarily. Usually both parents have to work to pay the bills, and that means kids are at home by themselves. So one of the ways this church has determined it can be the presence of Christ in the community is to provide help for families to be able to live here and raise their children. It’s the mentality that we are all in this together."

Six weeks of summer camp are held at nearby parks and led by Fellowship partner churches from around the country. The campers often reflect the neighborhood, representing different ethnicities, religions and economic backgrounds.

"I know the person of Christ as someone who wants all people to feel loved and valuable despite whatever temporary situations they are living in," said Hambrick, a graduate of the Baptist Theological Seminary in Richmond, a Fellowship partner. "I think it is important to simply be with people, to sit with them and say, ‘Life is not always fair, but even though your life may not look like the person’s next to you, you are still made in the image of God. God loves you and desires for you to know that.’"

To learn about partnership opportunities with Hambrick and Metro Baptist, call (800) 352-8741. To financially support the Fellowship’s ministries in New York, give to the CBF Offering for Global Missions by visiting www.thefellowship.info/OGM.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

The proposed budget will be voted on by the CBF General Assembly in June. In addition, the Finance Committee reported that as of January, CBF’s revenue was at 89 percent of the projected budget. Expenditures, as of the end of December, were at 91 percent of the projected budget. January expenditures are still being processed.

In his coordinator’s report, CBF executive coordinator Daniel Vestal led the Council in a time of conversation about the Celebration of a New Baptist Covenant, which was held in Atlanta the previous week. Vestal said former President Jimmy Carter had invited leaders of the participating organizations to meet at the Carter Center March 12 to discuss possible follow-up ministries.

"It had more of the feel of a revival," Vestal said of the Celebration. "There were several times when I literally sat in my chair and wept. The New Baptist Covenant was a gift. A gift of the people who gave money to make it happen, the people who gave leadership, the people who gave their gifts of preaching, teaching, music, platform leaders and volunteers. And most of all, God gave us a gift."

Mercer University president Bill Underwood addressed the Council at lunch on Mercer’s Atlanta campus and acknowledged the contributions of CBF in the overall success of the Celebration.

"The Celebration of a New Baptist Covenant could not have been a moving event for thousands of people like it was without the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship," Underwood said.

Underwood also said he was grateful that CBF was continuing its partnership with Mercer through a recently renewed 10-year lease for office space at the university’s Atlanta campus. Council members visited the Atlanta Resource Center, and received a briefing on the plans for the new office space.

CBF moderator Harriett Harral continued to lead the Council through a process of discernment about the Fellowship’s future priorities. At the 2008 General Assembly June 19-20 in Memphis, Harral will facilitate an Assembly-wide time of prayer and discernment.

Other items discussed at the Council meeting included:

-- Emmanuel McCall, the Fellowship’s past moderator, said that the nominating committee has selected an individual to serve as the next moderator-elect. That individual is taking time to consider the nomination, and the Council will have the opportunity to vote on the nomination by mail later this spring. The Assembly will vote on the officers in June.

-- Randy Hyde, chair of the 2008 General Assembly steering committee, encouraged Council members to plan to stay a week in Memphis. He said that there would be opportunities for Assembly attendees to serve the Memphis community through missions projects and that these experiences would make this year’s Assembly unique. Pre-registration and hotel information is available at www.thefellowship.info/assembly.

-- CBF coordinators Rob Nash, Bo Prosser and Terry Hamrick, along with Vestal, led a discussion about what it means to be missional. The coordinators defined "missional" as "participating in God’s mission in the world." The coordinators asked council members to think about ways CBF could help churches and individuals on their missional journeys.

-- Jack Glasglow, CBF’s moderator-elect, provided a report on the Fellowship’s involvement with the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals. The goals were endorsed by the Council at the October meeting, and Glasglow said the United Nations has been notified of the endorsement. Glasglow has worked with CBF staff to compile an inventory of field personnel ministry that support the Millennium Development Goals. As of Feb. 4, the inventory included 102 projects, representing the ministries of 67 field personnel. Glasglow has asked state and regional coordinators to contribute to the inventory with ways churches and individuals are ministering to address the goals.

"Being the presence of Christ to the most neglected means being involved in the things the U.N. Goals address," said Glasglow, referring to CBF’s vision statement. "We are doing this not because the U.N. is leading us, but because Christ is leading us, and it is important to partner with others in this work."

-- Gary Skeen, president of CBF’s Church Benefits Board, provided the Council with information regarding recent changes. On recommendation of the legal committee, the Council formally established the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship 403b Retirement Plan.

"I’m grateful for the work of Gary Skeen," Vestal said. "As of Feb. 4, my retirement benefits moved to the Church Benefits Board. I have confidence in its integrity and expertise."

-- The Global Missions initiative team began the partnership application process for Micah Challenge, a global campaign to mobilize Christians to end poverty.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

"Everyone wants to help," Ray said. "What we often don’t realize is that when things happen on this scale, all we know is what we see on television. But what we don’t see is that police have all these areas blocked off. We can’t just race out there and start doing what we want to do."

Local and national partners will be part of whatever response the Fellowship provides, Ray said. Currently plans are to work alongside American Baptist Association responders, who are basing their response from one of their affiliated churches in Atkins, Ark. This is the fourth weather-related disaster site where the two organizations have worked together for greater good, Ray said.

Churches or individuals interested in responding should contact the disaster response coordinator of their state or regional CBF organization, Ray said.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

"One summer our youth minister had us go to Arkansas," said church member Joey Belgard. "The next summer we went to the [Rio Grande] Valley. And [because of] those two summers, we [became involved] with Together for Hope."

Together for Hope (TFH) focuses on alleviating poverty and building community in 20 poor U.S. counties, which happen to be located in five regions of the country. And since 2003, members of Royal Lane have visited a county in each of the five regions. They took 30 members to Arkansas and Texas. Nearly 40 went to Kentucky, 42 to South Dakota and nearly 50 to Alabama.

"We learned about all the regions, and it was something we wanted to experience," said Garland Hamic, who has been on all five trips. "Mission trips give us a chance to take our youth places they typically never visit. We wanted them to know that poverty looks different in different places and wanted them to experience that."

But youth aren’t the only participants. In recent years, the annual mission trip has become multi-generational and even more of a church-wide effort.

"All of the missions of Royal Lane are lay-driven," said Jason WalkerCraig, the church’s associate minister. "There’s almost full congregational participation in the [trip’s] preparation. It is impressive to participate in and watch."

For a church that averages less than 200 in Sunday worship, taking 50 people on a mission trip with 1,200 backpacks stuffed with supplies is even more than church members thought they could do, WalkerCraig said. Mission trip participants handed out the backpacks to children during a family festival on the Marion, Ala., town square.

"We didn’t know if we’d be able to [pass out] everything," Hamic said. "But you could barely see a blade of grass on that courthouse lawn there were so many people."

Like most summers, church members purchased as many supplies in the county as possible, trying to boost the local economy. While in Alabama, church members did what local residents told them the community needed, including construction projects, health screenings, nursing home visits and activities with children and teenagers.

"We always end up doing something different," Belgard said. "We don’t go [to a place] with our pre-packaged plan. We don’t pretend like we can alleviate poverty. We just intend on showing people that somebody loves them."

"Our approach to missions is one where we don’t go into these communities and wave bibles," Hamic said. "We’re not keeping track of numbers of souls we save. When we can worship with [locals] and work alongside them, to me that is being the presence of Christ in a community."

And being the presence of Christ has often extended beyond the week the team was in the county. While in Alabama, church members discovered one elementary school was in need of some extra resources. Upon returning to Dallas, the church gathered what the school needed and sent resources to Perry County with a church member already traveling to the East Coast.

"Even when we leave a place, we stay connected," Belgard said.

Church members say they’ve learned a lot about poverty in their five TFH mission trips, namely that poverty looks similar despite regional differences.

"One of the things I’ve heard from members who have gone on all the trips is that poverty – no matter where they go – always looks the same, just a different face," said WalkerCraig.

For more information or to become involved with Together for Hope, visit www.ruralpoverty.net.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission

“This is not just another patient,” he said. “This is my brother.”

That desire to be known as a person and not just defined by an illness is something Gold remembers when she visits patients and their families at Duke Hospital. Sometimes she only gets to visit a patient once or twice, but in this long-term case she followed the patient through death, helping plan the funeral and comfort grieving family members.

“There’s this sacredness of being with someone hoping for more life, fearing he won’t get that and trusting in God no matter what,” she said.  

These sacred moments for chaplains include helping patients make difficult life-changing treatment decisions or helping family members make tough decisions such as when to remove life support.

“In crisis moments when people are looking around and saying, ‘Where is God?’ that’s when a chaplain shows up,” said Greg McClain, a CBF-endorsed chaplain at Johnston Memorial Hospital in Smithfield, N.C. “In many ways, we incarnate that loving, compassionate presence that people really need in those crisis moments.”

Chaplains are resources to patients and families, whether it’s helping them navigate large hospitals, explaining hospital policy or connecting a patient with his or her faith community. Often chaplains are assigned specific units of the hospital, where they may visit patients, hold spirituality classes like McClain does in the hospital’s behavioral health unit, or be on call for emergency situations.

Both Gold and McClain are hospital employees, who, although Baptist, provide spiritual care for people of different denominations and faiths. In a way, the hospital is a chaplain’s congregation. McClain has performed baptisms, weddings and funerals with patients and families. Other holy moments include powerful conversations about faith and life.

“There’s something extremely authentic about people when they get in the hospital,” Gold said. “They begin to see what matters most in life, and we have the unique opportunity to be with people as they’re sorting through that.”

Chaplains also care for hospital staff – the doctors, nurses and other caregivers who can also be affected when patients die or other crises occur. 
 
“Sometimes the staff has experiences very close to home,” McClain said. “We’re there to offer support to the staff.”

Gold has even led remembrance services in some hospital units after the death of a long-term patient or a surprising death.  It helps staff remember a life lost and also let go, she said.

Whether with staff or patients, hospital chaplains are the presence of Christ by providing a comforting presence in what can be the most anxious times of a person’s life.

“What Christ provided was assurance by sharing with us what God’s love looks and feels like,” Gold said. “This ministry is about the getting to know, forming relationships and remembering ‘he’s not just another patient. This is my brother.’ This is God’s child.”

To learn more about chaplaincy and pastoral counseling, visit www.thefellowship.info/chaplaincy or contact George Pickle at gpickle@thefellowship.info or (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

“I knew some of the sailors on the Cole, and I wanted to be there with them and the families who were grieving,” said Mitchell, a native of Newport News, Va. “I grew up around military bases, so I quickly identified with the families. That event helped me realize my calling to ministry.”

At the time, Mitchell was a student at the McAfee School of Theology, a Fellowship partner. Now, she serves as a Navy chaplain, ministering to approximately 2,000 Marines and their families.

Mitchell is one of more than 580 chaplains and pastoral counselors endorsed by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. These spiritual caregivers provide pastoral care in specialized settings – including hospitals, prisons and corporations.

“The freedom and the validation that comes with being endorsed by CBF allows me to be the presence of Christ in my own way,” Mitchell said. “We all have unique gifts, and Christ uses each one of us. I love the fact that we all minister in different settings, but Christ is at the center of our organization.”

