David and Joyce Reed

Since 2000, when the Reeds arrived in La Paz, they have seen the Mexican Baptist Convention of Southern Baja expand from 6 churches to 11, and three of those are planting new churches. An interesting fact is that these churches are growing through new believers. 98% of the people joining the Baptist Churches did not previously know Jesus. One growing church doesn’t have enough space for worship because more than 500 are now coming!

In 2005, the Convention partnered with Lacey Seminary in Oaxaca to begin a Theological Extension School to train new leaders. In 2010, the school will graduate its first group of students from a three year program, and 6 more people have joined the program as first-year students. David and Joyce have also seen one student travel from La Paz to Oaxaca to study full-time.

Their ministry to English-speaking people continues to grow by leaps and bounds! In the last 9 years, they have seen this ministry grow from 8 people that met for a Bible study in their living room to a stable church of 50+ called Crossroads. The Reeds have seen God glorified through the growth and transformation of many lives.

To Learn More…

American Baptist Mission in Haiti

VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 1/12/11)—One year ago today a devastating 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck southern Haiti about 16 miles west of the nation’s capitol Port-au-Prince. In less than 60 seconds, major portions of the area were left in shambles and lives were changed forever. Massive casualties resulted. More than 1 million people became homeless, 4,000 schools were destroyed and then months later, thousands were struck by a cholera epidemic.

American Baptists were deeply affected by the suffering of brothers and sisters in Christ and they responded with an extraordinary level of giving. As of December 31, 2010, $2.8 million was given for Haiti relief through One Great Hour of Sharing. 

“In spite of economic recession and uncertainty, people have focused on things that really matter and have reached out in remarkable ways to our Haitian brothers and sisters,” commented Reid Trulson, American Baptist International Ministries’ (IM) executive director. 

“In addition to generous giving,” commented Lisa Rothenberger, American Baptist Churches’ World Relief Officer, “hundreds of churches sent health kits to Church World Service, volunteers traveled to Haiti to assist with rebuilding efforts or provide emergency medical treatment, and churches around the world prayed for a better future for the Haitian people.”

In a continued spirit of collaboration, American Baptists worked with both Baptist and ecumenical partners in Haiti to respond to the immediate needs and help build the foundation for a stronger future.
“Despite sometimes discouraging news from the major TV and print news outlets, the gifts American Baptists have so generously given continue to make a difference in the lives of Haitian families,” commented José Norat-Rodríguez, IM’s area director for Iberoamerica/Caribbean, which includes Haiti.  

“These gifts are improving the lives of ordinary Haitians everyday,” he said. American Baptists’ gifts and thousands of hours of labor are being put to work in tangible ways to rebuild schools, get children back in class, help individual families start small businesses, give the recently disabled skills to earn a living, and provide provisions at a refugee camp for displaced Haitians.

“Hope is indeed alive in Haiti--because of God’s grace and the continuing response of followers of Jesus and other people of good will,” concluded Trulson.

IM has prepared seven new mini-videos to highlight the significant contributions that American Baptist churches are making in Haiti.  Through stories of our missionaries and partners and a financial report, you will see that God is working through American Baptists.  This information is summarized on a printed flyer that is also available on the website.  The new resources are available starting today through January 14.

Churches and individuals are invited to download the videos and flyers from the IM website: http://www.internationalministries.org/topics/haiti_earthquake. They are designed for use with congregations for Mission Moments, Bible study and Sunday School classes.

Friendship; the Secret of the Universe

Any serious study of friendship must begin by recognizing that a standard definition o friendship does not exist! In Simple Words, the distinguished Jewish scholar Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz examine the meaning of a host of common terms – such as nature, good, faith and death – to reveal wisdom about how humans see themselves. Sandwiched between chapters on masks and family, he probes the meaning of the word friends. Steinsaltz writes: “The term ‘friendship’ does not have an exact, universal meaning. Its precise definition may be, like pornography, a matter of geography, and indeed, its meaning varies from country to country and from culture to culture.”

We may not agree on a universal definition, yet friendship captures the hearts of all who dare to imagine that we can transcend loneliness and solitude. Henry David Thoreau wrote: “No word is oftener on the lips of men than Friendship, and indeed no thought is more familiar to their aspirations. All men are dreaming of it, and its drama, which is always a tragedy, is enacted daily. It is the secret of the universe.”

This is an extract from: Making Friends, Making Disciples by Lee B. Spitzer.

http://www.abcnj.net/about-us/dr-lee-b-spitzer

Murrow Indian Children’s Home

The Murrow Indian Children’s Home was founded in 1902 by an enterprising missionary and educator who began taking in orphan and homeless Native American children soon after the Civil War. Two Indian tribes later donated land for an orphanage, and concerned Baptists in the local community also gave land and buildings. The American Baptist Home Mission Society assumed full responsibility for the school in the early 1900s, and the orphanage was moved to the campus of Bacone College in 1910. Over the years, the Murrow Home has provided loving care for hundreds of abused, neglected or abandoned children.

Currently serving 22 children and youth, the home offers residential and crisis care as well as daycare for children of teen mothers. Children, many from the Creek Tribe, live in family-like cottage settings and attend local public schools or d ay treatment programs. The home often accepts children and youth whom state agencies have given up on, says Director Joan Brown, a commissioned American Baptist missionary who serves through National Ministries. Children are also encouraged to learn about their Native American background and culture. "Our staff is experienced and our program has a good reputation,” says Brown. “Most of all, we offer a loving, caring environment and an opportunity for the children to be more like normal children should be."

