When Dewey and Kathie Aiken survey the landscape of Vermont, they see much more than the beautiful red and yellow leaves of autumn and 150-year-old churches with white steeples piercing the blue skies of summer.
Instead the couple is haunted, unable to sleep some nights, when they ponder the lostness of the majority of Vermonters and the urgency to reach the New England state’s population of 623,000 with the gospel. It’s estimated that only 2 percent are committed believers in Christ.
"Vermont is a beautiful state, and it’s full of beautiful people," Kathie said. "But we know that beneath the facade there is a lostness. Something is missing in people’s lives. I see the sadness in so many of their faces."
The Aikens, a husband-wife team of Mission Service Corps missionaries commissioned by the North American Mission Board (NAMB), say their passion for Vermont stems from the urgency of the state’s bleak spiritual condition.
Hailing from Brevard, N.C., Dewey, 56, and Kathie, 54, were celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary 10 years ago when they vacationed in Vermont. They fell in love with the Green Mountain State.
Already active in missions and disaster relief back in North Carolina, the Aikens returned home and after several years, retired from their successful first careers — Kathie as a registered nurse and Dewey as a purchasing manager for Duke Energy.
"When we came up here on our anniversary, we saw the need here in New England," Kathie said. "We had careers that we were finishing up, and we knew it was time for a change."
But coming from a strong Southern Baptist state like North Carolina, the Aikens initially faced some culture shock upon their arrival in Vermont, a state known for its liberal political and secular bent.
A hindrance to their ministry, the Aikens say, is the fact that many in Vermont have "just enough religion in their pasts to think that because they were baptized as infants they’re going to heaven. Or they think they are ‘genetic Christians’ because their families attended church or were members of a certain faith."
Kathie gets frustrated at times because she sees children and young people who don’t understand the Bible and say the Bible has never been read to them, even in a church. So whether ministering to young people or conducting a Bible study for a group of 80-year-olds, Kathie tries to keep it basic and simple.
Rather than ask a person if he or she is a Christian — since two-thirds of most Vermonters consider themselves Christians — Kathie instead asks "Was there ever a time in your life when you asked Christ to be your personal Savior?" Or "Do you have a personal relationship with Christ?"
While Vermont is dotted with beautiful old churches built in the 1800s and before, many have closed their doors. People in some churches just quit coming; some churches died spiritually or financially; and others closed because entire families finally died out.
But Washington Baptist Church, the only Southern Baptist church around, is open for ministry. Located in the village of Washington (population 1,000), the church has 90 members, including the Aikens.
Right off Washington’s village square is the Calef House and Retreat Center, a 7,400-square-foot Victorian mansion built in the mid-1800s. Today it’s managed by the Aikens for God’s work.
Purchased from the local Catholic parish in the late 1990s by Washington Baptist and operated by Green Mountain Baptist Association, the house was completely renovated by Southern Baptist volunteers who came from across the country.
Some 300 Southern Baptist "guests" stayed at the Calef House from April to November 2007, most of whom were on mission trips to Vermont from around the United States. "We’ve had a lot of mission construction teams to come in and help us do construction on our church buildings," Dewey said.
"The Calef House is an economical place where they can come, get a good night’s sleep, good food and a fresh shower. We’ve had about 80 teams come to Vermont this year, 50 just from North Carolina."
But according to Dewey, there is a lot of work remaining. "We are here because God, first of all, called us here," Dewey said. "Southern Baptists need to understand that New England is an area that needs the gospel. And we need workers."
In light of that, the Aikens have no intention of leaving anytime soon. "We just signed up for two more years … right now in our lives, I can’t imagine doing anything else," Kathie said. (NAMB)
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