One hundred and one new North American Mission Board (NAMB) missionaries will be commissioned Feb. 17 at Huffman Baptist Church in Birmingham.
The service, which begins at 5 p.m., will include inspirational music, a variety of speakers and a procession of flags representing the 50 states of the United States as well as U.S. territories and Canada.
Randy Wood, director of missionary personnel for NAMB, said, “It will be an inspiration to our newest appointed NAMB missionaries.
“It is a time of celebration, along with being a time of challenge to our missionaries,” Wood said.
While the missionaries are from various states, none of those being commissioned in Birmingham is from Alabama.
The commissioning service will be preceded by seminars for the new missionaries Feb. 13-17 at the Wynfrey Hotel. Wood described the time as one of orientation and training.
Meet the missionaries
Prior to the commissioning service on Feb. 17, the public can meet the new missionaries from 3:30 till 4:00 p.m. Two programs – one designed for adults and a second for children – will include profiles and photographs of the new missionaries.
“It will be a time when RAs, Gas and others can talk to them and get their autographs,” said Grace McGraw, director of human resource management for M-Power Ministries in Birmingham.
M-Power is an arm of the Birmingham Baptist Association that is helping coordinate the training and commissioning services.
Following the commissioning services, Wood said there will be a fellowship, which will allow people another chance to speak with the missionaries.
Wood said the training will also include a first for missionary kids (MKs). He said 27 MKs will be coming to Birmingham with their parents.
The MKs will do a mission study and visit the McWane Center, the Southern Museum of Flight, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, the offices of national Woman’s Missioinary Union and M-Power Ministries.
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