Monthly Archives: February 2014

Moore Activity Center

Wihlehmus, Amy Photo 2Just south of Cincinnati, two exits off the Ohio River, in downtown Covington, KY sits an amazing ministry that is reaching out to its community with the Gospel.  The Moore Activity Center (MAC), directed by North American Mission Board self-funded Missionary Amy Wilhelmus, opened its doors in 2004 as an outreach of Southside Baptist Church.  Although they continue to work closely with the church, they are now a separate entity.

MAC’s goal is to find the needs in their community and meet those needs as possible.  Amy says they attempt to “meet the people where they are and hopefully that will open the door to share Christ.”

Each week regularly scheduled activities reach out to all ages.  Those include:

  • One-on-One Tutoring for children in grades K-6 with adult/child relationship building
  • An inner-city Adult Bible Club with a meal, Bible study, and crafts
  • “Fill My Cup” Women’s Bible Group
  • Bible Study for children and youth.  Since most have no other connection with church, this Bible Study is considered to be their “church time.” A meal is served, there is singing, prayer, a craft, gym time, and Bible focus.

The MAC offers community fellowships from time to time for anyone, any age where they look for ways to bring people together just to interact with one another.  These events have included such things as “Minute to Win It” games and a Hawaiian Luau.

MAC’s summer programs include:

  • “Fun in the Son,” a Backyard Bible Club type event where they go out into the community and meet people on their own turf.
  • A “24-Hour Day Camp” which is a one-day, overnight camp at a local church and done on a shoestring budget.  The camp, for grades 1-6, focuses on helping kids to understand what God wants to do in their own lives.
  • “Simply Dinner” meets every Tuesday in the summer as a time just to feed the kids.  Local churches adopt a night to provide the meal and fellowship with the kids.

“Big Give Aways” are held three times each year.

  • Back-to-School – 150 to 200 children and youth in grades K-12 receive gym shoes, socks, school supplies, hygiene items, and haircuts.
  • Thanksgiving – Includes worship, singing, and a meal to take home and prepare.
  • Christmas – Includes worship, singing, a meal to take home to prepare, and toys & clothes for children 12 and under.

Interesting in a mission trip to the Moore Activity Center?  They would love to have teams come in and take a week of “Fun in the Son”,  provide construction help, or assist with other outreach.  Amy will work with your gifts and talents to use them to the fullest.

Please pray about partnering with Amy and the MAC.  Pray for financial needs, for volunteers to come and help meet needs & share Christ, and for them to be a source of light in their community.  Also pray for a strong leader to come serve alongside Amy.

If interested in learning more or in volunteering with this ministry contact Amy at 859-261-2300, [email protected], or on Facebook at Moore Activity Center (Covington, KY).

Obligated!

careysmrGod used a simple cobbler in the 1780s to birth what we now call the modern missions movement.  William Carey developed a God-given passion for the glory of God among the nations.  When others were telling him he need not go to the heathen with the gospel, Carey said otherwise.  When others said that if God desires to save the heathens He will do so without our help, Carey said that the very means that God has chosen to save sinners is through the proclamation of the gospel by sinners who have been saved.

In his book An Enquiry into the Obligations of Christians, to Use Means for the Conversion of the Heathens, Carey wrote:

“Our Lord Jesus Christ, a little before his departure, commissioned his apostles to Go, and teach all nations; or, as another evangelist expresses it, Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.  This commission was as extensive as possible, and laid them under obligation to disperse themselves into every country of the habitable globe, and preach to all the inhabitants, without exception, or limitation. . . . It seems as if many thought the commission was sufficiently put in execution by what the apostles and others have done; that we have enough to do to attend to the salvation of our own countrymen; and that, if God intends the salvation of the heathen, he will some way or other bring them to the gospel, or the gospel to them.  It is thus that multitudes sit at their ease,
and give themselves no concern about the far greater part of their fellow-sinners, who to this day, are lost in ignorance and idolatry” (quoted from When Missions Shapes the Mission, 2).

Our obligation, therefore, is from the Lord.  We may not sit idle and do nothing.  Nor may we be content and spiritualize our participation in the Great Commission as if it is fulfilled because we are seeking to reach people where we live.  The GC is not like a childhood love letter with optional check boxes of “yes,” “no,” or “maybe.”  The GC is all-encompassing.  We are to reach our Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the nations with the gospel.  In fact, we are obligated to do so.

