Month: March 2022

SBTC DR volunteer heads to Europe to minister to Ukrainian refugees

KRAKOW, Poland—Rockwall resident Glenda Mitchell*, a Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Disaster Relief chaplain and assessor, leaves March 4 to join a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) from Send Relief en route to Poland to assist with the influx of Ukrainian refugees following Russian’s invasion.

Send Relief is the compassion ministry arm of the Southern Baptist Convention. The DART group will help Polish Baptists develop strategies for serving the refugees.

“They observe, lend a hand, and make suggestions regarding response plans,” SBTC DR Director Scottie Stice said, adding that SBTC DR will participate in future teams expected to be sent to minister in Europe during the crisis.

In addition to Mitchell, the initial DART crew includes one SBDR volunteer from Ohio and four from North Carolina, Stice confirmed. The team is expected to spend much of its time in the Krakow area.

“I am very excited about how God is going to use our team to help the people of Ukraine and to help Baptists in Poland minister to them,” Mitchell said. “It’s a privilege.”

The DART group’s arrival in Poland occurs in the wake of IMB President Paul Chitwood’s recent visit to Eastern Europe. In a video recorded along the Polish-Ukrainian border, Chitwood invited Southern Baptists to be part of the ministry there, Baptist Press reported on March 2.

“We’re here to minister to them in any way we can,” Chitwood said in the video. “We’re grateful for the prayers and the financial support of Southern Baptists to make possible us sharing help and hope in the name of Christ with those who are now displaced and refugees from their own homes.”

Baptist Press also reported that many IMB workers in Eastern Europe have been relocated out of the danger zone, but ministry continues. As of early March, the Polish Baptist Union has plans to house 1,000 refugees in designated centers.

The United Nations puts the current number of Ukrainian refugees in the hundreds of thousands, but that number could rise to as many as 4 million.

As the conflict escalates, Send Relief and its partners are preparing for further ministry, including food relief, shelter, and transportation.

Stice requested prayer for the DART group: “Please pray for this team as they seek to encourage and plan with Polish Baptists in their ministry to Ukrainian refugees.”

Donations can be made through the SBTC to relief efforts on behalf of Ukrainian refugees. A downloadable prayer guide is also available.

This article also contains reporting from Baptist Press.

* Name changed for security purposes.

Dilbeck officially takes the reins at GuideStone as Hawkins named president emeritus

PLANO—GuideStone trustees met in regular session February 28-March 1 in what was the final trustee meeting for president O.S. Hawkins as he concludes 25 years leading the Southern Baptist Convention’s financial resources entity.

The meeting also marked the official transition of D. Hance Dilbeck, Jr. as president. Dilbeck joined the ministry in July 2021 and has served as president-elect.

Hawkins and his wife, Susie, were honored at a dinner February 28.

Outgoing trustee chair Renée Trewick praised the Hawkins family for their service and commitment to GuideStone participants.

“One of the greatest privileges of serving in this position has been the opportunity to get to know O.S. and Susie both personally and professionally,” Trewick said. “Thank you both for all you have done—we love you and will miss you.”

Trustees announced a donation to further fund the O.S. Hawkins Outstanding Pastoral Ministry Graduate Award at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

The evening featured comments from trustee Steve Dighton, who led the search committee that selected Dilbeck; Jack Graham, a lifelong friend of the family and pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano; Bob Sorrell, a longtime former trustee; and John R. Jones, who served as chief operating officer of GuideStone throughout Hawkins’ tenure.

“I can give witness, as so many of you can, on how God has had his hand on O.S. Hawkins,” Jones said, detailing much of the growth of the ministry over the last 25 years. “Everything starts with O.S.’s relationship with the Lord.”

In his final remarks to trustees, Hawkins indicated he has been captured by a verse, Job 12:9, which reads, “Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?” Hawkins told trustees it has indeed been God’s hand at work over the last 25 years.

