Ken Hall, president of Buckner Baptist Benevolences and current president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, issues a challenge to “rescue” the needy in the world on the final day of the We Love Missions conference at Trinity Baptist Church in San Antonio, Texas.

SAN ANTONIO – The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship concluded the three-day We Love Missions conference with a bilingual, cross-cultural service highlighted by messages from Buckner Baptist Benevolences President Ken Hall and Alcides Guajardo, president of the Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas.

Music from the Emmanuel Trio Singers, Leticia Curiel and the Dallas-based bilingual praise band, True Vine, set the tone for a service that served as an example of the kind of cross-cultural ministry needed to reach the world with the gospel in the new millennium.

Hall shared a story from Winnie the Pooh in which Eeyore the donkey fell into a river, as a way to call attention to the world’s need – "Eeyore says, ‘Pooh, if it isn’t too much trouble, would you mind rescuing me?’"

Many need rescuing in the world, including the 14 million to 17 million African children orphaned by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, Hall said. The church must focus on rescuing the world in this time of desperate need, he said.

The Tallowood Theatre and Tallowood Players of Tallowood Baptist Church in Houston presented compelling dramatic interpretations of the missions themes during worship services at the We Love Missions conference at Trinity Baptist Church in San Antonio, Texas.

"The first thing we need to do is recapture the history of who we are," said Hall, who currently serves as president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. "We are servants of Jesus Christ. We are disciples. We are His students, His apprentices. If we are going to rescue people, we need to remember that He is the master."

Hall said as Baptists, we are often under the delusion that the church exists for us, missing the command to take the "Good News" to all nations.

"Our chief task is evangelism, missions, direct involvement in the lives of people," Hall said.

He also challenged Baptists not to be isolated but to join in partnership with those doing authentic ministry in a world of need.

"It grieves me that often we Christians look at what separates us instead of what unites us," Hall said. "Let me say how strongly I affirm the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and its ministries. As a Texas Baptist, let me say it is beyond time to figure out ways to work with others to do better the task of rescuing the perishing."

Following Guajardo’s explanation of local church ministry in Mexico, CBF Coordinator Daniel Vestal asked all of the participants to form a circle in the auditorium and take hands. Before closing with the Lord’s Prayer, he thanked the attendees and expressed the significance of the event.

"I believe this conference represents a historic beginning," Vestal said. "You will look back on these three days and say you were involved in a milestone in missions."

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.