GABC MISSIONS
we make disciples that worship, grow, and go
Prayerwalking
This coming Friday, April 10th, from 10am-12pm & 4pm-6pm in front of the Children’s Ministry Building you will be able to stop by and grab some Easter invite cards (see below). If you cannot make it on Friday to pick up any invite cards, here is a pdf file that you can print on your own and cut them out: EASTER INVITE
On Saturday, April 11th, we would like you and your family to PRAYERWALK your neighborhood while also putting our Easter invite cards on your neighbors’ porches. (Please do not use the mailbox – this is illegal!)
CLICK HERE to get a pdf guide on prayerwalking.
Be sure and grab a picture of you and your family out prayerwalking as we saturate our city with prayer and invitations to our online Easter service. Place the picture on Facebook and either tag Scott Ward or type #gabcprayerwalk20 in the description.
Connected: Foster Care
Connected will be hosting a virtual info meeting on April 14 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, strenthen, and restore Arkansas families for God’s glory.
Easter Popcorn Invites
To support a local business, The Popped Popcorn Company, we have purchased 400 of their small bags. We are going to make these available for you to pick up along with Easter Invite Cards. We are limiting the bags of popcorn to 2 per family, but you are welcome and encouraged to take as many invite cards as you would like.
We would love to see you get out and put invite cards on your neighbors’ porches. You might even make some plates of cookies in addition to the popcorn.
We will have two pickup times for the popcorn and the invite cards: Friday, April 10th, 10AM-12PM & 4PM-6PM. You will be able to pickup these items in the drive-through in front of the Children’s Ministry Building.
If we run out of popcorn, we will still be there with invite cards that you can grab.
Drive-In Prayer
This coming Sunday evening, April 5th, at 6:30pm, we will be facilitating a Drive-In Prayer Service for our healthcare providers and those sick with the COVID-19 Virus at each of our local hospitals.
There are only 4 things that you need to do…
- Show up at 6:30pm on April 5th at the hospital closest to you (Baptist Health in Fort Smith and Van Buren or Mercy Hospital in Fort Smith). Park in a parking lot that is not being heavily used. For instance, at Mercy Hospital, please park in the Physician’s Building parking lot, and at Baptist Health park in the northwest parking lot.
- Turn your hazard lights on. We are going to try and get word to the healthcare providers at each location to look outside for the flashing car lights. This will let them know that people are currently praying for them.
- Tune your radio to 102.3FM. RadioVida has graciously allowed us to utilize their airspace to conduct our prayer service. You are also able to stream the broadcast HERE.
- Participate in our Prayer Service. This service will be a directed time of worship, Scripture reading, and prayer for our healthcare providers who are literally putting their life on the line.
That’s it! We hope you will attend and help us get word out about this event.
***You are welcome to open your car windows or sit outside of your car, but please remember to respect the social distancing regulations that have been recommended to us.
Annie Armstrong 2020
Every year, we take up the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering. Of course, this year will be very different since we will be observing our Easter Service online, but it does not mean the need to support our church planters has changed. The need is greater than ever as our North American church planters struggle through this time of the pandemic.
Shortly, you will be sent a letter from our church containing the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering envelope. You are welcome to place cash or a check in the envelope and get it to the church office or you can give online by going HERE. Thank you for your support of the North American Mission Board!
When you give to this offering, you money goes toward supporting our church plants, such as…
- Story Hill Church in Lawrence, Kansas with Aaron & Kristen Rodgers
- Church in the Wild in Columbus, Ohio with Jason & Samantha Williams
- Living Hope Church in Columbus, Ohio with Aaron & Elizabeth Taylor
- New City Church in Merriam, Kansas with Ray & Abbi Peoples
Coronavirus Update
Quick link to the Coronavirus Update Page: CLICK HERE
Obviously, the spread of this virus has changed a lot of things, including our efforts to do the mission that God has given us in its current form. In regards to mission trips and any upcoming events, I will be trying to keep this page up to date.
Please notice that I did not say that this virus has stopped our efforts to complete the Great Commission. It has and will definitely change it moving forward at least in the near-term.
I will continue to try and be creative with what we can do while still obeying the advice of our government. Here are some things that I am working on…
- Online mission training
- Live Prayer Meetings, specifically for our long-term missionaries and church planters
- Mobilizing a better prayer network
If you have any ideas about how we can continue to mobilize people for missions during this time, be sure and holler at me… scott@grandfamily.net.
For The City – March 2020
Our March For The City emphasis is Easter Invites!
Make this the month where you dedicate yourself to invite your friends, co-workers, and family to our Easter service.
In the next couple of weeks we will have cards that you can give out. But, remember, there is no substitution for a personal ask.
Pray about who God would have you invite and be bold about inviting them to one of our services on Easter Sunday morning.
Vietnam Mission Trip 2020
***Note: This trip is not canceled yet, but we are monitoring the situation closely.
We will be sending a team to Vietnam this spring. The trips dates will be May 18-28. The approximate cost will be $2500, but this is highly dependent upon the airline ticket cost.
We actually have 2 teams going…
Medical/Dental – This team will partner with a group of Vietnamese doctors and dentists to head up into the Central Highlands to work with indigenous tribes. This team will be done by the 26th, so it is possible to fly home early. If you would like to stay, you will be joining our other team for the last couple of days in Ho Chi Minh City.
College – This team will stay in Ho Chi Minh City and work with our partners – the Hughes family. They will be working to engage college students throughout the city by using the English language.
If you are ready to sign up for this trip, you can click HERE.
Brazil Mission Trip – Info Meeting
***Note: This info meeting has been cancelled until further notcie.
We will be having an informational meeting for our upcoming Brazil Mission Trip on Sunday, March 22 right after the morning worship service in Room 114. The meeting will only last about 15 minutes. You will get an info sheet and be able to ask any questions.
The mission trip to Brazil will be July 6-16. We will be going to Florianopolis, Brazil. This is an island right off the coast. We will be working with a local church to help them reach the island for Christ, and to help mobilize them for missions both locally and globally.
The approximate cost of this trip will be $2500. The price will depend greatly on the airline ticket costs. If you already know that you would like to go, you can sign up by clicking HERE.
St. Patrick’s Day
This event has been canceled for the time being. We will be looking to reschedule it soon.
Join us on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17th, for an evening of worship and prayer in the Refuge at 6pm.
Our very own, Stephen Cole, will be leading us in worship, and we will be taking time to pray for all of our mission partnerships.
I am also hearing rumors about some Vietnamese eggrolls making an appearance! We will have childcare provided and don’t forget to wear green!