To read more about this wonderful mission go to the following link;

http://www.nationalministries.org/front_center_murrow_children.cfm

Baptism at Sunset Beach

Imagine your youth group has been planning a mission trip. You join your friends in the group working to prepare for the trip. For 3 years many of your Saturdays are spent working to raise funds. Your pastor and youth leaders speak and teach about missions. Questions are discussed. “How can we share the gospel of Jesus Christ with people who speak another language?” Somewhere in the preparations for this journey, you meet Christ and the journey takes on a whole new meaning.

In a nut shell, I believe this is what happened with some of the young people at FBC Kansas City, Missouri. Mariko Prigel, one of the youth leaders is from Japan. A few years ago some of the youth suggested they go to Japan for a mission trip. A youth mission trip to Japan? Some people might ask, why Japan? It is a rich country. That would cost so much. However, Mariko said the Lord opened the doors each step of the way during the preparation.

Near the end of their time here in Japan, Tomoko took the group to the Hiroshima Peace Park, and then on to her home town of Setoda, on a small island in the Inland Sea. They stayed at the Setoda Baptist Church. I drove down to meet them and on a beautiful afternoon the youth gathered at “Sunset Beach” along with several members from the Setoda Church. With the blessing of their pastor, Rev. Doug Valentine, I had the privilege of baptizing Lexi and Jashuna. These two young ladies testified their lives were changed in the preparations for this journey to Japan and wanted to be baptized in Japan. So at the beach where Tomoko was baptized as a youth, they gave their testimonies and began another journey, as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Why a mission trip to Japan? That is a good question. Finding “work” to do isn’t always easy here, but who said “work” is the only way to show your love for Christ? Of course work trips are a great way to share your faith, and are an important part of ministering to the whole body and to specific needs.
The youth from Kansas City, MO, however, came prepared with songs and skits. Knowing that language would be a problem, they mimed one of the skits, using a few paper board signs written in Japanese to help the audience understand that Christ brings healing and salvation to lives broken by alcohol, bullying and suicide, problems well understood in Japan. It was a powerful message that brought tears to many eyes. They shared in churches, pre-schools, a hospital, in homes and more. These youth came to build a bridge in relationships through the love and peace of Christ. It was a job well done!

One last thought, if you think it is only about giving, you may miss what the Lord has to give to you. This applies to the World Mission Offering, or sending a youth group on a mission trip.

Grace and Peace,
John and Tomoko Armagost – American Baptist Missionaries in Japan
http://www.armagostjapan.org/

Pastor Bill: 'Kill the Umpire'

By Pastor Bill Whitehead

During a semester break while I was in college, I had one really bad summer. I was working a job as a camp councilor at the city parks. And the worst moment for me was when I umpired a softball game. Now no one is more hated than an umpire. I learned one thing from that experience. If you stand alone and unloved, you don’t stand for long.

Being a sport’s official is an ugly business. A person has to be pretty thick skinned to handle that job for more than ten seconds. When someone buys a ticket to a baseball game, he feels that the ticket price guarantees him the right, as provided for in the constitution, to insult, curse, and verbally abuse the umpire. Normal, good natured people upon entering the stadium suddenly turn into frothing animals when they sit in their seats and look upon the black clad game officials. It is a strange and bewildering phenomenon. And stranger yet when we look at the lower levels of sport.

I believe that when adults and kids play in the amateur levels of a sport they bring an intense hatred of the umpire along with them. I have seen nice friendly people completely freak out at a youth soccer game because of a questionable call. My son’s soccer coach was thrown out of a game because he cursed out a fifteen-year-old referee. Seven-year-old boys and girls were playing the game. How big of a game could this be? Was there millions of dollars on the line when the call was made? Not really. Talk about losing your cool over nothing. Maybe our coach was living out his fantasies with our kids. Maybe he was trying to achieve the height of glory that he had never before experienced in the real world. Then, suddenly, a tall lanky brat in the black and white shirt makes a bad call. And so he was going to get him. With this kind of delusional thinking going on it is no wonder that every sports official is lonely and unloved.

I walked out onto that baseball diamond knowing that I was in trouble. I had never umpired a game in my life. The kids who came to the playground every day did not like me very much. I did not want to be working at this place and would rather have been home watching other umpires being screamed at on TV. The other councilors put me behind the plate. I fumbled and bumbled my way through the game. I was praying that nothing bad would happen. It did.

A ball was hit down the third base line. A kid tried to catch it but it bounced out of his glove and landed in foul territory. I froze and two runners scored. They all waited for my call. I had that deer in the headlights look on my face. In my mind the dreaded blue screen of computer failure had shut everything down. I just couldn’t spit the words out. Finally, I called it fair because it would have landed fair. They came at me like hungry wolves. Yelling, screaming, snarling. It was ugly. Surrounded and alone, I just wanted to get far away from these nasty little people.

They say, “no man is an island.” During that summer I experienced what it is like to be an island. The storms of life washed over me and left me gasping for breath. Try to make it alone without love and support and we are doomed to experience nothing but pain. Try to work with people without caring for them, and they will hate us. It’s really very simple, when we care for others we are cared for in return.


The Rev. William Whitehead is the senior pastor of the First Baptist Church of Rahway, in Rahway, NJ. Pastor Whitehead is a New Brunswick Theological Seminary graduate who is ordained in American Baptist Churches.