Author: Brandon Elrod

Disaster Relief Appreciation Sunday recognizes volunteer efforts

ALPHARETTA, Ga.—Every year, thousands of volunteers with Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) bring tangible help and spiritual hope during the trying days that follow disaster. This Sunday, August 22, Southern Baptists will celebrate them by recognizing Disaster Relief Appreciation Sunday.

Most people rightfully think of the legions of yellow shirts that travel from across the nation to respond to the devastation wrought by major hurricanes or tornadoes, but SBDR routinely respond to a great diversity of events that do not make national headlines.

“I continue to believe the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief is one of the best volunteer disaster response groups in the world,” said Coy Webb, who recently joined Send Relief as crisis response director after leading SBDR with Kentucky Baptists for 13 years. “It is filled with volunteers who sacrificially serve to bring compassion to those reeling from disasters.”

Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) is one of the top three organizations in the United States that provides disaster relief. Any time disaster strikes, SBDR volunteers are among the first to arrive and the last to leave. NAMB photo

In 2020, a year marked by COVID-19 and the historic Atlantic storm season, volunteers invested 673,000 hours, prepared 754,000 meals, presented the gospel 7,000 times and witness more than 875 people profess faith in Christ.

A record 30 named storm systems formed in the Atlantic in 2020, including Hurricanes Laura, Sally and Delta. Laura and Delta hit Lake Charles, La., merely six weeks apart while Sally directly hit the Gulf Coast. There were 28 state SBDR teams that responded to those hurricanes, serving approximately 15,000 people in 7,200 homes, according to Sam Porter, national director for disaster relief for Send Relief who served more than 19 years as SBDR director for Oklahoma Baptists.

“The pandemic forced us to do things that we’d never done before,” said Porter. “I think it was the best year for SBDR because we had to think outside the box and do whatever it took to get it done, encouraging SBDR teams to connect to communities in need through the local church. We had thousands upon thousands of churches jump in to serve, responding to their own local communities.”

There has not been a nationwide disaster response so far in 2021, but volunteers have been hard at work throughout the year responding to local events such as ice storms, floods, fires, tornadoes, the pandemic and other crises.

“Now we are in early hurricane season, and we know that if something hits, we will be there to serve,” said Porter. “We have a nationwide network of SBDR leaders and volunteers who are ready to go. We’d rather not have to go, of course, but if we need to, we will be there.”

Southern Baptist Disaster Relief provides a number of services in the aftermath of natural disasters and other crises. They prepare meals, remove trees and pray with survivors. These efforts give them the opportunity to share the gospel and see people respond. NAMB photo

Volunteers with SBDR have served 123,000 hours served and prepared nearly 75,000 meals. presented the gospel nearly 5,000 times this year with more than 300 making professions of faith in Christ. Nearly 200 of those professions have occurred as Southern Baptists have worked together to minister during the migrant crisis at the United States’ southern border.

“We do what we do to earn the right to share the gospel,” Porter said. “When people ask our volunteers, ‘Why do you do what you do,’ they have a chance to share their faith and invite people to believe the gospel.”

Southern Baptist Disaster Relief is one of the top three volunteer disaster relief providers in the United States and has one of the largest trained, volunteer forces. This includes teams capable of conducting mass feedings for storm survivors and crews capable of helping to remove downed trees, storm debris and repair roofs following natural disasters.

Send Relief is a collaborative effort between the International Mission Board (IMB) and North American Mission Board (NAMB) that provides an opportunity to serve through compassion ministry around the world. The primary partner for conducting disaster relief is Southern Baptist Disaster Relief.

“Southern Baptist Disaster Relief brings practical help, a healing touch, and the hope of Christ to countless people when disasters strike,” Webb said. “Send Relief counts it a privilege to serve beside our partners with Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, and with them to fulfill both the Great Commission and the Great Commandment.”

In a recent video, NAMB president Kevin Ezell thanked SBDR leaders and volunteers for their efforts in bringing help and hope to disaster survivors.

Send Relief, World Relief working together to resettle Afghan refugees

ALPHARETTA, Ga.—In the aftermath of the sudden, tragic fall of Afghanistan into the hands of the Taliban, thousands of refugees have been fleeing the landlocked nation to escape persecution and retaliation from the extremist group. Send Relief, the compassion ministry arm of Southern Baptists, has begun the process of helping Afghan refugees as they resettle around the world by working with World Relief and other ministry partners.

