Monthly Archives: June 2013

Praying for NAME by name

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The monthly Prayer Calendar in Missions Mosaic lists international missionaries by people group rather than by country.  On the one hand, it is more difficult to now learn geography through the prayer calendar as I did growing up.  When we prayed for missionaries in GAs, we always had to find the countries of the missionaries before praying!  On the other hand, as we pray for international missionaries by the people groups, we are likely praying for people not only in the countries of origin, but also for work all over the world.  People migrate to different countries for many reasons and our missionaries seek ways to share the gospel with their people groups wherever they are found.

 

One of the abbreviations on the prayer calendar is NAME which stands for North African and Middle Eastern peoples.  As the abbreviation denotes, these are people who live in or are from countries in North African or the Middle East.  Kentucky WMU has committed to pray for NAME peoples.  Due to security, we cannot name our missionaries or the places where they serve, but know that there are folks with Kentucky ties sharing Christ with NAME peoples.

 

At our 2013 Kentucky WMU Annual Meeting we were blessed to have “Nik & Ruth Ripken” with us.  Many were challenged to pray for NAME peoples and signed up to receive NAME prayer requests.  That list is still open to others.  We also post NAME prayer requests that have been cleared for security.  Learn more about our NAME prayer commitment and how to get involved at www.kywmu.org.

 

You can pray for NAME peoples by the names of the people groups. Here are a few of the open NAME prayer requests for July:

 

ARAB PEOPLES OF CENTRAL UNITED KINGDOM – “Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again” (Ecclesiastes 11:1). Unlikely waters may cover fruitful soil. Pray that the Bread of life, the Word that has been cast upon the lives of many women and children of Arab decent, will come to fruitfulness by seeing extended families come to faith in Jesus.

 

DRUZE OF THE LEVANT (drooz) – Visiting believers will be coming to a village to help teach English and phonics, and to host a teachers’ clinic as well as a kids’ camp. Pray that each class will lead to new relationships and visits and, therefore, many opportunities to share the Good News. Specifically ask God to reveal a “person of peace” (Luke 10:6), one who will gladly accept the Son and be obedient to take the Good News to his family, friends and, ultimately, the world.

 

NORTHERN AFRICAN AND MIDDLE EASTERN UNENGAGED PEOPLES – The people groups of North Africa are Muslim and are unreached–all but one. Most of these unreached groups are also unengaged, meaning that there is no known work proclaiming Jesus among them. The Kabyle Berbers are considered to be “reached,” because 2 percent of their population has heard the Good News and has chosen to follow the Son. Pray for a spiritual grassroots movement that will spread like wildfire with the wind of the Holy Spirit throughout all these people groups. Thank God for those individuals who have already believed! Thank Him for those who already have a burden to reach their friends, family, and neighbors with the Good News that salvation is free and does not have to be earned, for example, by ritual fasting during Ramadan. So, in the interest of 98 percent of Kabyle Berbers and all the other people groups of North Africa who have either not heard or not believed the Good News, pray that they will have dreams and visions of Jesus, the One who provides payment for their debt to God and reconciles that relationship, and who removes their shame and restores their honor. For the Kabyle Berbers and other believers, pray that they will be called to go to their fellow Muslim people groups in North Africa to share during this month of Ramadan. To God be the glory!  http://prayerthreads.imb.org

 

TUNISIAN ARABS OF SOUTHERN TUNISIA (too-NEE-zhan) – A new believer is growing in his faith and has shared with a few friends. He also asked his mother about Jesus. “Do you know of any mistakes that He has made, Mom?” She thought for a while and said, “No, I don’t.” He said, “Then I think I will follow Him.” His mother accepted this idea and is interested in talking more about it. Pray for other believers to have the same boldness and sincerity in sharing the Gospel with friends and family members. http://www.pray4tunisia.com/

 

SHAWIYA BERBERS OF NORTHERN AFRICA AND EUROPE (sha-WEE-yah BER-bers) – As Shawiya Berbers move into Europe, they join the masses seeking to blend into society, so many will cloak their true identity. Trying hard to fit in, they become discouraged when the result is marginalization, a common occurrence for immigrants in Europe. Work is hard to find, and many are left in desperate need both physically and spiritually. During this month, they will seek God as they fast during Ramadan. Pray that they will cry out to God and say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living” and will truly believe with all of their hearts that He is all they really need in life. May God set Shawiya Berbers free from their “prison” so that they may praise His name (Psalm 142:5-7).

 

Many more open requests are posted on our web site.  There are also instructions for requesting to join the prayer network which receives the secure requests.  Join us as we pray for NAME by the names of the people groups!

EBO at work through block parties, camps, FamilyFEST and more!