Mitchell and Navy chaplain Jeff Ross, who is also endorsed by CBF, are both stationed at Camp Pendleton Marine Base in Southern California – and coincidentally are both members of Northeast Baptist Church in Atlanta, a Fellowship partner. Mitchell and Ross work with different Marine regiments, but both will be deploying with their respective units later this year.

“There should never be a chaplain that supports war,” said Ross, a native of Atlanta. “I pray every day for a world where there is no war, but I’m also a realist and know that wars are going to happen. It’s not my place to judge the war, but it’s my place to support the people who are there. I get to be in relationship with people in times of crisis and in situations where no other minister has the ability to reach these individuals if for no other reason than my willingness to be present.”

Navy chaplains, who serve not only the Navy but also Marines and Coast Guard, have a wide range of responsibilities. Mitchell and Ross provide counseling on topics such as finances and marriage, conduct workshops on suicide prevention and post-traumatic stress disorder and coordinate activities with churches and community organizations. They also lead worship, wedding and funeral services. In addition, military chaplains provide a moral and ethical voice to commanding officers.

On a military base, spiritual care occurs in a variety of places – from the rifle range to martial arts training to the mess hall. One morning, in order to keep up with a Marine on a 10-mile run, Ross rode a bike alongside the Marine as he talked about a painful personal relationship.

“What I try to do is reflect Christ,” Ross said. “The great thing about being a chaplain is that I get to go places and minister to people when and where no one else is able to. I get to talk to Marines who won’t talk to anyone else on the planet at times when they desperately need to talk to somebody. I have opportunities for ministry that wouldn’t happen any other way.”

As Navy chaplains, Mitchell and Ross minister to Marines from all denominations and faiths – and those who have lost their faith. Ross said on his first visit to one Marine base, an officer said to him, “I hate God and religion, but I need you to do two things for me. I need you to pray for my Marines and take care of them.”

“Christ’s example as the suffering servant is one that has always resonated with me, and does so especially now as a chaplain,” Mitchell said. “Christ went to the people who were suffering and taught and healed them – he did it where they were. He came to them as a fellow human and fellow sufferer. I go to Marines wearing the same uniform, working in the same places and experiencing much of what they experience, and I hope they see Christ’s love through me.”

To learn more about chaplaincy and pastoral counseling, visit www.thefellowship.info/chaplaincy or contact George Pickle at gpickle@thefellowship.info or (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

“We're helping him cope with why his life was spared, while his buddy's life was taken,” said CBF-endorsed Navy chaplain Arthur Wiggins. “It's a profound question.”

It's duty as usual for Wiggins, who is stationed at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, S.C. He ministers among the thousands of recruits training for military duty and the base's permanent staff, including many who have served in Iraq.

While no two days are the same for Wiggins, his message to recruits is consistent – if you know God, grow in God. Sunday morning chapel services, which many recruits choose to attend, are led by chaplains such as Wiggins. During worship, recruits are encouraged to relax and decompress from the pressures of boot camp.  But the message is anything but relaxed for a group of recruits who may soon be serving in Iraq.

“I, like many Christian ministers preach a message of life and abundant life,” he said. “We don't forget that message, but the truth of the matter is, not everyone who goes over [to Iraq] will return. We do our best to spiritually prepare them for stresses of combat.”

But Wiggins' message is more than a call to know Christ. It's a call to be a spiritual leader, knowing that there won't always be a chaplain around during a crisis on the battlefield. It's a call to take faith seriously by learning and growing spiritually.

During the week, Wiggins teaches classes on core values, moral courage and ethics. He counsels both recruits and Marines – whether they're having difficulty with training or issues outside of work.  

Often Wiggins’ advice is sought when making the difficult decision of whether someone is fit to continue on active duty. 

“We assess whether recruits can handle being a Marine, and whether Marines can handle continued service,” he said. “We are dealing with people’s lives – impressionable young men and women.  And so while we are always concerned about the individual, we must base our recommendations on what is best for the Corps.”

Chaplaincy is a second career for Wiggins, who began his military service as a Marine Corps judge advocate general.

“I got to the point where going to court was drudgery,” he said. “I wanted to do the Lord’s work and at church is where I found my joy.”

Moved by the call of God, Wiggins entered seminary and became a Navy chaplain in 2004. After serving nearly two years in Cuba, he transferred to Parris Island in 2006. In February, Wiggins transfers again – this time to the USS George Bush in Norfolk, Va.

To learn more about chaplaincy and pastoral counseling, visit www.thefellowship.info/chaplaincy or contact George Pickle at gpickle@thefellowship.info or (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Rose grew up in government funded housing, often referred to as housing projects, in the Coney Island neighborhood of Brooklyn. As one of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s field personnel, she has returned to Brooklyn to minister to the children of Albany Homes.

"When I looked at the ministry position, I saw me," Rose said. "I saw where I came from. I saw what God had done for me in my life, and I saw that I could give back. I was blessed with a great family that was supportive and stable. They instilled in me that there was more to life than just the projects, and I want to give these children that same hope."

At the Albany Homes Community Center, Rose is known as the "church lady." She represents not only the Fellowship but Greater Restoration Baptist Church, a Fellowship partner church located just a few blocks away.

"Albany has a history of being one of the worst housing projects in New York City, with drugs and gangs," Rose said. "It has changed for the better over the years, but unfortunately the community hasn’t quite accepted the change. It’s a constant challenge for me to get others involved."

The children growing up in Albany Homes face many challenges, including limited after school activities and access to quality education. With area schools consistently ranking last in the state, Rose has identified tutoring as a way to help the students at Albany Homes succeed.

She’s worked with children who have fallen behind, but she’s also encountered students so eager to learn that they ask her every day of the summer when the fall reading program will start. And with Rose providing encouragement, Scrabble has become a favorite game among the elementary school kids, who must play with partners because there aren’t enough boards.

"So many of the children I work with have to parent themselves," said Rose. "I remember sitting down and eating as a family – that was important for me. I feel called to share with them my story – I grew up in the projects too, but look where God has taken me and where I’m going. There’s more out there."

Alisha, who at the beginning of the school year barely spoke English, is now excelling in reading and writing in English. She’s also learned about God’s love. She said recently, "God is in my heart. And I know God says for us to forgive people, but the boy who talked bad about my parents – it was hard to forgive him."

Each summer Rose works with MissionsConnect of North Carolina, a Fellowship partner, to facilitate four weeks of camps for the children at Albany Homes. Teams from Fellowship partner churches lead activities for approximately 75 kids a week.

"If you grow up in projects, you still have a chance to succeed," said Rose, who graduated from the McAfee School of Theology, a Fellowship partner school. "But it depends heavily on who you have supporting you or if you have anyone supporting you at all. And I think that the church can really make a difference."

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

The hospital, located in the desert of northern Jordan, serves tuberculosis patients from all over the Middle East. The patients, mostly Arab men, travel from Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Sudan and Egypt to receive care at the hospital, the only one in the region that treats multi-drug resistant forms of tuberculosis. Tim and Lori Myrick, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel, served as medical staff there for seven years. Later this year, the Myricks, natives of Blue Springs, Mo., will relocate to Kenya, where they will continue their medical ministry.

“The people who come in are almost all Muslims, and they have little or no opportunity to see Christians doing anything and no real exposure to the gospel in a way that’s meaningful to them,” Tim said. “Their little interaction with me or with Lori when she’s in the pharmacy is their opportunity to see Christ at work in their life. That’s a big responsibility for us, and I always prayed that the Lord would give me the right attitude and insight necessary to be an accurate representation of Christ to them.”

With its concrete pillars and water tanks atop the roof, the hospital is not elegant but it is functional. The 40 beds are divided into wards for men, women and children – big rooms and long halls with plenty of air circulation. Most patients stay at the hospital for many months. Five evenings a week, the Myricks, along with other staff, led patients groups, with Bible studies, games, songs and crafts.

“We freely told them that it’s the churches that are sending us,” Lori said. “We want them to know that. Even though it’s an Islamic country, we want them to know this is why we come and this is who is sending us. I would tell them that we come because churches in America love you, they care about you and they help us, giving us the support that we need so that we can come and help you.”

The Myricks also ministered to the Bedouin population in the area. Many live in poverty, trying to survive off the barren land as they herd sheep and goats. Bedouin children suffering from asthma or malnourishment are often treated at the hospital. Most do not attend school because they live so far away or they are needed to work at home. The Myricks have helped facilitate a clothes closet ministry and food pantry, consisting of staples such as rice, oil, four, beans and lentils.

Fellowship churches have partnered with the Myricks to lead Christmas programs at the hospital, work construction projects and repairs, prepare food and pick olives. Church members with medical skills have provided training and education to hospital staff.

“Our work stands on the shoulders of the local churches in terms of financial resources, we can’t do anything without the local churches support,” Tim said. “The Offering for Global Missions is the way that CBF shows the priority that they place on missions. It is a means of empowerment to all people that God has called to personally reach out to the world.”

To learn about partnership opportunities with CBF field personnel around the world, contact the Fellowship at (800) 352-8741.  To give to the CBF Offering for Global Missions, go to www.thefellowship.info/OGM or call (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

“Then [we heard] the beginning of the seeds of hope that child development centers could offer,” Arney said.

CBF field personnel Melody and Sam Harrell had just launched a new initiative called Change for Children, which supports eight local communities’ dream to build integrated child development centers in Kenya, giving enrolled students a chance for a better future.

“Our role is coming alongside these communities to give them the backup they need in these efforts and to help them succeed,” said Sam Harrell.

Arney, pastor of Cornerstone Church in Lee’s Summit, Mo., returned from the Assembly convinced that CBF of Missouri needed to help.  Two years later, CBF of Missouri is partnering with the Harrells and the Kenyan community of Ngerenya, where Missouri funding has built a children’s center in the Ngerenya community.  CBF of Missouri is also raising funds to supplement support of the center’s staff and provide a daily meal for the 80 students enrolled. 

Meanwhile, local residents are developing income-generating projects to support the school. It’s a missions philosophy affirming that Kenyans “have something … to offer to make a change,” said Harold Phillips, CBF of Missouri’s coordinator.

Phillips was one of five people who traveled in October to Ngerenya, a rural area of 10,000 people near the Indian Ocean. The team planted trees around the center and taught and played with the children. They distributed de-worming medicine, mosquito nets that will prevent malaria for up to four years, school supplies and hygiene kits provided by summer campers at PassportKids, and stuffed teddy bears prepared by children at University Heights Baptist Church in Springfield, Mo.

“We made bears with pockets, and kids wrote notes,” said Janet Hill, children’s minister at University Heights Church. “We then had a prayer service for the people who would receive the bears.”

That sort of church involvement is what Phillips hoped this partnership would generate. 

“We wanted to do more than raise money and give it to the project,” he said. “We wanted it to be an experience that had some personal involvement. [Change for Children] helps us to have our eyes opened to a part of the world and some needs and challenges beyond where most of us live.”

