Assistant Executive Director of Advance - Brian Smart

HPBC Annual Report for 2021-2022

I would like to say thank you, Hawaii Pacific Baptists, for allowing me to advance the cause of Christ through Hawaii Pacific Baptist. My primary focus areas include partner development, missional engagement, evangelism, and church planting.

Partner Development, Missional Engagement, Evangelism, and Church Planting for October 2021 – September 2022

Partner Development Tennessee: • Deaf Ministry: The Deaf Church of Brentwood Baptist visited Oahu to see if they could assist the HPBC in ministering to the Deaf community. Grace Poei was instrumental in helping the Tennessee team find partners in the islands. They will visit Hawaii in December 2022 and hope to host a Deaf Camp in the summer of 2023. • Pastor Vision Trip and Partnerships: The Tennessee Baptist Mission Board brought pastors, leaders, and staff to assist HPBC churches with preaching and ministry opportunities. HPBC churches discussed ways that we could partner together in 2023. Some of these areas are trainings, mission opportunities in TN, church planting, and VBS. • First Baptist Hendersonville: Will send three mission teams to Hawaii beginning in December 2022 and finishing in the summer of 2023. They received over $40,000 dollars for their VBS offering and donated that money to assist HPBC churches in evangelism through VBS. • Eight VBS teams will assist HPBC churches in 2023.

Alaska Baptist Resource Network: • The HPBC worked with the Alaska Baptist Resource Network on Russian Church work in Hawaii. Randy Covington, executive director, gave the HPBC a report on what he observed while he visited Russian Churches in Hawaii. He found areas of growth among Russians and how the HPBC can assist them as they start more churches.

Oklahoma Baptist Churches: • OBC will send teams to the Big Island to assist with outreach needs in Hawaii during 2023. They will also assist HPBC disaster relief internationally.

New Zealand Initiative: • Partners: As of today, partners have given close to $90,000 towards starting a discipleship training ground for the HPBC in NZ. They are fully funded through partnerships across the world. • Planning: Rob and Donna Thommarson will represent the HPBC in NZ as our field directors. They will work alongside the International Mission Board to establish ministries in NZ. In March 2023, we will send out information on how your church can partner with them.

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North American Mission Board: • The North American Mission Board has graciously awarded the HPBC a $175,000 grant for evangelism in 2023. They have also given $20,000 for Send Relief. Thank you NAMB for investing in Hawaii and the Pacific.

The Baptist General Convention of Texas: • The BGCT has continued to be a partner for the HPBC. We are working on strategies for planting in Hawaii, Texas, and internationally.

Missional Engagement: The HPBC continues to develop 2023 mission projects for the HPBC in East Asia, the Pacific, and TN. • Vision Trips will start in November of 2022. • Looking to send a team to TN in March to assist with Japanese Ministries. • Looking to send a team to TN in the summer of 2023 for the 10,000 Koreans that will move to west TN. • Looking to send 4 summer missionaries to assist in Japanese work.

Working with IMB to develop a mission sending model for the HPBC. A team is being tested now and will do the first trip in Japan. • This training will assist pastors in helping their people be prepared before they get on the field.

Worked from Korea in July 2022 to see how our churches can be involved. • Preached four times in Korea in July. • Worked at a Vacation Bible School in Korea. • Met with HPBC Churches. • Met with IMB Seoul Cluster leader.

Evangelism: • HPBC partnered with TN Baptist to host a football clinic to share the gospel. 100 high schools registered for the event. Many of these coaches listened to Willie McLaurin speak on leadership development. TN Board of Education allowed high school coaches to receive CE credit for attending. • The HPBC is setting evangelism trainings for 2023 with Dr. Matt Queen. • Attended a training from Real Life Ministries on how to evangelize through discipleship. • Through Send Relief, HPBC churches were able to provide needs for their community and share their faith.

Church Planting: Please see Sean Lathrop report

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