GABC MISSIONS
we make disciples that worship, grow, and go
Japan Mission Clip
Quick link: Sign up for the Japan Mission Clip by clicking HERE
We are heading to Japan virtually for a couple of hours on Tuesday, June 23, 7pm-9pm. We will be hearing from Butch Booth who is serving as a missionary there.
Butch & Ellen Booth run Nevertheless Missions. During this time with them you will get to hear about their struggles and successes in reaching one of the least-reached people groups in the entire world.
According to the Joshua Project, the Japanese, numbering 121 million, are only 0.3% Evangelical Christian.
Be sure and use the link above to get signed up for this “trip.” On Tuesday, you will be emailed a private link to access the the meeting. If you have any questions, feel free to email our Mission Pastor, Scott Ward.
Columbus Mission Clip
Quick link to sign up: Click HERE
This Thursday, June 18th at 7pm we will be doing a short “virtual” mission trip to Columbus, Ohio with Living Hope Church. This church was planted by Aaron & Elizabeth Taylor and Joe & Erin Kibbey.
Aaron will be with us LIVE, and you will be able to ask him questions about the church plant and ministry in Columbus.
This is a GREAT opportunity to get to know one of our partners. Be sure and get signed up. I will email out a private link on Thursday to be able to access the Mission Clip later that evening.
Mission Clips
Quick Link: Click HERE to sign up for a Mission Clip
As most of you know, we have had to cancel all of our upcoming mission trips due to the pandemic. Hopefully, we will be able to resume planning trips soon.
In the meantime, we will be hosting Mission Clips. These will be short “virtual mission trips” to visit each of our partners. We will host these online for a couple of hours where our missionaries and church planters will be able to share with us their ministry. We will be able to ask questions, encourage them, and pray for them.
You will need to sign up to participate in a particular trip. You can sign up by clicking HERE. Prior to the Mission Clip, you will be sent a private link and instructions to log in at the determined date and time.
Be sure and check back periodically as we will be continuing to add more Mission Clips. Here are the upcoming ones…
- Thursday, June 18 | 7pm-9pm | Columbus, Ohio | Aaron & Elizabeth Taylor with Living Hope Church
- Tuesday, June 23 | 7pm-9pm | Tokyo, Japan | Butch & Ellen Booth with Nevertheless Ministry
- Tuesday, July 7 | 7pm-9pm | Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam | Michael & Deborah Hughes with the Company
- Tuesday, July 21 | 7pm-9pm | Pucallpa, Peru | Adam & Jess Huser with the IMB
Connected: Foster Care
Connected will be hosting a virtual info meeting on June 9 at 6pm. CLICK HERE to register for this event.
Learn how to get involved in foster care in Arkansas. Learn the steps it takes to become a foster parent. Learn how to support foster homes.
We need you! In less than 60 minutes, learn how to get involved in foster care in Arkansas. It doesn’t matter what county you are in, we can help. Learn the steps it takes to become a foster parent. Learn how to give back and volunteer with foster homes.
We walk you through the training process, timeline, and expectations. We share how you (and your church) can support foster children, foster homes, bio families, and DCFS.
At the end, we provide an opportuinity for you to ask questions. After the meeting, we send you an application to get the process started. Not everyone is called to foster, but everyone can do something.
Here is some info about Connected:
Connected is a gospel-centered foster care ministry of Arkansas Baptist Children’s Homes & Family Ministries. We serve as a private, licensed, foster care placement agency in partnership with the Arkansas Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).
We recruit, train, and support Arkansas foster homes.
Once a Connected Home is opened, a case manager is assigned to the home, to walk through the fostering journey with each family. The goal is reunification with birth families, or adoption.
Connected comes alongside people and churches ready to get on the fontlines of the foster care crisis in Arkansas. Not everyone is called to foster, but everyone can do something.
Help us build, strengthen, and restore Arkansas families for God’s glory.
Persecuted Church
Prayer Guide for the Persecuted Church – Click HERE
Today, June 7, 2020, is the Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church.
imb.org…
On average, eight Christians died every day for their faith in 2019. That equals more than 2,920 people killed for the cause of Christ last year, according to the 2020 annual report from Open Doors’ World Watch List. In addition, 9,488 churches or Christian buildings were attacked, and 3,711 Christians were detained without trial, arrested, sentenced and imprisoned.
Overall, 260 million Christians experienced high levels of persecution in the top 50 countries on the World Watch List in 2019, Open Doors reported. The top five include North Korea, Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya and Pakistan.
In recognition of the persecution faced by Christians around the world, the Southern Baptist Convention last year designated the first Sunday in June as a Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. In 2020, the day of prayer is set for Sunday, June 7.
