Butler churches hold joint missions conference

Butler churches hold joint missions conference

Two Butler Baptist Association churches were on a mission. 

Ebenezer East Baptist Church and Spring Hill Baptist Church, both in Greenville, wanted to “provide a missions emphasis for smaller churches in the association,” so they decided to host the first Halso Mill Missions Conference the morning of Dec. 2. 

The two churches sponsored the conference held at Ebenezer East Baptist, which included a breakfast fellowship and three sessions about different aspects of missions. 

Eugene Elder, a retired International Mission Board (IMB) representative and pastor of Sardis Baptist Church, Greenville, shared a message titled “The Mandate for Missions.” Virgil and Amy Cooper, also retired IMB representatives, and another representative who serves in a secure area of the world hosted a Q&A time where attendees asked questions about each representative’s calling, training and challenges faced on the missions field. Allen Winn, director of missions for Butler Association, closed the conference with a message titled “The Motivation for Missions.” 

Members from four Greenville churches attended the conference including Ebenezer East, Spring Hill Baptist, Liberty Baptist Church and Sardis Baptist Church.

Then each participating church escorted a representative back to participate in regular morning worship and to share a report on missions with each congregation. 

Nathan Skipper, pastor of Ebenezer East and one of the conference’s organizers, said at least 50 people attended the event and that the conference could become an annual event. 

Skipper said many attendees, and the missions representatives, said they were “encouraged” by the conference and “expressed their hope to (have it again).” 

“Hearing the stories of [representatives] and their testimonies (of) the Lord’s work in the world confirms that the gospel really is the power of God unto salvation,” Skipper said of the event. 

He was pleased with the attendance and hopes the event will “gain steam in the future” and will help Christians in Alabama to not “lose sight of the essential calling to make disciples of all nations.”  

The conference intentionally coincided with the Week of Prayer for International Missions and served as a reminder of the upcoming Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.