fellowship! Magazine-Winter 2022

Deeply Energized

Last January, our Fellowship entered a season of transition in Global Missions. During the months since, our commitment to Global Missions has only increased. When the fiscal year ended September 30, our gifts to the Offering for Global Missions were more than $150,000 ahead of the previous year and our Fellowship had contributed more than $1 million to Ukraine relief. In June at the General Assembly, Cooperative Baptists adopted a budget providing a significant salary increase and funding for care to our field personnel.

Before we launched the search for a new Coordinator of Global Missions, much time was invested in a strategic engagement process focused on listening to field personnel and Global Missions staff about hopes, dreams, needs and opportunities for growth and transformation. What we heard, learned and experienced gave us a clearer sense of gifts needed in leadership, and also gave us space to cultivate beloved community among those who serve in Global Missions. We will continue to lead out of what we are learning.

In July, we commenced a search for a new coordinator. The search committee met several remarkable people, had wonderful interviews and honest, hopeful conversations along the way in discerning whom to recommend. I am profoundly grateful to those who served on the search committee, not only for their holy work of discernment but also for the time and energy they gave prior to the search to reviewing the results of all the listening sessions that were conducted.

On November 8, our Governing Board unanimously approved the recommendation from the Coordinator of Global Missions Search Committee that the Rev. Laura Ayala be called to serve in this essential leadership role.

I am deeply energized by the call of Laura Ayala and eager for the chance to serve with her in this ministry. She will not only be a wonderful and faithful leader for our global mission participation but also an incredible addition to the leadership of our entire Fellowship. Laura has served for nine years as pastor of the oldest Baptist church in Puerto Rico. Under her leadership, that congregation has become a missional center for hurricane recovery and other community transformation. Previously, she gained denominational leadership experience serving as associate executive minister for Baptist Churches of Puerto Rico. Earlier in her vocational life, she led faith-related nonprofits similar to those developed by our field personnel. She has a demonstrated capacity to foster

congregational climates and leadership teams that are examples of beloved community, bear witness to Jesus and seek transformational development. She is a gifted preacher and a person of deep faith.

Laura is already a leader in our Fellowship and a committed member of our community. She spoke at one of our ChurchWorks conferences several years ago, participated actively in the Toward Bold Faithfulness process, served as convenor of EFLAN (the steering committee for Familia, CBF’s Latino Network) and had recently become a member of CBF’s Nominating Committee. She played a crucial role in establishing the covenant of collaboration that now exists between CBF and the Baptist Churches of Puerto Rico.

Laura will begin her full-time leadership at CBF on February 1, 2023. Between now and then, she will be in a season of transition as she concludes her pastorate and prepares for this new calling. A priority during this transitional season will be getting to know field personnel and staff, learning more about the past and present of CBF Global Missions and working with others to prioritize the beginning of her leadership. After February, she will be present in person with several of our field teams as they meet and will also be speaking in CBF congregations. I am eager for her to get to know our Fellowship more and for us to benefit from her gifts.

As we come to the close of this year of transition and welcome Laura into leadership, I ask you to continue to deepen your own commitment to participating in Jesus’ mission. Pray for Laura, our staff and field personnel. Ponder an additional gift to the Offering for Global Missions as a hopeful investment in this new season. Consider how your church can be even more active in Christ’s mission in your community and also in the ministry of at least one of our field personnel.

Our CBF Moderator-Elect David Hull had the privilege of leading the presentation of the recommendation of Laura to the CBF Governing Board. He reflected on the very first CBF General Assembly, when the theme was drawn from those powerful words of Isaiah: “Behold I am doing a new thing, now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?”

I join David and many others in believing that God is again doing a new thing in our Fellowship and particularly in Global Missions. Let’s not only perceive it but fully join it!

A Publication Of Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Volume 32, Number 4 Winter 2022-2023

Fellowship! is published 4 times a year in September (Fall), December (Winter), March (Spring), June (Summer) by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Inc., 160 Clairemont Avenue, Suite 500, Decatur, GA 30030. Periodicals postage paid at Decatur, GA, and additional offices. USPS #015-625.

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Executive Coordinator

Paul Baxley Associate Coordinatorfor Identity & Communications Jeff Huett Editor

Aaron Weaver Associate Editor Lauren Lamb Graphic Designer Jeff Langford

PAUL BAXLEY is Executive Coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

By Jeff Huett

Advent is a season of joyful expectation and hope. With the birth of Christ, we are assured God always keeps God’s promises. CBF field personnel Gennady and Mina Podgaisky write about hope on page 9. A week after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Podgaiskys’ ministry site in Kyiv— the Village of Hope—was bombed. The “Lighthouse,” a building that had been home to foster children, was destroyed. “Despite the war, death, destruction, loss, pain and suffering that reveal evil in the world, we have hope,” they write. How powerful!

CBF field personnel Chaouki Boulos celebrates (p. 10) the Holy Spirit at work during a recent retreat in Lebanon, which ended with baptisms, and Sue Smith shares the story of Miguel (pp. 9-10), who celebrated his fourth birthday at a migrant shelter along the United StatesMexico border. Sue says Miguel’s dad, Marcos, now has hope after learning that the U.S. will soon begin allowing refuge-seekers to be processed to enter the country.

We also invite you to read the stories and watch the videos of CBF field personnel Brooke and Mike and their friends Alfons and Yuliana who are providing light in Southeast Asia and making a place at the table for everyone (pp. 16-25).

Finally, please welcome our new associate editor, Lauren Lamb! Lauren recently joined the CBF staff as Marketing and Communications Manager. She is a graduate of Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology (M.Div.) and Auburn University (B.A., Journalism). Lauren is also the editor of our CBF newsletter, Fellowship Weekly. Welcome Lauren!

Learn with no limits

Candler School of Theology at Emory University now offers a hybrid or in-person Master of Divinity, a 2-year Master of Religious Leadership with hybrid options, and a 90% online Doctor of Ministry so you can earn your degree right where you are. Scholarships available. Apply now for a Fall 2023 start.

• Focus on your faith with a certificate in Baptist Studies .

• Benefit from the resources of a top-25 research university.

• Build relationships with world-class scholars thanks to our low student-faculty ratio.

• Grow in spirit and knowledge in our diverse learning community.

Learn more at bit.ly/candler-fellowship

Seeing Through the Eyes of Jesus calls us back to the central focus of our Christian faith: the Risen and Living Jesus!

Seeing Through the Eyes of Jesus invites congregations into deeper faithfulness with each other, equips congregations to offer a bold, positive witness to the risen Jesusß and transforms us individually and corporately while we co-labor with God to transform the world.

To find out more and learn how your church can join, visit www.cbf.net/eyesofjesus

Atlanta, Georgia

2023 CBF General

Atlanta, GA June 28-30, 2023

Assembly

CBF General Assembly returns to Atlanta and you’re invited to join Cooperative Baptists at the Hyatt Regency hotel for a week of learning, worship, inspiration and fellowship!

At the 2023 General Assembly, we invite you to pursue Holy Ambition. Together in Atlanta, we will be equipped to put our faith to action, be encouraged by friends and colleagues in ministry and be challenged to come alongside God’s transforming work in the world.

