Week of Prayer for International Missions
November 28 through December 5
FBC Goal: $240,000
The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering® is an annual offering collected by believers around the world to support international missions. The offering was officially named in 1918 by Woman’s Missionary Union in honor of the missionary to China who urged churches to start it and give sacrificially.
This offering is unique from other mission offerings in that 100% of gifts provide for missionaries all over the world. It is a valuable part of Southern Baptists’ 176-year history of reaching the nations with the gospel and vital to reaching the vision of a multitude from every language, people, tribe and nation knowing and worshiping our Lord Jesus Christ (Revelation 7:9).
Tim and Tina Louderback and Sean and Shelley Blacksten are passionate about equipping and connecting churches with opportunities to serve in Central America and the Caribbean. The Louderbacks and the Blackstens serve with the International Mission Board in Panama, and the Louderbacks lead the Americas Connect program.
The mission strategy of Henderson Hills Baptist Church in Oklahoma was forever changed when Mike, the missions pastor, read a statistic: “5% of missions work is done in North Africa and Middle East.” After reading this startling fact, Mike knew the Lord was calling him to lead his church in reversing the statistic in their own mission strategy.
IMB workers Skip and Kim Meyer* have spent their lives on two very different mission fields but with the same purpose: giving hope to people who need it and equipping others to do the same. The Meyers moved to South Asia in 2004 with the desire to plant their lives in an area with a great need for the gospel. Their lives on the mission field started, however, in South America where they grew up as friends — each the child of missionaries. After they married, they knew continued service in international missions was their calling.
For years, IMB missionaries and national partners in West Africa have been using orality to share the gospel and make disciples in the region. An important part of the methodology is crafting and sharing Biblical stories with people who prefer oral communication methods over written ones.
Critically broken. These words describing the lives of Turkmen families are heavy with the weight of millions of hard choices. Life in Turkmenistan, one of the most repressive countries in the world according to those in the region, causes many Turkmen to look for an escape route.
Stephen and Erin Spencer* minister in a region of Southeast Asia where tribal warfare is ongoing, civil unrest is on the rise and foreigners are blacklisted from entering certain regions. However, the good news is entering homes and hearts.
When IMB missionary Jeremiah Farmer* moved to Taiwan, he recognized a need in the churches — no one was being sent out as missionaries. According to Jeremiah, in the year 2019, less than seven Taiwanese in the entire world were serving on the mission field. While many of the Taiwanese churches are healthy and have a strong faith history, only a few churches are large enough to support and send their own members to serve on the mission field.
When Larry and Melissa Lewis and their family moved to Czechia in 2009 as IMB church planters, they knew they had a tough job ahead. Only 29% of the population acknowledges the existence of a god and less than 1% choose to follow Jesus. In fact, Czechia is well known for being the most irreligious country in Europe.