Tensions heightened in July and August 2021 as the United States withdrew troops from Afghanistan and the Taliban overtook the nation, leaving thousands of Afghans scrambling to flee for fear of persecution by the extremist group. Send Relief, the compassion ministry arm of Southern Baptists, has been finding ways to serve these refugees in the United States and other nations to which they are fleeing. International Mission Board photo.

Photos of packed aircraft and video of desperate Afghan people surrounding planes as they take off have captured the world’s attention in recent days. Those who served alongside the United States military in some capacity are among the groups in the direst situation, but there are thousands of others whose lives and livelihoods are now at risk because of the Taliban.

“We need to pray for the Afghan people as many are fleeing with nothing but the clothes they have on,” said Bryant Wright, president of Send Relief. “Any remaining Christians will be targeted. The women and girls who are left behind will lose the freedoms they’ve gained over the last 20 years. May the church minister to any refugees our government allows in who have supported American efforts or faced persecution there.”

Thousands of Afghan refugees are expected to arrive in the United States in the coming days and weeks, and World Relief—a global Christian humanitarian organization that partners with local churches to serve vulnerable populations—has 17 offices across the United States where they aid refugees who will settle there.

As churches seek to respond, Send Relief will provide training and materials to equip churches that want to serve refugees in their communities and connect churches with organizations, like World Relief, that will help make direct connections with refugee families.

Most refugees arrive in the United States and need to find places to live, figure out how to enroll their kids in school and purchase basic household and hygiene items. Many also need assistance with learning English. Organizations like World Relief often work with local churches to help meet some of these needs.

“We don’t view this through the lens of politics or even the through the lens of the images coming out of Afghanistan right now,” said James Misner, senior vice president of strategic engagement for World Relief. “We view this through, and we respond through the lens of the commands of God in scripture—which tell us over and over again to welcome the stranger in need.”

Matthew Soerens, World Relief’s U.S. director of church mobilization and advocacy, also addressed concerns about the vetting process for refugees entering the United States with Baptist Press.

The U.S. government has, in recent decades, taken steps to ensure that those applying for refugee status receive background checks against several databases, according to The Heritage Foundation.

Afghans who provided assistance to the U.S., and are seeking to flee Afghanistan apply through a process called the Special Immigrant Visa program, a long vetting procedure that often takes more than two years to complete. Christians, women and other religious minorities are likely to flee the nation and seek refugee status in the U.S. or elsewhere.

Along with assisting in the refugee resettlement process in the United States, Send Relief also coordinates with international partners in resettling refugees in other nations around the world, helping those forced to leave their homes adjust to life in what is oftentimes a strange, new land.

To learn more about how you can give or serve refugees in this current crisis, visit sendrelief.org.

IMB and Houston’s First Baptist Church to Host Free Missions Mobilization Events

IMB’s South Asia leadership and Houston’s First Baptist Church will host two free missions mobilization events, An Intro to South Asia and Becoming a Sending Church, October 4-5, to highlight the lostness in South Asia and how local churches can partner in the no place left vision.

As an epicenter for lostness, South Asia’s need for laborers grows daily. These mobilization events offer local churches the opportunity to see how they can get involved.

At Intro to South Asia, participants will learn about the biblical foundation for missions as a priority, South Asia field realities, the IMB’s Affinity of South Asian Peoples vision and strategy with stories from the field, and ways local churches can get involved through prayer, projects, partnerships, and pipelines for sending. Intro to South Asia will be held October 4 from 9 am to 2:30 pm at Houston’s First Baptist Church.

Becoming a Sending Church will focus on biblical missiology, a brief overview of the South Asia vision and strategy, team structure in South Asia, a brief report of the progress of the Core Missionary Task, gaps and needs, priorities for goers and senders including a pipeline case study, and a job fair. Participants can meet South Asia affinity leadership to discuss specific jobs. Becoming a Sending Church will be held from 2 to 5 pm on October 4 and 8:30 am to 4:30 pm on October 5 at Houston’s First Baptist Church.

Preregistration is required for both An Intro to South Asia and Becoming a Sending Church, and seats are limited. For information about how to register, send an email to asapconnecting@imb.org.

