The First Baptist Church of Redlands
T A PE S T R Y OCT 2018
Wo v e n To g e t h e r I n L o v e : C o l o s s i a n s 2 : 2
Issue No. 10
partnership
A Message from Pastor Shawn / (Pictured) Parque Mariposa, La Guacima, Costa Rica.
Many of you remember when the Rev. Mylinda Baits visited our church for Kick Off Sunday last year. She shared about her ministry as an American Baptist Global Servant working to fight human trafficking around the world. She led us in a workshop that helped us to understand her work using art to help heal those who have experienced trauma. A few years ago I had the opportunity to go to Costa Rica with some students from Purdue University. For part of the time we were joined by Mylinda, who had served many years as a missionary in Costa Rica. Mylinda took us to a church in a small town called La Guacima. We were welcomed with a simple lunch and gifts of chocolate and coffee. The pastor (a woman) shared with us that their town is economically challenged. There was no safe place for the children to play. A woman in the congregation, after praying under a tree behind the church had a vision that the church should build a playground for the children of the town. In an amazing story, one filled with sacrifice, tragedy, generosity, partnership and tenacity, the church acquired the property behind the church and built a playground that is now a safe place for the children to come and play along with their families. That small church has made a significant impact in that town. There was something personal for me in seeing that playground. Though much of the vision and cost came from the people of the Baptist church in La Guacima, there were some partnerships that helped with the project. In the summer of 2013 my son Garrett rode his bicycle 8,000 miles around the United States to raise awareness about human trafficking. As
part of that adventure he raised thousands of dollars which was divided among people and projects that were working to prevent human trafficking. Through Mylinda, some of the money that Garrett raised went to help build the playground in La Guacima. A year and a half after Garrett’s ride, I was in La Guacima, Costa Rica, playing in that playground with a bunch of children and their families. Partnership is how American Baptists approach mission work around the world. One example of this is that Global Servants are invited to different areas around the world by the local association
of churches that are in partnership with American Baptists. Sarah Nash, who recently visited us has been invited by the Baptists in Bolivia to help expand the ministry of House of Hope to another city, Santa Cruz, in Bolivia. Another example of partnership is with our Global Consultants, like Mylinda, who are invited to connect with and bring resources to various churches and ministries around the world who are working to fight human trafficking and domestic violence to bring healing to those who have been wounded and abused. Even in places where there
has been an American Baptist missionary presence for decades and even generations our Global Servants are working in partnership at the invitation of the local churches and ministries. One such example is Kikongo, D. R. Congo, where Glen and Rita Chapman serve. For years they have worked with the churches to educate and train pastors and their spouses to go back into the rural areas of Congo to serve in churches there. In recent years they have partnered with the leadership in Kikongo to evolve the pastoral training school into a university. I had the pleasure of meeting the president of the University, Robert Nkwim, this past summer at the Missions Conference at Green Lake. We as a church have a role in this partnership as well. We provide the resources to send the people who are called by God to serve in these places around the world. We also provide resources to support and enable the vision and ministries of churches in places around the world, like La Guacima, Kikongo and Santa Cruz. The month of October is dedicated to supporting World Missions. Let us pray for our partners who are at work around the world sharing the Good News of Christ where they live. Let us also pray for Global Servant who are sharing their lives in service. And let us give generously to the World Mission Offering so that we can be partners in this work of God that is going on all around the world.