Lance sets ‘simple’ statewide goal

The dream I have is that one day really soon, every church will in one year baptize at least one person … and give something to the Cooperative Program (CP),” said Rick Lance, executive director of the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM).
   
During his Nov. 14 report to messengers at the Alabama Baptist State Convention annual meeting, Lance said his hope for the year was for each church to focus on “someone and something for the Savior.”
   
“It was an ‘aha’ moment I had recently … a spiritual moment of the quiet simplicity of understanding what’s important,” he said.
   
As a way to break down “what’s important” in terms of a statewide goal, Lance challenged each Alabama Baptist church to reach one person for Christ, begin the pattern of giving something to the CP and report both Kingdom successes on the annual church report this year.
   
The “someones” Baptists need to reach live in Opp and Opelika, Atmore and Ardmore — all across the state, he said. “We are responsible for our Jerusalem and Judea.” 
   
But Alabama Baptists also are responsible for “Samaria” and “the ends of the earth,” Lance added.
   
According to him, “Samaria” for state Baptists is the new Michigan partnership messengers voted that day to adopt (see story,  page 3) and “the ends of the earth” are Ukraine and Guatemala, the partnerships approved at last year’s annual meeting.
   
“(The concept of partnering) is an interpersonal, interactive kind of relationship that God has given us to be able to use to share the gospel,” he said.
   
Other relationships the SBOM has put special emphasis on this year are those of state missionaries with Alabama Baptist churches.
   
“When I came to this position, I knew we (state convention staff) needed to have good relationships and good rapport with the convention and its churches. We decided six years ago to contact and visit every single church,” Lance said. “It took us six years, but as of Oct. 31, we have done it.”
And Jan. 1, 2007, they will start over.
   
“Everything we do in word or deed, we do it all in the name of Jesus Christ,” Lance said. “It’s all done to win someone and give something for the Savior.” (TAB)