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EBO accountability forms from associations and other ministries that received EBO grants this year are starting to come in.  Seymour Wattenbarger, Director of Missions for Knox Association, wrote across the top of his forms: The Story Lives On!

Knox Association used their EBO association grant of $500 and an additional grant of $1,000 to help provide expenses for a Love Loud Block Party with 114 volunteers (including 10 pastors) from 14 churches serving.  There were doctors and nurses doing health screenings and four dentists extracted 30 teeth and filled many more. There were four barbers and beauticians cutting hair all day.  They served 400 families 41,000 pounds of food.

During the block party they gave out English and Spanish Bibles, cases of shoes and clothes, and 400 new dress shirts.  The block party also included clowns and inflatables for the kids.  The best part of all was that they held the first service of a new Hispanic church plant the next day which was Easter!  Through the block party and the new church, the association witnessed to hundreds of people.  Two pastors said “I haven’t witnessed this much in years!”

Rev. Wattenbarger wrote on the accountability forms: “Thank you so much for sharing in our ministry and for the Eliza Broadus Offering.  Thank God for the WMU and the Eliza Broadus Offering funds for His ministry in Knox County.”

Summer mission camps and overnights are underway.  We are currently in our second week of three weeks of Mission Adventure camp. Our second Mother/Daughter, Father/Son overnight will take place this coming weekend. July 12-13 we will have Overnights at the Creek (Mother/Daughter, GA, and Acteens Splash). Camp Courage for Royal Ambassadors, Challengers, dads, and leaders will take place August 2-3 at Laurel Lake Baptist Camp in Corbin.  EBO funding helps keep camping costs lower for participants.

July is also a busy month with FamilyFEST, July 13-18 in Paducah and Henderson.  EBO funds are helping to provide ministry supplies for projects, including some led by Baptist Nursing Fellowship.
Excel logoOn July 27, Excel WMU leadership development, will take place in Shelbyville and Central City.  EBO plays a part in providing missions education leader training and resources.

Thank you, Kentucky Baptists.  Your gifts are making an eternal impact!

 

Passionate Prayer for WMU

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The June 2013 issue of Missions Mosaic includes a Prayer Guide for 60 days of passionate prayer for WMU.  The introduction to the prayer guide says:

“It is God’s passion that His people pray. In WMU we share that passion as we pray for a world in need. Throughout out 125-year history, prayer has had prominence. Missions personnel through North America and around the world, along with local, associational, state, and national missions efforts, have depended on our prayers.”

Colossians 4:12 challenges us to “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful”  (Colossians 4:12 NIV).

I encourage every WMU member to take the prayer guide out of Missions Mosaic and place it with your Bible.  (It is stapled right in the center and is easy to remove.)  Use it as a daily prayer guide or take an hour and pray through the entire guide at one time. Just reading through the 60 prayer requests is a reminder of all the WMU does in missions and the need for prayer.

We know that spiritual warfare is real. Efforts to undermine WMU have come at various times and ways.  Satan would like nothing better than for WMU to quit.  So, our prayers for WMU are vital to strengthen our members and work which in turn touches lives around the world.  The prayer requests include thanksgiving for women in WMU history, current leaders, our mission boards and leaders, missions leaders and groups in our churches, our associations, sisters in other countries, state WMU leaders, age-groups in the WMU family, and much more.  There are also personal prayer requests as we pray for our own faithful witnessing, praying, and giving.

Join us in passionate prayer for WMU.  Pray that WMU will stay focused on the Lord’s purposes and will stand fast and firm, never wavering even in the midst of the word’s challenges.

PS: There is a WMU Foundation envelope in the center of the Prayer Guide.  Use it to give generously to one of the funds/endowments which support the work of WMU.

 

Share in the Celebration: The Story Lives On

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feature_annualFor national WMU, June 2013 kicks off 12 months of celebrating 125 years of WMU. We are all invited to be in on the fun.

On p. 19 of the June issue of Missions Mosaic, there is an ad inviting readers to share WMU stories.  You are invited to share a short note (125 words or less), medium post (blog post of 250 words), or longer thoughts (550 words or less).  You can also send in old photos.  Email this material to [email protected].

Kentucky WMU has been celebrating all year as we have used The Story Lives On theme.  At our 2013 Annual Meeting we had a 125th WMU Birthday Celebration and Heritage Fund Banquet where we invited participants to write WMU stories and post them on our time line.   As we celebrate this year, I will be sharing some of the stories posted.   The stories we received were in response to “How I became involved in WMU ” and “WMU’s impact on my life.”  (Due to space, I can only include parts of each story.)