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Hebrews 10:23-25

This summer, you can expect familiar favorites, as well as a new features. You’ll experience:

A Schedule Shift

The primary days of General Assembly are June 28-30. Assembly activities will begin mid-day on Wednesday the 28th and closing worship will be Friday afternoon. All Assembly activities will conclude by 7 p.m. on Friday.

Fun for your whole family!

Age-appropriate Assembly programs are available in-person for preschoolers, children and youth. These programs include special speakers and activities! Age-level Assembly activities will take place on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Find details at www.cbf.net/assembly and be on the lookout for registration in February 2023!

Learning Labs

Prepare to be equipped for ministry at this year’s Assembly though Learning Labs—three workshop-style experiences focused on 10 topical learning tracks. During Learning Labs, you will receive an introduction, deep dive into a subject, and practical takeaways for your community. Learning Lab topics include:

Ministry Innovation

Global Missions

Cultivating Calling

Missions & Community

Vida Hispana (presented in Spanish)

Advocacy

Spiritual Care & Trauma-Sensitive Ministry

Racial Justice

Financial Wellness & Fund Development

(Cooperative) Baptist Identity

Worship

Prepare for late-night worship led by the Pan African Koinonia on Wednesday, as well as worship on Thursday evening and Friday afternoon of Assembly. Experience powerful preaching, singing and communion as well as participate in the commissioning of new CBF field personnel and CBF-endorsed chaplains and pastoral counselors.

And so much more!

CBF Governing Board selects Puerto Rican Pastor Laura Ayala to lead Global Missions

By Jeff Huett

Apastor, denominational leader and former nonprofit executive who has invested much of her life seeking God’s transformation both inside and outside the Church has been named CBF’s new Coordinator of Global Missions.

Laura Ayala, who has served almost nine years as pastor of the historic First Baptist Church of Rio Piedras in San Juan, Puerto Rico, was selected for the role November 8 by a vote of the CBF Governing Board.

Prior to her pastorate of the 123-year-old church, Ayala was associate executive minister of Baptist Churches of Puerto Rico. She is active in FAMILIA, CBF’s Latino Network, also serving as the group’s current convenor, as well as on the CBF Nominating Committee.

“I said yes to be the next coordinator of Global Mission because I’m really looking forward to being part of what God is doing through CBF in the world,” Ayala said. “From local congregations to the wider ministries that are encouraged by CBF but also all around the world.”

She points to the work of Together for Hope, CBF’s rural development coalition combating poverty in the nation’s poorest counties, and CBF’s mission focus on the contexts of global poverty, global migration and the Global Church that captured her imagination about the powerful impact of CBF Global Missions.

Ayala said her concept of missions was re-shaped when Hurricane Maria struck the island five years ago.

“Being in Puerto Rico and going through Hurricane Maria is becoming aware that there’s a huge world, but yet this is an island.

And the hurricane cut us off from help and assistance. You then have to do missions locally. You have to be prepared,” Ayala said.

She said she was grateful for partners that joined her church, provided guidance and resources and also came as missionaries.

“I always thought about missions, about going, not about receiving,” Ayala said. “In these years, we’ve learned that in missions you also receive, and it’s okay. That gives you a bigger responsibility because now that you have received, you have to give more. So, that’s what the church learned in this process. We learned how to respond in disaster relief. We learned how to respond in emergency settings. We were trained by those who knew how to do it. And then when the pandemic arrived, we knew what to do. No one could come, but we knew what to do.”

CBF Executive Coordinator Paul Baxley said that in her ministry as a pastor, denominational leader and nonprofit executive, Ayala has embodied CBF’s mission distinctives and has shown the gifts and practices that characterize CBF field ministries.

“She has, indeed, cultivated beloved community, borne witness to Jesus and sought transformational development in contexts of global poverty and global migration in partnership with the Global Church,” Baxley said. “She has also demonstrated the ability to invite a wide range of congregations, partners and denominations into Christ’s mission and has formed leadership cultures and congregations that are beloved communities and that participate in God’s transformation of the world through Jesus Christ.”

Ayala credits Rubén Ortiz, CBF’s Latino Ministries Field Coordinator and leader of FAMILIA, with helping to introduce her to CBF and getting her involved in its work. Ortiz said with Ayala’s selection, “we are living an extraordinary moment in the life of the Fellowship and the life of FAMILIA.”

“For years, I have witnessed Laura, as a pastor and community leader, respond to the most significant difficulties with great hope, without losing her smile and generous kindness,” Ortiz said. “Laura understands the local church, knows how to roll up her sleeves, focuses on the urgent, and responds with wisdom and effectiveness. She knows the importance of being a witness in places of greatest need and values long-term presence. Furthermore, Laura has traveled paths of cooperation and engagement with key players in the mission. I am confident that her skills and talents will trail-blaze avenues for connection in CBF Global Missions.”

Ayala has also served in leadership of addiction recovery and homeless care organizations and in municipal government in Caguas, Puerto Rico, as a consultant and acting director of the Municipal Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.

She earned Master’s degrees in Religion and Society from Drew University in Madison, N.J., and Business Administration from Universidad del Turabo, in Gurabo, Puerto Rico. She currently is a candidate for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Theology from the Interamerican University in San Juan.

Jesús García, lead pastor of Church of the City in New London, Conn., said partnering and collaborating with Ayala in ministry has been a blessing. García previously served on the CBF Missions Council and as pastor of Iglesia Bautista de Metrópolis in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

“Rev. Laura Ayala lives out missions in her everyday life; it’s her lifestyle,” García said. “I have seen how she has patiently and persistently led her congregation from an inward focus

CBF Podcast host Andy Hale interviews the Rev. Laura Ayala, then pastor of First Baptist Church, Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, about how her 123-year old congregation embraced transformation and renewal in its community and beyond. This conversation was part of the 2019 Churchworks! conference held Feb. 25-27 at Third Baptist Church in St. Louis.

to an outward one. She definitely knows her community and her community knows her.”

Facilitated by Baxley and Adam Granger, CBF’s Strategic Engagement Officer, the eight-member selection committee was composed of leaders from across the Fellowship.

Members of the committee included: Hannah Coe, chair-elect of the CBF Missions Council and pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, Waco, Texas; Ruth Cuellar, pastor of Igleasia Bautista El Buen Pastor in Newnan, Ga.; David Hull, CBF Moderator-Elect; Natasha Nedrick, minister of discipleship at Central Baptist Church in St. Louis, Mo.; Kevin Pranoto, associate pastor for social work, Second Baptist Little Rock, Ark.; Tammy Snyder, coordinator of CBF Florida/Caribbean Islands, chair of the CBF Missions Council; Ralph Stocks, retired CBF field personnel; Charles Watson Jr., member of the CBF Governing Board and director of education at BJC.

Ayala will begin the transition to her work at CBF later this fall and will begin full-time in February 2023

Watch a video about the Rev. Laura Ayala at www.cbf.net/ayala

Junta de Gobierno de CBF selecciona a pastora puertorriqueña Rda. Laura Ayala para liderar en Misiones Globales

Por Jeff Huett

Una pastora, líder denominacional y anterior ejecutiva de organizaciones sin fines de lucro que ha invertido gran parte de su vida buscando la transformación de Dios tanto dentro como fuera de la iglesia ha sido nombrada nueva Coordinadora de Misiones Globales de CBF.