International Mission Board (IMB) exists to serve Southern Baptists in carrying out the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations.

Houston’s First Baptist Church is a thriving and diverse community of real people experiencing real life together.

The post IMB and Houston’s First Baptist Church to Host Free Missions Mobilization Events appeared first on IMB.

Why objective truth is the issue at hand in the transgender debate

Every four years, the summer Olympic Games take center stage. And while impossible-to-believe feats of strength and athleticism, camaraderie, and sportsmanship regularly wow its global viewership, the Olympic platform has sometimes also thrust prevailing social and cultural issues to the foreground. In some ways, the Tokyo Olympics may have done so more than ever.

As a prime example, one of the cultural issues that took center stage this summer was the transgender debate, seen most notably in the participation of Laurel Hubbard, a 43-year-old weightlifter from New Zealand who competed in the women’s heavyweight competition. Though admittedly reluctant to be a mouthpiece for the transgender community, Hubbard, who formerly competed in the sport as a male, has garnered a great deal of attention and sparked significant controversy by participating in Tokyo’s games.

Much of the conversation on this particular controversy revolves around the question of fairness. Namely, is it fair for a person who has undergone a so-called gender transition, especially from male to female, to compete athletically in their “new” gender classification? But while the issue of fairness is critically important in sports and athletics, the truth is that fairness is downstream from the real crux of the issue. At root, the issue at hand is whether we, as a society, will continue to recognize and accept objective truth.

A web of delusion

We are suffering from a self-deception of our own making. The widespread acceptance of transgenderism reflects the fact that our culture has traded objective truth for subjectivism. In effect, we have crowned the self the ruler of truth. And in the midst of this, Sir Walter Scott’s memorable line, “Oh what a tangled web we weave,” has become uncomfortably poignant. Our culture has woven a destructive web of delusion, allowing feelings to supplant facts and preferences to replace realities.

Human beings do not decree what is or is not true. We are not God or gods. As limited and finite beings, our duty is much more modest. We recognize truth. We share truth. We stand for truth. But we do not fashion or alter what is true. And in our culture today, perhaps our hubris and propensity for exceeding the boundaries of our own authority is nowhere better displayed than with regard to gender.

Rejecting reality

In the case of Laurel Hubbard, we are witnessing the downstream consequences of our culture’s rejection of objective truth. Hubbard’s example demonstrates just how quickly we’re beginning to encounter the consequences of decades of emphasis on self-supremacy and self-actualization.

Any rational person can acknowledge that it is generally unfair to ask biological females to compete against biological males in physical athletic competition. This is especially true when the activity is weightlifting. The reasons why are self-evident but bear repeating. Males and females are distinct. Among other things, males and females have different musculoskeletal makeups: “Muscle size and bulk is less in women, due to the effects of the normal sex hormones. Men, given their greater levels of testosterone, have larger and stronger muscles, with a greater potential for muscle development.” Importantly, these physiological distinctions are not able to be altered apart from serious medical intervention — and even then clear differences persist.

The decision to allow Hubbard to compete against biological females because of Hubbard’s current female “gender identity” reflects just how deeply we’ve imbibed this cultural delusion. There is no doubt that Hubbard, and many others, experience true feelings of gender dysphoria, “a condition where a person senses that their gender identity (how they feel about being male or female) may not align with their biological sex and experiences emotional distress as a result.” Indeed, such people deserve tremendous mercy and compassion. But validating an identity that is not merely flawed but antithetical to Hubbard’s true identity is neither merciful nor compassionate. It is a rejection of reality and a repudiation of the concept of objective truth.

Eroding the foundations

When it comes to sex and gender the answer is not to capitulate to the winds of culture. Instead, it is to affirm that which is apparent by observation, attested via biology, and most importantly revealed in Scripture. It is no accident that the first pages of our Bible clearly describe God’s pattern for human beings in the words “male and female he created them” (Gen. 1:27). And it is equally important for Christians to affirm that gender is inextricably linked to sex. Regardless of whether a person may “feel” like a man or a woman, their gender is not determined according to feeling but according to a fixed and objective reality. Only males are men; only females are women.

Athletic competition reveals these distinctions acutely. Men and women typically compete in separate categories to ensure a fair and equal playing field. One need not subscribe to the Bible’s view of anthropology to recognize this. We can recognize the injustice of allowing biological males to compete against biological females because alongside our innate sense of fairness is our perception of these biological distinctions.

