|
|
| Missions and Outreach "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of  the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age." – Matthew 28:18-20 The Great Commission sets the parameters of our service to Him. It's a call for every member of God's family. And it is GREAT. We will have other life tasks, but our primary work is to fulfill the Great Commission – in our home, in our personal life, in our neighborhood, in our workplace, in our community ... and beyond. We have been entrusted to share the Good News of Christ! This is a privilege each of us shares, as well as a responsibility we must take personally. We have many ministries which enable us to address all three strands of the Great Commission... evangelism (having a passion for the lost), discipleship (spiritual multiplication), and reaching out to the poor. We recognize that the church, having come to Christ, is to now go do the work of Christ. God only asks that we make ourselves available to Him.
Missions Update by: Theda Moore Our Missions Planning Meeting in May was extremely successful. Many ideas have come from the initial meeting and ideas are being put into action. We are seriously looking into two 2 Mission trips, one in New England and one in Haiti. More details of these opportunities for service will be available as they develop. We are also looking into areas of service here at home. Missions will be working with both the Men’s Ministry and the Women’s Ministry as we work to reach our community for Christ.
Our next meeting will be on Sunday, July 18th, immediately following the Worship service. We will be meeting in the Church Library. If you have any questions please give me a call.
GROW Outreach: G R O W stands for “God Rewards Our Work”. It is a plan to reach the world for Christ one soul at a time. We meet the third Tuesday of the month at 7:00 pm in the fellowship hall. One night each month, a group of us get together, for one hour, to write notes, pray, visit others, and make phone calls. This is our OUTREACH ministry. Each month the choice is yours as to the direction that your witnessing will take, whether you will write notes, or pray, etc.
It is a small group that meets, at the present time, but there is always room to “GROW”. Please join us! If you are interested in participating or have questions, please speak with Pat Grundman, Lynn Nissen or Pastor Jeff.
 Samaritans Purse/Operation Christmas Child: Operation Christmas Child brings joy and hope to children all over the world who are in desparate situations. For more information on this Ministry please go to Operation Christmas Child/Samaritans Purse website, or please contact Theda Moore, our Missions Committee Chairperson, at (860) 871-0592.
Lottie Moon Christmas Offering: Born into privilege on a Virginia plantation, Charlotte Digges Moon was a smart, forceful woman who could have achieved most any goal. But God’s call focused Lottie’s life on sharing Christ’s love with China’s lost masses. For 37 years she endured hardship and danger in a land oppressed by famine, disease and war. In the end, she loved the Chinese people more than life itself, giving her own food to starving neighbors – eventually dying of starvation herself.
Why is Southern Baptists’ international missions offering named for this early missionary? Throughout her career, Lottie wrote numerous letters home urging Southern Baptists to greater missions involvement and support. One of those letters, excerpted below, triggered Southern Baptists’ first offering for international missions in 1888 – enough to send three more missionaries to China.
“How many there are … who imagine that because Jesus paid it all, they need pay nothing, forgetting that the prime object of their salvation was that they should follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ in bringing back a lost world to God.”
--Lottie Moon, Tengchow, China, Sept. 15, 1887. Each year Southern Baptists participate and contribute to the Lottie Moon christmas Offering. This is part of the International Missions Board. Did you know?
1. Lottie Moon makes up 53 percent of the International Mission Board's total income.
2. 6,438 people groups are unreached for Jesus Christ; total population 3.7 billion
3. Many are responding to the Gospel; more than 400,000 baptisms overseas
4. More than 5,000 IMB missionaries’ ministries depend on Lottie Moon
5. 100 percent of the offering supports missionaries overseas
6. Sacrificial giving enables the church to actively participate in missions To learn more about the life of Lottie Moon, please go to the IMB website.
Annie Armstrong Easter Offering (AAEO): The reason we give to AAEO:
To help our missionary force reach for Christ an estimated 244 million lost people in the United States and Canada; that's three of four people. 100% of the donations go to support our missionaries. Each year, we honor the life and work of Annie Walker Armstrong (1850-1938) when we give to the annual offering for home missions named after her. As a tireless servant of God and a contagious advocate and supporter of mission efforts throughout the world, Annie Armstrong led women to unite in mission endeavors that ultimately led to the formation of Woman’s Missionary Union, for which she served as the first corresponding secretary. What do AAEO-supported missionaries do? - Start new churches
- Engage in student evangelism on college campuses
- Serve the physical and spiritual needs of people through inner-city Baptist centers
- Serve in local Baptist associations as associational missionary or other mission staff
- Provide training and ministry in apologetics (interfaith witness) evangelism
- Minister in resort settings such as campgrounds and ski areas
Please pray for the missionaries!
| |
|