Laura Ayala, quien ha servido casi nueve años como pastora de la histórica Primera Iglesia Bautista de Río Piedras en San Juan, Puerto Rico, fue seleccionada para esta posición 8 de noviembre por votación de la Junta de Gobierno de CBF.

Anterior a su actual posición en esta iglesia que tiene 123 años de fundada, Ayala fue Ministro Asociada de Educación Cristiana de las Iglesias Bautistas de Puerto Rico. Participa activamente en FAMILIA, como Moderadora de la Red Latina de CBF, y parte del Comité de Nominaciones de CBF.

“Dije que sí para ser la próxima Coordinadora de Misiones Globales porque tengo muchas ganas de ser parte de lo que Dios está haciendo a través de CBF en el mundo”, dijo Ayala. “Desde las congregaciones locales hasta los ministerios más amplios que CBF fomenta, pero también en todo el mundo”.

Señala el trabajo de Juntos en la Esperanza (Together for Hope), la coalición de desarrollo rural de CBF que combate la pobreza en los condados más empobrecidos del país, y el enfoque de la misión de CBF en los contextos de pobreza global, migración global y la Iglesia Global que capturó su imaginación sobre el poderoso impacto de las Misiones Globales de CBF.

Ayala dijo que su concepto de misiones cambió cuando el huracán María azotó la isla hace cinco años.

“Estar en Puerto Rico y pasar por el huracán María es tomar conciencia de que hay un mundo enorme y, sin embargo, esto sigue siendo una isla. Y el huracán interrumpió toda ayuda y asistencia. Así que tuvimos que prepararnos para hacer misiones localmente”, dijo Ayala.

Expresó estar agradecida por los colaboradores que se unieron a su iglesia, aquellos que brindaron recursos y orientación, y quienes también vinieron como misioneros.

“Siempre pensé en las misiones, como en un ‘ir’, no en un ‘recibir’”, dijo Ayala. “En estos años hemos aprendido que en las misiones también recibes, y eso está bien. Eso te da una mayor responsabilidad porque ahora que has recibido, tienes que dar más. Entonces, eso es lo que la iglesia aprendió en este proceso. Aprendimos cómo responder socorriendo en casos de desastre. Aprendimos cómo responder en situaciones de emergencia. Fuimos entrenados por aquellos que sabían cómo hacerlo. Y luego, cuando llegó la pandemia, supimos qué hacer. Nadie podía venir, pero sabíamos qué hacer”.

El Coordinador Ejecutivo de CBF, Paul Baxley, dijo que, en su ministerio como pastora, líder denominacional y ejecutiva sin organizaciones sin fines de lucro, Ayala ha encarnado los distintivos de la misión de CBF y ha mostrado los dones y prácticas que caracterizan los ministerios de campo de CBF.

“Ella, de hecho, cultivó una amada comunidad, dio testimonio de Jesús y buscó el desarrollo transformador en contextos globales de pobreza y migración en asociación con la Iglesia Global”, dijo Baxley. “También ha demostrado la capacidad de invitar a una amplia gama de congregaciones, socios y denominaciones a la misión de Cristo y también ha formado culturas de liderazgo y congregaciones que son comunidades amadas y que participan en la transformación del mundo en nombre de Dios a través de Jesucristo”.

Ayala le da crédito a Rubén Ortiz, Coordinador de Campo de

Ministerios Latinos de CBF y líder de FAMILIA, por ayudarla en presentarle a CBF y hacer que se involucre en su trabajo. Ortiz dijo con la selección de Ayala, “estamos viviendo un momento extraordinario en la vida del Compañerismo y de su Red FAMILIA”.

“Durante años he visto a Laura, como pastora y líder comunitaria responder a grandes dificultades con gran esperanza, sin perder su sonrisa y generosa bondad”, dijo Ortiz. “Laura entiende la iglesia local, sabe arremangarse la camisa en el trabajo, se enfoca en lo urgente y responde con sabiduría y eficacia. Conoce la importancia de ser testigo en los lugares de mayor necesidad y valora la presencia a largo plazo. Además, Laura ha recorrido caminos de cooperación y compromiso con actores claves en la misión. Confío que sus habilidades y talentos abrirán nuevos espacios de conexión en las Misiones Globales de CBF”.

Ayala también se ha desempeñado en el liderazgo de organizaciones de recuperación de adicciones y cuidado de personas sin hogar y en el gobierno municipal en Caguas, Puerto Rico, como Consultora y Directora Interina de la Oficina Municipal de Iniciativas Comunitarias y Basadas en la Fe.

Obtuvo maestrías en Religión y Sociedad de la Universidad Drew en Madison, N.J., y Administración de Empresas de la Universidad del Turabo, en Gurabo, Puerto Rico. Actualmente es candidata al grado de Doctora en Filosofía en Teología de la Universidad Interamericana en San Juan.

Jesús García, pastor principal de Church of the City en New London, Connecticut, dijo que asociarse y colaborar con Ayala durante el ministerio ha sido una bendición. García sirvió anteriormente en el Concilio de Misiones de CBF y como pastor de la Iglesia Bautista de Metrópolis en Carolina, Puerto Rico.

Mira aquí un video introductorio sobre Laura Ayala—www.cbf.net/ayala

“La Rvda. Laura Ayala vive la misión en su vida cotidiana, es su estilo de vida”, dijo García. “He visto cómo con paciencia y persistencia ha guiado a su congregación de un enfoque interno a uno externo. Definitivamente, ella conoce a su comunidad y su comunidad la conoce a ella”.

El comité de selección de ocho miembros, facilitado por Paul Baxley y Adam Granger, oficial de Compromiso Estratégico de CBF, estuvo compuesto por líderes de todo el Compañerismo.

Los miembros del comité incluyeron: Hannah Coe, Presidenta electa del Concilio de Misiones de CBF y Pastora de la Iglesia Bautista Calvary, Waco, Texas; Ruth Cuellar, Pastora de Iglesia Bautista El Buen Pastor en Newnan, Georgia; David Hull, Moderador Electo de CBF; Natasha Nedrick, Ministro de Discipulado en la Iglesia Bautista Central en St. Louis, Mo.; Kevin Pranoto, Pastor Asociado de Trabajo Social, de la Segunda Iglesia Bautista de Little Rock, Ark.; Tammy Snyder, Coordinadora de CBF Florida & las Islas del Caribe, Presidenta del Concilio de Misiones de CBF; Ralph Stocks, Personal de Campo jubilado de CBF; Charles Watson Jr., miembro de la Junta de Gobierno de CBF y Director de educación en BJC.

Ayala comenzará la transición a su trabajo en CBF a finales de esta temporada de otoño e iniciará su trabajo a tiempo completo a partir de febrero 2023.

MISSION BITES

VILLAGE OF HOPE

By Gennady and Mina Podgaisky

We came to the States in December of 2021 on a scheduled off-field assignment. We were planning to go back to the Ukraine on March 12, 2022. But, due to the war, we could not return.

About a week after the war started on February 24, we received the sad news that the Lighthouse, the first restored building at the Village of Hope, had been destroyed by shelling. The day we received this news, was one of the saddest moments in our ministry, bringing the reality of war really close to home.

Praise God, at the moment of the bombing, nobody was in the building or at the Village of Hope property. All the foster families had moved away or evacuated the premises earlier. In the previous years, the Lighthouse was home to two foster families with up to 21 foster children, as well as the offices of the Ukrainian Christian Cooperation Center.