“What a privilege it’s been for Susie and me over this quarter of a century,” Hawkins said. “This whole journey has just been absolutely amazing.”

At Dilbeck’s request, Hawkins will continue to serve GuideStone until an official retirement on July 31. Hawkins will continue to write and speak on behalf of Mission:Dignity while also providing assistance to Dilbeck. The trustees bestowed on Hawkins the honorary title of president emeritus to recognize his continued efforts on behalf of Mission:Dignity even after his official retirement.

“He understands the kingdom of God is about relationships,” Dilbeck said. “He cares for people, especially the pastor at the crossroads. O.S. has a pastor’s heart.”

Reflecting on the ministry’s many accomplishments during his tenure—registering GuideStone’s investment options in 2001, the name change in 2004 from the Annuity Board to GuideStone, Southern Baptists’ approval to make GuideStone’s retirement, investment and life and health products to like-minded ministries and churches, and to make those investments available to those in the pew—Hawkins noted that it was the continued faithful support of Mission:Dignity for which he was most grateful.

Following a Hawkins custom, Dilbeck established a theme to guide the ministry’s work for 2022, calling it the “Year to Set a Stone.”

The imagery comes from 1 Samuel 7:12, which reads, “Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and named it Ebenezer, saying, ‘Thus far the Lord has helped us.’”

Dilbeck noted that the passage connotes both a backward look, remembering the past and celebrating what the Lord has done, and a forward look, confident that the Lord will continue to be with us. Dilbeck said, like the Israelites, GuideStone is called to look backward, look upward, look inward, and look forward.

Part of the next year will involve the executive team working together with trustees to develop a new strategic plan for the ministry, following a cycle Hawkins established with the formation of the GuideStone 100 long-range plan that guided the ministry for more than a decade. Dilbeck said, though, that strategic plans can fail without the Lord’s hand.

“He has helped us, He will help us, and indeed He must help us, or our strategy is vanity,” Dilbeck said.

Looking back on 25 years, Hawkins concluded his final remarks, committing to Dilbeck and trustees that he would be Dilbeck’s greatest asset and his biggest supporter.

“We are looking backward with hearts so full of thanksgiving for 25 wonderful years, looking forward to passing the baton to Hance and Julie,” Hawkins said. “I look forward to great days ahead.”

Then echoing his own charge received from Ray Taylor, who led the trustee search committee that called Hawkins to GuideStone in 1997, Hawkins gave his charge to Dilbeck.

“You take something great and make it greater,” Hawkins said. “I’ll be your biggest fan and supporter.”

EMPOWER ’22: La oración y el ministerio práctico ayuda a marcar la sesión en español de Apoderados

ARLINGTON—La Convención de los Bautistas del Sur de Texas organizó Apoderados, la sesión en español de la Conferencia Empower, en Fielder Church del 25 al 26 de febrero.

La reunión reunió a pastores y líderes hispanos de todo Texas. Hubo profesiones de fe, poderosos momentos de oración y tremendos momentos de alabanza y adoración dirigidos por Los Hermanos González, un equipo de alabanza compuesto por los tres hermanos originarios de México que ahora viven en Kansas City, Kansas.

Dr. Jorge Enrique Díaz, ex director de Editorial Mundo Hispano (también conocido como Casa Bautista), profesor, autor y mentor de muchos pastores y líderes de Texas recibió un premio en honor al difunto gran evangelista Rudy Hernández. El premio fue otorgado en reconocimiento a su servicio evangelístico en la comunidad hispana. Miryam Picott recibió el premio por su padre, que no pudo asistir por problemas de salud.

Picott está siguiendo los pasos de su padre, evangelizando y animando a las mujeres a caminar con Dios. Es autora y conferencista de mujeres, y también impartió un taller durante la conferencia.

El Dr. César Vidal fue el orador principal la noche del viernes. Vidal, originario de España, es un abogado, historiador y autor de más de 200 libros de renombre mundial. Su programa de radio, La Voz, tiene millones de oyentes diarios a ambos lados del Atlántico. Animó a más de 50 pastores y sus esposas a comprender que ser pastor es una inversión valiosa de sus vidas.

