New faith, new family

For students away from home

Evanston | When Henry Petrash moved to Chicagoland four years ago, he knew practically no one. Today he knows lots of fellow students at Northwestern University, his church family at Evanston Baptist Church (EBC), his wife Kathy whom he met at church, and Jesus

“I thought Baptists made up ‘born again,’” Henry said When he arrived at Northwestern, the former Episcopalian decided to make exploration of religion part of his college experience “In a Bible study I really encountered the claims of Christ and considered them for myself,” Henry said, “not because it’s what my parents did, but I wanted this ”

That led to his conversion, to Kathy who was already a Christian, and to the church

“I’ve been involved at EBC the whole time I’ve been in

Henry and Kathy’s story can be told time and again, just changing some details Rahardhika

Utama is from Jakarta, Indonesia

He’s studying at Northwestern, too As a fairly new Christian, he wanted to get connected to a church when he arrived Through a ministry on campus, he contacted pastor Scott Kelly

These three students are just a few of the people Scott Kelly is reaching out to

Called as pastor of EBC two years ago, Kelly also leads campus ministry at Northwestern, a work that involves his whole family They live just across the street from the university campus

“We’re thankful that God put our family in this house,” Kelly says of his century-old Victorian situated between a frat house and a dorm filled with international students “We’re located in a place where students can walk over and have dinner with us, or come for prayer meeting on Sunday nights ”

Scott’s wife, Megan, takes seriously her role as both witness and hostess “Have you been to one of my parties?” she asked a guest at church. It’s kind of an odd question, unless you understand the Kellys’ technique

Pray for the missionaries

Day 1: Scott Kelly

Pastor, Campus Minister

Evanston,” Kathy said on the sidewalk outside the theater where the church meets “It has been a really great experience for me to have a really close community to sing with the band and now we attend the married couples’ Bible study And we participate in outreaches that go into the community ”

Thinking of the Pittman children, how does the presence of children make a new church more inviting? How might kids have a bigger role in our church life?

Let’s make some applications: How does our church support ministry in distant places? (Consider the Mission Illinois Offering and missions giving through the Cooperative Program )

What do we need to do now in order for young people and new Baptists to continue these means of supporting missions?

How committed is our church to children and their salvation? What is the evidence of that? What could we do better to reach children and their families?

Is there a place or people group in our region that needs a church? How can we get involved?

Bonus video: If time allows, watch “Good News from IBSA”

“Evanston Baptist is a family for me,” Utama said “Because I am an international student, I don’t have anyone here, but within two weeks, I feel like home ”

Troy Lewis is a missionary kid

He lived for 11 years in Zambia with his parents who are serving as International Mission Board missionaries “When we came to the U S on furloughs, I’d come to Chicago sometimes to visit my grandparents,” Lewis said “It was quite a change, especially getting used to the city ”

Lewis found another significant difference when he returned to attend Northwestern University fewer Christians “When I lived in Zambia I was surrounded by Christians all the time; it was kind of a bubble So it’s been kind of an adjustment ” The young film major found only a couple of Christians in his dorm But EBC “has provided a good foundation, something to lean on,” he said which shows our churches’ Cooperative Program dollars at work

For Prayer Time

Sing children’s songs: As the Mission Illinois Offering & Week of Prayer is about missions from a kids perspective, start with songs from childhood Consider

“Jesus Loves the Little Children,”

“Jesus Loves Me,” or any of the great songs from Sunday school or VBS

Read: Matthew 18:1-6; 19:1315 Offer a few thoughts about these verses, as time allows

Show the video: “MIO

Overview” which includes all three missions stories

Review the statistics: Explain the “4-14 window,” and how many people become Christians before age 21 Ask, “Why is sharing the Gospel with young people especially important?”