Beyond sports, we can only guess just how damaging the eradication of these boundaries will be for both individuals and our society as a whole. What we do know is that this widespread rejection of objective truth will continue to erode the foundations upon which our common life is built. As Christians, we must strive resist the tides of culture and hold fast to the truth about what it means that God creates human beings as either male or female. These distinctions are critical, not merely to preserve the wonder that captivates us at the Olympic Games but to honor the pattern of God’s design for those he created to reflect his image back into all creation.

Lifeline remains rooted to the Bible as adoption, pregnancy care culture shifts

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (BP) – Churches are called to uphold justice for the marginalized and vulnerable, but must include the motivation for such actions. It begins with a relationship with Christ.

Herbie Newell

That focus, says Herbie Newell of Lifeline Children’s Services, is the difference in doing good for its own sake and doing good that addresses the root issues. “The Church needs to see that God has called us to do justice. But, doing justice is only part of our Gospel proclamation. Lifeline goes into the hard places for ministry while staying rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, Lifeline grew out of Sav-a-Life crisis pregnancy center to address the needs of vulnerable children and families through adoption, family restoration, orphan care, education and counseling. Co-founders Wales Goebel and John Carr wanted to show the Gospel to those clients, Newell said. In addition to educating pregnant women about their options and sharing the Gospel, Christian families were also available to adopt the child should the birth mother make the choice to carry the baby to term.

“The secret sauce of what we do is found in the discipleship aspect of our ministry,” added Newell, Lifeline’s president and executive director. “It creates a generational ripple effect. When you work with one young person and provide Christian families for a child, then you provide healing for the future.

“It’s never been just about the child, but discipleship. If we took that out of our statement of faith, then we change everything about our ministry.”

Like other Christian adoption agencies, Lifeline has felt the pressure as culture has shifted on sexuality and marriage. When Bethany Christian Services, one of the nation’s largest evangelical adoption providers, declared earlier this year it would now serve gay parents, the announcement sparked phone calls to Lifeline’s offices.

“A lot of people wanted to know where we stood,” Newell said. “People who knew us already knew the answer, but I was asked if Lifeline was going to stay biblically-minded as opposed to adapting to the culture.”

Lifeline will remain rooted to its biblical convictions regarding the family, he said. And adopting such a change would be difficult to say the least. For any change in Lifeline’s statement of faith to take place, it was first need to be unanimously approved and submitted by its executive team. It would then be put before its national board, which also requires a unanimous vote for approval.

“If one person objects, it doesn’t change,” Newell stated.

In 2015, Lifeline also made the decision to never accept government funding on any level – local, state or federal. Last year the organization’s board did vote to accept funding from the Payroll Protection Program, Newell said, after a lengthy discussion that included legal and pastoral advice. The final decision came after establishing that the funds went toward the organization’s staff, not its mission, and also be for one time rather than ongoing funding. It was paid back by the end of the summer, Newell said, and in the end the funds were not really necessary to continue operating as normal.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic impacted Lifeline’s ministry in other ways. An online tutoring ministry for foster children that Lifeline established in 2018 came into high demand last year after practically all schooling went digital. Although most schools have gone back to meeting in person, the online tutoring program remains popular and the need for tutors has increased.

Just as the ministry’s roots go back to discipleship and the Gospel, they also go back to educating clients on the sanctity of life. According to Lifeline, the first child placed for adoption through the agency went on to be a Journeyman missionary through the International Mission Board and eventually became a business owner in Birmingham. In another case, a young woman suffering through domestic violence made the decision for her baby to be adopted by an IMB family serving in India. That young woman became a believer and, after marrying a Christian man, would choose to adopt a child as well.

That generational impact of the Gospel drives Lifeline and likeminded ministries, Newell maintained.

“We follow the Great Commandment and Great Commission. As we serve others, we make the Gospel known and if we ever took that out, it would change our whole ministry model,” he said.

Evangelical organizations partner to host 1 million hours of prayer during Tokyo Olympics

Several evangelical organizations, both internationally and in the U.S., are partnering together in an effort to cover Japan with 1 million hours of prayer during the 30 days of the 2021 Olympic and Paralympic games.