Pat Key (First Baptist Church, Central City): In the early 1940’s, my dad was in the army in Brazil. Mom’s parents lived in Central City where we attended church. I became very involved with GAs.  Later I advanced to YWAs.  I still have my white Bible that was presented to me when I married. In 1956 I began working in GA camps as a WMU State Worker. My summers were filled with wonderful activities all over the state of Kentucky. Mary Pat Price was my wonderful leader for four summers….I met my husband at Cedarmore while he was there for a Royal Ambassadors meeting. When we later moved to Michigan, I had the priviledge of serving as state YWA/Acteen director.  I traveled to many different churches in Michigan and organized camp activities there. When we moved back to Kentucky, I have had the blessed experience of serving as a Kentucky WMU Executive Board member….

Connie Meridith (Crestwood Baptist Church): My mom took me to her Baptist Women’s meetings as a baby – circa 1951.  I was a Sunbeam, GA, YWA, BYW and now Women on Mission.  My mom’s example of making missions a priority has served as a guideline for my missions involvement – as an Acteen leader, GA leader, Mission Friend, WMU Director. I have often helped get and organziation started, developed leadership, and then started another.  I called it Ministry Planting.

Betty Rucker (Pleasureville Baptist Church): I became involved because of an invitation to GAs by a Godly woman in my church, who died last year at the age of 94. She inspired me to be missions-minded, along with another wonderful lady who always did the mission study in VBS.  For nine years I served as Associational WMU Director of Henry County Association. My son and his wife, before serving as pastor, served in Montana for one year as volunteer missionaries.  My desire for missions involvement affected my son.  My love for WMU keeps me focused…

Megan Johnson (Dunmor Baptist Church): When I didn’t have school on Thursdays in the summer, I started going to the Women on Mission meetings at my church.  I really liked it….I started understanding missions more and started to like it even more.  I want to be a part of WMU for the rest of my life.

Tina Nicely (Bells Run Baptist Church): I started teaching Acteens in 1986. I love encouraging young ladies to share Jesus.  A good friend of mine felt led to start a BYW group and we met in my home.  Sometimes we had 3 or 4, but usually it was just the two of us.  I was the person that always led the mission book study and we had one the night of 9/11.  There were about 12 of us praying for more ladies and that night we had 35 women.   I know first hand how missionaries feel about prayer after 4 rounds of lung cancer.  I knew I had an awesome group of women praying for me and all the cards were truly amazing.

Marcia Ballard (Allansville Baptist Church): I grew up in WMU!  I was in Sunbeams, GAs, Acteens and Women on Mission. As an Acteen I realized that I should not just learn about missions but be more involved in doing missions.  Through many WMU experiences, I have learned how many people need to hear about Jesus, not just in foreign countries, but right here in Kentucky. I constantly feel challenged to determine how I can help meet needs and share Christ.

Laverne Sublette (First Baptist Church, Fulton): I became a Baptists at age 22. God revealed to me that there was more than regular services. I soon found the WMU and that was my mission. I worked with all ages in a number of churches….I was privileged to serve on the State WMU Executive Board. This has been the love and joy of my life.  I’ve been blessed in being able to attend the last 35 years (consecutively) at the state meetings.  Also a number before.

Julia DeVore (Three Forks Bacon Creek Baptist Church): I became involved serving in 1975 as GA leader for a church…following in steps that led me to Kentucky now as Association WMU Director at Lynn Association.  I could never envision my life without WMU. The ways I can show my love for others in Christ and “Be what makes Christ smile” I hope.  WMU completes me.

Peggy Wagner (Rose Hill Baptist Church): When I was 9 years old our little Baptist Church at Olive Hill started GAs. Our leaders really encouraged us to complete our “Forward Steps.”  I completed the Maiden and began the Lady-in-Waiting. When I was 13 we moved to West Virginia. As an Acteen, I continued my Forward Steps being crowned Queen my Senior year in high school…….The scripture I memorized as a GA doing the Forward Steps has been the foundation for my life….

Marilyn Seelig (Beaver Dam Baptist Church):  ….My grandmother lived with us the last 15 years of her life. I can still see her every morning with her Bible and Royal Service, praying for “our” missionaries.  I found the power of prayer through WMU.

Dolores Gilmore (First Baptist Church, Henderson): ….WMU has expanded my worldview and opened my eyes and heart to the lost and discouraged people around me and around the world. I have been challenged, stretched, and encouraged to do even more for my Lord…..

Brenda Williams Herron (West Fork Baptist Church): …..WMU helped fulfill my desire and calling as a 10-year old girl to be a missionary and kept the fire burning in my heart.

More stories to come in future blogs!  What’s your WMU story?  Send it to Missions Mosaic and be sure to copy me on your email!  ([email protected]).