On September 11, we were visiting and speaking at First Baptist Church, Dunn, N.C., We had known pastor Len and his wife, Kathy, since 2006 when they had brought a short-term volunteer team from their church and helped us in the renovation and rebuilding of the Village of Hope, especially the Lighthouse building.

Before:

FBC Dunn had sent teams to Ukraine for several years, and we have kept in touch. We kept the church updated about the developments and the progress at the Village of Hope.

During our recent visit to the church, we shared about our current efforts on behalf of the Village of Hope and Ukraine. We included memories about their visits and the impact they have made for the future of Ukrainian children through their time there. We shared stories and remembered friends we made while serving at the Village of Hope.

We had a special meeting with the people who had come to the Village of Hope. It also saddened them to see that the property had been destroyed. However, they have resolved to come

again when the war is over to help to rebuild the Lighthouse or a new building.

The Village of Hope has hope in its name, and there is an eternal hope which we have in God. Despite the war, death, destruction, loss, pain and suffering that reveal evil in the world, we have hope. Someday we will celebrate the end of all evil.

With the help of many people, there will be a new Lighthouse, or maybe even two new Lighthouses at the Village of Hope.

Gennady and Mina Podgaisky serve as Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel in Kyiv, Ukraine, where they facilitate the ministries of the Village of Hope, lead Bible studies, provide counseling and organize family seminars and retreats.

BLESSED BIRTHDAY

By Sue Smith

We arrived at the migrant shelter along the Mexican border with the United States just in time for the party. Miguel was celebrating his fourth birthday that day, and we had stopped with the leadership team from the shelter at a supermarket to pick up a birthday cake and soft drinks—a real treat for that day. Miguel was beaming as everyone gathered around to sing “Happy Birthday” and to wish him well. There were no presents, balloons or banners. But today, cake and Coca-Cola were enough. A gathering of his makeshift migrant shelter family and friends all shared

hugs and best wishes as his mom bustled around serving birthday cake to everyone.

Marcos, Miguel’s dad, stood to the side, with his nine-month-old son riding on his shoulder. Marcos couldn’t stop the flow of tears. “We had nothing—have nothing—for Miguel’s birthday,” he said. “It was going to be just another day, but look what’s happened, how happy he is. We’re so blessed!”

The family had fled their home in Honduras nearly a year ago, seeking safety and security. They have been waiting in Mexico for their opportunity to enter the U.S. Marcos’ two teenage sons, Miguel’s half-brothers, are already in the U.S. seeking refuge. One of them was kidnapped and

Volunteers from First Baptist Church Dunn, N.C., finishing landscaping around the Lighthouse in 2006.

After: The Lighthouse in 2022, after the shelling and fire destroyed the interior. No one was at the building during the destruction.

Miguel helps his mom cut his birthday cake as he turns four-years-old at his party at a shelter along the border.

tortured before leaving Honduras, leaving his face severely disfigured. It bothers Marcos that he was unable to keep his older sons safe in Honduras, and he prays that Miguel and his younger brother will never have to know this type of violence. He hopes these little boys will know only birthday parties, the love of parents and the kindness of strangers who come together to serve God by feeding and housing migrants along their journey. That will make all the hardships they’ve endured worth it.

“We left Honduras with around $180 U.S. dollars. By the time we crossed into Mexico,

we had exactly eight dollars left. That was it,” Marcos said. He recalls seeking shelter in churches and sleeping on hard wooden pews. The couple’s second son was born along the journey, somewhere in Mexico. As the tears leak from Marcos’ eyes, he can’t stop praising God for taking care of his family throughout the journey, for bringing “good people” into their lives at crucial points when hope was easily lost. They take things just one day at a time.

Now, Marcos has hope. The residents have just received word that the U.S. will soon begin

allowing refuge-seekers, who have been waiting patiently to be processed, to enter the U.S. “We have a number, so it won’t be long now!”

Today, Miguel is beaming as he celebrates his birthday. His mom serves birthday cake to everyone while his dad and baby brother stand off to the side, and there’s plenty of Coca-Cola as well. God is good.

Sue Smith is a Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel serving the first-generation Latino immigrant community through LUCHA Ministries, Inc., located in Fredericksburg, Va.

TWO OR THREE ARE GATHERED

By Chaouki Boulos

The last leadership training retreat was unlike the previous retreats. It started on Friday afternoon. That Friday night, as well as on Saturday night, a number of the people stayed behind at the chapel and prayed until 5 a.m.

During these two nights, we experienced many great things. The focus of the prayer was on unanswered prayers. We started to pray with 40 people. As the prayers were lifted up to the Lord,

we could feel God’s presence among us. Many people started opening up and praying with tears. Some people renewed their trust in the Lord and committed to obey Him. Others shared personal matters and asked the group to pray for them.

The retreat ended on Sunday afternoon with two women getting baptized. We praise the Lord for the time we had at this retreat.

Chaouki Boulos is a Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel ministering alongside his wife, Maha, in Lebanon and the Middle East through evangelism, leadership training and refugee aid.

PERSISTENT PLANTING

By Jessica Hearne

Who knew it would be so difficult to grow watermelons? Isaiah certainly didn’t know when he started planting them on the Urban Farm five years ago. We can grow cucumbers just fine and, since watermelons are kind of like cucumbers, it shouldn’t be a problem, right?

Maybe it should be easy to grow watermelons, but for the last several years, Isaiah and I just haven’t been able to get it right. There were one or two years when the vines didn’t really thrive. About three years ago we had vines, and the vines had melons on them; but we returned to the farm one day to find all of the melons had exploded. Too much water? A rare exploding watermelon gene? Either way, it was another year without watermelons. Isaiah was ready to give up and who could blame him? Growing watermelons occupies an entire garden bed, so why would we continue to use all of that space for no benefit?

Isaiah has been a leader in our garden since before I took over as manager five years ago. When I talk to partners about the importance of the “community” portion of a community garden, Isaiah is one of the folks that I have in mind. He has been present nearly every Thursday workday

in those five years. He has also been one of our most consistent prayer partners, learning how to navigate the complicated process of calling in to a Zoom meeting on a cell phone in order to join us for Sunday prayer services while socially distancing.

Isaiah’s persistent presence in my life and in the life of Grace and Main, as well as other garden and neighborhood leaders like him, is how we are able to keep going in hard times like the last two years. These leaders pray with us, keep us updated on other folks in the neighborhood and help us make decisions about how best to use our time and resources to make life better for those around us here in Danville.

When it comes to growing watermelons, maybe the key is persistence. Isaiah and I decided to give the watermelons one more try. We planted the seeds, then protected them with natural pest repellents that I have been learning to make at home (keeping the plants free of chemicals). We read about watering and how you’re supposed to turn the irrigation off in August to help them ripen. We also read about how to tell when they are ripe, hoping to avoid the heartbreak of two years ago when we picked a beautiful 15-pound watermelon, only to cut into it and find that the inside was completely white.

All the hard work, the constant presence in the garden with Isaiah and persistence finally paid off this year as we harvested our first ripe, sweet, delicious watermelons. In the 2022 growing season, we harvested over 185 pounds of watermelons. We gave them away to people in our food desert neighborhoods for families to enjoy.

