Hello Church Family!
International Missions has been a major focus for our church family, these past couple of years, especially. In 2010 we sent out 16 different people from our church family on international missions. This year we had 21 different people travel to our villages in Peru to proclaim the Gospel and meet needs of the people. We have committed to return to these villages three times a year for the next four years, in hopes of building up a church in each village. We have a long ways to go, but we are working on it. Apart from sending out our own short-term missionaries from our local church body, we are also part of a bigger network of churches that sends out long-term career missionaries.
Through the Southern Baptist Convention’s International Missions Board, we help support 4,887 missionaries all over the world. We have had the privilege of meeting and working with a handful of these missionaries through our efforts in Peru. Without these missionaries we would never have met the people of Huamantanga, Quipan and Marco. We would have no trained translators for our missions teams, no one to organize our vans, drivers and plan basic logistics for our teams coming into the country.
We have noticed something happening with the our career missionaries in Peru over the last couple years. There are less of them. Some have been re-assigned to a different area of the world and some have just been sent back home. There were over 400 more Southern Baptist missionaries in 2010 than we currently have. The IMB sent out 753 new missionaries in 2009 but that number was cut to to 381 in 2010. Why are we sending out and retaining less missionaries than in years past? It is not for a lack of people willing to dedicate their lives to spreading the Gospel.. There are plenty of individuals and families waiting for their assignment. It is because the IMB just doesn’t have the funds to support all these missionaries. We support the IMB through a percentage of out general offerings and also….
Each year in December we take up a special offering called the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.
Every penny from this offering goes directly to the IMB and provides funding and supplies for our missionaries.
The offering will go through the month of December, beginning with a week of prayer(look for the Prayer Guide in this week’s bulletin).
Our goal this year is the same as it was last year; $5500.
Last year we fell just short of meeting this goal. I am hoping this year we can meet and even exceed it!
I always feel a little awkward asking for money, but we need our missionaries and we need to help
provide for them…. Please be considering this throughout the month.
Love You Guys….. Keep Chasin’ Jesus! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! -
Pastor Rob !
For more information about the International Mission Board visit their website at: imb.org!