Changed Lives/Caring People” is the theme of this year’s Associational Missions Week which will be observed May 19–26 across the Southern Baptist Convention. In Alabama, 75 Baptist associations provide another cooperative ave-nue for churches to cooperate in missions, ministry and evangelism as they seek to extend God’s kingdom and spread the gospel.
As demonstrated in a variety of reports from around the state, the result has truly changed lives thanks to caring people serving a loving God.
Autauga Association
Renovation of the associational office will be completed by May 15. Volunteers from many of the churches have assisted in this extensive project and saved significant amounts of money. The project included adding 16 feet to the back, changing almost every wall, complete new electrical and plumbing fixtures with new heating and air conditioning and additions of a handicap-accessible restroom with concrete access ramps to the building.
Baldwin Association
For more than 30 years, the association has ministered to migrant workers who pass through the county. The ministry is now expanding to include resident Hispanics.
Barbour Association
Conversational English classes are being conducted to meet the needs of the large influx of Hispanics. Also, the worship service at the Hispanic Center in Louisville has increased and continues to grow.
Bethlehem/Pine Barren
Each year, the two associations (which share a director of missions, Pete Phillips) sponsor two missions trips. This year 70–80 volunteers will travel to Hampshire, Tenn., to help Swan Creek Baptist Church build a new worship center. Team members not involved with construction will conduct Vacation Bible School for the community at a nearby Presbyterian church. Others will be involved in people search (door to door), worship leadership at evening services and meal preparations. The second missions trip will be to Bloomfield, N.M. The primary thrust of this trip is to conduct a Vacation Bible School for a Baptist church of Navajo Native Americans. Some construction also will take place.
Bigbee Association
Last summer, the association sponsored its first small church revival with four churches participating. Most of the congregations are very small and do not hold regular revivals. All the services were led by a collegiate revival team and were well attended. Plans are being made to conduct another such revival this summer.
Chilton Association
Sherrell White is disaster relief team leader, and more than 200 members of the association’s churches are involved in the various aspects of this ministry such as cleanup and recovery, shelter management, food service, damage assessment and crisis counseling. Recent projects have included tornado response in Tuscaloosa and Vestavia Hills and ministry at Ground Zero in New York City.
Choctaw Association
The association launched a Men on Mission construction team last July. The ministry is primarily for widows and elderly people on fixed incomes. In the first nine months, the team completed five projects including roof replacement, water pipe and heater repair, installation of a new kitchen floor and front porch repair. The money came from donations from individuals and churches. The associational WMU provided school uniforms for needy students in several schools via vouchers. They also purchased “In God We Trust” posters for all the schools.
Clarke Association
An associational music reading workshop was begun about 10 years ago with 35 at the first workshop. This year we had 125, and there were at least six new churches participating. Ray Burdeshaw, with the State Board of Missions, leads the worship with easy music for any size church. The association does two other large ministries: Associational Accompanists/Sound Tech Appreciation Banquet each August with 65 in attendance last year and the Care Center, a clothes closet/food pantry that ministers to more than 150 people each year.
Cleburne Association
On March 2, the association hosted a fellowship for pastors and their wives at a “barn” with a great representation of churches in the association. There was fellowship, delicious food and a wonderful message from guest speaker Harper Shannon.
Coffee Association
The association’s Vineyard Conference and Retreat Center is used by the association, area churches and Christian groups from other counties for training, fellowship and evangelistic events. The missions development committee is actively leading the association in missions trips and starting new work.
Columbia Association
The association continues to resource all areas of church staff, including ministry assistants (church secretaries). The association office recently hosted a workshop/luncheon for them. The association’s XYZ Committee will sponsor a senior adult banquet in May at Calvary Baptist Church. More than 475 attended last year.
Covington Association
Three Christian Service Centers provide volunteer ministry opportunities for clothing and food distribution. Five Mission Service Corps volunteers give leadership to this ministry. A portion of the proceeds is used to fund a professional counseling ministry. Referrals are received from churches, physicians and court systems.
East Liberty Association
The Mega Day is a one-day event for the inspiring and training of church leaders and workers for the coming year. It is held the last Saturday in August each year. For the past five years, Mega Day has averaged 35–40 conferences for all areas of church life, training 405–475 people from 35 of the churches. M-Night, the Discipleship Rally in November, usually has 900–950 in attendance.
Elmore Association
The association has called Alejandro Pajaro to serve on staff as Hispanic ministries director. He will continue to serve as pastor of the Hispanic Mission at Riverside Heights Baptist Church in Tallassee.
Escambia Association
The association is participating heavily in Book Link, which sends books, Bibles, Sunday School literature and other Christian publications around the world to schools, seminaries, pastors and others who request the materials. Escambia Association is the distribution center for Alabama, which is the fifth state to participate in this ministry.