Thus far, Change for Children has also included education and feeding projects, development of a technology center and a preschool, and the construction of wide-span pedestrian bridges that provide safe access to school for children in remote areas. It’s all work toward the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals, which focus on improving quality of life among the world’s poor by 2015.

“Change in the lives of children through education, better nutrition, elimination of disease, and Christian love and compassion is the goal of this effort,” said Harrell.

But Kenyans aren’t the only ones changed. 

“An equally important benefit is the change that occurs in the lives of those who commit to be partners in the initiative, using their God-given gifts, resources and skills and discovering God in the process,” Harrell said.

That’s one reason CBF of Missouri will continue sending teams of church members to Kenya to teach, play with children, do construction and provide medical services.  CBF of Missouri will also provide half-scholarships for Missouri pastors to experience the missions partnership firsthand.

“Mzuri means ‘good’ in Swahili,” Phillips said. “I heard that word often in conversations.  My prayer is that the CBF of Missouri will be mzuri in our partnership with Change for Children in Ngerenya, Kenya.”

Several Fellowship partner churches also support Change for Children, which falls under the Harrells’ umbrella ministry called Africa Exchange. For more on both ministries, visit www.africaexchange.org. To explore how you or your church can partner with the Harrells in Kenya, call (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

According to the Associated Press, at least four people have died and nearly 700 Christians have fled to relief camps. The All India Christian Council reports that 95 churches and 790 houses have been destroyed.

Sam Bandela, one of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s field personnel, said so far the indigenous pastors and church starters he partners with have not been directly affected by the unrest. Narayan Paul, along with other hill tribe pastors, is reaching out to Christians in Orissa who have been victims of violence and advocating for peace with the government.

"As a Fellowship we have a wonderful opportunity to be the presence of Christ by joining our hands with the Indian leaders and Christians," said Bandela, a native of India. "Christians in India are now raising their voices with unity, praying and appealing for outside help. We in the West need to be making noise about this, we need to be praying and helping the churches in India and even take it a step further – talking to Congress members and Senators about why such things are happening in the world’s largest democratic country."

Among Indian states, Orissa has one of the worst histories of violence against Christians, with Hindu nationalists frequently threatening new converts. In recent years, several foreign missions workers, including Australian Graham Staines and his two young sons, have been killed.

To learn more about Bandela’s ministry in India, go to www.thefellowship.info/OGM.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Sponsored by the Fellowship’s Student.Go missions program, the trip is June 21 through Aug. 10 and includes travel to Romania, Ethiopia, Uganda and Haiti. In each country, students will visit CBF field personnel whose work includes fulfilling one or more of the eight goals set by the U.N.

In addition to hands-on learning, students will also visit the United Nations’ headquarters in New York City, the ONE Campaign headquarters and CBF partner Bread for the World in Washington, D.C., to learn how they can be advocates for hungry and hurting people around the world.

The MDGs focus on hunger, education, child mortality, gender equality, maternal health, HIV/AIDS and other diseases, environmental sustainability and development. In October, the Fellowship’s national coordinating council voted to endorse the MDGs.

"So many of our field personnel have been involved in the MDGs for quite a while," said John Derrick, who is coordinating the project. "This trip is an opportunity to really marry those things – the new passion we have for the MDGs and exposure to the good work the field personnel have been doing all along."

The idea for the project emerged last year during Antiphony, a CBF-sponsored conference for college students, where a special session about the MDGs generated a lot of interest.

"We had about 50 students in the session, and the energy was so high that the students were asking at the end, ‘So what happens now? How do we make this happen on our campus?" Derrick said. "We thought maybe if we take campus representatives to the MDGs then they can become advocates for the goals and those most affected by extreme poverty."

Derrick hopes this short-term trip will have long-term impact as student travelers will be challenged to begin promoting the MDGs on their campuses.

"It doesn’t end when the trip is over," Derrick said. "Our expectation is that they will become spokespersons and representatives for what they have experienced – raising awareness, advocacy and action on their campuses and spheres of influence."

Graduate or undergraduate students are eligible to apply. Applications, which are approved on a rolling basis, must be submitted by Feb. 1. The cost of the trip is $4,950.

For more information on this project or other opportunities through Student.Go, contact student.go@thefellowship.info. Application materials can be found at www.studentdotgo.org.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

When Shelah Acker entered the women’s prison, Luli did not leave her side. Luli, a native of South Africa, was so excited to find someone else who spoke English, she immediately requested an English Bible.

“Often the women’s families do not even know where they are,” said Shelah Acker, who serves with her husband, Jade, as one of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s field personnel. “The women tell us that they feel forgotten and very alone. I felt so grateful to have the opportunity to share with them that they are precious and loved by God.” 

The women’s prison is one ministry in which the Ackers were involved in West Africa, a region of 15 countries and more than 1,000 ethnicities. They lived in the port city of Dakar, Senegal and coordinated ministry opportunities among churches, CBF field personnel and Fellowship partners. Later this year, the Ackers, of Alabaster, Ala, will relocated to Uganda, where they will be involved in similar ministries.

“However small we sometimes feel, we have a responsibility as Christians to be citizens of the kingdom,” Shelah said. “As churches discover where God is calling them, we want to help facilitate how we can all work together and make an impact. We should all be asking ourselves ‘What is God calling me to do?’ and ‘How can I be the presence of Christ in the world?’”

The needs in Africa can seem overwhelming – human trafficking, child soldiers, street children, poverty, refugees. But the Ackers have identified partners and resources focused on offering Christ’s love to the people of the region.

In Liberia, a country recovering from 14 years of civil war, the Ackers have helped train teachers at the Rick’s Institute, a Baptist school founded in 1887. While the country was embattled by violence, many Liberian children did not attend school and some were recruited as soldiers. The Rick’s Institute, with kindergarten to 12th grade, provides a free education to their primary school students.

“God has a heart for all the nations,” said Jade. “God calls churches to become involved in righting injustices and to join together to meet physical and spiritual needs.”

To learn about partnership opportunities with the Ackers in Africa, call (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Melody and Sam Harrell, who have ministered in Kenya with the Fellowship since 1999, are based in Nairobi, where much of the violence is occurring in large slum settlements that are home to about half the city’s population, said Sam Harrell.

“Over the years, we have become accustomed to occasional flare-ups of violence,” Harrell said. “This, however, is on a scale we have not witnessed before.  The turmoil is tearing at the fabric of the country.  It will be a long time in recovery, especially the social fabric.”

Violence erupted throughout the country Dec. 30 after the official, yet controversial, results of a hotly-contested presidential election were announced. Thus far, an estimated 300 people have been killed and 100,000 displaced, according to Associated Press reports.

“The loss of life is far greater than what is being reported in the media,” Harrell said. “Other than emergency airlifts, there is no way for those stranded upcountry to escape the current situation. Scores of people in Nairobi are choosing to sleep outside and in fields rather than risk being burned inside their houses in the slums.”

The Harrells have ministry projects throughout the country, including one area heavily impacted by recent violence. Initial reports indicated one ministry partner was missing but the rest of the program staff were safe, Harrell said.

Harrell said the situation changes daily, but he and his family plan to remain in country as long as they are safe and their ministry is still effective. When the situation stabilizes and in-country travel is possible, the Harrells will assess how they can minister in the aftermath. 

“This is our home and our greatest desire is to continue to serve fellow Kenyans in their hour of need,” Harrell said. “Please continue to pray for real peace in Kenya. Peace is not only a lack of violence, but the result of justice.”

Learn more about the Harrells’ ministry by visiting www.africaexchange.org. 

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

So when Craddock, then a college intern, sat with Antwan to make a nametag with the words “God loves Antwan” and realized he could not read or write it touched her heart. She learned that his mother was addicted to drugs and rarely sent him to school. Without a parent advocating for him and with the failing standards of local schools, Craddock knew Antwan’s future opportunities would be limited.

“I had grown to really love Antwan, and it broke my heart that without parental support Antwan would likely drop out of school and might end up joining a gang or selling drugs,” said Craddock. “And that might lead to being shot or put in prison. When I left, my heart was so burdened with who he would become. I knew that it was likely he would easily fall through the cracks and be one of the forgotten children of the inner city.”

Antwan is the reason that six years later Craddock has returned to Touching Miami with Love (TML), a ministry of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and CBF of Florida, to serve a two-year assignment as one of the Fellowship’s field personnel. She is now equipped with masters degrees in social work and divinity from Baylor University, a Fellowship partner school. 

“Antwan changed my life,” said Craddock, of Lexington, Ky. “He’s the reason I’m back here. I realized that there are forgotten kids who need somebody to love them.”

Craddock doesn’t know what happened to Antwan, who would now be a teenager. But she’ll spend the next two years ministering to youth who’ve also grown up in Overtown, the poorest community in the state of Florida. Teenagers in this inner city community, many who are raised by extended family instead of their parents, witness the effects of poverty in their homes and neighborhood – crime, prostitution, drug trafficking, teenage pregnancy, low graduation rates, substandard housing. 

“I really want to offer them freedom – the idea that they can become who it is that they want to be in life.” Craddock said. “I don’t want them to see the crime and violence and poverty around them and think that this is all that is available to them. I want to help them understand the choices they’ll have to make along the way to allow themselves those freedoms.”

Craddock is one of four CBF field personnel serving at TML. The center follows Jesus’ example of ministry to the poor, reaching out to children, youth, families and people who are homeless by providing a variety of services – summer camps, after school programs, a Christmas store, tax services and assistance finding jobs, housing and social services.

“That first summer I was here, I saw that children and youth who grow up in this context do not have the same opportunities that I had growing up in the middle class and that many of us in the U.S. take for granted,” Craddock said. “For the children here whose parents never finished high school or are unemployed or are addicted to drugs or involved in prostitution, they do not have the same opportunities as the rest of Americans. I feel burdened to be an advocate and try to offer some of the same opportunities to children and youth who otherwise would not be afforded those.”

To learn about partnership opportunities with Craddock and TML, call (800) 352-8741. TML hosts eight weeks of summer camps led by Fellowship partner churches. Craddock is looking for individuals or groups to teach youth activities such as photography, dance, art and drama throughout the school year.

To financially support the ministry of Craddock and other field personnel at TML, give to the CBF Offering for Global Missions. To give, go to www.thefellowship.info/OGM or call (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

A pre-dawn fire engulfed the 750-seat, 50-year-old sanctuary the Sunday before Christmas. Investigators worked at the church, but the damage was so severe that a cause could not be pinpointed.

“The official cause is undetermined ... but there aren’t any signs that this was an intentional act,” said the church’s pastor Kyle Reese.

The congregation relocated its two Sunday worship services to its fellowship hall and, with the help of volunteers, has been able to continue many regular activities, according to the church’s Web site.

CBF of Florida’s associate coordinator Tommy Deal has visited the church to meet with Reese and to assess any needs CBF of Florida could help meet. Most initial needs were being met, but Deal said CBF of Florida is prepared to respond as needs arise.

“We are so thankful for the many expressions of kindness and love,” said Reese. “We’re just continuing to move ahead. Everyday we’re moving toward getting the old structure down and looking forward to the new.”

Reese said one way Fellowship Baptists can help is by praying for the congregation as it moves forward. The building was insured and the church plans to rebuild the sanctuary.

