Hale Baptist Association sent an associational team of 10 people on a missions trip to Ramey, Pa., July 12–18 as part of the North American Mission Board’s Impact Northeast emphasis.
The team was composed of Hale Director of Missions Denny Goodwin, his wife and members of Greensboro Baptist Church and New Hope Baptist Church, Moundville. They assisted Moshannon Valley Baptist Church, Ramey, in a revival effort by doing door-to-door visitation and witnessing.
Several people joined the church and made professions of faith as a result. The trip was a result of a three-year partnership between Alabama’s Hale and Etowah Associations, and between Greensboro Baptist and Moshannon Valley Baptist.
At Centreville Baptist Church, “vacation” means “missions.” Twenty men from Centreville used a week of “down time” in June to build up the cause of Christ on the West Coast.
The missions team spent the week building a 3,500-square-foot educational building for Foothills Baptist Church in Medford, Ore.
When they arrived, they found only a foundation and tool trailer waiting for them, as well as Centreville members J.R. and Jackie Capps, who met the team there while on their vacation to serve the lunch and dinner meals at the site.
Centreville Pastor Kenneth Fuller said the team’s “personal sacrifice, their hard work and their genuine spirit of cooperation” was wonderful.
The construction crew worked from 3:30 a.m. until 9 p.m. each day and had the building complete by lunch on the fourth day. Part of the team simultaneously wired the new fellowship hall, which had been constructed the previous week by a team from another church.
The team’s labor paid off, said Fuller, who also worked with the team. “Now — where only a foundation once stood — there was a building they desperately needed. God had answered their prayers and allowed us to be a part of it,” Fuller said.
Coffee Baptist Association sent 90 youth and adults to southeast Alabama to minister through backyard Bible clubs, construction and revival service June 21–28. Backyard Bible clubs were held in several of the Indian churches of south Washington county as well as a city park in Chickasaw. Construction continued on a project begun last year to provide a new building for Oak Hill Baptist Church. Revival services were held June 22–25 at First Baptist Church, Chickasaw. Georgetown Baptist Church served as home base during the week. Fifteen Coffee County Baptist churches will be represented. John Granger is director of missions.
Fifty-two adults and youth from First Baptist Church, Russellville, conducted a Day Camp July 6–12 in Rochester, N.Y., for children residing in The Pines of Perinton apartment complex. There was an average of 80 children in attendance with 200 present for the Thursday night hot dog supper. Members of First, Russellville, have traveled to Rochester for 13 years to minister to children there.
Mount Hebron West Baptist Church, Elmore, sent a prayer walk team of seven members to Guatemala. The team was Pastor Ken Clement, Randy Boyer, Jim Browder, Mary Frances Davis, Larry Folmar, Donald Scott and Linda Scott. They worked with International Mission Board missionaries and prayed over three regions of work with the Kekchi, including Radio Kekchi.
The missions team also visited Tzetun Baptist Church in the area. During the service, Clement preached while SBC missionary Jim McGriff interpreted.
A missions team from First Baptist Church, Red Bay, went to Wilson, Wyo., June 16–20. More than 30 people were involved in remodeling a house and preparing meals. Wilson Baptist Church and Teton Resort Ministries both use the house. Summer missionaries also live in the house while they work with the Teton Resort Ministries. Money saved by the volunteer efforts of First, Red Bay, members will allow Wilson Baptist Church to buy church property for a permanent building sooner than expected.
Forty-four members of Tharptown Baptist Church in Russellville traveled to Montpelier, Vt., June 27–July 3 to conduct church leadership training for churches across the state.
They led sessions in deacon ministry, Sunday School, accounting, children’s ministry, women’s ministry and music. They also conducted a three-day Vacation Bible School in Concord, Vt.
Other activities included painting the fire hall, cleaning the school grounds, prayer walking, witnessing, giving out water and handing out tracts.
Chip Martin, pastor of Tharptown Baptist, led the Sunday morning worship service in Concord.
A missions team from First Baptist Church, Russellville, will go to Transdniestria (Eastern Europe) Nov. 22–30. Five volunteers from First, Russellville, will join a team of 20 to visit 12 orphanages and adult facilities to place fur-lined boots on the residents and present the gospel. The team plans to raise $15,000 to purchase the boots.
First Baptist Church, Red Bay, has 18 volunteers scheduled for a medical missions trip to Ecuador Oct. 15–24 to work with missionaries Harry and Donna Harper.
They will conduct medical/dental clinics in Quichua Indian communities located in the Andes Mountains in northern Ecuador. The dirt floor houses have no running water or electricity and have no access to medical/dental care except from volunteer teams.
The Harpers said they use medical/dental teams to model Christian love and caring to the Quichua. Many times medical/dental teams are the first contact the Quichua have with Christians, according to the Harpers. Previous Quichua communities visited by missions teams now have Bible studies, house churches and a Christian presence.
More than 500 volunteers from around the nation came to Perry County this summer to bring hope and help to people there through Sowing Seeds of Hope. Sowing Seeds of Hope is a faith-based, community focused initiative that began several years ago as a partnership between a group of Alabama Baptists and the citizens of Perry County.
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