Category: Missions

Mission Peru: Hakka

6/23/2015

On Friday, First Baptist Church of Moreland will be sending four people to Peru on the church's first-ever international mission trip in her 186-year history.

Please be in prayer for myself, Eric Ramey, Kerry Howard and Macie Perry as we try to engage the Hakka people group with the Gospel. The Hakka are Han Chinese people who speak the Hakka Chinese language and descended from southern China. They now live all over the world.

Click here to learn more about the Hakka of Peru from the IMB's people groups website. IMB personnel told me they only know of one believer among the Hakka. We'll be working in Lima's Chinatown (pictured below).

Not only will our team be in Lima, but the Hakka also live in a city 2-3 hours south of Lima called, Canete, we'll also serve in. We'll also be traveling to a city called Chosica, which is two hours east of Lima in the foothills of the Andes Mountains. There's a Baptist Campground there we'll be doing VBS-style ministry with children. The IMB workers said children's ministry typically involves soccer. Fortunately, all four of us on our team have been Upward Soccer coaches!

We hope to share the Gospel with people who need Jesus and encourage our IMB personnel. Our church has adopted the Hakka - we hope this is the beginning of multiple mission trips to Peru for FBCM.

Thank-you for praying for our safety and for the receptivity to the Gospel.

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World Hunger Sunday

10/10/2014

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This coming Sunday in Southern Baptist life is World Hunger Sunday. On this Sunday churches are asked to make a donation to the World Hunger Fund - now known as Global Hunger Relief (GHR). GHR gives 100% of every dollar received towards fighting hunger in the U.S. and internationally. They're able to do this working through the North American Mission Board and the International Mission Board.

Our church, First Baptist Church of Moreland, Georgia, has two ongoing food ministries. We have an emergency food pantry in our fellowship hall helping anyone who asks on an as-needed-basis. We also go to The Home Lodge, a motel three miles north of the church, and feed residents on a monthly basis. Both of these food ministries always have a need - hunger is in every community. For our annual Trunk or Treat on October 24, "admission" is a can of food for our food ministry.

When you read the stats from GHR about hunger throughout our country and the world - its shocking how much of a reality and ongoing struggle finding the next meal is.

I remember in 2009 witnessing hunger in Cleveland, Georgia in the North Georgia Mountains. We were working in a trailer park - there was a "community center" and residents came to receive daily food. We gave away food, which allowed us to share the Gospel. By meeting the residents hunger needs, they listened to us share about Christ.

Jesus used hunger to move people to hunger for God. He declared in John 6:35, "I am the bread of life."

If your church has a food ministry or is thinking about beginning one, make sure you're not giving bread alone (Matthew 4:4).

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Leaving for Lottie's Land

7/23/2014

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Flat Lottie Moon

This morning we're leaving for a 16-day trip to Beijing, Guangzhou, and Dongguan, China. We're going to adopt our new daughter, Esther Miao Ausbun. Sherri and I are bringing our two oldest children, Daniel, Jr. and Elizabeth as well.

Last Christmas Southern Baptist gave a record 154 million dollars to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions. The largest amount in the offering's 125-year history. First Baptist Moreland raised a record $3,535.79 this past Christmas. Did you know one billion people (1 out of 7 people on earth) will live their lives without ever hearing about the Gospel.

A small lady from Albemarle County, Virginia born in 1840 wanted to reduce the world's lostness.

Lottie left her affluent Virginia plantation in 1873 (she was 33 years old) and spent 40 years as a single adult telling the Chinese about Jesus. Lottie and her younger sister, Edmonia, spent their lives reaching Chinese women and children with the Gospel.

She wrote letters back home pleading for Southern Baptists to give towards missions. If there was more funding, then more missionaries could come join her work in China. She first suggested Southern Baptists collect a Christmas offering for foreign missions. In 1888, the first Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for foreign missions raised $3,315.26 surpassing the $2,000 goal. This was enough to send three missionaries. Lottie gave her life to the Chinese - she became sick when she was 72 years old and died on December 24, 1912 in the harbor of Kobe, Japan returning home for medical care.

Today China is experiencing spiritual revival - possibility 10% of the country is Christian. Many of the churches planted and seeds sown were originally scattered by Lottie.

Lottie reminds us that lostness is the world's greatest problem. It afflicts every city and country - there's people all around who do not love Jesus. As we leave for Lottie's land today, please pray that all four of us will be a witness for Christ. Southern Baptists have a great legacy and passion for taking the Gospel to China.