For continued updates, visit the church’s Web site at www.habchurch.com.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

It was the fourth year the Delta Christmas event has gathered some of the neediest families in Phillips County, Ark., to celebrate the holidays. The county is one of 20 in the United States where the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship works to reduce rural poverty through its Together for Hope (TFH) initiative.

TFH ministries are designed to engage local residents in transforming their own communities, and this year’s Delta Christmas was no different. CBF field personnel Ben and Leonora Newell serve in the county and have always dreamed of having too many local residents volunteer for a community event. The event was the closest yet to that dream with more than 150 local residents coming to serve.

"The community is embracing this as their Christmas celebration," Ben said.

Across the United States, TFH ministries brought an extra spirit of Christmas to communities that have struggled economically for years.

In Louisiana, where TFH helps support a year-round ministry in prisons located in Tensas Parish, churches and individuals have donated gifts to children who have a parent in prison. After baptizing several men at one prison, Bill Hoffman, who leads the ministry, helped "share Bibles and a word of Christmas hope" with about 400 inmates.

As a Christmas gift, CBF of Mississippi purchased a digital hymnal for Harvest Fellowship, a CBF partner church located in a TFH focal county. With a shortage of church musicians in that area, "this digital hymnal will enhance the worship experience as they reach out to their community," said CBF of Mississippi coordinator Steve Street.

In South Dakota, churches and individuals donated coats and other items needed during cold winters in the TFH High Plains region. Church members have delivered the items to three reservations in the last two months.

Several Fellowship partner churches have made this holiday season special in eastern Kentucky’s Powell and Owsley counties. Some bought gifts for families and filled 350 shoeboxes with small gifts for middle and high school students. Hominy Baptist Church in Candler, N.C., recently hosted 13 women from the Nada community for a weekend that included a trip to the Biltmore House.

"It was more than a fun trip," said Paula Settle, one of CBF field personnel. "The women [from Nada] had hospitality shown to them. They experienced eating at a place other than a fast food restaurant. They met new people and made new friends. It has been a bonding experience for them."

Most of the women had never been to North Carolina, said Settle, whose ministry goals include exposing community residents to life outside their communities. With funding from a church, this Christmas local children and youth will go to a nice restaurant to teach them how to read a menu, a movie and then to the Kentucky Horse Park to see Christmas lights, Settle said.

At Sowing Seeds of Hope, a TFH partner ministry in Perry County, Ala., two Birmingham churches – Mountain Brook Baptist and Lake Highland Baptist – sponsored the third annual Christmas at the Depot event for more than 300 children. The ministry also distributed food and helped several families with unique needs this holiday season.

In the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, TFH ministry partner Buckner Border Ministries has collected shoes and Christmas stockings for children. These items have been given to local churches for distribution in communities.

"The pastors are excited because they’re able to give a gift to the children," said Cheyenne Solis, a missions coordinator for Buckner. "We are also able to share about what Christmas really means – that we’re celebrating the birth of our savior Jesus Christ."

Opportunities for service and other involvement in TFH regions exist year-round. For more on Together for Hope, visit www.ruralpoverty.net.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Since 1997, the Fellowship has leased offices at Mercer’s Atlanta campus, occupying space on the second floor of the McAfee School of Theology building. With the new lease, the Fellowship offices will be moving to a 19,000-square foot space on the first floor of the administrative and conference center building.

"This new lease agreement represents a continuation of the partnership between Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and Mercer University," said Daniel Vestal, the Fellowship’s executive coordinator. "It is a significant declaration of our commitment to the future."

The administrative and conference center building is also home to the Baptist History and Heritage Society, which moved into the facility earlier this year. The American Baptist Historical Society is also scheduled to occupy space in the building.

"We are pleased to extend this relationship with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship for another 10 years," said Mercer University President William D. Underwood. "Since opening its first office on Mercer's Atlanta campus in the mid-1990s, the Fellowship and Mercer have enjoyed a productive and meaningful partnership. This agreement reflects our commitment to the continued growth and development of this partnership."

CBF’s move to the new office space is scheduled to take place sometime during 2008.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Word spread quickly, and people came from town to get a glimpse of the beach as it never had been before.

“Then we saw a massive white wave on the horizon heading toward shore,” Anwar said. 

Anwar jumped on his motorcycle, and raced home – desperately trying to reach his wife and baby before the wave did.  At home, his family and the neighbors were standing outside assessing earthquake damage. They had no idea what was coming until they saw it. Then, it was nearly too late.

The mighty wave penned Anwar and his wife against a house, eventually trapping them inside, where they would float on an armoire as the water poured in and filled the house. Another six inches of water and Anwar and his wife would have been among the more than 200,000 that lost their lives on Dec. 26, 2004.

“Indeed, he was a lucky man – particularly to not have lost any of his immediate family in this disaster as so many did,” said one of CBF’s field personnel who responded to the Southeast Asian tsunami.

Stories like Anwar’s have made this tragedy come alive. Stories like this put a human face on one of the biggest natural disasters ever recorded and prompted Fellowship Baptists to respond in unprecedented ways. With nearly $2.63 million given to provide immediate and long-term recovery, CBF field personnel began work immediately to help recover and restore homes and lives.

Three years ago, the survivors that were hired to remove debris were among the few able to earn money in the tsunami’s immediate aftermath.  Medical clinics helped injuries heal, and tents gave refugees a drier place to stay. Boxes of food and clothing helped replace what more than 2,000 families lost. Water purifiers supplied 3,000 refugees with clean water.

For months, field personnel worked in the rubble – among what was lost and those who lost. 

“Now there is nothing,” said one survivor. “We have come back to look…to see our children’s clothes, to see their toys…to remember our children who were washed away….we don’t even have their bodies to bury or know where their gravesite is. The sea took them all.”

Field personnel eventually switched their focus to long-term recovery efforts.  They dug water wells, improved sanitation and rebuilt a canal that enabled farming to start again. They repaired several schools and provided school uniforms, shoes and supplies to more than 2,000 students. Job training centers were built and fishermen were given fishing nets so that they could restart their businesses. They repaired a road to a fish packing plant and cleaned fish and shrimp ponds that helped boost the local economy. Houses were built, Bibles were given and orphans were supported.

“I think we do well to remember that there are still people without homes, people who lost their entire families,” said another one of CBF’s field personnel. “For these people there is no ‘getting back to normal.’ Their lives were forever altered on that day.”

And while life for survivors in Southeast Asia will never be the same, three years of relief in four countries and nearly $2.63 million in donations has made a difference. 

“I never knew how much love could be given by people to people that they have never met,” said another one of CBF’s field personnel.

Relief work continues, and field personnel have been preparing for another major earthquake, which many geologists have predicted. They hope pre-disaster education, training locals to build earthquake resistant construction, and other preparations will help if predictions are correct. 

“There is still struggle, but everywhere you look you see evidence of hope and improvement,” said one of CBF’s field personnel. “There is still much work to be done, but much has been accomplished.”

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

ATLANTA – Eager hands reached for strips of paper. "This one goes next," eager voices shouted as the group of Chinese students pieced the strips together to tell the story of Christ’s birth. The problem: the story had been written in English, cut apart and scrambled. The goal: to be the first team to put the story together correctly.

Cooperative Baptist Fellowship partner congregations in Virginia, along with the First Chinese Baptist Church of Los Angeles and South Edmonton Alliance Church of Alberta, Canada, worked alongside Macau Baptist Church in China to facilitate the competition, which were part of language camps provided through the ministry of Fellowship representatives Larry and Sarah Ballew in Macau, China.

The experience impacted kingdom work in Macau and strengthened the relationship among three Virginia churches that coordinate stateside cooperative efforts on the Ballews’ behalf.

"It was a blessing to many folks here to see the three teams from different areas of North America come together," Sarah Ballew said. "The servant attitude and actions of the teams and the cooperative nature made a big impact on people here."

In an effort to continue to impact Macau, representatives from Blacksburg Baptist Church, Vinton Baptist Church and First Baptist Church of Radford have formed a multi-church team to find ways in which to support the Ballews’ efforts and minister to them.

The three churches’ connection began with distinct relationships with the couple. Blacksburg Baptist is Sarah’s home church, where members of her extended family still worship, and she was a member of First Baptist while a student at Radford University.

Vinton Baptist’s connection took a circuitous route. The church’s minister to children had worked with Sarah’s father, Roland Byrd, and brought the Ballews to pastor Bill Booth’s attention. "Their story resonated with our church," Booth said.

Blacksburg and First Baptist have covenanted to pray with and for the couple. The congregations support the Ballews with financial gifts, networking with others, wellness/care support and mission teams.

The Vinton church has not developed a covenant but is committed to supporting the couple, Booth said.

Working through the support team provides each church with opportunities to meet needs together. Team members meet quarterly to discuss ways in which to assist the Ballews and how to promote the work. They keep communication open to facilitate getting word out about prayer and other needs in the Chinese province.

They also enlist church members for short-term service in Macau. Three members of the Radford church and one from Blacksburg participated in last year’s effort. They are recruiting from among Virginia churches for a 2008 trip.

"There are more mission needs than one church can fund. [The coordinated effort] is a good way for churches to get involved directly," said David Smith, who represents First Baptist on the multi-church team.

"Missions is important to our church and to our faith," said John Dooley, a member of Blacksburg. "The opportunity to network … to share a common vision and a common project helps with church understanding and with cross-cultural understanding. I believe in the strong connection we have with the Ballews."

The Ballews note that the team impacts their work through funding, direct involvement and encouragement.

"They provide us with a group of trusted people with whom we can share the good and the bad of life in Macau," the Ballews said.

But they believe the team’s most crucial role is the connection it builds between Virginia churches and the ministry.

"They help us by reminding us that we are not alone in the work, helping us to feel more and more like an extension of the church and the church’s mission around the world," the Ballews said. "They help us to think more creatively about how best to communicate our story and work back to the churches. They provide us with a consistent contact for prayer support, [and] they help us stay connected to the churches, keeping the work in Macau before the church."

The Ballews are CBF affiliates, who serve through the Fellowship’s ministry network but raise their own financial support for their ministry. If you are interested in serving through the Fellowship, contact Matt Norman at (800) 352-8741 or

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

ATLANTA – At dinner one Wednesday night in Cairo, Egypt, Chaouki Boulos invited a restaurant waiter named Mario to the final night of a four-day Celebrate Jesus rally. The next night Mario joined nearly 900 people at the rally, heard Boulos speak, and became one of more than 300 new Christians that week.

"I am very excited about what God is doing," said Boulos, who along with his wife, Maha, serves as one of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s field personnel in Beirut, Lebanon.

For several years, the Bouloses have helped coordinate celebration rallies in Lebanon and neighboring countries. Church members from the United States and Lebanon have helped at the celebrations, where thousands of people have heard about Jesus Christ – some for the first time. At a young adult celebration in Lebanon this spring, "many people came forward and accepted the Lord," Maha said. "Some got baptized and joined local churches."

The ministry stems from a vision Chaouki had in the late 1990s to share Christ with large groups of people. Because he and Maha grew up in Lebanon he knew the religious freedom in Lebanon might provide "the open door to reach the peoples of the Middle East," Chaouki said.