And Isaiah finally got to share his hard-won, home-grown watermelons with his grandchildren.

Jessica Hearne is a Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel based in Danville, Va., where she serves with and through Grace and Main Fellowship.

A Grace and Main Urban Farm volunteer sprays a homemade pest repellent and nutrient spray on a pumpkin plant. Urban Farm’s focus on sustainability led them to avoid chemicals and work with natural resources that are readily available.

The Bouloses’ varied ministry includes refugee assistance, church planting, orphanage support, “Celebrate Jesus” rallies, Christian conferences and Christian family relief.

STATES & REGIONS

Seventeen autonomous state and regional organizations (SROs) serve people and churches across the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. These SROs harness the geographic proximity they share with people and churches to form vital relationships. They provide grants to churches and organizations to support ministry, equip pastors and lay leaders, provide opportunities for growth for Young Baptists and support pastors and churches across a lifetime of ministry service. They do these things and so much more. CBF Global has sought to work alongside SROs, helping build their capacity to serve congregations and our Fellowship even better.

Youth from North Carolina build relationships during a beach retreat at Fort Caswell in Oak Island, North Carolina.

The

CHAPLAINCY & PASTORAL COUNSELING

THE IMPACT OF COMPASSIONATE PRESENCE

Since 1998, CBF has endorsed nearly 1,200 chaplains and pastoral counselors to serve in specialized ministry settings. Endorsement denotes that a minister is ecclesiastically qualified and has been vetted as being spiritually, emotionally, educationally and clinically prepared to serve in specialized ministries. Ecclesiastical endorsement is an essential requirement of employment for chaplains and pastoral counselors. CBF-endorsed chaplains and pastoral counselors represent our Fellowship with excellence, serving as a critical ministry of the Fellowship, embodying compassionate presence in our communities, offering God’s love and the hope of Christ to all, as together in fellowship, we work to further God’s kingdom.

annual commissioning of CBF-endorsed chaplains and pastoral counselors is a special service of blessing and sending forth for these ordained ministers of the Gospel.

CBF field personnel Brooke and Mike provide light to Southeast Asia and Fuel Fellowship around their table

By Marv Knox

guests drop in at Brooke and Mike’s possibility on any given day is better than 55 percent—they’re likely to find a place at the table for the next meal. That’s because Brooke, Mike and their children provide hospitality to students across Asia and around the world who

“Our doors are always open, because we have no air conditioning,” Brooke explained. “There will be times when one of our young adults will just show up, needing to borrow something, wanting to talk, wanting to use our Internet. If it is around a mealtime, without a doubt, one of our children will say, ‘Can (this person) stay for lunch? Can (this person) stay for dinner?’ Well, of course, we are always open. We always have room at our table.”

That table sits in the middle of 17,000 islands which extend from the Indian to the Pacific oceans, between the Asian mainland and Australia. Their city is home to more than 100 universities, colleges, technical schools and training centers. Students comprise 400,000 of the residents—10 percent of the population of four million people.

Brooke’s and Mike’s affection for Southeast Asia began when Brooke spent two years there immediately following college graduation. “From the moment I met her, she was talking about Southeast Asia,” Mike recalled, after Brooke returned to America. “I realized before she would love

me, I had to love this place.”

That love triangle charted the course for their lives. “Ministry for me is a third career,” Mike said. As he pondered vocational possibilities, he knew he was going somewhere and doing something involving Muslim-Christian relations. They reside in a country where 90 percent of 276 million residents embrace Islam, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country.

The family connected to their calling in 2014, when they became ministers and educators supporting churches, schools and universities. They primarily serve young adults and university students through their interdenominational congregation. Mike is sponsored by Baylor University as a visiting lecturer at a consortium composed of Christian, Muslim and state universities. He teaches and conducts research on topics such as interreligious literacy and combating extremism among youth.

Their church and education connections encourage the flow of young adults through their home and around their table. “Almost everything we do involves food,” Brooke

noted. “Think back to when you were a college student or young adult and had an opportunity to go to someone’s house and eat with friends. It was an important time, when we could gather, we could eat, we could talk about life, and we could have our Bible study.”

“We welcome not only Christian students from our congregation, but atheists,

Brooke and Mike’s ministry supports theological education with help from their partnerships with Baylor University, Immanuel Christian University and the Indonesian Consortium for Religious Studies. They educate students and children, train pastors and lay leaders and bring light to rural congregations.

Brooke and Mike welcome students from all religious backgrounds at their table. The group includes Christians, atheists, agnostics, Hindus and Muslims that gather every Thursday night.

agnostics, Muslims, Hindus—people from around the world coming to our universities to study,” Mike added. “They’re all welcome at our table. And not only are they welcome; they also are active participants.”

That’s because relationships are reciprocal. Every Thursday night, a crowd gathers to chow down on American cuisine. Brooke and Mike also provide Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts, as well as a Passover seder. But oftentimes, students prepare their favorite meals. “We’re trying different culinary treats from all around the world as different students bring the blessings of their cuisines to our table,” Mike said.

Meals around the table also offer food for the soul, since their commitment to hospitality means more than eating. “We have Thursday night Bible studies where we have dinner. But we also have women’s groups and men’s groups,” Brooke said. “We have a few retreats during the year when we go to the beach or to the mountains. We have game nights and karaoke nights. We’ve had yoga classes at our house. Most of our ministry, I’d say, is at our house. So, our kids are actually involved in the stuff we do.”

A place at the family’s table and in their home is a gift, insisted Meta, a seminary graduate and editor who got invited to their house when she was an undergrad attending their church. “It’s really wonderful that Mike and Brooke give us this safe space for us to just be ourselves and talk openly about our faith and our struggles,” she said. “It’s kind of like you are part of a family. It’s very nice to have this small, close community together.”

Because Brooke and Mike thrive on relationships, their open table has become a moveable feast. During their early days, a translator from Sumba, a majority Christian island, told Mike, “You must come to my island to preach to my people.”

Mike eventually did research for his Ph.D. dissertation on Sumba and neighboring Timor. He has had an ongoing ministry there, preaching, leading conferences and now training pastors. They have also collaborated on a project to install solar panels, providing light to churches on Sumba and Timor.

In communities seeking to overcome centuries of poverty, renewable energy fuels transformation and hope. “Many villages do not have infrastructure,” Mike explained.

“There would be no water. You would sometimes have to walk 10 kilometers just to get water from the nearest source. There’s no electricity. So, in the evenings, to cook, you need kerosene lamps; but kerosene costs money, maybe more than your daily wage. Food is scarce as well, causing most of the children to grow up stunted.”

Sustainable energy supplied by those solar panels strengthens both the congregations and their communities. For the first time, churches could worship in the evenings, and pastors can prepare their sermons after dark. Members of a community often congregate at a church where children can see to do their homework, and adults can do jobs to supplement their meager farm incomes.

Solar panel installation projects provide opportunities for other kinds of ministry. Supplemented by volunteers—sometimes students, sometimes people from the United States—teams do not just install the panels and hook up lights. They also teach families how to establish renewable energy in their homes. Some volunteers focus on the children, offering fun and education, as well

Brooke and Mike host a Thanksgiving, Christmas and Passover meal for their students. But the group also brings their favorite cuisines to the table some Thursdays so Brooke and Mike can try food from all over the world.

as training local church members on how to organize and run ministries for children.