“Japan1Million,” a movement started by a partnership between the Japan International Sports Partnership and the Japan Evangelical Missionary Association, encourages Christians around the world to sign up for one-hour prayer slots during the Tokyo games.

Those who sign up for time slots will be invited to receive email updates with specific ways to pray, daily updates from the organizations and invitations to Zoom prayer meetings throughout the games. A variety of resources are available on the website, including a prayer plan for Japan on the YouVersion Bible app, available in both Japanese and English.

The opening ceremony for the Olympics is Friday (July 23).

Japan International Sports Partnership Director Keishi Ikeda said in a press release that the Olympics represent a unique opportunity to reach the organization’s ministry goals.

“Our sports partnership is driven by a vision to see the Church in Japan grow to 10 million people by 2024,” Ikeda said.

“Working towards that vision, we had hoped to reach a million Japanese people during our Olympic outreach year. COVID closed those doors, but one door remained open; the door to prayer. Committed prayer is needed for a significant spiritual breakthrough in Japan. We believe Alfred Tennyson words, ‘more things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.’”

Both Japanese organizations have partnered with other evangelical organizations, including other sports-related ministries.

Will Thompson is the director of Fellowship of Christian Athletes in Japan.

He told Baptist Press that the organizations have been planning to minister during the games in Japan since the country’s announcement as the host nation in 2013.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced a change in their plans, but Thompson said they realized God had a plan all along.

“Our initial disappointment about ministry during the Olympics has turned back to excitement over the last several weeks with the forming of this prayer initiative,” Thompson said.

“Myself and many others were thinking, ‘God you knew this plan all the way from the beginning, was the whole purpose of having the Olympics in Japan to really mobilize the global church through this prayer initiative? We have been resonating with the story of Joshua and the walls of Jericho because they only had one option to defeat the enemy, and this could be similar with what is happening in Japan.”

Thompson was raised in Japan and normally resides there, but is currently stateside due to the pandemic. He attends Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, Ga., and said he was worked closely with the International Mission Board as one of the domestic organizations involved with the prayer initiative.

He said the original plan was for FCA to partner with IMB missionaries serving in Japan to send outreach teams to minister during the games, but pandemic-related restrictions did not allow for that. Now with prayer being the only option for ministry in many cases, Thompson said this season could serve as a back-to-basics approach and as a way for the global church to unite.

“We’re living in just a crazy time with so much division in our world,” he said, “and unfortunately we see that a lot in the church. In Scripture, Jesus prays for unity and for us to be one and sends us out to make disciples. One of the ways we can come together is through prayer because we all believe in that. Based on Scripture and history, when we pray that’s how God moves and revivals happen, and we believe this time is Japan’s time to be prayed for by the global church.”

Litton releases video update after task force’s first meeting

NASHVILLE (BP) – SBC President Ed Litton released a video Tuesday (July 20) following the first meeting of a task force he named to oversee an independent review of the SBC Executive Committee.

In a motion adopted at the 2021 SBC Annual Meeting, messengers overwhelmingly approved the naming of a task force to administrate a third-party investigation into allegations the EC mishandled claims of sexual abuse.

In the video, Litton said he believes messengers desired a task force to “ensure a transparent and thorough review so that we may know the truth and receive recommendations on how to improve the way sex abuse cases have been handled.”

Litton said the group is “composed of pastors who are widely respected as well as individuals with professional expertise for this assignment. …

“This group is committed to pursuing God’s guidance and wisdom throughout the task, to seek the truth, to ensure that voices of survivors are heard and to bring the findings of this review to the Southern Baptist Convention, including recommendations that will lead to strong reforms.

“I am grateful for the willingness of these people to serve our convention in this important role.”

Litton said the team, which plans to meet again this week, will issue a press release once the firm that will handle the review has been hired and a contract signed.

He added that the task force will provide at least one update shortly after the New Year and will issue its report one month prior to the 2022 SBC Annual Meeting next June in Anaheim, Calif.

Litton urged Southern Baptists to pray for the task force, for the yet-to-be-named review firm and for “our own hearts, that we’ll be prepared to receive the truth. …”

“The time and the care that will be spent on this review are worth it,” Litton said in the video, “because the protection and the care and the healing of the most vulnerable are worth it.”

Watch the full video below.