“Ser pastor deriva directamente de Dios a través de la sangre de Cristo y es guiado por el Espíritu Santo”, dijo Vidal. “Ser pastor es un don de Dios, es una profesión noble, sublime. Viene con el privilegio de administrar la casa de Dios con orgullo y dignidad piadosos, y también tiene sus recompensas en el cielo”.

Los niños en la conferencia recibieron un desafío evangélico de “Chagy the Messenger”, un payaso interpretado por el evangelista y pastor Eugenio Adorno Espinell. Ha estado compartiendo el evangelio con personas de todo el mundo como Chagy durante los últimos 30 años.

También se ofrecieron varios talleres de evangelización en Apoderados, dirigido por líderes y pastores hispanos de SBTC. Entre ellos, el consejero cristiano y pastor Eric Puentes, quien enseñó a los participantes cómo discipular y evangelizar a los niños; Chuy Avila, plantador de iglesias de SBTC y asociado principal de En Español, quien habló sobre las lecciones aprendidas del ministerio durante la pandemia del coronavirus; Sobre Ochoa, quien animó a todos a vivir una vida libre en Cristo y compartir el evangelio; y Miguel Faúndez, quien capacitó a los asistentes sobre el discipulado virtual. Rafael Rondón, nativo de Puerto Rico y pastor hispano de dos de los tres campus de Fielder, fue el anfitrión del evento junto con el personal de Fielder y 11 voluntarios. Rondón y su esposa, Marilyn, tienen tres hijos propios y son muy activos en el ministerio de crianza temporal/adopción. Por el momento, son padres de crianza temporal de dos niños pequeños.

Además, el Dr. Bruno Molina, asociado de evangelismo interreligioso y lenguaje de SBTC que ayudó a coordinar la conferencia, dirigió un panel de discusión estimulante sobre el evangelismo en el contexto hispano que incluyó al Dr. Vidal y los líderes del taller.

La Iglesia Fielder también acogerá la conferencia de Apoderados del próximo año, programada para febrero de 2023.

EMPOWER ’22: Cooperation fuels the mission, pastors testify at luncheon

IRVING—Southern Baptists of Texas Convention President Todd Kaunitz had a clear message for the 400 or so people who gathered for lunch in the Grand Ballroom of the Irving Convention Center Tuesday during SBTC’s Empower conference.

“God is doing a great work in our state,” he said at the luncheon, which annually aims to highlight the value of Cooperative Program giving among SBTC and SBC churches. “We are advancing the mission like no other group of churches. Cooperative giving is what fuels the mission.”

The Cooperative Program refers to the Southern Baptist practice of churches partnering with one another to steward God-given resources to advance the gospel and mission of Jesus Christ. These resources are commonly used in ministry areas including evangelism, disaster relief, and church planting.

Powerful giving testimonies were offered at the luncheon, including from Ryan Napier—a church planter and pastor of Freedom Hill Church in San Antonio. He said he and his church—which ranked among the top 5 CP-giving church plants among SBTC churches in 2021—are “probably the most excited new Southern Baptists that you will ever meet in your life.”

He told the story of a neighbor who accepted Christ after more than two years of witnessing and prayer. Within 27 days of his salvation, the neighbor died of COVID. Napier preached the man’s funeral on Saturday and baptized the neighbor’s family the next day.

“On behalf of church planters across the state, thank you for your giving. And please don’t give up on giving,” Napier said. “We can always do more.”

Bart Barber, pastor of First Baptist Church of Farmersville, said the funds his church gives annually to CP could pay the salaries of three additional staff members. He noted, however, that all his staff had received training at CP-supported institutions. “Giving to the Cooperative Program is investing in staff,” he said.