“Mike’s and Brooke’s role has had a huge impact; it’s very big,” said Alfons, a pastor who teaches at a seminary on Sumba and helps steer solar energy projects to churches. “They opened up different perspectives. Children can read, and mothers can weave. So, I am very happy for the help they provide.”

“Mike and Brooke not only care about our spiritual things, they also care about the things that happen in our lives,” added Eve, a kindergarten teacher who supports a Bible college on Timor, works with solar panel installation and with the children in Sumba. “They care about whether we are okay and about our jobs, our health. That’s the thing that makes me feel really special and in a healthy community.”

As Mike says, “The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s commitment to long-term presence makes the greatest impact on how effectively we work and serve. One of the things that has shocked some of the pastors here is the fact that I come back. We don’t just show up one time, do a short-term service project and leave, and they never see us again. They see us many times a year.”

“They’re seeing us come to their island to work alongside them, to struggle alongside them, to hope alongside them,” Mike said. “This is something I love about CBF—the cooperative nature of our Fellowship in serving alongside the people to whom we are called to minister.”

“CBF’s Offering for Global Missions and Encourager Churches make such presence possible,” Brooke and Mike said, noting every dollar that comes their way continues to fund their presence and programming in Southeast Asia.

Their presence at the table with locals is life-giving for Brooke and Mike. “This ministry fills me with life. And it fills me with joy,” Brooke explained. “Sometimes, we wonder, ‘What are we doing here? Why are we here? What’s the point?’ And then I get to go be with the young ladies in our home and hear their stories, hear their backgrounds, hear their questions, share their struggles, share their joys. And then I know that we are where we’re supposed to be.”

By Grayson Hester

Weaving No One Behind: Yuliana

Yulina is working by day and weaving by night in the newly-lit church. The women’s group is able to meet regularly thanks to the renewable electricity.

Inmarginalized communities at home and abroad, the church isn’t simply the center of spiritual life, it’s the center of life, period.

Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel Brooke and Mike’s ministry in Southeast Asia bears witness to this reality, when a well-lit church (as covered in our story on pp. 22-24 about Alfons and his solar panel installations) meets religious and economic needs.

Yuliana, one of the villagers alongside whom Brooke and Mike minister, sees this firsthand.

Cut off from the amenities and resources that the majority of Americans would take for granted, Yuliana and her family rely on the church as a place to gather, to weave, to read—you name it. “What the people need here is clean water, lighting and for the road to be fixed,” she said. “As for water, they tried to build a water pump, but it does not work and they never come back to fix it.”

In this way, the church literally provides living water and is concretely a light to the world.

Without reliable electricity, villagers like Yuliana and her family depend on costly, finicky kerosene lamps, luxuries they cannot

consistently afford. More often than not, this requires Yuliana to tie her ability to feed her family to the sun’s cycles. Once the sun sets, in effect, so must she. “My family consists of five children—three boys and two girls. Every day, my work, with my husband is cooking meals for the kids,” she said. “Then I go to the rice paddy, take care of the vegetables, get some plants to feed the pigs. By noon, I go back home and prepare for dinner.”

In particularly abundant harvests, Yuliana can sell the surplus and purchase kitchen supplies we see as staples—coffee, sugar, etc. But this, again, largely depends on factors outside her control, like rainfall, crop survival or the prevalence of pests.

This uncertainty is a phenomenon shared by impoverished people all over the globe, even when the particulars differ. “Poverty looks different in different places,” Mike said. “In a village, you wouldn’t have any infrastructure. There would be no water. You would probably have to walk sometimes 10 kilometers just to get water from the nearest water source. There’s no electricity. Food is scarce as well. And so, most of the children grow up stunted. Because the rain is less here, crops are not as productive.”

Taking her family’s survival quite literally into her own hands, Yuliana has become an adept weaver. Where crops and harvests

Selling crops is a source of income for Yuliana; but because of the dependence on rainfall, it is not steady income. Yuliana weaves for a sustainable income in the well-lit church to help support her family of seven.

might be unreliable, she finds comfort in the repetition of patterns and the sufficiency of crafting an economic output all her own. “I learned to weave at the age of 30. I saw a friend doing it; so I practiced, and then I wanted to join my friend. When my result was good, I sold my work to the market,” she said. “I saw what my friend did and learned from her, to know better patterns. I made flowers, horses and the things that I know.”

She weaves in a women’s night group which meets regularly at the church, a gathering as important to their social health as it is their financial health. Her children can also study and read while she weaves, providing a boon to their educational outlook. All this is made possible only by the presence of dependable electricity.

“Now, during the day, I have more opportunities to work,” Yuliana said. “And after dark, I can weave more and the kids can also study and do their homework better.”

As important as the solar panels and lights are, however, they solve but one of myriad problems facing this Southeast Asian community. A well-lit church means little if people cannot access it. The roads here are often barely passable, if not completely blocked. With the exception of Christmas and Easter, the church is rarely full.

“After the lights were installed, more people began to come to church and were staying longer; but the church is too far from where most people live, so it is also a bit hard,” Yuliana said.

Part of the process of inviting people to a banquet is ensuring that people can actually get there. It is to this work—both the setting of a banquet table and the making of a way—that Brooke and Mike remain wholly committed. “When I think of, a place at the table, it makes me think how it’s open to everybody,” Brooke said.

The filling of this table, open to everyone and capable of meeting their needs, is a goal for which Yuliana earnestly longs, as well. For her, the mandate to spread the Gospel and the need to build solid infrastructure are, shall we say, interwoven. You cannot have one in this setting without the other.

“My hopes are that the road to be fixed, for lights, and also for clean water,” she said. “I believe that God is here and helps, but I also want more of my friends to believe in God, too.”

The solar panel lights are the first step in welcoming people to church. The next step is ensuring that the roads are lit and safe so more of the community are able to use the church.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden…In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).

A church in rural Southeast Asia is now fueled by solar panels with the help of local engineer and minister Alfons. The light creates safety and fuels fellowship in the church built on the hill.

When God

Keeping the lights on or having lights at all in rural parts of Southeast Asia proves more difficult than a simple proclamation. The church might be more than a building, but it certainly helps to be able to see what is going on while inside one.

Enter Alfons, an irreplaceable part of the ministry led by Brooke and Mike, two Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel called to Southeast Asia. Alfons’ engineering expertise helps their church worship at all hours of the day, whereas before, the absence of light meant that nighttime was no time for congregating.

“Before I became a pastor, I asked Mike to come with me to preach at churches; he spoke about his willingness to build a solar

panel system for churches in the village,” Alfons said. “So, in 2019, Mike gave solar panels for five different churches.”

In a developed country like the United States, it might seem unfathomable to most worshipers to have to worry about the lights staying on, or whether there was any electricity to begin with. But in rural areas of the Global South, like Southeast Asia, these problems remain perennial and persistent. Having solar lights, as opposed to expensive (and dangerous) kerosene lamps, can spell the difference between crisis and community, worry and worship.

“These very simple systems mean that not only can the church worship at night, but also that children can come and study at

night,” Mike said. “In their homes, they may have only kerosene lamps that are barely bright enough to read by, but also too costly for these families who cannot afford them.”