Missionaries get extended time with refugees as resettlement is delayed

Many Central Asian refugees found themselves grounded in one country on the refugee highway, routes often traveled by refugees crossing country borders, in 2015 and 2016 and the grounding continues due to the pandemic. This is the longest missionaries William and Darlene King*, who serve with the International Mission Board, have had with refugees whose journey on the refugee highway is somewhat of a modern-day telling of Homer’s Odyssey.

Up until 2015, refugees would stop for indeterminate periods – some cycling through as if on a turnstile, others for the length of a pregnancy, still others long enough to sink roots into the rich soil.

The recent extended time with refugees has led to increased opportunities for the Kings to share the Gospel and more time for discipleship and leadership training.

The Kings work primarily with two Central Asian people groups. People from one of the groups are not as devout in the faith of their culture and are becoming Christians in greater numbers.

William and Darlene build relationships with refugees through teaching English, and the lessons provide an entry point for sharing the Gospel. Over a series of weeks, they will form “seeker” classes that are a mixture of apologetics and pre-discipleship for people who are interested in learning more.

Finding work is difficult for refugees, so people have free time to study the Bible and are excited about studying, Darlene said.

The believers teaching the seeker classes are a part of a core group of Christians the Kings are investing in through a leadership development program they developed in connection with their church plant.

The leadership development class rotates between teaching theology, systematically teaching books of the Bible and an apologetics-based class. In the apologetics class, they answer questions and objections that arise from students in the seeker classes. They also address questions they receive when they share the Gospel in public parks, where many refugees spend time and sometimes sleep at night.

Questions refugees often ask Christians include, “If God is a loving God, why do we live in these camp conditions? How does a loving God allow these things? If God loves me, why do I suffer?”

William, the elders from the church and members of the leadership class discuss biblical responses to these questions.

Church membership is another tricky issue in refugee communities. Leaders wrestle with how to implement church membership in communities that are in flux. How to handle accountability and the authority of leaders is another consideration.

Conversations in the leadership development program trickle down to the seeker, discipleship and language classes and influence the evangelism efforts of the refugee believers, William said.

Empowering women

Darlene dreamed of and prayed for a believing woman from the more receptive people group who would want to reach women from the more devout Muslim people group.

This dream came true in 2020. A Christian woman invited several women to study the Bible at her house.

Darlene is involved in a mentoring program for refugee women who show leadership potential. The program involves other Christian organizations, and last year they hosted a camp where attendees learned about women in the New Testament and their leadership roles.

The women meet monthly for ministry training. One month they focused on chronological Bible storying, another month spiritual warfare.

“The kind of questions that they’re asking is so amazing,” Darlene said. “One woman said at our first meeting, ‘How do I know who the Holy Spirit is leading me to share the Gospel with, because I’m telling people about Jesus and they’re saying no.’”

The woman wanted to know how to share more effectively and how to listen to the Holy Spirit.

Fifty women usually come to the meetings, but their numbers were restricted due to the pandemic, so they decided to invite only the leaders. This turned out to be a blessing, because the leaders were then empowered to lead groups of women and children, thus encouraging local ownership instead of Western-led groups.

“There are two women who are out leading discipleship groups of other women, and the pastor is empowering them to do that,” Darlene said.

One of the women who attended the training became a Christian six years ago and is the wife of a pastor.

“She stood in front of us, crying and shaking, and said, ‘This is the first time I’ve ever taught a lesson in front of people,’” Darlene said. “It’s definitely a new thing, and I just think it’s not culturally what they’ve ever done before.”

Women from this culture are often not engaged in teaching groups and are often not out in society pursing teaching opportunities.

One woman began teaching other women who are living in temporary housing after COVID-19 closed their refugee camp.

“She was literally just teaching them everything that she knew, and then she would call her pastor out, and he would teach her something, and she would turn around and teach the group,” Darlene said.

Some women go out into public places and use the Gospel-sharing method they learned in a training and invite people to English classes and Bible studies. Darlene said one of the women often has 20 conversations in an evening and comes away with phone numbers to follow up. She adapts the way she shares the Gospel with each person.

“She’s engaging with them in a way that is so beautiful,” Darlene said.

Continuing the odyssey

Ministering in the Kings’ context isn’t easy, and goodbyes are guaranteed.