And it has, but it’s not the only way this couple is the presence of Christ. They’ve facilitated Vacation Bible Schools, sports camps, children’s ministry and prison outreach. They help distribute food and medicine to families in need. They have given street children shoes and provided women with dental care. Now, one of their priorities is opening a conference and training center for churches in the region.

"Several years ago the Lord laid on my heart the need for a conference, refuge and training center in Lebanon, the one nation in the Middle East where there is religious freedom," Chaouki said. "There is a great need for a place where Christian churches in Lebanon can take their people on a retreat for a few days."

Twelve acres of land has been purchased and building has begun at what will be called White Stone Conference Center.

"We envision it being the host facility for international conferences, sports camps for youth in the summer, and ministry to people [struggling with addictions] in the winter," Chaouki said. "Since Lebanon is a natural meeting place for business people from east and west, we will also host business conferences and meetings."

The Bouloses continue to do relief ministry in the aftermath of a Middle East conflict in 2006 that displaced hundreds of thousands of Lebanese. There were drastic needs for food and medicine. The Fellowship helped provide families with food coupons as well as food boxes. Now, most have returned home, but many struggle to rebuild.

"The traumatic event has definitely opened many doors for ministry," Maha said. "People have shared with us stories about how one-on-one ministry was effective and how they shared the Lord with many."

To learn about how your church can become involved in Bouloses’ ministry, contact the Fellowship at (800) 352-8741. Or to give to the CBF Offering for Global Missions, which provides the financial support of Bouloses’ work, at

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

“Lord, we [may] not eat this year, but please make a way for our daughter, Marina, to start school this fall,” prayed an Iraqi mother and father living as refugees in Jordan.

Ten minutes later, a pastor called. There was a scholarship for Marina to attend Ashrafiya Nazarene School in Amman. That scholarship was one of 40 given to Iraqi children through funding from the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and other organizations.

“Whenever I visit an Iraqi family, I ask their children about the last time they were in school,” said Rod Green, who works at the Nazarene school. “The usual answer is two or three years.”
 
The Fellowship gave more than $8,000 to the school, which is affiliated with Nazarene Compassionate Ministries (NCM). The ministry began outreach to Iraqi families in 2003 by providing food, heaters, blankets and medicine assistance.

Millions of Iraqis have fled to Jordan and Syria to escape ongoing violence in their country. Most come only with what they can carry, and few can find jobs to afford basic living expenses, much less school tuition for their children. Until this year, Iraqi refugee children were not allowed to attend Jordanian public schools. The Nazarene school, located in a neighborhood where many Iraqi refugees live, was able to accept 70 students this year with $18,000 of outside support for tuition and books. 

“The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship was a big help in these expenses,” Green said. “Many students would be sitting idly at home without their help.”

Ayman, 11, and Shehad, 15, are two of the school’s Iraqi students. After bombing started over their Baghdad home and their kidnapped father was released, the frightened family fled to Jordan in 2003. Through the Nazarene church, the family found renewed hope in Jesus Christ, and through the Nazarene school, Ayman and Shehad are receiving the education that could give them a better future.

“Kids and their families uprooted from their homes because of war is a disaster,” said David Harding, the Fellowship’s international coordinator for disaster response. “We ought to follow them wherever they go to lend a hand in re-establishing a new life outside of harm’s way.”

The Fellowship learned about Nazarene ministries through Harding, who used to serve in Jordan and attend a local Nazarene church. 

“We have the church, school and volunteer resources and with outside support, we can do something to help families get through this difficult period in their lives,” said Green. “The refugees [reached by NCM] have seen the face, hands and feet of Christ in those who have provided help and hope to them in their home away from home.”

Those wishing to make a financial contribution to the effort can give by sending a check payable to Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, P.O. Box 101699, Atlanta, GA, 30392, indicating fund No. 17010 "Iraq response.”

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

A donation is given to support a cause, an offering is given to God. A contribution is given to meet a need, an offering is an act of worship. It is no accident that Cooperative Baptist Fellowship annually receives an OFFERING for Global Missions. Of course, the money received supports missionaries (every penny of it), and the money meets the needs of their ministry (which are great). But our appeal is for individuals and churches to respond to divine grace and give themselves and their resources to God. Our prayer is for Baptists to participate in God’s global mission to reconcile and redeem the world through Jesus Christ. Our challenge is for Baptists to offer their prayers, their time and their money to the living Christ that He might work in and through them.

Recently I was preaching in a church and before the Sunday morning service, the pastor and I had a time of prayer. The pastor prayed in a very meaningful way saying, “Dear God, this service is for You. We offer the music and the message, the prayer and the worship to You.” I was struck by the simple truth that the elements and acts of the next hour were being viewed as an offering to God. They were not viewed as entertainment for people or as a performance for an audience, or as rituals to impress one another but as an offering to God. I believe that when I write a check to Global Missions and give it in a spirit of commitment and devotion, it is an offering to God.

As much as anybody else, I like to see large sums of money given and received but I am also reminded of how Jesus received the five loaves and two fish from the little boy and multiplied it to feed a multitude. On another occasion Jesus commended the widow who gave a small amount of money because she gave out of her need and not out of her abundance. Her contribution was truly an offering.

Malcolm Muggeridge recounts the story of how Mother Teresa began her ministry. She was asked by her superior, “How much money do you have?” and she responded, “Only a few pennies.” Her superior asked, “What can you do with a few pennies?” She answered, “With a few pennies plus God, I can do the impossible.” God wants our hearts. God wants us to give out of hearts transformed by grace. When that happens, impossible things occur.

The question that many of us need to ask is, “Do we really believe that Christ will receive our offering and use it to feed a multitude of people?” “Do we see how and what we give as an act of faith and devotion?”

Daniel Vestal is executive coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, serving since 1996.

“Smyth & Helwys continues to be a vital partner in helping us resource the moderate Baptist movement,” said Bo Prosser, the Fellowship’s coordinator for congregational life. “We are pleased to share in a strong partnership in providing resources with CBF churches. Smyth & Helwys is attentive to the needs of our churches and delivers quality books, Sunday School curriculum, Bible commentaries and other resources to churches and church leaders.”

Smyth & Helwys is the largest independent publisher dedicated to publishing church resources in the Baptist tradition for Sunday School as well as inspirational books and Bible study aids for individuals, ministers and small groups. More than 3,000 churches in more than 40 states and several countries use Formations, the Uniform Series, Reflections, the Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary, as well as online resources such as NextSunday.com, BaptistNet.com and Caleb's Cafe.

“Over these 17 years many have questioned whether such a publishing house could succeed, but Smyth & Helwys lives on and is stronger than ever,” said Lex Horton, executive vice president and publisher of Smyth & Helwys. “When churches seek resources that will reflect a commitment to Baptist freedom, they trust Smyth & Helwys resources and that trust is what motivates the ministers and staff who live out their service to churches through our publishing ministry.”

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Located at the southern tip of the state and adjacent to the Everglades, Homestead is known as the “Gateway to the Keys” as vacationing tourists must travel through to reach the islands. But for immigrants, Homestead, despite being one of the poorest communities in the state, is often a gateway to opportunity.

“Many of the immigrant families in our community struggle financially, but their homes are filled with love and devotion for their children,” said Wanda Ashworth, Open House director and one of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s field personnel.

More than a dozen nationalities are represented in Homestead, but no matter where they have come from, many parents struggle to provide for their children. Ashworth has seen and heard the stories – like the mother who dug tortillas out of a trash can to feed her children. Many fathers find work in the fields, picking vegetables such as squash for 75 cents a bushel.

In a community where 43 percent of the children live below the national poverty line, Open House offers services, such as an emergency food pantry and thrift store, to address the physical needs of these families.

“Beyond physical assistance, Open House tries to be a kingdom place,” said Ashworth. “We want everybody in this community to have life and have it more abundantly. Not necessarily a life of prosperity, but a rich, fulfilling life. So we do a lot of community asset mapping, helping the neighborhood discover their passions and skills. We try to be a resource, a place where they can come to work together.”

As a joint ministry of the Fellowship and CBF of Florida, Open House began as a disaster relief effort in 1992 following Hurricane Andrew, which almost completely destroyed Homestead and nearby Florida City. But recognizing the ongoing needs of the community, Open House has continued as a long-term partnership with the community to help alleviate poverty. 

“We’ve made a space for God, and sometimes I think that’s what being the presence of Christ is about,” Ashworth said. “It’s not about going in with a solution or a program. The neighborhood has its own gifts and talents, and we just make a space for those to happen – that’s how you can be the presence of Christ.”

In addition to “La Tienda,” the thrift store, where each item sells for 25 cents, and food bank, Open House offers after school programs and bible studies for youth and children two days a week. Every summer, the center partners with missions teams from CBF partner churches to host eight weeks of summer camp.

Ashworth, a former music minister, earned a degree in social work from Gardner-Webb University in 2004 and then became director of Open House in 2004. She is one of only two full-time employees at the center.

“When I first came here a lot of wise people told me ‘just listen,’ and we were intentional about listening to the community,” Ashworth said. “The community is interested in their children and youth and taking back their neighborhood. They don’t want to have to go inside [early in the evening]. The attitude is very much ‘this is our neighborhood and we will take care of it.’”

To financially support the ministries of Open House, please give to the CBF Offering for Global Missions. To give, go to www.thefellowship.info/Give/Donate. To learn about partnership opportunities with Open House, contact Chris Boltin at (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

NEW YORK – In the mid-1980s, as AIDS took center stage in the American consciousness, Ronnie Adams attended an educational training session about the disease. 

At the time, Adams served as the minister for singles adults at First Baptist Church of Plano, Texas, and decided it would be important for a minister to learn more about the epidemic. But he wasn’t prepared for the reaction he received when he introduced himself at the training session.

“When I introduced myself as a Baptist minister, the two people beside me actually moved their chairs away from me,” Adams said. “I realized they feared that I would judge them, so I just said, ‘I’m here today because I feel like if Jesus were walking the earth that he would want people living with AIDS to know that God loves and cares for them.’ There was a sigh of relief, and people began to have tears in their eyes as they told me how they had been kicked out of their churches because they were infected with AIDS.”

Two decades later, Adams is still carrying the message of God’s love to people living with HIV/AIDS. Since 1995, he has served as one of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s field personnel in New York City, where every 18 minutes someone in the city is infected with the disease.

“My passion and what I love the most is providing pastoral care to that community,” Adams said. “It’s been a difficult journey, but an incredible journey. I’ve ushered many people into the kingdom in their last days. So many of the people I work with have had a faith connection, but they’ve been condemned or judge out of it. They come to realize it was not God, but a religion that did that. So as I begin to share with them God’s love, God’s compassion and God’s mercy, they get reconnected.”

Adams partners with several housing communities that serve the HIV/AIDS community, including Housing Works, the nation’s largest provider of housing for people living with HIV/AIDS. Each week he travels to three communities in different neighborhoods of the city, leading Bible studies, building relationships and providing pastoral care.

