Our Blog

September 2016 Women On Mission

The Gospel Reaches Refugees in St. Louis

[Missouri] At 10:02 my watch alarm beeps as a reminder to pray, just as it has done twice a day every day for the past year.  The time references Luke 10:2, Jesus’ exhortation to pray for more workers in the harvest.  It is so clear that God is mobilizing people to accomplish His will for our city, which is an answer to prayers.  God is laying a strong foundation for an exciting future for this ministry effort.

I have been challenged to start a movement of house churches among refugees living in and around St. Louis.  This involves sharing the gospel and training leaders in the community to multiply themselves and their gatherings so the name of Jesus may be exalted among all peoples.  We are able to engage people here who would be in areas closed to gospel outreach in their home country.  It’s exciting to see how God is working to bring the nations to us.

Usually, our first obstacle in sharing the gospel is overcoming misconceptions people have about Christianity.  Many come to this country with certain expectations of our culture and our faith, and we must build bridges with love and truth so they can see the truth of the gospel.

Another obstacle we face is the idea that a person cannot change his faith.  For many in this community, to be from a particular country is to be of a particular faith.  It is difficult for them to see that one can be a believer in Christ and still be a part of his or her cultural experience.

Pray for the Holy Spirit to do a mighty work in the hearts of the lost throughout our city.  Pray He will send dreams and visions so they will know Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

-Matthew Clark, missionary

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If you have not returned your World Hunger banks, please do so this Sunday.
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Women on Mission will meet Monday, September 12 at 6:00 p.m. at the church.  All our ladies are invited to join us.

Women On Mission August 2016

A FOCUS ON GLOBAL HUNGER RELIEF

Southern Baptists have always been concerned about the plight of world hunger. 

In the mid-1970s, a worldwide food shortage caused us to develop an organized response to the problem.  We have served the hungry throughout history, but the first World Hunger Day in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) was in 1978.

SBC giving records for world hunger date back to at least 1977.  In 1997, a resolution passed by the SBC referred to the “world hunger fund”, an informal way of talking about money given to help conduct hunger ministries.

Only the offering for Global Hunger Relief uses 100% of all contributions to provide relief for hunger related causes, including not just food, but also clean water and education.  This is possible because of personnel are already in place and administrative and promotional costs come from other budgets.  The North American Mission Board receives 20 cents of  every dollar to support hunger projects in the United States.  Eighty cents of every dollar goes to  the International Mission Board to be used for
hunger relief, including water well drilling, agricultural education, water purification, etc.

When Southern Baptists give food or teach better ways to grow it, they are there for the long haul, seeking to build relationships with people and eventually lead them to a relationship with Christ. 

— written by Ann Knowles

In the world today …..

An estimated 1.02 billion people, or about one-sixth of the world’s population, are undernourished.  Every five seconds, a child dies from malnourishment.  In the United States alone, 49 million people - 17 million of whom are children - do not have enough to eat.  These are sobering facts for those of us who never miss a meal.  What can we do to help change these numbers?                    

   —statistics cited at GlobalHungerRelief.com

We will receive banks back at the church on August 14th.  These may be left at the Welcome Center.

Women on Mission will meet Monday, August 8th at 6:00 p.m. at the church.  All ladies are invited to join us.