SBA Report (con't)
The Southwest Virginia Franklin Graham Festival has brought thousands of like-minded believers together over the course of the past year. Never before has our part of the state witnessed such a compelling outreach ministry. May 2-4 will be the highlight of all of the planning and effort, but this ministry will continue for many months afterward as participating churches follow up on those who have made decisions and expressed interest in learning more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We have about eleven SBA churches actively involved in this effort and hope to have others attend the May meetings.
English as a Second Language (ESL) classes have touched the lives of individuals from China, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Russia and Ukraine. The teachers have said they have gotten more out of the classes than their students have. It is a blessing to see everyone grow and come to experience God’s love and grace in such a personal and regular way. We’ve even spun off a Spanish class so that some of our folks can learn to communicate in the heart language of Hispanics living in the area. Interestingly, these language classes have brought invitations from local schools and teachers seeking help with language barriers. Could this be God at work? Do you think we should join Him in what He is about?
Bedford’s annual CenterFest will again see an SBA sponsored booth during the September 27 celebration. Our Evangelism team is already at work, and with such a head start we should easily see many more of our churches taking an active part in manning the booth, performing, sharing literature in the streets, and helping us communicate who we are to the more than 15,000 visitors who come to town. If we speak about the priority of evangelism in our own backyard and then fail to take part in this extraordinary day in the life of our community, then we are much empty talk with little action! There is no reason we can’t boldly represent our Lord on this special Saturday.
Though most of our international mission trips are on hold as we consider present world events, local mission opportunities are knocking on the door. There are calls from Washington, DC, New York, southwest Virginia, and even Bedford County. We are exploring the possibility of a Transformers 2004 ministry in our own Association!
River Rock Church has launched into weekly meetings at the Jamerson YMCA with an average attendance of 30 to 40. On May 17, there will be a one day “Prayer Walk and Talk” activity in the Wyndhurst Community. Folks from around the Association will gather at 10:00 a.m. to head out into the community, some to knock on doors to pray for specific needs of families, and others to walk the streets and pray from a distance for God’s hand of blessing to have freedom to work among the people. Afterward the brethren will gather at the “Y” to eat together.
As we are able, there will be more ministry training and equipping events like the one held at Thaxton Church on February 22. Where there are needs God supplies the means.
We’ve made great strides in developing “www.sbava.org” as an Internet evangelism ministry. It is a blessing to hear reports of individuals who have become involved in the life of our churches because they discovered us on the Web. Besides letting the world have a glimpse of who we are, the Website has served us well as a wonderful communication forum. Many of our members now go to the site for the latest news and information of our Associational ministries and churches. Offering details and links for children, youth, and adults alike, we are only beginning to grow and minister through this technology. The Prayer Page keeps us informed of important requests from home and abroad and allows anyone anywhere to post a prayer concern that is then confidentially and immediately sent to those who have volunteered as prayer warriors.
Please prayerfully consider your stewardship in this year’s Changed Lives, Caring People Associational Mission emphasis, and be obedient to what God lays upon your heart in regards to SBA missions. Posters and offering envelopes have been sent to all our churches. (Additional offering envelopes are available from the associational office.) If you have questions or if we can help in any other way to promote this year’s emphasis, please call us.
It may be helpful if one of the church’s Executive Board representatives could take a few minutes to report on the Association’s recent Executive Board Meeting at Staunton Church. Unless we all share in this calling, we will not be an Association of cooperating Baptists.
Thank you for lifting these matters to the Lord and for sharing in the stewardship of these things most Holy. |
