It’s hard to imagine just how much we have been blessed by Alabama Baptists,” said Dexter Hardy, pastor of Connections Community Church, Ypsilanti, Mich.
Hardy said the missions teams sent by the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM) have helped Connections grow spiritually.
“Our church has begun to understand what missions is all about,” he said. “Most of our congregation has no Southern Baptist background. As teams have come, it’s made my job easier to foster a missions environment in our own church.”
Of course, providing help with weaknesses is what a partner is supposed to do. And since 2007, the Alabama Baptist State Convention and the Baptist State Convention of Michigan (BSCM) have been doing just that for each other.
Pastor Roger Green was called to serve Lake St. Helen Baptist Church, St. Helen, Mich. — his first church — one month before teams from Alabama helped host simultaneous revivals in nine of Pines Baptist Association’s 12 churches in 2008.
“The revival was just what we needed,” Green said. “We took the revival ideas and kept the momentum going. The church doesn’t stop at the walls of the church building. The people here have taken that idea to heart.”
Before the revival, seven members attended Lake St. Helen Baptist, and now more than 80 attend on a regular basis.
Reaching out to the community was the message several missions teams brought to Fellowship Baptist Church, Saline, Mich.
“Through the relationships formed in town, we are provided an open door to share our faith,” Pastor Bert Span said, adding the church really has become “a necessity for Saline now.”
But Alabama Baptists’ help has been more than just spiritual.
In 2010, a team of Mobile Baptist Builders worked on Holland Baptist Church’s building, taking it from foundation to nearly finished in two weeks.
“We called it the Extreme Makeover: Church Edition,” said Mike McCoy, director of missions for Woodland Baptist Association, of which Holland Baptist is a member.
The SBOM has provided the funds to complete the building.
Trinity Baptist Church, Newaygo, Mich., needed help drilling a well on the church property. The SBOM provided the funds to complete the work on the well and “helped [Trinity Baptist] out tremendously,” McCoy said. “[The church] is in their building now.”
First Spanish-American Baptist Church, Lansing, Mich., needed financial help in 2009. The building’s gas had been turned off because of a $3,000 debt incurred by the previous owner.
“We couldn’t pay it off, but Alabama Baptists really helped us out,” Pastor David Pizaña said.
The SBOM donated $2,500 and the heat was turned on and services began again.
During the state conventions’ partnership, Michigan Baptists have used their gifts and talents to help meet needs in Alabama, too. Over the past few years, Central and Lendale Baptist associations have sent youth teams to West Cullman Baptist Association to do prayer walking and evangelism.
“Real partnership is about building relationships,” said Reggie Quimby, director of the SBOM’s office of global missions, which facilitates missions partnerships.
That’s something Alabama and Michigan Baptists seem to have done well as their partnership has evolved from one state convention working with another to associations partnering with each other and church-to-church partnerships.
“[Alabama Baptists] are just like our friends now. We’ve fallen in love with one another,” said Hardy, who also serves as the BSCM’s African-American leader. “It’s not even about having an official partnership anymore.”
Comments like that are encouraging for Michigan Baptist leaders like Ted Stephens, the BSCM’s church-planting team leader.
“Even after the actual partnership ends (in 2012), I have no doubt that some (associational and church partnerships) will continue for years to come, because they’ve built relationships,” he said.
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Prayer requests from Michigan
“A prayer we have had for this church is the knowledge to help the church to grow and to run the way God would want it to run. We need Sunday School teachers and worship leaders as well. We pray for growth and for many in our neighborhoods to accept Christ.”
— Pastor David Pizaña of First Spanish-American Baptist Church, Lansing
“We need a leader for our children’s ministry. We just don’t have anyone with a passion for that area of work. This has been a long-running prayer. We also pray for continual spiritual growth for our membership. About 80 percent to 85 percent of our congregation is made up of new believers.”
— Pastor Dexter Hardy of Connections Community Church, Ypsilanti
“We are praying for a recommitment of our people and churches to touch this state for Christ.”
— Director of Missions Chuck Turner of Central and Lendale Baptist associations
“Every Wednesday morning, six to eight pastors and I meet to pray for west Michigan. We would love it if Alabama Baptists would join with us in prayer for this area. We’ve seen God move in Woodland Association with a 75 percent increase in baptisms. We think that is because we have our folks gathering together in prayer.”
— Director of Missions Mike McCoy of Woodland Baptist Association
(Compiled by Neisha Fuson)
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