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Mission: World Cup

6/11/2014

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The U.S. Soccer Team plays Ghana on Monday June 16 at 6 p.m. ET

Today the Southern Baptist Convention is concluding in Baltimore - but something even bigger begins tomorrow.

On Thursday June 12 at 4 p.m. ET Brazil opens the World Cup against Croatia. The World Cup occurs every 4 years and is the world's premier soccer tournament. It's followed more than the Super Bowl and the Olympics. 32 countries have national teams in the tournament. All 64 matches will be aired on ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC. The championship match will be Sunday July 13. Brazil and Spain are two of the favorites - Spain won the Cup in 2010. The matches will be played in 12 different cities throughout Brazil. Russia will host the World Cup in 2018 and Qatar in 2022.

Our International Mission Board (IMB) has missionaries and World Cup mission teams across the country sharing the Gospel with soccer fans. How can you help? You can pray for a World Cup revival. 600,000 people are expected to travel to Brazil and nearly 1 billion are expected to watch it on TV (the final matches are the most-watched sporting events in the world).

Pray for the workers sharing the Gospel.

Pray for opposition to be removed.

Pray for language barriers to fall.

Pray for soccer fans to place their hope in Christ.

Follow the IMB's World Cup prayer updates:

IMB American Peoples Prayer Facebook Page
IMB American Peoples Prayer Twitter Account
Brazil is in the American Peoples Affinity Group

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Why Lottie Moon?

12/30/2013

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2013 is almost over. Another year. Another Christmas. Another New Year. Another Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions. Still 3,030 unengaged, unreached people groups who did not hear the Good News about Jesus in 2013. Nearly two billion people still have no access to the Gospel.

You might be glad Christmas is over, but God is saddened by the billions who did not celebrate His Son's birthday. Evangelism and missions is the plan and purpose of God's people. Lottie Moon is important because she reminds us there's unfinished work. Here's three reasons why Lottie Moon is a must:

The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions should be THE priority special focus offering of Southern Baptist churches. Taking the Gospel to the nations is a command directly from our Lord. Giving is one of the best ways of reaching the nations. Our church is approaching our all-time record for Lottie Moon: $3,367 (set in 2009). The best gift we'll ever give is the gift of Jesus. Lottie Moon provides a platform that 100% of the gifts are used overseas. There is no greatly privilege for a pastor or WMU director to encourage their church to give to Lottie Moon.

Lottie Moon reminds us that God has chosen to share His Son via humans. We have no idea why God chose sinners as His messengers, but He did. If Christians ceased sharing the Good News, lost people would not hear and believe. Christians should be able to share their testimony and tell a lost person how to be saved.

Lottie Moon is an example we desperately need today. Lottie Moon left her home in Virginia in 1873 and served 39 years in China telling people about Jesus. She never married, yet was totally His. She became sick and passed away in the Japanese harbor of Kobe on December 24, 1912. She was 72 years old. She lived a selfless life, giving all to the Lord.

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Lessons Learned from the Delta

7/31/2013

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12 days ago 37 people from First Baptist Moreland returned from a week-long mission trip to one of America's poorest regions - the Mississippi Delta. This was the largest and the farthest mission trip our church has taken. Here are 4 important lessons I observed from our recent trip:

1). Mission teams must be connected to a local church. We hosted 3 church-based VBS' and 1 community-based VBS at a local community center. The community VBS was sponsored by an area church, but I don't believe the children nor parents associated the community VBS with the church 4 blocks away. Community-based ministry must connect to an area church.

2). A local church must follow-up after the mission team. A mission team isn't performing a "show" nor are they on "tour" - rather they should be planting seeds a local church would come after and water.

3). A mission team must intentionally encourage a local church. Too many churches in the Delta are discouraged and dying. The real mission might not be towards the unchurched and unsaved - rather to spark a revival with the local church. The missionary is the one who travels and encourages people in the Lord - we're the one ministering to others, we shouldn't have an entitlement attitude.

4). Missions always begins at home. If you're not living a missional lifestyle here in Newnan, Georgia - it's going to be hard to transform into a one-week missionary. The Delta opened my eyes to the poverty and needs here in Georgia. Why spend hundreds and thousands of dollars reaching children in a trailer park in Sidon, Mississippi if I'm not willing to drive into the numerous trailer parks here in Coweta County?

Pictures from the Mississippi Delta

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Forward>>

Mission Peru: Hakka

World Hunger Sunday

Leaving for Lottie's Land

Mission: World Cup

Why Lottie Moon?

Lessons Learned from the Delta

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