Abby’s Challenge
An eleven-year-old, young lady, named Abby*, whose family serves with the IMB in East Asia, had spent months saving up some spending money to go to the beach on vacation. She had saved a little more than $32.
During time with her family, she heard the disappointing news that they were not going to be able to go to the beach because of the virus. They also spent time praying for the IMB because Dr. Chitwood, IMB’s president, had just announced that due to complications with moving families around because of the virus the company was facing a $4 million shortfall.
Abby brought her hard-earned $32 to her parents and asked them to give it to the IMB. The Challenge was born!
All across the world, supporters of the IMB have taken up the challenge to give $32 in order to help with these huge extra expenses.
Will you accept Abby’s Challenge? To participate in Challenge 32, go to https://www.imb.org/give-now/ or you can give through our church by going to http://gabc.church/giving/. Please add “Abby’s Challenge” as a gift in honor via “more options” when giving online, or in the memo line for checks.
To see the whole story, you can click HERE.
*Name changed for security reasons
Fervent
A Women’s Event to Pray for Our Missionaries
Sunday May, 31 | 2pm-3pm
From our Mission Pastor’s wife, Jennifer Ward:
I, personally, have been so burdened for our missionaries and our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world, especially during this time. I know many of you have been also.They are struggling in many of the same ways that we are but with additional burdens.
- We have missionaries in Central Asia that are feeling “trapped.” The borders and airports are closed. They don’t have decent medical care if one of their own children has a medical emergency.
- We have fellows believers in Christ who have been dealing with flooding, watching people go hungry, and even going hungry themselves because there are no jobs available.
- We have brothers and sisters in Christ that are watching people die, just because there is no medical care to help where they live.
- We have believers being persecuted for their faith.
But, on the positive side, unbelievers are more open to hearing about the gospel. Our missionaries need strength, encouragement, and boldness to more openly share the gospel, even if it’s not the safest thing to do.
Our missionaries living in different countries are dealing with all the stresses we are, but without family close by to share the burden.
What can we do? We can’t physically go there right now and help. How can we help? We can share their burden in an amazing way… in a way that God designed: PRAYER!
The Bible clearly teaches that we are to love our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are to serve each other. We are to share each other’s burdens. I, personally, have lived on the other side of the world during some very traumatic circumstances. I am so thankful for my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who chose to share that burden for us by praying with us and watching God do amazing things through their obedience.
In 2 Corinthians 1:3-11 it talks about this very thing. These verses talk about how just as He comforts us in our afflictions and shares in our sufferings, we should do this for each other in prayer.
Galatians 6:2: “Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you fulfill the law of Christ.”
Val Oliver and I would like to invite women to come join us in a special prayer time for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are living on the front lines, sharing the gospel.
Mark your calendar for next Sunday, May 31st, 2:00-3:00 pm. The location is available on our private GABC Missions Facebook Group.
Covid-19 testing volunteers
QUICK LINK: To signup to volunteer, click HERE.
The nonprofit Remote Area Medical (RAM) has been tasked with recruiting and training volunteers to help with COVID-19 testing sites around the nation. We have a testing site in Fort Smith that currently needs volunteers.
The Fort Smith site is needing clinical and non-clinical volunteers until at least May 15 on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays 8am-5pm.
Volunteer Description: Volunteers ages 18-65 are needed to fulfill non-clinical and clinic roles at COVID-19 Drive-thru Testing Sites. Appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) will be provided to keep all volunteers safe and healthy.
Non-clinical volunteers will be asked to help in parking lot flow, registration, and resupplying PPE and testing supplies. These are non-contact patient roles.
Clinical volunteers may be asked to respond to on-site emergencies and assist patients with self-swabbing as necessary.
To signup, click HERE to register for the Fort Smith location and times that you are available. Then, watch for an email with a link for a background check and submit promptly.
National Day of Prayer
This year’s prayer gathering will be a bit different! It will be virtual!
We will be launching a live Facebook video on Thursday, May 7th at 12pm. I hope that you will join us as we pray for our city, state, country, and world. We will be led in prayer by local government officials and pastors.
Be sure and like our Facebook page so that you will stay updated on the live video. Click HERE! Be sure and share it to your family and friends. Help us get the word out as we pray for God’s glory to spread everywhere!
Say Something
Say Something Training is a 2-hour class taught by Scott Ward. During the class you will learn…
- what is the Gospel
- how to start spiritual conversations
- how and when to share the Gospel
- how and when to share your testimony
- what it means to make disciples and how to do so
Our next class will be held Monday, May 4th, 6:30pm-8:30pm via Google Meet. Please register to receive your private link to the online meeting. Register by clicking HERE.
Contact our Mission Pastor, Scott Ward, for more information.