“The Bible studies give me the opportunity to meet people and develop relationships, and usually that leads to counseling and hospital visitation, educational opportunities and unfortunately memorial services,” said Adams, a native of Dallas. “To me it’s the most open community to the gospel that I work with. They are so open for the love of God. I’ve probably seen more people come to know Christ through that ministry than all the other ones combined – it’s really been incredible.”

Adams has met people like Frank, a resident of Housing Works, who learned in his late fifties that he was infected with AIDS. Frank attended a weekly Bible study and rarely spoke, but something changed after he participated in a spiritual retreat and was encouraged to tell his story.

“There was something about that pathos of sharing his story – Frank opened up, and he became this whole new person,” Adams said. “He realized that God was not against him, but that God was for him. And through accepting that belief that God was with him, he became more outgoing. It just shows what the love of Christ and other people can do for someone – it radically changed this man. He was still a very humble, quiet man, but he became a leader in the group.”

In September, Adams was at Frank’s bedside at 2 a.m. as his fight with AIDS came to an end.

“I said to him, ‘Frank, you’ve lived great the last year and done well. God loves you and cares for you. You tried hard to beat this, but it’s time to rest. And God is going to be there with you,’” Adams said. “I prayed for him, prayed with him and kissed him on the forehead. Two minutes later he was gone. It was one of those sweet moments, and I’ll never forget it as long as I live – to watch this man go into eternity, when just a year before he didn’t think he had a chance of being with God.”

While treatments exist to help ease the effects of AIDS, there is still no cure for the disease, and it is now a world-wide pandemic. Adams’ ministry also focuses on building awareness and educating people about prevention, treatment and how they can be the presence of Christ to those living with the disease. He is part of the Fellowship’s HIV/AIDS Network, which resources individuals and congregations involved in HIV/AIDS ministries.

To learn about resources for ministering to people living with HIV/AIDS, go to www.thefellowship.info/AIDS. To financial support the ministry of Ronnie Adams in NYC, give to the CBF Offering for Global Missions by going to www.thefellowship.info/involved/give.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

“When you strike water and the well starts to work, you should hear the joy,” said David Harding, one of CBF’s Global Missions field personnel who helps bring clean water to the African nation of Ethiopia.

A working well means no more trips to the muddy river to gather water and haul it home. It means less disease. It means more crops and less famine. It means more time with family and more opportunity for education. Water in a dry land means transformation.

Nearly 75 percent of Ethiopians – about 55 million people – don’t have access to clean water. But it’s a crisis not well known. David calls it a “silent tsunami,” responsible for the death of millions each year around the world. Many Ethiopians drink from rivers in areas known for famine, malnutrition and cholera outbreaks. 

“God cares for them and wants them to have decent water to drink, to wash hands and to irrigate gardens,” David said.

David engages with partners and volunteers to use simple techniques to bring clean water to the Rift Valley region. Since July 2006, they have drilled nearly 30 wells that provide hundreds of people with clean water. They also use seeds and sand filter techniques to clean water.  The effort is called Living Water Ethiopia, and it engages local churches in vital humanitarian ministry.

“The church is in a position to not just be preaching but have a presence in these areas that touches the felt needs of people in the community,” David said. “We help local churches be more active in meeting human need by introducing relevant social and technical tools that respect individuals and help people to help themselves.”

Water can transform communities and also unite people. During one trip, the Christian and Muslim communities worked together to drill a well.  When the drill bit became lodged many feet underground, both faith communities joined hands and prayed for God to intervene. 

“It was probably the first time they did anything together,” David said. “Water has that draw. Everybody needs water, and the church was able to use the water to say, ‘We care about you. Access to safe water is a human right for all.’”

A child of missionaries, David was born in Ethiopia and for his first 10 years had Ethiopians as best friends.  Building on these connections, David knows the environment, the culture and local partners upon which the ministry depends.

The Salam Vocational Center provides the tools and techniques for the water ministry. Through this partner, the Hardings help empower local Ethiopians and sustain a long-term commitment to communities. Based in Orlando, Fla., David travels to the country about four times a year, which is enough to encourage the ministry and strength relationships.

“The Ethiopians have to make it work themselves,” David said. “We don’t want to create unnecessary dependencies.”

About half the wells in Africa no longer function because they aren’t well-maintained, David said. Changing behaviors to accept improvements and teaching people to care for the technology is essential.

“If improving access to safe water for a billion people in the world was simply a technical problem, it would have been solved long ago,” David said. “It’s a behavioral problem where people need to see the connections between water and disease and to feel empowered to do something about it.”

It costs Living Water Ethiopia about $2,500 to dig a well that services up to 400 people initially. As more wells are established in a community, wells typically service 50 people including livestock, which provide food or income for a family.

In addition to Ethiopia, Harding serves in other developing countries as the Fellowship’s coordinator for international disaster response. Most years, the Hardings travel to a developing country to serve as a family. David’s wife, Merrie, a physical therapist, uses her skills through local clinics, and their three children – Dave, Leah and Merrie Grace – help dig wells or assist in orphanages.  While in Orlando, the Hardings collect cloth hats and dresses to distribute in Ethiopia and other countries.

“Working out of what Christ has done for us is a statement of care,” David said. “People want to know why, and it’s because we are first moved by God’s love for us.”

Crucial to the Hardings’ ministry is connecting with Fellowship partner churches, “using the skill sets that people have and linking them with the needs of the world,” David said.

And it is through the CBF Offering for Global Missions that this connection can happen.

“Without the Offering, these vital connections and the good that comes from them is not going to happen through CBF,” David said.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

The school formalized its commitment Nov. 14, when Bluefield College president David Olive and leaders from the Fellowship signed a memorandum of understanding at the Baptist General Association of Virginia meeting in Richmond.

"Bluefield College is a willing and active partner with Baptists and Baptist organizations, and we have historically modeled a passion for missions and missionaries through mission experiences for our students and through the offering of a missionary residence on our campus for those on furlough," said Olive. "This scholarship opportunity for children of missionaries is just an extension of who we are, our commitment to missionaries, and our mission to transform the lives of young people."

To each field personnel dependent who meets the school’s admission standards, Bluefield will offer an eight-semester scholarship for full-time study. Room, board and other costs will be funded through one of the Fellowship’s endowments. The Fellowship is working to increase the existing $870,000 endowment to $2.5 million in order to provide for these expenses.

"With the decision to grant this scholarship to the children of missionaries, Bluefield College has demonstrated its concern for missionary families around the world and provided peace-of-mind to parents who have made huge sacrifices to mission and ministry on behalf of the kingdom of God," said CBF Global Missions coordinator Rob Nash.

"Bluefield College is a fine Baptist institution," said CBF executive coordinator Daniel Vestal. "It is a privilege for CBF to partner with them, and we are deeply grateful for these scholarships for the children of field personnel."

Bluefield’s commitment brings the total to nine Baptist schools that will offer scholarships to field personnel dependents. The other schools are Mercer University in Macon, Ga., and seven North Carolina schools: Campbell University in Buies Creek, Chowan University in Murfreesboro, Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, Mars Hill College in Mars Hill, Meredith College in Raleigh, Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem and Wingate University in Wingate.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Now, he is seeing results.

Among three tribal groups – Sora, Jathava and Kui – in the mountainous region between the Andhra Pradesh and Orissa states, 50 new churches have been planted as dozens of families have embraced Jesus Christ, some in spite of active resistance by other religious groups. In this region, Hindu militants routinely threaten new converts. In recent years, several foreign missions workers, including an Australian named Graham Stain and his two young sons, Paul and Timothy, have been killed.

"The persecution is causing the church to grow," Bandela said. "In the beginning of 2000, there were so many persecutions in India. As a result, the Christians are growing closer together. Now they are much more serious about their faith. The church in India has not grown much in the last 50 years, but it has grown tremendously in the last two years because of the persecution."

One particularly effective partner has been Narayan Paul, a pastor and evangelist in the area for more than 35 years. The 78-year-old Paul and his partners have started more than 120 churches after leading more than 12,000 people to Christ. Their methodology is simple and as old as the early church. They travel to the remote hill villages building relationships and sharing the gospel.

"There’s a good response, there’s an openness," Bandela said. "In March, Brother Paul baptized 80 people and another 70 people in May. The people are responding. He is effective because he is from this state and not an outsider. They are receptive to him."

In April, more than 3,000 Christians from the hill tribes staged a silent prayer walk as a demonstration against religious persecution. The event solidified the new believers and was not marred by violence.

As Paul and his partners travel, they identify physical needs that Bandela is able to channel CBF Global Missions resources toward addressing. In some villages, they have built new water systems, saving people a two-mile hike down a mountain at a nearly 45-degree angle to retrieve water.

In addition, Bandela schedules medical clinics in the remote areas, bringing physicians from the U.S. to treat the villagers who have little access to health care.

In some areas, they have been helping complete church buildings, which usually begin as four walls with thatched roofs or no roofs at all. So far, Bandela has worked with five churches to build new roofs with five more in progress. The plan is for 50 more.

Plus, Bandela has channeled aid and supplies to help more than 400 families after floods hit the area in August of 2006.

"Our focus, our end result is church planting," Bandela said. "Medical clinics, sewing center projects, supplying food, flood relief, water projects – they are all means and methods for evangelism. All that we do is helping people come to know the Lord, giving birth to a new church."

A major concern for Bandela and his partners is building self-sustaining work. Bandela and his wife, Latha, CBF field personnel since 1994, live in the United States because of the special needs of their youngest son, Paul. Bandela travels back and forth from his home in Duluth, Ga., several times a year for a month or longer at a time to network, develop partnerships, facilitate church groups, conduct medical clinics, train new church planters, execute building projects and participate in evangelistic meetings.

Often, U.S. pastors will participate by teaching in the church planting seminars and training in Hyderabad. The program, established by Bandela with gifts from Fellowship churches, is now completely led by indigenous Christian leaders and produces cohorts of 10 to 20 church planters several times a year.

At the graduation ceremony, each church planter is given a new Bible and a bicycle. The newly-trained evangelists are then sent out into the remotest areas to be the presence of Christ in word and deed.

"Giving a bicycle to them is like giving a car," he said. "The roads are cow paths. It’s only $50 for a bicycle. When you and I go to eat, we’ll spend about $50. For us, it is just a meal and fellowship, but for them, $50 for a new bicycle is a lifetime investment."

This year, CBF Executive Coordinator Daniel Vestal will travel with Bandela to participate in a leadership development seminar for 300-500 pastors, church planters and evangelists at the center in Hyderabad.

"I’m grateful to God for the good work of Latha and Sam Bandela in India," said Rob Nash, CBF Global Missions coordinator. "They represent the very best of CBF’s focus upon evangelism, church planting and meeting the needs of the most marginalized of people around the world. I’m also grateful for their work with churches in the United States as they connect congregations to ministry on the other side of the globe."

True to the CBF Global Missions approach of partnership and effectiveness, Bandela does not serve as a paternalistic charity, creating dependency on his handouts. He works with local leaders, empowering and equipping them to build upon the foundation he has laid and start new work in areas he couldn’t possibly get to.

"American Christians have a part – prayer, encouragement, giving – but they are not the front runners," he said. "Times have changed. We need to stand behind our Indian brothers and sisters as they lead the way."

