CHRISTIAN MISSIONS

Short-term mission work is rapidly growing in popularity for church youth groups and ministry teams. Many Christians agree that mission trips are helpful but admit that lack of preparedness—both cultural and spiritual—can hinder the true mission.

Approximately two million North Americans will go on short-term missions this year. Hundreds of thousands of these are teenagers who will be swinging hammers and pounding nails in places like Juarez, Mexico, and Choluteca, Honduras.

Our greatest need in Christianity is not necessarily for more short-term mission work, but for generating future missionaries and mission supporters through that exposure. This travel guide will direct and challenge you on topics like culture, flexibility, what you do and don’t have to offer, the biblical basis for mission work, relationships on the field, and ways to discover and use your gifts on your trip.

Whether it be short-term or for a lifetime, a missionary’s ultimate goal of reaching people has more to do with building relationships than making contacts. In order to do this, one must endeavor to be wholly like Jesus, who was gentle, pure, and kind; who hung out with the “untouchables”; who valued every individual He encountered; and who taught us how to truly love one another.

GRACE MANOR SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS

Sunday, February 20th was a great day for our Adults 4 Christ Class. We shared our study time, food and love with the residents of Grace Manor.
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It touched our hearts at how happy they were to see us. Some followed word for word as Joe read our study scripture for the week during his presentation. Some had to show us their rooms and most were eager to share hugs as well. When they took your hand you felt like they didn't want to let go.

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It was one of those rare days when you hold on to great feelings of joy and at the same time have to hold back a few tears.

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God has blessed our church with Grace Manor, and this was a day when we were allowed to share that blessing with the wonderful people who live there.

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Thank God for Grace Baptist Church for allowing us this great opportunity to share the love of Christ. Thank God for our teachers, Joe and Brenda Steakley for their efforts in leading us thru-out this mission.

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Below is a gift our class left for the residents, first to remember Christ and then to remember us and our visit. That morning we left with everything we needed to remember them locked away in our hearts.

REMEMBER TO DOUBLE CLICK ON ALL THE PHOTOS

THE PRODIGAL SON

The parable of the prodigal son shows the attitude of the self-righteous sinner, pictured by the older son. He quarreled with his father that the younger son had messed up and yet the father had prepared for him the “fatted calf.” Because he considered himself better than the younger son, he could not share in the father’s joy. “My son,” the father said, “you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.” The older son’s hardness of heart made him unaware of the riches available to him in his father’s house. This son complained that he had “slaved all these years.” He had no more love for the father than the younger son; nor did he avail himself of all the good things the father freely provided for him at all times. Both sin and self-righteousness separate us from God. We all require God’s grace, His unearned, unmerited love for us. The father went out to the disgruntled older son. God is He who always continues to seek after us, regardless of the state we are in.

ROOM IN THE INN

Once again the Adults 4 Christ Class stepped up and did an outstanding job handling their Room In The Inn assignment. There was so much food left over that we could have fed another group. The only thing that we had more of than food was people to help out. We served meat loaf, mashed potatoes, green beans, and rolls. As well as the regular desserts offered by the church our class provided and served Blue Bell ice cream to everyone. Gloves and reading glasses, purchased with money collected at our Christmas Party were given to each person in the group. Rob and Caye Darnell conducted the prayer and worship service.

IMPORTANT NOTE: It’s always amazing when this Class is given an assignment and before they’re done they raise the bar a notch or 2. Thank God for this Mission Project and for Grace allowing us to help.

God is always fair. He will remember how you helped his people in the past and how you are still helping them. You belong to God, and he won’t forget the love you have shown his people.
Hebrews 6:10 (The Contemporary English Version)

The SBC Day of Prayer is a time of prayer, fasting, and repentance. The goal of this Solemn Assembly is for congregations to "Be still and know that God is God," as a sign of humility and desire to wholeheartedly return to Him. By being still before Him (see Psalm 46:10), we exalt our God and position ourselves to obey the Great Commandment found in Mark 12:29-31 and the Great Commission our Lord gave in Matthew 28:18-20. We have forgotten our first love (Revelation 2:4). We need revival in the SBC. We need God's direction.

WHO WAS LOTTIE MOON

Lottie Moon - the namesake of the international missions offering - has become something of a legend to us. But in her time Lottie was anything but an untouchable hero. In fact, she was like today's missionaries. She was a hard-working, deep-loving Southern Baptist who labored tirelessly so her people group could know Jesus.