The family, including Sophia, 15, and Anna, 13, and 6-year-old Drew, use every occasion at their home to share their faith with their guests

“The students I meet are open to speaking with me about Jesus and what the Bible says, as we meet in the dorm or over Dunkin coffee at the student center,” Pastor Kelly observed, “but the best conversations I have with students are when they are around my family ”

Sometimes it’s for dinner or a cookout Holidays are especially opportune At Thanksgiving one Asian student “wanted to know if mashed potatoes were made from white beans,” Megan said In addition to an explanation of gravy, they received a good helping of God’s salvation plan

The witness and the welcome are appreciated by students such as Troy Lewis “Pastor Kelly, the Kellys, they really care about everyone in the church And they’re willing to give you whatever time you need ”

For kids far from home, that feels like family.

Make a list: Name children in the church or community who haven’t yet come to Christ Pray for them Pray for our church’s involvement in missions and ministry that involves children

Share: Ask people to share a quote or bit of information from the video/missions stories that touched them

Photocopy the prayer lists on these pages 9-10 titled “Pray for the Missionaries” or download them at IBSA org/MIO Distribute the missionaries’ info among the participants in your study Pray for them individually, in pairs, or as a group

Or distribute the Prayer Guide/ bulletin insert that was mailed to the churches Also downloadable at IBSA org MIO

Pray for more churches to give generously to reach (and surpass) the goal of $475,000

Day 2: Tim Sadler

IBSA Evangelism Director

IBSA churches baptized just over 5,000 people last year, but more than 400 of our churches baptized no one Tim says, “Generous giving through the Mission Illinois Offering allows me to assist churches taking the Gospel to their mission fields I can provide resources such as Gospel tracts and training to churches who want to reach their communities for Christ It allows me to do customized training and strategy development for IBSA churches ”

Pray for Tim and for renewed evangelism in IBSA’s 1,000 member churches

Day 3: Chet Cantrell

CAC Director

Pray for Chet, the ministry team at the Christian Activity Center in East St Louis, and the hundreds of young lives they touch each year (Read story, far left)

Day 4: Carmen Halsey

Mission Mobilization

There are 13 million people in Illinois, and at least 8 million of them do not know Christ Carmen sees tremendous opportunity for the Gospel “Our lives begin to make sense when we realize that they are a platform for God’s word to be demonstrated to others Illinois Baptist Women are embedded into society all across our state With our resources, we are developing women to recognize and seize everyday opportunities to share the gospel ”

Pray for Carmen and Illinois Baptist Women who are mobilized to share Christ Pray for spiritual awakening in Illinois

Day 5: Brad Pittman

Church Planter where new churches are needed (Read their story, right)

Day 6: Chase Abner

Collegiate Evangelism Strategist

“God changed my life through a college ministry supported by IBSA,” Chase says His salvation as a young adult at SIU Carbondale urges him forward “Generous giving by Illinois Baptists helps me to assist churches as they reach out to students on campuses across Illinois These campuses are home to nearly one million students Before they leave school, we must share Christ with them ”

Pray for Chase and the campus ministries he helps start and facilitate

Day 7: John Mattingly

Church Planting Catalyst

24 new churches were started in Illinois last year And 13 are in progress in the northwestern region “Our new church plants in northwest Illinois are building relationships that help bridge the gap of misunderstanding of who Southern Baptists are in the North,” John says “They are also enjoying a harvest of souls that is due to the on-going relationships between planters and our established rural churches It is a testimony of the power behind steady giving and praying ”

Pray for new ministries to reach the four million people who live in non-urban settings in Illinois

Day 8: Rex Alexander

Rex is one of 85 IBSA missionaries, ministry staff, and church planters This offering makes it possible for all the team to represent Christ wherever and whenever needed “We provide opportunities for Disaster Relief workers to bring help, healing, and hope to victims of natural disasters in Illinois and North America,” Rex says “God uses their skills, and the additional training IBSA provides, to help people physically and spiritually as they attempt to rebuild their lives ”

Pray for all the IBSA team, including staff and volunteers Pray that we will reach the $475,000 goal to keep them serving on our Illinois mission field