7 minute read
To the Thirsty
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By Rev. Mark Powell
As John grapples with the visions he tries to record in Revelation, he comes to a place where he quotes the One who is seated on the throne (Revelation 21:5-7). He reveals Himself as the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. He extends an invitation “to the thirsty…” An invitation with a promise, “To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.” General Baptist Ministries Living Water project was initially funded by the 2019 LAUNCH offering. Churches, youth groups and Bible study groups pitched in to help provide water projects for our various international fields. The result was one of our most successful VBS/LAUNCH offerings, totaling nearly $50,000. This doubled the goal we had set.
To date, two international locations have received the most benefit from this generous offering. The first project funded from the Living Waters Project was to assist Saipan Community Church and School with new catchments
designed to help the church/ school campus with water. Catchments designed to catch and store rainwater are essential on the small island of Saipan. The old catchments had been worn by time. Following damage by two major typhoons over four years, they simply burst. With fresh funds on hand from the Living Water Project, General Baptist Ministries was able to quickly offer assistance to help purchase new catchments for the water.
A substantial amount of the funds for the offering were earmarked for the Calvary Grace Association in India. Pastor Jessey was in the United States at the time of the offering and was actively promoting the offering as he visited churches. To date, we have placed more than fifteen (15) wells in India through the Calvary Grace ministries.
Risen Church in Dexter, Missouri contributed nearly $20,000 to the Living Waters Project, so it was appropriate that a recent team from Risen Church was able to participate in several well dedications during their visit. It was humbling to observe the group as we made our way from location to location to say a few words, read some scripture, and offer a prayer of dedication over these new wells.
The communities were predominately Hindu. The majority greeted us with warm smiles and open arms. Most of the communities had been overlooked or ignored by other programs because the people were lower caste and lived on the outskirts of communities. In a couple of communities, they made their living hunting birds, in another raising hogs; humble people who are poor by the world’s standards. Few were Christians, mostly they were Hindu. But Christian and Hindu alike came to show their gratitude for the gift of water. The team was given gifts by most of the communities. Garlands of flowers were placed around their necks, and sometimes beautiful shawls were placed in appreciation for the gift of water.
The water wells were often located near churches as a living testimony of the One who had graciously provided not only the water of life but the true living water as well. Other times the wells were placed in communities without churches as a living witness to the Savior of the world. In several communities the spokesperson expressing the gratitude was not the local pastor, or Christian leader, but a Hindu expressing appreciation to these visiting Christians for remembering them and sharing with them this wonderful gift.
There were a couple of communities where the presence of Christian outsiders was not appreciated, and prayers of dedication were offered in haste. In most cases ribbons were cut, the wells were anointed with oil in the name of the trinity and prayers for God’s blessings were offered. If it was a community with electrical power, the breaker would be turned on so the pump could operate and water would begin to flow.
In others, where electricity was not available, the hand pump on the well would be primed and pumped for the life-giving water to begin to flow. In one community one little boy was given a bath in front of locals and visitors alike as a demonstration of the well’s potential usefulness. The little boy did not seem to appreciate the well nearly as much as mom did!
It was especially moving for the team as they approached the first well with the name Risen Church on the plaque. Addie Roth, 11 year old daughter of Pastor Jeff Roth, noted:
I think it is pretty crazy to see the wells that my church put in India and to say that you could give water to people for many years for just 1000 to 2000 bucks. It’s nuts! Also to see how thankful they were, just makes me feel so happy.
It makes me feel like we should try to put more wells there. I feel like we need more wells so that more people can hear the gospel. On each well they see the verse John 7:37 “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink,” in their language.
Before the trip was over the group had dedicated several wells with Risen Church plaques. Each well bore the passage from John 7:37 (“If anyone is thirsty, let him come They don’t only need physical water more importantly they need spiritual water.
--Addie Roth,
Risen Church Team Member {
to me and drink) in English and the local language, the location of the well, and the well number in the project. The pastors in Calvary Grace were also the first to receive water filters, which are also part of the Living Waters Project. The filters are produced by a company that markets in the United States to the outdoor community. Internationally they work with several NonGovernmental Organizations responding to the world water crisis. General Baptists partnered with them to purchase and provide filters that can filter water to 99.9% purity. The filters, if properly cared for, and back washed, can last a lifetime.
Pastor Jessey later sent a message expressing how much the pastors appreciated the gift of these filters. He also mentioned that there are currently many more requests for wells in India – more than we currently have funds for and so the Living Water Project is one that will continue for the foreseeable future.
Living Waters Project is part of General Baptist
Ministries international community development program. The program includes the Living Water Project, community health evangelism, community uplift development through repeated Mission One team visits, and Mission One medical teams.
Typically, a 250 foot well in India costs approximately $1500. In some communities well projects have failed because water was not found within 250 feet. In these communities, additional attempts will be made to look for water, but at a greater cost, as equipment will be needed to go beyond 250 feet.
Words fail in an effort to express what it feels like to go into a community to provide a gospel testimony to be greeted so generously and graciously by the Hindus and Muslims you are there to impact with the gospel. The testimony is clear and strong and mostly well received, “To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the springs of water of life…” (Revelation 21:6)
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Since 1823, General Baptists have been growing our ministry here in the United States, continually trying to reach new people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Since 1911, we have been sending missionaries overseas, to go where many of us will never go, to reach people groups many of us will never meet. This global ministry is only made possible through generous financial support from General Baptist churches and individuals. The Unified Giving Fund was created to organize this support and give where it was most needed. We can plant new churches because of Unified Giving. We can send missionaries to new countries because of Unified Giving. We can aid in relief efforts because of Unified Giving. And people are being won to Christ because of YOUR gifts to Unified Giving.
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