Because of CP funding supporting the International Mission Board, FBC Farmersville has also been connected to an unreached, unengaged people group in Senegal, Barber added. “We didn’t know that people group existed until CP-funded missionaries told us that they did. We didn’t know there was no missionary presence there until the International Mission Board did the research. … Because we give to the Cooperative Program, everything we do to be engaged directly in national and international mission work is well-trained, well-planned, and fits into an overall worldwide strategy for impacting the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

“Together we can accomplish great things,” Barber added, confirming that his church has been made stronger through its CP commitment. “We keep writing that check, and I don’t shed a tear.”

Other SBTC pastors gave similar testimonies, either in person or via recorded video. Richard Rogers, pastor of University Heights Baptist in Huntsville—home to Sam Houston State University and its 21,000 college students—said CP giving has enabled his church to do ministry at a higher level through its support of collegiate outreach and collegiate church planters. J.C. Rico, pastor of Immanuel Baptist (SBTC’s westernmost Texas church), said CP giving enabled his church to minister to the victims and families of the August 2019 shooting at an El Paso Walmart through feeding, counseling, and a church-sponsored prayer event.

Said Kaunitz, who pastors New Beginnings Baptist Church in Longview: “We can’t do it alone. We are better together.”

SBDR, Send Relief enter new working agreement for disaster relief

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – State directors of Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) and Send Relief, the compassion ministry arm for Southern Baptists, entered into a new working agreement when SBDR directors gathered for their annual roundtable on January 27 in Albuquerque, N.M. The SBDR state directors affirmed the measure without any dissenting votes.

The new agreement was spurred on by the decision of the North American Mission Board (NAMB) and the International Mission Board (IMB) to link arms in compassion ministry through Send Relief. The State Executive Directors Fellowship, a group made up of Southern Baptist state convention executive leaders, asked NAMB and IMB to develop more formal protocols in light of their cooperative efforts through Send Relief.

“I am excited that Southern Baptist Disaster Relief and Send Relief have been able to work out agreed-upon roles, responsibilities and initiatives with this agreement,” said Scottie Stice, SBDR director for the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention and chair of the SBDR’s steering committee. “On behalf of SBDR, we are looking forward to fruitful days ahead as we grow together and continue developing our relationship with Send Relief.”

The new agreement defines the roles and responsibilities as Send Relief supports SBDR during disaster responses, which includes providing and distributing relief supplies and equipment as needed for disaster response.

The agreement also spells out that Send Relief will be able to raise funds related to crisis response that will be used to replenish Send Relief’s disaster relief supplies, support national disaster projects and provide need-based crisis response grants. During major disaster events, Send Relief often establishes a fund specific to that response. Donations to such funds are shared with the state SBDR units that are at the forefront of those crises. On an ongoing basis, non-designated crisis response donations given to Send Relief will be divided between international, North American and SBDR compassion ministries.

“Southern Baptist Disaster Relief has built the most recognizable SBC compassion ministry in their response to disaster, whether man-made or climate induced,” said Randy Davis, executive director of Tennessee Baptists and a member of Send Relief’s advisory committee. “They have a global reputation of being the first ones in and the ones who stay long after the news cycle has gone cold and others have left.”

In a typical response, Send Relief provides SBDR volunteers with the required supplies to help survivors repair roofs, recover from flood damage or assist with debris removal following hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and other disasters. Send Relief has begun, in recent years, providing food supplies so SBDR teams can cook and provide hot meals to survivors more rapidly in the aftermath of major disasters.

The updated agreement also provides a framework for SBDR to participate in international crisis response projects through Send Relief, which will be coordinated by Send Relief’s crisis response director, Coy Webb.

“I continue to believe that the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief network remains one of the greatest examples of the Cooperative Program at work,” said Webb, who served as state SBDR director in Kentucky before joining Send Relief. “Send Relief is excited to partner in even greater ways and to mobilize these highly trained and gifted volunteers to respond globally to bring the compassion and hope of Christ to hurting people.”

