Five Tuscaloosa-area churches are partnering to expand missions and ministry efforts with Clarkston International Bible Church, near Atlanta.
Clarkston, known for being a refugee resettlement city, is a mere three-hour drive from Tuscaloosa, so it’s international ministry without needing a passport, said John Brooks, pastor of Five Points Baptist Church in Northport.
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Five Points, along with North River, Valley View, Capstone and Anchor Church, work directly with CIBC’s pastor Trent Deloach.
‘Most diverse square mile’
Clarkston has been a refugee resettlement city since the 1980s. It hosts people from across the world including North Africa, the Middle East and East Asia and has been described as the most diverse square mile in the country.
CIBC predates the influx of internationals arriving as refugees who now live in the area until relocated to a more permanent residence. CIBC’s members have adapted their ministry through the years to witness and minister to the nations on their threshold, Brooks said.
Several separate congregations meet in the church’s building to hold services in their own languages.
The North American Mission Board operates its Send Relief Center out of CIBC’s campus. Send Relief and the church partner to organize day camps each summer, which prompted Five Points’ students to get involved.
‘Never considered it work’
Amanda Gillam helps students make the connection.
A full-time accountant, Gillam first started volunteering in student ministry before taking on the part-time staff role of missions mobilizer. She led the students in praying for the nations, evangelizing and serving at the Send Relief Center.
“It’s so much fun, I’ve never considered it work,” she said of her student ministry responsibilities.
She also enjoys the cultural education she receives when working in Clarkston.
“You learn things you wouldn’t have ever imagined,” she said, such as not giving fruit gummies as a snack to Muslim girls (gelatin sourced from non-halal or unspecified animals is forbidden for them).
Intentional focus
Gillam and Brooks (who previously served as Five Points’ student ministers) both attribute their deep love for and intentional focus on missions to the Perspectives on the World Christian Movement curriculum.
CIBC has identified 14 apartment complexes its members target with intentional ministry. They rent out a unit in one of the complexes to host prayer meetings, Brooks said.
Each of the five Tuscaloosa-area churches plan to adopt one of the complexes and support through prayer and missions/ministry efforts.
The college interns from Five Points Baptist lived in the complex the church adopted over the summer (signing short-term leases) in order to immerse themselves in the community. Tutoring and Backyard Bible Clubs are prevalent among ministry efforts.
ESL and job training and placement remain a largely unexplored but ripe potential for outreach in Clarkston, Brooks added.
‘Sometimes you gotta go somewhere’
Brooks and Gillam said they hope the summer exposure will help prepare students to love and reach out to international students they will encounter during fall and spring semesters at college.
“Sometimes you gotta go somewhere to catch God’s vision for the nations,” Brooks said, noting he has expanded beyond the students and is now challenging everyone from the congregation to consider how they might participate.
“We’re all called to be ministers of reconciliation,” he said. “The current goal is to send a team every month.”
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