“You might meet someone one time and never see them again. Or you might pour your soul into spending every second you can with someone, and then they just disappear, and you hear from them two months later, and they’re in Switzerland or another country in Europe,” Darlene said.

The Kings’ church holds commissioning services for refugees approved for resettlement in other countries.

“The church is constantly sending people out to other countries, and they’re going to these little villages in the middle of Germany, where there’s not another believer,” Darlene said. “They are prepared to study the Bible and hopefully prepared to share with others and start their own churches.”

That’s what the Kings hope to see happen because of their investment. This type of church planting is already happening in other countries in Europe.

“It’s a reverse model of the apostle Paul’s ministry. Paul went to these little places,” William said. “It’s ironic because we’re here, and we’re investing, trying to invest, in the health and knowledge and ability to read Scripture, and we’re watching them go to all of these little places, so it’s kind of a reverse Paulinian model.”

The Kings’ ministry is thriving now, but Darlene encourages others by sharing that the current success took seven years of hard, slow work.

FIRST-PERSON: 5 ways I witnessed God at work at camp

Last week I spent five days serving as a chaperone with my church at Lifeway’s CentriKid camp. It was my 10-year-old twins’ first experience at camp and one of my first times back since I proposed to my wife at a Lifeway camp around 16 years ago.

Leading up to this year’s camp, I was praying for God to move in the lives of our kids. But I must admit, I was also hesitant about the trip. Spending 100-plus straight hours with a bunch of loud, smelly, energetic boys is a bit much for my introvert-driven personality, and upon stepping foot in our cabin, I found myself initially counting down the hours until it was time to depart.

But by the end of the week, it was a different story. By that point, my nose had become so acclimatized to cabin life that I hardly noticed the mingled smells of sunscreen, bug repellant and dirty laundry. What I did notice, however, was the way God had been moving in the lives of everyone on campus. It left me incredibly appreciative for the kingdom work Lifeway accomplishes through its camps ministry.

Here are five ways I saw God at work last week.

Camp connects generations of believers.

A couple days before leaving for camp, I received a text from a grandmother at our church. She asked how she and a senior-citizen church member could be praying for my kids during their week at CentriKid. I later learned that several older members of our congregation had been paired with the names of kids to individually pray for them while they were away from home.

Later at camp, I was encouraged to witness the tag-team efforts of college-aged CentriKid staffers and 30- and 40-something-year-old parents and chaperones leading children in spiritual conversations. From elementary-aged children to senior citizens, Lifeway’s camp ministry fueled the bonds of at least four generations in the church last week. It was a joy to observe this unified investment in the next generation.

Camp establishes Christian role models for young people.

Before shuttling to camp, I introduced myself to one of the kids who would be in my group that week. He had seen me around church before but didn’t know me well; he smiled sheepishly as he shook my hand.

The day before returning home, however, this same kid told me, “I wish you could ride back with us on the bus (I was driving separately with the luggage.). Upon telling him we’d see each other at church on Sunday, his face lit up as he said, “So I’ll only have to go one more day before seeing you again!”

Camp experiences give room for older Christians to become role models for the younger generation. This enables kids and youth to know there is an entire group of people in addition to their parents who are rooting for their spiritual growth and who are available to help them navigate the challenges of life.

Camp fosters healthy relationships between children.

The quarantine conditions of the last 12 months have made it difficult for kids and students to build and maintain relationships. That said, camp provided a literal and figurative breath of fresh air for our kids.

Driving home from camp, my daughter (who’s been shy of late) told me, “Dad, I think I’ve upgraded my social skills.” And after church this past Sunday, I saw several kids from camp huddled up – laughing and chatting together. The five days these kids spent together at camp served to jumpstart friendships that had struggled to grow during the pandemic.

Camp connects adults and churches and encourages them to be on mission together.

It’s easy for individual churches to become siloed from other neighboring churches in their communities and within their state. And even within churches, individuals can get locked within their own areas of service so that they lose perspective on how God is moving through the entire local church.

I personally witnessed camp opening the doors of these silos so multiple church groups could share in the joy of each other’s harvests. On one occasion, I was part of a conversation that involved two children’s ministers from different churches. They shared ideas, resource suggestions, and exchanged numbers with one another to partner together on mission after camp was over.