What began as a grassroots movement among Southern Baptists in the late 1960s grew into one of the nation’s top three disaster relief organizations during SBDR’s 55-year history.

Separate Southern Baptist state convention disaster relief ministries make up SBDR as each of those ministries voluntarily cooperate with one another to minister to survivors following natural disasters and other crises.

Every state SBDR team routinely deploys disaster relief volunteers following local disaster incidents that do not garner national media attention. NAMB, through Send Relief, primarily coordinates with SBDR in conducting disaster relief ministry during major, national responses.

Send Relief works with SBDR leadership to gather response data and help tell the story of how volunteers provide extraordinary service in the trying circumstances of disaster response. Send Relief also represents SBDR and Southern Baptists to governmental organizations and other national nonprofit organizations during national disasters as those entities aid survivors.

“I am thankful,” Davis said, “that SBDR and Send Relief, led by the desire of [NAMB president] Kevin Ezell to collaborate with ministry partners, has reached an agreement that will enhance this vital work of Southern Baptists as we move forward together.”

Florida pastor Willy Rice to be nominated for SBC president

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (BP) — Willy Rice, pastor of Calvary Church in Clearwater, Fla., will be nominated by Clint Pressley, pastor of Hickory Grove Baptist, for the president of the Southern Baptist Convention this summer at the 2022 SBC Annual Meeting in Anaheim, Calif.

The announcement comes a day after current SBC President Ed Litton of Saraland, Ala., announced he will not seek a second term.

Rice, who has pastored Calvary since 2004, was a member of the church during high school, was called to ministry there, and met and married his wife, Cheryl, at the church.

“Willy Rice represents who Southern Baptists are at their best,” Pressley told Baptist Press in a statement. “He loves Southern Baptists, believes in Southern Baptists, and has demonstrated at every level of our convention his ability to lead Southern Baptists.”

Rice, a current trustee for the North American Mission Board, served as president of the Florida Baptist Convention from 2006-2008, served as president of the SBC Pastors’ Conference in 2015, chaired the 2010 SBC Committee on Committees and chaired the 2016 SBC Committee on Nominations. He also delivered the convention sermon at the 2021 SBC Annual Meeting where Litton was elected.

“In his convention sermon at the 2021 SBC Annual Meeting, Willy Rice issued a prophetic call to our Convention, warning us of the dual threats of theological drift and of a pharisaical spirit of pugilism and condescension,” Pressley said. “He is more than a statesman—he’s a man who understands the times, sees the challenges before us clearly, and has the vision, wisdom, and courage to lead us. I can say with all confidence that he is the man to meet the challenges of this moment.”

Rice’s “Great Commission passion” and “fierce dedication to Scripture” were also noted by Pressley.

During his tenure as pastor, Calvary has grown to include three campuses, and in 2016—the church’s sesquicentennial—the church adopted goals that included partnering through church planting and revitalization with 150 congregations across the country and around the world by 2025 as well as seeing members support 150 children through adoption or foster care. To date, Calvary has been part of more than 90 church plants or revitalization efforts, and more than 50 families and 120 volunteers are involved with adoption and foster care. In addition, there are seven missionary units from Calvary on the field or in the appointment process with the International Mission Board.

According to its Annual Church Profile statistics, Calvary reported 218 baptisms in 2021 and giving through the Cooperative Program of $532,533.41, approximately 7.5% of its annual budget, along with Annie Armstrong Easter Offering giving of $27,902.62 and Lottie Moon Christmas Offering giving of $52,023.01 in 2020. Giving totals for 2021 have not yet been reported.

Prior to the pandemic, the church averaged more than 3,600 people in weekly worship attendance across its three campuses.

Before coming to Calvary, Rice pastored churches in Florida and Alabama. He is a graduate of Samford University in Birmingham, Ala., and has an M.Div. and a D.Min. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He and Cheryl have three children and six grandchildren.