Upon hearing the word “obligated” people often first react with reserve or inward rebellion.  The thought goes something like this: “No one is going to tell me what I must do!”  Yet, the word obligated is a beautiful word when understood in the context of Paul’s use in Romans 1:14.  You see, Paul, as one who had received the grace of God, felt obligated to share with others the same hope given to Him in Jesus.  He could not fathom a world in which all peoples did not have equal access to the life-transforming gospel of Jesus.

For the Jews, he was willing to be cut off from the life-giving gospel of Christ, so that they might hear and believe (Rom 9:1-5).  As for the non-Jews, he could not imagine not saturating the nations with the gospel of Jesus (Acts 26:17-18).  Further, Paul understood the GC to be binding on his life because the command came from God himself.  The authority behind our obligation to send the gospel and to embrace all peoples for the gospel is not man made; it’s divinely given.  As Jesus made it so clear from a mountainside, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matt 28:18).  The authority of the GC resides in the giver of the Commission.  His authority has not changed; therefore, our obligation to His command still stands.

Ten Ways the Church Can Respond in Times of Disaster

What is a disaster?

A disaster is any occurrence that causes suffering and creates human needs that cannot be alleviated without help.  Disasters can occur at any moment and in any place. Ice storm - 3

Here are ten ways that your church can minister, if disaster strikes your community:

  1. Pray for those affected.  God can do far more than any of us to bring comfort to the hurting.
  2. Create a phone list of the vulnerable in your church and make contact with shut-ins, elderly, disabled, those suffering with chronic health issues, and single mothers.
  3. Train and mobilize volunteers to provide care at the church for children, elderly, sick, and/or the disabled.
  4. Provide bilingual interpreters to assist those who speak another language.
  5. Open the church to receive and distribute donated goods and bulk items for those affected, such as bedding, food, clean-up supplies, and household items.
  6. Offer logistical support to trained disaster relief teams by allowing them to be housed and fed at your church.
  7. Develop and organize clean-up or repair crews, such as chainsaw, debris removal, flood relief, and roof-tarping teams.  Kentucky Baptist Disaster Relief provides training in these areas.
  8. Participate in rebuild efforts.
  9. Encourage church members to become trained as Kentucky Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers.  Training and preparation always makes us more effective in response and ministry.
  10. In most cases, the best way to help is through monetary donations.  Financial gifts allow us to meet the specific needs of those who are hurting.  They also provide the right resources at the right times, assist in long-term recovery efforts, and stimulate the local economy in the affected area.  I know many people feel as if giving money is not personal.  But, always remember, helping should be about meeting the needs of victims, and not fulfilling our desire to feel good about ourselves.  If you choose to collect supplies, be sure that you have contacted someone on the ground to insure that you gather items that are genuinely needed and wanted.  Do not create more problems by sending unwanted and unneeded supplies.  As someone who has worked in many disasters, monetary donations, through reputable groups, make the most difference in helping people.

“Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)

Show the Value of Your Association

Value

I had the privilege this week to consult with two different associations concerning future direction.  One has a new Director of Missions (DOM) and the other is seeking the Lord for a DOM.  Although both are in different places, however, each meeting involved discussion around the importance of value and how the association benefits the church.  It was determined that the association must demonstrate value to the churches if it is going to expect participation and support from them.  Likewise, the churches must demonstrate participation and support if they are going to receive value from the association.

 

There is a systematic process in the business world called “value engineering”.  It is an attempt to improve the value of goods, products or services by using an “examination of function”.  Value is defined as “the ratio of performance or function to cost”.  Value can be increased by improving the performance or lowering the cost.  In most cases, the practice identifies and removes unnecessary expenses, thereby increasing the value for the customer.  Value engineering a service or product in the business world may boil down to dollars and cents that prove helpful to the bottom line. But what does it look like if applied to the local Baptist association?

 

An association must determine its value and how it will benefit member churches.  One helpful way to do that is through an assessment and strategy review process.  The review process should be followed by strategy development that allows member churches to determine the future direction and value of the association based on the needs of churches in their particular context.

 

Part of any review or assessment process is the asking of “hard questions” that cause us to examine how and why, we do what we do.   I encourage you to ask the following questions about your association.  Then, determine with the DOM to lead your association in providing great value to each of its member churches as they simultaneously provide participation and support.

 

  • If members of the churches were asked to list why is the association important – how would they answer?
  • Are we connecting churches in order to reach the world, OR are we connecting churches in order to support denominational activities and ministries?
  • Is the association’s goal Kingdom impact or self-preservation?
  • Is there a different associational structure that would streamline our work and function more efficiently?
  • Is my association shaping the future or reacting and adapting to it?
  • Am I willing to embrace deep change that will help the association to be most effective?
  • What will my role be as I seek to add value and relevance to my local association?