Likewise, by sharing a cabin for a week with another male chaperone, I was able to learn about different areas of ministry he leads and how I might be praying for them. I even learned of a new area in which I could serve my church. These conversations weren’t forced and didn’t feel like desperate volunteer recruiting done from the pulpit. They were the natural fruit of doing life together on mission for the week.

Camp stretches adults to take on a childlike faith and to demonstrate it before others.

One thing not a lot of people know about me is that I struggle with social anxiety. It may not be obvious to others, but large groups and the need to make small talk or perform before others cause a lot of internal angst I must press through. Because of this, the first night of kickoff for camp – an event that involved lots of shouting, hand clapping and silly song motions – caused me to freeze up. I was out of my comfort zone, and it showed.

But five days later, it was evident God had been at work in my heart. Maybe it was my daughter’s conversation with our children’s minister in which she said she wanted to get baptized or the sight of my son in tears saying he desired to follow Christ but wanted to be sure about Christianity’s claims, which led us to talk about apologetics. Throughout the week, as I watched children ponder and wrestle with Christ’s lordship, I found that God was also gradually lowering my guard, allowing me to embrace a childlike expression of faith – one that enabled this almost 40-year-old to do kids’ silly song motions to the glory of God.

Camp has a way of pushing kids and adults out of their comfort zones, giving the Lord room to mold softened hearts.

Tasting the harvest

At Lifeway, our mission statement is “designing trustworthy experiences that fuel ministry.” Sometimes, those experiences look like academic tools to aid pastors as they engage in sermon preparation. At other times, these experiences involve kids running around with shaving cream and pool noodles.

It was a blessing to step away from my day job for a week to taste some of the harvest of the varied spiritual experiences we create. Seeing God ignite the spiritual tinder we send out into the world caused me to return with new vigor for the work He calls us to at Lifeway.

Refugee refuses to pause for pandemic 

Despite a number of setbacks, Christian refugees continue to share the gospel.

COVID-19 has not deterred Navid’s* bold gospel witness. Despite restrictions, he shares his faith and frequently stays up until two and three in the morning, sharing the gospel via social media messaging applications with people in his home country. Though distance and political turmoil separate Navid from his family who still live in his home country, he maintains a strong witness there. During his father’s funeral, Navid shared the gospel over speakerphone while talking with his mother, despite not being there in person.

“He shared the gospel with the entire village through the phone and the loudspeaker,” IMB missionary Darlene King* said.

Navid is one of the leaders in the leadership development program Darlene and her husband, William*, lead. The Kings serve among refugee communities in Europe and work closely with leaders like Navid to train and equip them to lead groups.

During the pandemic, Navid found creative ways to teach the gospel and disciple new Christians. He frequently visits public places to share the good news with other refugees who’ve made their way to Europe.

When pandemic restrictions lifted, Navid and the Kings held baptisms for new believers. During the summer months, baptisms take place in the ocean. In the winter months, William explained they perform baptisms in large green buckets farmers once used to soak olives.

“Navid was a strong believer and leader, but something in him just blossomed during COVID,” Darlene continued.

A divine encounter

Music from Navid’s home country drew him to a man named Parviz* during one of his visits to a public venue.

Navid struck up a conversation with Parviz and learned his refugee journey had already lasted 15 to 18 months. He left behind a wife and children in his home country.

On his journey to Europe, Parviz spent time in a Central Asian country. A Muslim friend he met there told him, “The things that I hope to find along this route, along this trip, are love, wisdom and help to fight, struggle in a better way.”

“Navid began sharing with him about how the brokenness that we have in our lives is not the way God intended our lives to be, and that God has made a way,” William said.

From what William understands, Parviz and his wife did not part on good terms.

Navid asked Parviz, “If your wife called you and said that she wanted to make things right, where would you place the thanks? Would you thank God for giving you another opportunity with your family?”

William said the question led to a discussion about God’s wisdom and how He is the source of knowledge.

Parviz told Navid, “I feel that God is close because I feel at this moment that my burden is less.”

“The conversation really just bridged for him to the fact that our knowledge, our wisdom and those things that come from God are from a kingdom perspective,” William said.

Navid continues to share the gospel with Parviz.

The Kings continue to train and equip leaders among the refugee community. You can support their work by giving toward a fund for refugee discipleship and education.

Read more about the King’s ministry among refugees here.

Caroline Anderson writes for the IMB from Southeast Asia.

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