The article originally appeared on Baptist Press.

EMPOWER ’22: Simmons ‘humbled’ to be given Roy Fish Award

IRVING—Joe Simmons, who served as an evangelism consultant for the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention for 12 years, was given the Roy Fish Lifetime Achievement Award for Vocational Evangelism during the Tuesday afternoon session of the convention’s 2022 Empower Conference.

The Fish award was inaugurated in 2006 and is named for the late Roy Fish, a well-known and influential evangelism professor at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary for nearly 50 years.

“I’m unworthy of this,” Simmons said. “I’m just a guy who worked on the crusades. I’m very humbled about this. I’m grateful to God for this.”

Simmons was a layman at Sagemont Church in Houston, a former coach working for the power company, when Sagemont’s pastor, John Morgan, introduced him to evangelist James Robison in the 1970s. They become friends and he went on to work with Robison directing crusades all over the country for about 20 years.

“Our ministry started off really small. And then it got really big,” Simmons said. “We saw more people saved than through any other ministry, besides Billy Graham. We were doing 12 citywide crusades a year and 50 one-night rallies. Five or six-thousand people at a time would respond to the gospel invitation during these citywide crusades. We’d come into a county and then that county would lead the state in baptisms for the year.”

He also worked with Bailey Smith and his Real Evangelism organization before being asked to help SBTC with event evangelism.

“Joe Simmons has been a great example of a lay person who serves the Lord faithfully,” said SBTC Executive Director Nathan Lorick, who worked with Simmons when Lorick was evangelism director for the convention. “God has used him in incredible ways to advance the kingdom. His heart and passion for evangelism is contagious. We are honored to recognize Joe for his lifelong pursuit of seeing people come to Christ.”

At 81 years old, Simmons is still passionate about evangelism and grieves to see churches neglecting this essential work. “I don’t understand how you can be a pastor, a student of the Bible, and not know that your major responsibility is to win the lost to Christ,” he said. He sees vocational evangelists as “God’s gift to the churches” for the God-given mandate to reach the lost.

Simmons and his wife, Linda, have been married for 60 years and have three sons and three grandchildren.

EMPOWER ’22: Hispanic pastor, leader Galvan honored with Criswell award

IRVING—David Galvan, longtime pastor of Primera Iglesia Bautista Nueva Vida in Dallas, was awarded the W.A. Criswell Award for Pastoral Evangelism during the Tuesday afternoon session of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention’s 2022 Empower evangelism conference.

The award was instituted during the SBTC’s first evangelism conference in 1999. That conference was hosted by First Baptist Church of Dallas. The inaugural award honored its namesake—noted FBCD pastor W.A. Criswell, considered by many to be the pastoral mind behind the Southern Baptist Conservative Resurgence between 1979 and 1995.

“First, I feel so humbled that someone would recommend me. Especially with the impact Dr. Criswell had on my ministry,” Galvan said. “If I became an expository preacher, it’s because of his influence. If I separated my mornings [for study and prayer] it’s because of Dr. Criswell.”

Galvan marked his 40^th anniversary at Nueva Vida in November 2021. He has served as a church planter, pastor, and denominational leader since 1979. He received a bachelor’s degree from Pan American University and a master’s degree from Criswell College.

He has served Southern Baptists in many ways during his ministry: as second vice president for the Southern Baptist Convention; first vice president for the SBTC; and as a trustee and board chairman for both Criswell College and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

He stepped down as senior pastor at the end of 2021 but has no plans to end his ministry. “I’m very available for interims, supply preaching, whatever God opens up for me,” he said.

He remembers deliberating on James 1:5 (“Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God…”) and recommends younger pastors seeking to build an evangelistic church do the same. “I tried everything—door-to-door, discipleship, visiting like a madman, nothing was working,” he recalled.

Through prayer walking in his community, he discerned several ideas he believed to be God’s answer. The first idea was an Easter pageant that continued for more than 20 years, and then later a Christmas pageant. Thousands have come to Christ through those events. That led to a conviction about other opportunities in ministry.

