ATLANTA – To honor the memory of a man who struggled with physical infirmities for much of his life, Immanuel Baptist Church in Frankfort, Ky., has set a goal of raising $50,000 to build a maternity clinic in Zambia this year.

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.