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PEARLAND?Mission-mindedness has become a hallmark of First Baptist Church of Pearland after members gained a vision for reaching the world. Embracing an Acts 1:8 challenge, the church has extended its ministry to sites in Texas, Baltimore and Denver, North America and around the world.
Initially, church staff members attended a seminar to prepare the church for missions involvement, and then offered a Global Impact Celebration to acquaint the church with the work of the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. Guest speakers over the past four years have included Avery Willis and Clyde Meador representing IMB, Jim Richards of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, and Keith Eitel and Paige Patterson from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Various pastors and missionaries representing the work of IMB and the North American Mission Board were also featured.
“As a result our church has caught the vision of missions,” said Pastor Sonny Foraker. “In just four years we have been on short-term mission trips to Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda, DRC Congo, Burkina Faso, Mexico, Panama, Belize, Nicaragua, Baltimore, the homeless of Houston, Texas prisons and Denver,” he explained.
The church connected with a pastor in Kenya, making repeated trips several times each year.
“Three years ago I stood on a piece of property and prayed God would move in our hearts to build an orphanage to handle 120 children,” Foraker recalled. “Today that is a reality as our people supplied the financial resources to build the orphanage, latrines, kitchen, and security and cooperated with a local business to drill a clean water well next to the orphanage.”
Last year Foraker and missions pastor Don Schwarz coordinated with pastors in the DRC Congo by renting a soccer field where they preached to 30,000 people. Hundreds of spiritual decisions were made and local pastors followed up with the new converts.
A team traveled to Denver in late June to assist in a new church plant. In July another team will join with Sam Craig Ministries to work in Panama. Later that month a team will return to Rwanda and the DRC Congo while mid-September is set aside for ministry in Kenya.
In November the focus moves to Burkina Faso in West Africa where the church is focusing on the Dogosse people group. Last year they saw 17 of them pray to receive Christ as Savior. Medical volunteers will travel to Ghana in late December to assist with a Baptist hospital where they hope to share the gospel with 900 patients a day.
“God has moved in the hearts of our folks by praying, giving and going,” Foraker said. “It’s incredible how our folks are supporting this effort.”