To financially support Bandela’s ministry, give to the CBF Offering for Global Missions. To give, go to www.thefellowship.info/involved/give.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

The schools, which are all Baptist affiliated, are Campbell University in Buies Creek, Chowan University in Murfreesboro, Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, Mars Hill College in Mars Hill, Meredith College in Raleigh, Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem and Wingate University in Wingate.

"We are grateful for the response of these Baptist-affiliated colleges and universities in North Carolina," said CBF Global Missions coordinator Rob Nash. "The state has always been a leader in Baptist higher education and in missions, and this is one more evidence of that mission passion and conviction."

Each school will offer an eight-semester scholarship for full-time study to field personnel dependents who meet the school’s admission standards. Room, board and other costs will be funded through one of the Fellowship’s endowments. The Fellowship is working to increase the existing $870,000 endowment to $2.5 million in order to provide for these expenses.

The schools formalized their commitment Nov. 13, when leaders from the Fellowship and the schools signed a memorandum of understanding at the CBF of North Carolina fall meeting in Greensboro.

"This partnership is a powerful example of Baptists working together for common good," said CBF executive coordinator Daniel Vestal. "The fact that North Carolina Baptist schools are providing scholarships for the children of missionaries is an evidence of their commitment to cooperative ministries. All of us in CBF are grateful."

"These scholarships are a significant benefit to people who serve in difficult and challenging places around the world and who make significant financial sacrifices in order to pursue their calling to the most marginalized and least evangelized of the world," Nash said.

Nash signed a similar commitment Nov. 14 in Richmond, Va., with Bluefield College in Bluefield, Va., bringing the total to nine Baptist schools that will offer scholarships to field personnel dependents. Mercer University in Macon, Ga., committed last year.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

On Nov. 3, the Turners organized Mid-Atlantic CBF’s first missions day at National Baptist Memorial Church in Washington, where local participants helped launch the church’s clothing closet.

Participants sorted and gave away clothes and offered donuts, coffee, hot chocolate and conversation to those who stopped by the church. They also handed out fliers about an after school program at the church sponsored by City Gate ministries.

"We are targeting families who are very low in income or are in poverty," said City Gate program director Kristin Wiener. "We set up an opportunity for them to come for a day. The effort helped National Baptist to establish with the community residents that there were clothing closet services there, and it helped recruit for our after school program."

The Turners hoped the missions day would attract church members from around the Mid-Atlantic region to see the needs in their own community.

"A lot of the churches aren’t in the city, but they’re very close to the city," said Tirzah Tuner. "National Baptist is right downtown, and there’s a lot of need around their church. For people that can come into the city, it kind of opens their eyes that this [need] is right down the road."

This awareness is part of encouraging church members to minister not only globally but locally.

"It’s important that if we’re going to profess to be the presence of Christ that we be the presence of Christ where God has planted us, as well as where he might lead us around the world to minister," said Mid-Atlantic CBF coordinator Dub Pool.

The Turners plans to sponsor a similar event in Baltimore in the future.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Since that morning in 2005, King’s Cross and the Edwards have remained connected. The church has prayed for them, encouraged them and sought ways to partner in the Edwards’ ministry. And even as the Edwards end their two years of service, they have facilitated a partnership that will continue to extend King’s Cross’ mission globally.

Ten people from King’s Cross traveled to Thailand earlier this year, where the Edwards ministered among the Palaung, a marginalized hill tribe people. After raising money for a new water system, the church members spent a week mixing cement, hauling materials and shoveling dirt in order to build two water tanks. They also led sports and crafts camps for village children.

"Many people on our trip had not seen this kind of poverty before," said Amy Wilkins, Kings’ Cross missions minister. "We were all impacted by the resilience we saw in the hilltribe people in the face of such poverty and difficultly."

The tanks will provide water for the Upland Holistic Development Project (UHDP), a Thailand-based ministry started by CBF field personnel Ellen and Rick Burnette. UHDP assists 18 Palaung villages with sustainable agriculture and water supply.

"The ministry of UHDP is a tangible expression of the love of Christ to a people who desperately need to experience love, mercy and hope," Wilkins said. "Often we grow up with the idea that mission trips are about selling Jesus to people who don't know they need him. Instead we saw a holisitic ministry that primarily cares for people and God's creation, and evangelism happens organically in that context."

The church members also had the opportunity to work with children and families in three of the villages. This experience inspired King’s Cross to engage in a three-year simultaneous partnership with both the Fellowship and Huai Wai community.

Through the Joining the Village initiative, which is being facilitated by the UHDP, the church will provide photos and updates regarding church life every six months to the people of Huai Wai, as well as maintaining prayer support. In return, UHDP will assist the village in providing the church with photos as well as a detailed progress report every six months.

"A long-term partnership such as Joining the Village not only potentially satisfies the need of contemporary churches to be missional and hands on, but can foster understanding and meaningful cooperation between two very different communities – for example, a CBF partner congregation and a distant marginalized community," said Rick Burnette. "Such a long-term partnership allows both communities to better understand and respect each other, further enabling the church, in consultation with local Christians and missions personnel, to offer appropriate responses towards the community in need."

To learn about partnership opportunities with CBF Global Missions field personnel, call (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

But the oppression of women isn’t bound just to India. Other societies, including our own, have institutionalized and systematized oppression and even violence to women and girls. Female infanticide and circumcision, human trafficking, polygamy, pornography and prostitution are only a few examples. In the United States, domestic violence and sexual abuse against women are epidemic. Inadequate or no health care, which plagues many living in the United States, especially affects women and children. Political, business and religious institutions are nearly dominated by men who enact laws, make decisions, set policies and issue proclamations that can adversely affect or sometimes even demean women. It is most likely unintentional, but that’s part of the problem – that the effect on women and girls is not considered or remembered.

This year’s Nobel Laureate for Literature is Doris Lessing who is cited as “the epicist of female experience who with skepticism, fire and visionary power, has subjected a divided civilization to scrutiny.” Indeed civilization is divided in many ways but none more brutal than along the lines of gender. Male pride and hubris is evident in so many cultures and ethnicities and many times at the expense of women. Worldwide, there are women who are denied basic human rights, stripped of their potential and have their lives ordered by the men. May God have mercy on us.

In reflection on the life and ministry of Jesus, my heart was gladdened by observing the way He elevated the status of women. He not only called women to be his disciples, healed their infirmities and offered them forgiveness, but he included women as a part of his inner circle. In an amazing text in Luke, we are told that Jesus went from town to town proclaiming the Kingdom of God accompanied by the twelve apostles and a group of women. Three names are mentioned – Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Susanna. Then we are told that “there were many others who provided for them out of their resources.” (Luke 8:1-3) A group of women actually provided the financial resources for the itinerant Galilean ministry of our Lord.

On other occasions Jesus converses with a Samaritan woman, defends a woman against the religious establishment that wanted to kill her and welcomes the devotion of a woman when even his disciples are judgmental of her. The radical equality that Jesus creates between genders is what would inspire the Apostle Paul to declare “there is no male or female, but all are one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28) May God be praised.

In reflection on a recent book review in the New York Times, my heart was stirred. Darcy Stenke reviews Mary Gordon’s best seller, “Circling my Mother,” and begins by referencing a number of Catholic authors in the mid twentieth century, (Thomas Merton, Dorothy Day, Flannery O’Conner, Evelyn Waugh) who instead of pontificating about religion, sought to engage culture in conversation. She then writes the following,

“These days we have two kinds of religious books. Those like The Purpose Driven Life, the pastor, Rick Warren’s self-help book, insipidly set out conservative precepts encouraging us to join churches, obey doctrines and center our spiritual lives around them, no matter how limiting those lives might be in that context alone. At the other end of the spectrum are gleeful repudiations of religion like Christopher Hitchins’ atheistic manifesto ‘God is Not Great.’ But Hitchins’ definition of religion is child-like and reductive: He completely discounts the longing many of us feel for Divinity. What’s inspiring about Gordon’s deeply personal portrayal of her mother is not someone who feels she must have large ideas about what’s wrong with Catholicism, instead like those famous mid century Catholics, Gordon’s mother attends to the nourishment of her own particular religious vocation, a vocation less glamorous than Merton’s or Day’s, but no less divine – a vocation as a single mother, as one afflicted by polio, as a woman in full belief of the love of God.”

I know a number of women who are “attending to the nourishment of their religious vocation in full belief of the love of God.” Some famous, but most not famous, they live with courage, dignity and grace. They set an example for all of us. May God bless them.

Finally in reflecting on the women in my immediate family, my heart is filled with love. My wife, Earlene, of 41 years is my companion and best friend. My mother, Marie Vestal, and my mother-in-law, Rebecca Black, are godly matriarchs. My daughter, Anne England, is an exemplary Christian woman as are my two daughters-in-law, Melissa Vestal and Elise Vestal. Two granddaughters, Hallie Vestal and Daya Vestal, are sheer joy and delight. I love them, knowing full well that God loves and cherishes every woman in the world and considers each a valuable family member. God’s love for each woman exceeds any human love or devotion. God’s care for each woman makes them a treasure of inestimatable value and worth. And even as I hold each female member of my family in my heart by name, so God holds each female family member near and dear. God knows each name and cares for each personally. Each is beloved.

No woman should be exploited, abused or violated. No woman should be made subservient to the machinations of men. No girl should be sold into slavery or not have the opportunity for education and equality. No woman should be robbed of the dignity or the honor due her because she is a child of God.

While in India, one of our CBF field personnel, Sam Bandela and I distributed sewing machines to young girls in coastal villages that had been devastated by the tsunami three years ago. Though poor, they wore saris, bangles and beautiful smiles. To each we gave a sewing machine – a simple piece of equipment that will change their lives. They can now earn income and have a chance at a better future. With the certificate we presented each girl, they can now seek even further employment or education. And with the Bibles we gave, each girl now has the opportunity to discover the gospel of Christ in her own language. Perhaps in a small way we were empowering and enabling them for something great. Perhaps in a small way we were helping release them into God’s potential for their lives. Perhaps in a small way we were doing what the Church of Jesus Christ ought to be doing for all women. May God grant it for those young Indian girls, for other oppressed women and girls around the world and for us.

Daniel Vestal is executive coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, serving since 1996.

Because of the new Balama Elementary School, Motima is getting a formal education, which is available to few women in rural Liberia. Along with hundreds of other villagers, she’s learning to read and write – one way Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel Calandra and Jessy Togba-Doya are empowering a community and being the presence of Christ.

"It is just not enough to preach ‘Jesus saves’ throughout the villages we serve," Jessy said. "People need to meet the gospel being lived out in our lives. We seek to be the presence of Christ through our work by leading lives that point to Christ, being his hands and feet in hopeless situations."

In 2006, the Togba-Doyas helped open the elementary school as one of their first ministry projects in Liberia. Funding for teachers and staff come from Fellowship partner churches and other churches that support the Togba-Doyas’ ministry.

Appointed as field personnel in June 2006, the Togba-Doyas minister primarily in Bong County, where Jessy was born and remains the only person from the region that has completed high school and college. With the opening of the Balama school, he hopes that will eventually change.

It’s hard for that to change if villagers are worried about having enough food to eat or money to survive, so the Togba-Doyas started a micro-loan project to help break the cycle of poverty.