As anyone who has gone camping, or who has endured a power outage, knows, a reliable, consistent light source is quite literally a lifeline. This remains true thousands of miles away, and arguably more so. Light means life. Light also means security. What holds true in major U.S. metropolitan areas—that more street lights generally equate to less crime—also plays out in rural Southeast Asian areas, too. We are united, theologically and practically, in our very basic need for light.

“So, after the solar panels are installed at the churches, they are very useful for the people and the kids around the churches,” Alfons said. “See the church with the lights— that place used to be dangerous because it was dark and far. Now the ministry in that church is still going on.”

CBF field personnel Mike and Alfons have being working together since 2019 to install solar panels to bring light to churches in Southeast Asia. They have also partnered in ministering and preaching to the churches. The solar panels bring light to churches so families can gather for worship, children can read and mothers can weave.

created the heavens and the earth and proclaimed “let there be light,” God didn’t have to deal with an electric company or pay bills. (The creation of the world predated industrial capitalism by a few years, after all.)

Safety represents a basic need. Once worshipers, women and children particularly, feel a relative sense of protection—a sense afforded to them by a well-lit church building—they can then open themselves up to reading and learning and growing. That is its own kind of light. To enlighten, to elucidate, is another form of letting there be light—shining knowledge about spirituality and humanity into corners of the world denied such education by systems committed to (and exploitative of) their ignorance.

Alfons brings this holistic approach and enlightenment to the churches Brooke and Mike serve in Southeast Asia. He lends his engineering expertise to the installing of solar panels as surely as he lends his theological training to the teaching of the congregation. “From Tuesday until Friday, I teach at the seminary. Friday afternoon, I minister for the youth near my campus,” Alfons said. “Then, at night, I will come back to my family. On a Saturday, I must prepare a sermon for Sunday. Sometimes I visit some churches if they need me or if they asked me to lead their ministry.”

Alfons sees education as a key to a better life, one he strives to help the people of Southeast Asia achieve. This passion for education runs deep in Alfons’ life, stretching all the way back to his parents. His father was a Christian education teacher and his mother was an evangelist. In him, his parents’ passions became his purpose, a dual approach toward Christ-focused education that represents both his calling and his daily occupation.

In his and Mike’s view, a lack of information helps fuel division and antipathy, both of which are antithetical to the Kingdom of God. “We work together with international partners to promote peace and reconciliation between different religious groups,” Mike said, “to combat extremism and just promote a peaceful atmosphere of coexistence between many religious communities.”

Education and lighting are fundamental to this cause. So is Alfons. Many churches in Southeast Asia do not staff pastors. And if they do, their ministers have not been afforded access to seminaries and therefore can’t enjoy the educational privileges U.S. clergy might take for granted. Related to this issue is a low literacy rate among people

WATCH ALFONS’ STORY

Watch the Offering for Global Missions impact story video featuring Alfons at www.cbf.net/ogm

in Southeast Asia. Given that Western expressions of religiosity prioritize the written word, this effectively disenfranchises millions of people from engaging with the Gospel. Alfons is one of the lucky ones: he has gone to and graduated from seminary.

“My experience with God’s presence here in this community is that I feel that God always helps and guides me to minister to the people that I never expected,” he said. “And then I see how God opens the way for me and that makes me a believer, and I have to share that belief to the people who aren’t believers yet.”

Partnering with Brooke and Mike allows Alfons to share this belief in concrete, sustainable ways, such as the publishing of simple theological handbooks. “We are working with a seminary to create a very simple theological handbook so that these lay leaders serving these churches can read through this very simple theological primer,” Mike said, “and can know, ‘How do I start a children’s ministry? How do I write a sermon? How can I deal with

the issues of violence against women in my church and in my community?’”

Through turning on the lights, both metaphorically and literally, Alfons and Brooke and Mike’s ministry helps engender true belonging in Southeast Asia. Solar panels ensure the banquet table is welcoming to all; theological handbooks set the table with nourishing spiritual food.

In short, their combined efforts craft an invitation worth receiving.

“A place at the table means that everyone should be invited and eat equally, together, like a family. My family, we like to eat together. I don’t eat by myself. We eat together, we work together—everyone has their own role to play,” Alfons said. “Mike and Brooke’s presence is very helpful. Children can now read and mothers can weave. So, I am very happy for the help they provide to my ministry here.”

Alfons has graduated from seminary and helps Brooke and Mike write theology handbooks for lay leaders at local churches.

“MIKE AND BROOKE’S PRESENCE IS VERY HELPFUL. CHILDREN CAN NOW READ AND MOTHERS CAN WEAVE. SO, I AM VERY HAPPY FOR THE HELP THEY PROVIDE TO MY MINISTRY HERE.”

Rick Burnette

Scarlette

Loads of Laundry. Loads of Love. Loads of Laundry. Loads of Love.

Belmont Baptist Church creates long-term change in Charlottesville, Va., with CBF grant

By Rickey Letson

In 2006, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship launched a program called It’sTime. The eight-week study challenged churches to embrace a more missional perspective in their congregational life focused on purpose and passion, particularly as it related to their calling to meet community needs. It’s Time also gave churches the opportunity to apply for grant funds that would provide seed money to bring new ministries to life which were the direct result of the work done through the study.

One of the congregations that participated in It’s Time is Belmont Baptist Church in Charlottesville, Va. Belmont began to engage with the study in 2008, focusing on the It’s Time material in both worship on Sunday mornings and through Wednesday evening conversations.

Greg Anderson, who has served as pastor of Belmont for the past 17 years, remembers that an intriguing part of the conversation for the church at the time was the possible grant funding that was connected to the study. The church was focused on the discernment process the material highlighted to discover how God desired to use their congregation in the community. Yet, a clear motivating factor was the idea that as they learned how and where they were being called to serve, there was a strong possibility that funds would be available to help get the ministry started.

As Belmont was completing the It’s Time study, leaders from the congregation heard a presentation from a local ministry organization. An unexpected gleaning was a comment made about the number of

people in the Charlottesville community who lived a very transient existence. It was shared that as these frequent movers transitioned from one temporary residence to another, they often left most of their clothes behind. Puzzled, the Belmont leaders discovered that there was a simple reason for this. It was easier and cheaper to pick up new clothes from one of the area clothing closets than it was to wash the clothes they already had. The basic act of washing clothes that is easily taken for granted was a luxury that was far too expensive for a significant number of individuals and families in the Charlottesville area.

The work of Belmont with It’s Time and the serendipitous conversation between the church and the local ministry about the inability of some in Charlottesville to wash their clothes created the needed intersection between passion, purpose and need. Ultimately, Belmont Baptist chose to apply for and use It’s Time grant funds to create a ministry called Loads of Love located in a church-owned

house on the back side of its property. Loads of Love provides a place for people to wash their clothes in an environment that is safe, family-friendly and affordable.

In 2009, Belmont received a $25,000 grant from CBF to support Loads of Love, and the ministry opened in the summer of 2010.

The church does not charge people to use the facility that is equipped with five washers and dryers, as well as detergent, fabric sheets and other needed supplies. Loads of Love also has an area for children to play, read, do homework or watch television. A kitchen area offers families space to share a meal while washing clothes or gives an adult space to catch up on paperwork while their children use the area created specifically for them in the adjacent room.