Etowah Association
The association is one of the pilot associations for “Refocusing the Church.” Sixteen pastors will complete the first year of Refocusing Training. Focused Living Retreat April 5–6 had more than 80 key church leaders trained to go back and begin leading the larger church leadership through the process. Also the association is developing a partnership with Conemaugh Valley Baptist Association of Central Pennsylvania. Conemaugh covers eight and one-half counties. This year, Etowah Association will have a Volunteers in Missions team lead Vacation Bible School in Pennsylvania with backyard Bible clubs, evangelistic surveys and more.
Fayette Association
The association has adopted a “Last Frontier” missionary family as well as an unreached people group, namely the Afar of the African Horn. For both the family and the people group, the association has committed to support them through prayer, financial support and learning more about their physical and spiritual needs.
Friendship Association
In March, 21 churches held 100 revival services within a 48-hour period of time. The Holy Spirit moved throughout the churches bringing a renewed commitment to reaching and praying for the lost, going as mission volunteers, doing local missions and increasing church gifts to the Cooperative Program. The associational office was an exciting place on Monday morning as churches brought in attendance reports that totaled 7,405 and love offerings of $14,860. Five professions of faith at three churches were reported as well as two who committed to full-time Christian service.
Limestone Association
For the fourth summer, the association will partner with the First Hispanic Baptist Church of Arlington, Texas, to conduct backyard Hispanic Vacation Bible School. Raul Tovar is the pastor of the association’s Hispanic church with his son-in-law, Joe Deleon, as the youth minister. The out-of-state missionaries will stay at Camp Helen, the associational camp, while they visit.
Pickens Association
Last year, the association launched a mission for the growing Hispanic community in Aliceville. The ministry is a joint endeavor with the Golden Triangle Association in Mississippi. Worship is conducted in the local theater on Sunday mornings. Three Bible studies are held in homes on weekday evenings. Luis and Jennie Oliva are leading the effort in Aliceville and in Columbus, Miss.
Madison Association
Crossover Huntsville, the evangelistic thrust just prior to the state convention meeting last November, saw 57 churches working together for approximately 31 days and a total of 19 projects. In all, 5,688 participated with 697 decisions for Christ.
Marshall Association
Under the direction of Linda Henry, the association is involved in the Christian Women’s Job Corps. Nine women are enrolled and volunteers teach six classes such as basic computers, cooking, money management, health and cleanliness, exercise, Bible study, high school equivalency classes and more. Marshall Association also started “The Great Physician’s Clinic” with Charles Woods of First Baptist Church, Albertville, directing. The clinic is for patients who do not have insurance. Also participating are two dentists and several doctors and nurses. The equipment was donated, and First, Albertville, leased the space to the association for $5 per year.
Mobile Association
Last year, the association raised $40,000 in one day to purchase Bibles for distribution to seamen through the International Ministries Center. Sixty churches participated with almost 800 walkers. The Bibles acquired were published in various languages.
Montgomery Association
In less than two years, one of the association’s newest ministries, Project Hope, has seen more than 3,000 people in Montgomery accept Christ. The ministry is led by Neal Hughes who along with his wife Mary are North American Mission Board-appointed missionaries. Project Hope utilizes mission volunteers from a number of the association’s churches to plant the gospel in unreached areas of the city, mostly multihousing communities in the inner city.
Morgan Association
Oak Park Baptist Church is becoming a multicultural congregation. During the past decade, the church became an “ex-neighborhood church” with current Anglo members mostly living away from the church. During the past several months, Marvin Pinchon and his congregation (Agape Ministries) of African-American members developed a relationship with Oak Park members. Agape is sharing the facilities of Oak Park for its own worship and Bible study. Oak Park will endorse the petition of Agape for membership in the association. In the meantime, Oak Park will also allow Juan Tovias to start a Hispanic mission at its facility.
Mud Creek Association
Joan Brasher, the new associational discipleship director, is planning an associational Discipleship Training rally for late summer or early fall. The association has not had a rally in a few years, and one church has reactivated its Sunday night services and begun a Discipleship Training class.
Sand Mountain Association
The associational WMU at Sand Mountain is putting together health kits for churches and area ministries. Eddie Goolesby has recently been added to the association’s team of volunteers as construction coordinator responsible for missions and ministry projects such as wheelchair ramps, minor remodeling and renovation. In addition, the association now has a counselor, Dwight Wilson, one day each week — thanks to a partnership with the Alabama Baptist Children’s Homes and Family Ministry.
Shelby Association
The association started a motor ministry. This ministry mentors and serves women who need transportation for employment. A grant from the State Department of Human Resources has allowed Shelby Baptist Association, the Shelby County Department of Human Relations, Central Alabama Skills Center and the Automotive School to partner in accomplishing this goal. Cars are donated and given to qualifying recipients.
Tallapoosa Association
The association is sponsoring a missions trip this summer to the Pikes Peak Baptist Association in Colorado Springs, Colo. Ministry activities will include construction, food services and backyard Bible clubs. Ten volunteers have also recently completed training which certifies them to teach English as a Second Language.
Tennessee River Association
Various churches have conducted missions trips to other states, including Arkansas and Montana. Others are the recipients of help from construction teams from other states.
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