The 2023 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering received a big boost in November toward meeting a hefty goal of $200 million for international missions. Paul Chitwood, IMB president, received a check for $4.84 million from the Joy Ledbetter Trust. It was the second-largest individual gift in the history of the International Mission Board. “Joy Ledbetter was […]
Michaela Knippers grabs the bulky virtual reality goggles off the desk and tightens them onto her head. Her husband, Justin, is already strapped in and waving his hand in the air to scroll through different maps he sees through the goggles. As new International Mission Board missionaries to Osaka, Japan, they’ve been studying Japanese all […]
Lostness around the world is growing every day. In fact, 59 percent of the world’s population remains unreached. This means there are less than 2 percent evangelical Christians within their people group or nearby. Unless something changes, they have little to no chance of hearing the gospel in their lifetime. Your missionaries are a steadfast […]
The digital numbers on the video screen counted upward in half-second intervals like an out-of-control speedometer: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, as IMB President Paul Chitwood preached from Revelation 20 before messengers of the 203rd annual South Carolina Baptist Convention Monday night at Shandon Baptist Church in Columbia. When the 28-minute sermon concluded, the counter abruptly […]
There were two small bedrooms that the owner of the ferreteria* let them rent. One room had a window; the other one didn’t. The air smelled a little fishy. The bathroom was outside. The rats were inside, and so were they. Yet, they knew that they were in the right place. They couldn’t find anywhere […]
Messengers to the Columbia Metro Baptist Association annual meeting on Oct. 5 formally adopted a five-year missions partnership with International Mission Board personnel serving in Central Spain. Mission team scheduling is set to begin in 2024. The adopted partnership agreement states: “Our mission at CMBA is to help Baptist churches in the Midlands of South […]
Generosity and gratitude. These words resonate with International Mission Board missionaries when they hear of how faithfully Southern Baptists continue to support them through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and the Cooperative Program. The current total of gifts to the 2022-2023 Lottie Moon offering is $196.1 million — besting the $190 million goal. “Thank you, […]
The power, energy and conviction of the Swahili prayers of the African women remain in the memory of Southern Baptist executive Charles Grant months after he joined South Carolina pastors on a mission vision tour to three African hubs. The women prayed aloud, needing no prompting. “I couldn’t understand the language, but obviously they prayed […]
To look at the prospects of the Ingessana people of Sudan on purely human terms, it doesn’t appear as if they have much of a chance to come to faith in Jesus Christ. They have no Scripture, no JESUS film, and no gospel radio broadcast in their language. For most of their recent history, the […]
This summer, as thousands of kids, students and chaperones at Lifeway camps developed a greater understanding of missions and a heart for missionaries, they gave generously, entrusting their gifts for Great Commission purposes. As a result of this generosity, Ben Mandrell, president and CEO of Lifeway Christian Resources, presented checks totaling $587,484.97 to International Mission Board […]