Each guest family is hosted by a church member as an act of hospitality and relationship building. This also provides the opportunity for sharing about the church, faith and the chance to be a compassionate presence in the life of the visiting individual

or

In 2010, Belmont Baptist Church began Loads of Love in Charlottesville, Va., with a $25,000 grant from CBF. The facility has five washers and dryers and provides free detergent, fabric sheets and other supplies so the community can keep clothes clean.

family. As clients continue to return and use the facility on multiple occasions, deeper relationships naturally form. These experiences are equally transformational for the hosts who learn about the lives of their clients, their struggles and challenges. Clients and hosts sometimes even become prayer partners.

One of the many inspiring stories connected to Loads of Love is about a regular client named Ms. Johnson. Likely the longest active client, Ms. Johnson used the resources of Loads of Love from the time the ministry opened in 2010 until the start of the pandemic in 2020. For much of the time, Ms. Johnson worked with the same member of Belmont Baptist who regularly served as her host. Over the course of a decade, they built a special friendship with each other.

During the pandemic, Ms. Johnson’s long-time Belmont host died unexpectedly. At her graveside service, Anderson remembers looking up and seeing Ms. Johnson in the crowd of folks who had come to mourn this dear saint’s passing. It was a powerful sign of the deep relationship they had built with each other over the years.

Loads of Love has also made an impact on other churches and community organizations. These local groups help Belmont to both finance the ministry and connect with potential clients. A Disciples of

Christ church in Charlottesville holds a Loads of Love Sunday event each year with donations used to offset the ongoing expenses of the ministry. Local schools have become aware of the resource and often help students and their families know about the opportunity. The same ministry that first enlightened Belmont Baptist about the need for affordable laundry still plays a pivotal role as the primary local agency that recommends most of the people who ultimately become the beneficiaries of Loads of Love.

One of the critical distinctives in the life of CBF that resonates with many and is the key cornerstone of our mission and ministry is the idea of “long-term presence.” Through being a part of the life of both communities and individuals over the long haul, relationships are built that bear witness to Christ’s love with the mutual transformation of our own lives and the lives of others. For 12 years, through a basic, yet profound act of hospitality and a welcoming place to do laundry, Belmont Baptist in Charlottesville, Va., has embodied these ideas. It is a marvelous story of the ongoing, weekly meeting of basic human needs and a commitment to sharing of God’s love, one load of clothes at a time.

Belmont Baptist’s Loads of Love facility has space for children to play and do homework while parents can catch up on paperwork while their laundry is being done.

Sacred Spaces Innovative Places

Reimagining Church Property and Facilities as Assets

Through case studies of seven CBF partner churches and the creative ways they are using their facilities and property, this resource shares both the sacredness and challenges of church campuses. Celebrate the sacred spaces that continue to play a key role in our faith formation and discover the innovative solutions these churches have found.

With 210 years of history and a vision for today that is diverse and inclusive, Union Presbyterian Seminary’s two campuses in Richmond and Charlotte offer an extraordinary range of degree programs: M.A.P.T. (Master of Arts in Public Theology), M.Div., M.A.C.E., Th.M., and D.Min. We are here for you. Learn more: (804) 278-4221 or admissions@upsem.edu www.upsem.edu

Lord, Open Their Eyes

David and Lauren Bass

CBF Field Personnel in Cambodia

 Longing and Lament

2 Kings 6:15-17, NIV

When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked. “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.”

In 2 Kings 6:8-23, we read that an army from Aram has surrounded the city where the prophet Elisha and his servant are staying. Elisha has been foiling the plans of the king of Aram, and the army has been sent to capture him. Twice in this passage Elisha prays a prayer that has come to be meaningful for me in this season of life and ministry: “Lord, open their eyes.”

First, he prays it for his servant. The servant wakes up, sees the army surrounding them, and is afraid. But Elisha prays to God, “Lord, open the servant’s eyes.” The servant can now perceive that there is a heavenly army surrounding them. He can also perceive a new spiritual reality: God was in control the whole time. Even as the army of the enemy gathered in the night, God was putting in place the pieces for a plan of salvation.

The second time Elisha prays this prayer, it’s for the army. Elisha asks God to confuse the army and then leads them to Samaria, Israel’s capital. Once everybody is inside the city, Elisha prays, “Lord, open their eyes.” The army can see that they have unintentionally ended up in their enemy’s capital. But they can also perceive a new spiritual reality: They trusted in their weapons, horses and chariots, but Elisha’s God was stronger than those things.

I am like the servant in this passage. Sometimes, when my problems seem to overwhelm me, I reach for worry instead of faith. Even on dark days, God has been working to bring about redemption from pain and fear. If only God would open my eyes to the way that God is working. If only I could see that, as the armies of the

enemy surround me in the night, so God is putting in place the pieces for a plan of salvation.

I am also like the army in this passage. Sometimes I trust in worldly power more than God’s power. I trust my intellect, my resources, my own decision-making abilities. I need God to open my eyes to the ways that I need to rely on God’s power each day, even when I think I’ve got it all under control.

In this season, I have found great power in this short prayer: “Lord, open my eyes.” I have needed it when I felt defeated, and I have needed it when I felt strong. I have especially needed it when I didn’t know what else to pray. May God open all of our eyes in this season to the plan of salvation that is already unfolding all around us.

Pray, Practice, Ponder: Open My Eyes

How often do we miss what God is doing, even when it’s right in front of our faces? Take this brief prayer from Scripture with you today, and into the week ahead, as you continue on the Advent Journey: Lord, Open my eyes.

The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s Year-long Guide to Prayer 2022-23

Join us in prayer

This year’s Prayers of the People reflections were written in response to the open-ended question: “How Is Your Prayer?” Contributors answered this question honestly and openly, in whatever style felt resonant with their prayer life. The result is a vast diversity of writings and prayers that come in all shapes and sizes.

Each entry includes a section titled “Pray, Practice, Ponder,” an opportunity for the reader to try a prayer practice, ponder a particular question or join the author in a prayer from the heart. Weekly entries fall into broad themes that equip readers with prayers for use in worship, personal devotional life or as curriculum resources.

Visit www.cbf.net/pray

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www.cbf.net (800) 352-8741

STOCK

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IRA GIFTS: A TAX BENEFICIAL WAY TO SUPPORT THE COOPERATIVE BAPTIST FELLOWSHIP

Reduce your future tax burden and help us to continue to serve churches and individuals! Here are two simple ways:

STOCK GIFTS

When you donate stock directly to CBF, you make an impact on our work while saving cash for your own immediate needs. If you itemize deductions, you can take a charitable deduction for the entire donation amount, and you can avoid paying the capital gains tax.

Visit FreeWill.com/Stocks/CBF to learn more and make a stock gift today.

After you provide details about the assets you wish to transfer, you can either print and mail your forms or donate entirely electronically!

IRA ROLLOVER GIFTS

Another simple way to help support CBF’s mission using your cash reserve is through IRA gifts. If you are 70.5 or older, you are eligible to donate directly from your IRA account. Giving from your IRA is an immediate and impactful way to support CBF—but unlike a cash gift, it helps you save on your taxes in the process. If you are 72 years or older, IRA gifts also help you meet your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD)—the legal amount you must withdraw from your retirement assets.

Visit FreeWill.com/QCD/CBF to start your IRA gift today.

Note: to receive the tax benefits your gift must be received and processed before December 31, 2022!