In 2020, we shared the story of Heflin Baptist Church’s partnership with a congregation near Salt Lake City.
Brent Thompson, pastor of Heflin Baptist, had felt compelled to get involved in reaching one of the North American Mission Board’s Send Cities, 32 of North America’s highest populated areas with the greatest need for the gospel.
So several years ago, the church connected with Derek Duvall, pastor of Awaken City Church in Herriman, Utah, south of Salt Lake City. Heflin Baptist started sending missions teams and giving generously.
These days Thompson said the church still very much supports the effort. During the COVID-19 pandemic, even though they had to cancel travel plans, the congregation gave above and beyond to help support the work in Utah.
‘Embraced the vision’
“For a small, rural town they’ve really embraced the vision,” Thompson said. “We’re encouraged every time we hear an update from somebody out there, and I put their prayer requests in our bulletin.”
Those bulletins get posted on church members’ refrigerators to remind them to pray, he noted.
Something else gets hung up these days, too — pictures drawn by Nathan Cobb, a seventh grader and member of Heflin Baptist.
His mother, Misty, said he has been interested in serving in Utah since she traveled there last year to help with children’s camp. So when the church began planning this year’s trip, he asked if he could go.
“We had our meetings to determine interest, and they were passing out forms with the cost and other information, and he had an idea that he could help pay his way by drawing some art,” Cobb said of Nathan. “I told him that people had seemed interested in his art before, so we could try it.”
Drawing for missions
They posted seven different drawings on Facebook and offered the drawings for donations.
“I’m really proud of his efforts,” Cobb said.
Nathan’s trip is now paid for, and on June 25 he will join 14 others heading to Herriman.
Thompson said the church was happy to support Nathan.
“People in church, they were excited. I knew of some who bought his pictures, put them in a frame and said, ‘I’ll keep that to remember him by,’” Thompson said. “When people think they’re too young to come up with an idea of how to serve, I say, ‘Let me tell you a story.’”
For more information about Heflin Baptist’s work in Utah visit heflinbaptist.org/missions. To learn more about NAMB’s Send Cities visit namb.net/send-network/where-we-plant.
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