“Every single sermon needs to end with an evangelistic invitation,” he said. “Take every opportunity, including weddings, funerals, and, for my church, quinceañeras. I ask, ‘Do your friends know Jesus?’ Use those events to share the gospel.”

“Pastor David is one of God’s choice servants,” SBTC Executive Director Nathan Lorick said. “His steady pastoral leadership and a life that exemplifies evangelism is a great example for all of us. Throughout his ministry, he has modeled what it means to walk with integrity and vision. We are so grateful to honor Pastor David for his excellent life and ministry.”

Galvan has been married to his wife, Elvia, since 1972; they have four children and 17 grandchildren.

Baptists in Poland respond to support Ukrainian refugees

WARSAW, Poland – Polish Baptists and International Mission Board missionaries quickly rallied to respond to the needs of Ukrainian refugees crossing the border to seek sanctuary from the attack on their homeland.

Josh and Bailey Krause serve with the IMB in Warsaw and are the liaisons between the IMB, Send Relief, and the Polish Baptist Union. After meeting with Send Relief partners, Josh met with the president of the Polish Baptist Union to hear its plans and determine how Send Relief funds can assist Ukrainian refugees.

The Polish Baptist Union initially hoped to house 500 refugees. It has since doubled that number to 1,000. Eight centers were designated to receive refugees, but Baptists increased the number to 40 camps located across Poland.

The Krauses said the Polish Baptist Union is outfitting the camps with sheets, pillows, food and hygiene items. Send Relief funds are being used to support these efforts, as well as transportation needs.

IMB missionary Ken Brownd said First Baptist Church of Gdasnk, Poland, committed to hosting one of the centers to receive refugees. Brownd said a church member recently moved into a new house, and his old home, which is next to the church, is being prepped to house refugees. The church also converted a youth room and a meeting room into a shelter for refugees.

Members of FBC Gdansk drove to the border of Poland and Ukraine to receive women and children. Church members had formed relationships with these women and children through summer camps. For years, the church sent teams to a city in western Ukraine and hosted Vacation Bible Schools.

The church members waited, and slept, in the van for hours at the border, as hotels were booked in the area, with no word from the women and children. Lines at the border were rumored to be around 10 kilometers long and entail a 15-hour wait. Over the weekend, five women and children arrived at the church, and others traveled to other Baptist camps. Another 18 refugees are in transit to FBC Gdansk.

Bailey Krause said other Polish Baptist churches and individuals have and will provide transportation for refugees.

A Baptist church in the city of Chelm posted on its Facebook page that it has already sheltered 120 refugees. Church members remain on duty around the clock to receive refugees. Hotels, businesses and individuals have joined the efforts to help the church by providing food, mattresses and bedding.

Brownd said Polish Baptists are using social media to organize the collection of supplies, and the response has been enthusiastic and generous.

“It’s just cool to see Polish Baptists stepping up and taking care of their neighbors. They’ve done that for a long time now, but this is a different level,” Brownd said. “Our team is trying to organize the Send Relief help … but really, this is mostly driven by Polish Baptists, so we’re not the main players in this at all. We’re helpers, and so it’s amazing.”

Nightly prayer meetings are being held at First Baptist Gdansk. Polish and Ukrainian Christians have come together, and services are held in both languages. Poland is home to a significant population of Ukrainians, many of whom moved to Poland after unrest and conflicts in Ukraine in 2014. Many, if not all, of the Ukrainians in Poland have family members still living in Ukraine.

Josh Krause said he’s encouraged by the “cooperation and the brotherhood between the Ukrainian Baptists and the Polish Baptists here and the way they’ve worked and gotten together. Everyone is coming together to say that we’re with our Ukrainian brothers and sisters.”

