By Drew Moss
International Mission Board
My family’s involvement in Church Connections has provided opportunities for mutually beneficial relationships to be formed between our family and Southern Baptist churches. Through these new relationships, we have been encouraged, prayed over and sent out as we walked through a difficult season of transition to a new field of service in northwest London.
Most of the churches we’ve contacted have had no previous connection to the International Mission Board.
One way we connected with a church in our area, Hill Spring Baptist Church, Mobile, Alabama, was by joining them in a special project. We heard they were building a family life center and had planned a workday.
Opportunity to share
That morning we shared with several church members about our previous role as church planting strategists in eastern Europe, and during the lunch break, we were asked to share about God’s faithfulness.
I expressed gratitude to the church for their partnership and shared how their giving enabled us to go.
After lunch, I connected with Hill Spring’s pastor, and in the following weeks, I periodically texted him to offer encouragement. One day, he called and told me he needed shoulder surgery. He asked if I would be willing to preach for him so he could have that surgery.
As I preached, I shared our story of God’s faithfulness, how He is working across Europe and how the church’s giving enables that work.
Rewarding privilege
It is rewarding to have the privilege to express gratitude to churches for their giving through the Cooperative Program and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.
The connections we made were not only beneficial for the IMB and our family but also for the churches that faithfully support our work through prayer, giving and going. These connections encourage their perseverance and commitment to partnership in the Great Commission.
EDITOR’S NOTE — The IMB recently initiated Church Connections to facilitate connections between missionaries and churches who do not have direct contact with a missionary.
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