"Micro-loans offer hope to communities … by providing a sustainable approach to community building and empowerment," Jessy said. "Loans allow local residents to break the cycle of poverty and violence."

More than 600 people attended an initial workshop about the program, and 40 families have received $100 in start-up funds for businesses and gardens. Motima and her family received funds and started trading salt, soap and other products to support themselves.

"The courage and determination of Motima and other students at Balama Elementary School, as well as other villagers, continues to inspire us to do what we do," Jessy said.

Businesses have grown 15 percent, which has allowed parents to feed their children at least two meals a day.

"Their smiles tell it all," Jessy said.

Interest levied from the loans goes to provide nutritious meals for Balama Elementary students, giving villagers greater ownership of the school.

With all the development work they do, the Togba-Doyas haven’t lost sight of the reason they came to Liberia – to share Christ. Nearly 20 villagers – including Jessy’s mother – have accepted Christ through watching the Jesus Film. Beyond that, there is need for spiritual and emotional healing after more than 10 years of civil war, where many children were soldiers and many civilians were scarred.

It’s one of the reasons Jessy wanted to return to his homeland and one of the reasons Calandra, a native of Macon, Ga., felt called to minister there, too.

"I fell in love with Liberia through meeting my husband," she said. "He always knew that he would return home, and I began see how my years in ministry and social and employment services could be used in Liberia."

Individuals and churches can support the Togba-Doyas through prayer, financial contributions to their ministry and by serving alongside side them in a short-term missions experience in Liberia.

The Togba-Doyas are CBF affiliates, who serve through the Fellowship’s ministry network but raise their own financial support for their ministry. If you are interested in serving through the Fellowship, contact Matt Norman at (770) 220-1609 or mnorman@thefellowship.info.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Snipes, a pastoral resident at Haddock Baptist Church in Haddock, Ga., purchased gifts in honor of his fellow church staff, family members and all 41 students in the church youth group.

"I wanted to help the youth connect with … how easy it is to help someone in another country," said Snipes, who spent $1 on behalf of each student to buy three meals for children with disabilities at Angel House ministry in China. "They loved it, and their families loved it. They asked me to get them gift catalogs this year."

Gifts cost anywhere from $1 to $20,000 and help people across the world by providing food, Bibles, agricultural supplies, wells and other needed resources. Gifts have often been purchased for the holidays, birthdays or other celebrations, and in memory or in honor of someone.

Barbara Van Hoose of Sarasota, Fla., has a large family – five children, their spouses and 16 grandchildren. Last Christmas, on behalf of each of them, she bought a blanket for refugees and migrants in the Middle East.

"This caught my eye, and I thought that would be one thing I could do … to involve them personally … [and] to do something that they probably would not have thought of or been aware of," she said.

If a gift is purchased on behalf of an individual, that person receives a card acknowledging that a gift has been purchased in his or her name.

The gift catalog is available at www.thefellowship.info/involved/give/ or by calling (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

ATLANTA – When Mina Podgaisky first arrived in Ukraine in winter 2002, she couldn’t see them. She couldn’t recognize the more than 17,000 street children that live in Kiev because they sleep in underground tunnels and basements of high-rise apartment buildings where it’s warm, only coming up to find food. Now she knows they wear shoes with holes and too-big jackets that hide the glue they often sniff "to not feel cold, to not feel the hunger, to not feel the loneliness," Mina said. "It’s what everybody [here] does on the streets."

In the five years since Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel Gennady and Mina Podgaisky have lived in Kiev, they have learned how to recognize the street children and how to help transform the lives of these orphans and runaways.

"Being there and just hugging them and answering their questions – that makes a big difference," said Gennady, who is Russian. "It makes a big difference when you talk with them in their own language. [We] bring them something they don’t have and it’s not just food or clothes."

The Podgaiskys form relationships with street children, assist in providing them with basic necessities, and help those who want to move off the streets. That’s why they helped start Village of Hope, a foster care facility operated by the Ukrainian Center for Christian Cooperative, an affiliate of the Ukrainian Baptist Union. Now housing two foster families, the Podgaiskys hope the village will eventually hold up to 10 foster families and up to 100 children, as well as Christian camps for at-risk children, and retreats and conferences. Proceeds from the camp will offset some of the cost of supporting foster families. All these efforts stem from a passion for sharing the love of Christ.

"When I feed the hungry, when I feed the children in the street, when I give clothes to the children in the street, and give them medicine – it’s all in the love of Christ," Mina said.

They also work with a coalition of ministries and individuals, networking and partnering to do more strategic ministry than they could do alone. They lead a Bible study for new or non-Christians, which often lasts for nearly four hours. They are "maturing Christians that are in turn able to bring other people to Christ and to be light and salt in places that they live," Gennady said.

And lives have been changed through their ministry. Because of Village of Hope, two little girls, whose abusive father killed their mother in front of them, now have a loving foster father, mother and brothers. Because of the Podgaisky’s ministry on the streets, one boy accepted Christ and decided to return home – not because he needed to go back but because "he wanted to go back and witness about the one who changed his life," Mina said.

To learn about partnership opportunities with the Podgaiskys, call (800) 352-8741. To financially support their ministry, give to the Offering for Global Missions. To give, go to www.thefellowship.info/involved/give.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

ATLANTA – Dee Edwards, 23, can’t say that one-on-one English tutoring with Lucy was the highlight of her year teaching in China. It was hard to keep conversation going with a student whose English wasn’t improving very much. Yet Lucy kept coming to her teacher’s office hours every week, and Edwards kept trying.

And one day that broken English conversation turned to matters of faith. They began talking about God, and Edwards shared about her faith in Jesus Christ.

"I know that conversation had a purpose," said Edwards, who served as a Cooperative Baptist Fellowship representative to Nanning, China, for a year. "My main job was to plant seeds."

Edward’s work began last August when she began teaching at Xing Jian International College in Guangxi province. Her ministry was relational, showing students Christ through her actions and interactions with them. It wasn’t loud, off-putting evangelism. It was mentioning she believed in God. It was showing her students that she cared enough to be a good teacher. It was putting in that extra effort to make sure her students were progressing. It was being the presence of Christ and being ready to answer the question she prayed she’d be asked, why do you do the things you do?

"The biggest thing was letting them know I cared," she said. "I really think they saw I was different and was kind to them and didn’t give up on them. In the end, I really had some good conversations and knew I had made a difference."

Edwards also worked with a local church, teaching a Sunday evening English class with other CBF representatives to China, Don and Karen Barnes.

Spending a year serving overseas wasn’t something Edwards ever intended to do, but she started feeling called to overseas service during her sophomore year at Meredith College in Raleigh, N.C. The Fellowship gave her the opportunity through its Student.Go program, which sends college and seminary students on summer, semester and year-long service trips.

That year in China taught Edwards a lot about herself and the world around her, including the wealth of ministry opportunities that surround her each day. She returned to Raleigh in July with a new perspective, now seeing the importance of ministering to internationals living in the United States. Whether immigrants, refugees or international students, "if they can come to know who Jesus is, the impact can go really far," she said.

Now serving as interim youth minister at Forest Hills Baptist Church in Raleigh, Edwards isn’t sure the ministry direction her life will take. But after a year overseas, she knows she doesn’t have to be in China in order to be the presence of Christ.

"We are missionaries here, and the more we start approaching our Christian walk as a call to ministry and as a call to be missionaries, the more that the world’s going to be changed," she said.

To learn about serve opportunities available through CBF, including short-term assignments, call (800) 352-8741 or go to www.thefellowship.info/involved/serve.

To learn about partnership opportunities with the Fellowship in China, call (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

ATLANTA – When Sonia St. Cyr rode out Hurricane Katrina and survived, she called it lucky. When she was flown out of the city before the chaotic aftermath began, she called it unbelievable. But when she arrived at a Maryville, Tenn., evacuee shelter and befriended members of Monte Vista Baptist Church – the church that would eventually restore her New Orleans home – she ran out of words.

"The church is like God’s gift to the world," she said. "Words cannot even begin to say."

But somewhere St. Cyr finds the words to say that this Cooperative Baptist Fellowship partner church has been life-giving to her and her family, many who still live in Maryville.

"Not only have they helped my family, they’ve helped me," she said. "More than that, they’ve given me back life."

St. Cyr has multiple sclerosis, which makes it nearly impossible for her to repair her house that flooded during Katrina. She paid a contractor who never delivered services. She didn’t know how long she’d be living in a FEMA trailer in her front yard. But when church members learned she was having trouble rebuilding her New Orleans homes, they stepped in to help.

"We feel that when God places people in our path that we want to be responsive to that," said church member Sue Wyatt.

In six disaster relief trips church members have taken to New Orleans, two have been to help St. Cyr and her family. Now other Fellowship Baptists are helping complete repairs to the house. A $3,000 donation from another Tennessee church – First Baptist Church in Murfreesboro – has also helped in the rebuilding process.

"The need was so great," Wyatt said. "Their resources were drained. We felt these are our neighbors and we’re able to help."

"This is a beautiful story about CBF remaining the presence of Christ, long after the flood-waters have receded and the first responders have moved out to the next disaster scene," said Reid Doster, CBF of Louisiana’s disaster response coordinator.

The St. Cyr house is one of 100 New Orleans homes the Fellowship has committed to helping rebuild over the next three years with an organization called Rebuilding Together. And New Orleans is just one area that is in crucial need of Fellowship Baptists to help in the rebuilding effort.

According to Doster, more than 1,500 Fellowship Baptists have participated in Katrina relief work in Louisiana, and the need continues, particularly in Pearlington, Miss., where more than 80 percent of the community was destroyed. Fellowship Baptists were among the first to respond in Pearlington, and "I would hope we would be one of the last to leave," said Charles Ray, the Fellowship’s disaster response coordinator.

Since fall 2005, Fellowship Baptists have helped clean debris, strip mold from flooded houses, rebuild houses and help families in other ways.

"We do everything without expecting anything in return," Ray said. "We believe this is what Christ would do."

While the Fellowship responded to disasters prior to Katrina, the severity of destruction and need prompted CBF to expand its disaster response program. State CBF organizations in Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida now have an inventory of response equipment, including trailers for communication and showering volunteers, and tools for clean up and rebuilding.

State and regional CBF organizations also now designate disaster response coordinators, and Ray hopes many churches will name their own disaster response coordinator. What will also make future response efforts effective is commitment to work with other organizations – American Baptist Churches USA, Volunteers of America and the American Baptist Association.

Meanwhile, both Ray and Doster anticipate Katrina recovery extending through the summer and perhaps years to come.

"[Katrina victims] need to know they haven’t been forgotten," Wyatt said. "It’s not a time to give up on them."

For more information on volunteer opportunities, contact CBF of Louisiana’s disaster response coordinator, Reid Doster at (986) 778-6049 or reid_doster@hotmail.com Mon, 22 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT ATLANTA – Lakeside Baptist Church in Rocky Mount, N.C., a Cooperative Baptist Fellowship partner church, experienced tragedy Oct. 18 as two Meals on Wheels workers were stabbed in the church’s kitchen while they were preparing meals for that day’s delivery.