His wife agreed, saying: “Whenever there is a new crisis, everybody rallies. As we’ve been working with the [Polish Baptist] Union and with different churches, we’ve seen their desire currently just to serve, to support, to love on their brothers and sisters from Ukraine.”

She asked for continued prayer for Polish and Ukrainian Baptists in the weeks and months to come.

“Our prayer is that the churches would be praying for perseverance, because in two weeks, this is still going to be here,” she said. “This is a new reality, not just for Ukrainian people, but also for the Polish people, and so [pray they will] handle that new reality well and with grace and patience.”

Brownd asked for prayer for refugees who left behind family members. Men ages 18 to 60 were obliged to remain in the country when Ukraine declared martial law.

The Krauses said their prayer is for the Lord to work in mighty ways during this time of crisis.

“The church in Ukraine is thriving and doing great, and so through this, I really hope that not only the believers and the churches in Ukraine come out even more strong and on fire, but the Polish churches, that they too would catch that and grow. The Lord can do great things out of destruction,” Bailey Krause said.

To give to help Polish Baptists in their efforts to care for Ukrainian refugees, click here.

EMPOWER ’22: Asian congregations urged to pray fervently

CARROLLTON—Fifteen ethnic groups were represented at the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention’s Asian Evangelism Conference held Feb. 27 at Semihan Baptist Church.

SBTC Executive Director Dr. Nathan Lorick served as keynote speaker of the conference, which was organized by Dr. Hyoung Min Kim, a longtime SBTC leader and pastor of Saebit Baptist Church in Euless.

The event started with a dinner, and Pastor Jacob Vo of Sachse Vietnamese Baptist Church opened the session with prayer. The Asian pastors introduced themselves one by one and briefly shared what God is doing in their ministries. Some of the pastors were accompanied by their church members who came to celebrate together as followers of Christ.

Lorick preached about “The Power of God and the Prayers of his People.”

“The greatest tool in a Christian toolbox is to get on our knees and pray. We need to go beyond our commonalities and not build fortresses for ourselves but break down fortresses in our community for Christ,” he said. “Let’s go beyond these barriers and pray.”

He encouraged pastors by citing Peter’s narrative found in Acts 12:1-12. “The people of God prayed so fervently for Peter, who was in jail, that when Peter showed up at the door, they could not believe that it was him. Even Peter was surprised,” he said.

Lorick emphasized the fact that the people of God were hopeless and decided to pray. He demonstrated how the church in Acts was praying in unity, earnestly, devoutly, and faithfully. He challenged the pastors by saying, “Pray like you never prayed before, lead your churches to be praying churches because prayer changes everything, and when there is an absence of prayer there is an absence of God.”

Dr. Bruno Molina, SBTC language and interfaith evangelism associate, challenged the attendees regarding the urgency of evangelism in the Asian community. He pointed out that most of the roughly 1.5 million Asians in Texas do not know Jesus and that the Asian population is expected to increase to 6 million by 2050.

“The hour is late and the need is urgent,” Molina said, “so, let’s get after the lost together with Jesus!”

Chris Cooper, president of Bless Every Home, encouraged Asian pastors to “love God, love your neighbors, and grow your faith.” He also asked them to pray for, care for, and share their faith with their lost neighbors by using the Bless Every Home app, which is free to all users.

With the help of pastors from the different people groups, Dr. Kim led the multilingual gathering in a concert of prayer. Everyone prayed aloud using their own native language. Lorick called the multilingual prayers “a glorious time.”

They prayed for Ukraine and Ukrainian Christians; for repentance and revival; for Asian pastors and their wives; the advancement of the gospel; courage and faith to share the gospel; laborers for the harvest; and for Asian churches to live for the glory of God. Each prayer segment was led by an Asian pastor: Darrel Vang, pastor at Unity Point Church; Ed Kho, pastor at CrossCity International; Young Geun Yoo, pastor at Rejoice in the Lord Church; John Henry, pastor at Dallas Tamil Church; and Fortunato Zamora from Great Commission Church.