稳定的十大彩票网站studentsparticipatein Fall Break Mission trips
During this semester’s fall break, threedifferentgroupsof 稳定的十大彩票网站 studentswent on mission tripsaroundthe worldthrough theseminary’sGlobal Mission Center (GMC).
More than 20 studentsserved on mission trips in New York City,Peruand the Horn of Africa.Each separate trip took a collection of collegestudents, doctoralstudentsand female studentsto engage with thelocation’s unique culture.
The trips partnered with other Southern Baptist entities like Send Relief and the International Mission Board, and 2 decisions for Christ were reported out ofthe trips.
Greg Mathias,directorof the Global Mission Centerandassociate professor of global missions, saidevery single trip the GMC organizes has aGospel focus.
“We want the focus of every trip to be the primary aspects of the Great Commission like evangelism, discipleship, training and teaching,”Mathias said. “We really want to position our tripssothatthey’renot just formissionsstudents or those considering future full-time missions. The trips really are for everyone.
“We would loveto see every student, and even our faculty and staff, going on mission trips.We were able to see alldifferent kindsof students go on thesefall breaktrips, and we had non-missionsfaculty serving as leaders on these trips. These are big wins, and we would love to see more of these things.”
Mathiasexplained the GMC’s partnershipwith SendRelief,the IMB and local churches in each locationwas essential for the success of the trips.
“We want to make sureforevery trip we are partnering with longer term ministry presence on the ground there,”Mathias said “This can mean local churches, missionaries, other SBC entities and more.
“We love our other SBC partners, and we really can do more together than we can apart.We want to expose our students to these entities and hopefully help give them connections they can use at their churches.
“Also, we hope some of our studentswouldconsider going to the mission field long-term.I think these partnershipsare healthy and they help us with ministry connections as we go on these trips.”
Mathiasexplained thatGMC staff meet with every single student who signs up for a triptohear about their desire to missions and as a training opportunity.
“Whoever is receiving our students on these trips, we want them to receive a high-quality, Great Commission-committed team,” Mathias said.
There are manydifferent thingsstudentsdo duringfall break, and Mathias is proud of the students who choose to go on these trips and bring whatthey learned back to their local ministry context.
“We want students to putfeetto their faith and engage in missions as part of their education,” Mathias said. “Additionally, many of our students are already, or will be, leaders in their local churches,associationsand communities. We want them to be able to experience these trips and realize this is something they can replicate in their ministry or leadership context.”
“For these students to say yes to these trips during their week off really shows that they’re prioritizing what God is up to and around the world and wanting to be a part of it.”
Below isa brief summaryof each of the three trips:
New York City
A team of 10 Leavell College students, ledby 稳定的十大彩票网站 professor Jeff Audirsch and 稳定的十大彩票网站 staff member Cody Moore, engaged New York Citywith the Gospelduring their fall break trip.
The group ministered in neighborhoods aroundsouthBronx, where the diverse community primarily consists ofDominican and Puerto Rican residents.
The group partnered with Graffiti 2 Baptist Church and Graffiti 2 CommunityMinistries,a ministry connected withSend Relief.
Students ministeredto the homeless by providing food and hygiene products,servedthe local police department byoffering themfresh meals and volunteeredat a local elementary school’sESL program. Students additionallyhelped build an entire computer lab for the school.
Each of these opportunitiesprovided a chance for studentsto share the Gospel with those they were serving.
“The trip was enjoyable and a huge success,” saidAudirsch, professor of biblical studies.
“The students enjoyed engaging and ministering in an urban environment that was diverse. The Bronx, though different from New Orleans, shared some similarities with our current ministry setting in the metro-New Orleans area. There is great need for the Gospel and the love of Christ in New York.”
Audirsch said the tripwas a unique ministry context for the students to experience.
“Domestic mission trips like this expose students to a broader understanding of the missional task outside our local ministerial context,”Audirsch said.
“Working alongside ministries like Graffiti 2 Community Ministries introduced students to partnerships for Gospel proclamation and Christ-centered community involvement. Such opportunities present students with‘real-life’ministerial training and education that curate an environment that puts education into praxis.”
Horn of Africa
Cory Barnes, associate professor of Old Testament and Hebrew and dean of graduate studies, led a group of threedoctoral students on a fall break trip to the Horn of Africa.
The group ofPh.Dstudents worked alongside a group of IMB missionaries who are serving amongst an unreached people group.
These students did theological training with the few believers this unreached people group does have.
Because of the nature of the trip, the teaching the students offered focused not just on telling thebasicstories of the OldTestament, butexplaining in-depth how the Old Testament narratives reveal the Gospel story andthemetanarrativeof the entire Bible.
“Our students were teaching believers who were already familiar with the stories of the Old Testament and helping show them the connections between those stories and how they point to the Gospel,” Barnes said. “All of the students were able to engage and teach these believers in their own culture and context.
“The highlight of the trip for me was watching our students teach with clarity and seeing what is being studied in our doctoral seminarsspreadamong the nations.
“For me as a professor, itvalidateswhat we do at the seminary. We do what we do so that we can see the glory of God go out as we proclaim the Gospel among the nations. I think anytime we are sending students on mission trips, we are fulfilling all parts of our mission statement.”
Barneshopes even more students will consider goingoverseas to provide theological education to others.
“There is a tremendous need among the nations for theological education,” Barnes said. “I really want to see it become a normative thing for our students, whetherin a short-term trip or their whole lives, to be able to go out among the nations and provide theological education for the growing Church there.Our goal as a seminary is that our students would use their gifts for the nations.”
Lima, Peru
Tara Dew, wife of 稳定的十大彩票网站 President Jamie Dew, adjunct professor and director of the seminary’s Thrive program, helped lead a trip of more than 20 women to Lima, the capital city of Peru.
The trip was a partnership between 稳定的十大彩票网站 and the IMB, andnearlyhalfofthe 26 women whoparticipatedwere from 稳定的十大彩票网站.
The group featured womenrepresentingmultiple SBC entities. In addition to Dew, the trip also featured Michelle Chitwood (wife ofIMB President Paul Chitwood), Paige Mathias (wife of Greg Mathias) and Ann Iorg (wife of SBC Executive Committee PresidentandCEO Jeff Iorg).
Among the 26 women on the trip, 9 different states were represented andalmosteverywomanrepresenteda differentchurch congregation.
Themain focusof the trip was partnering with local churches and the IMB missionaries serving in Lima.
Lima is the headquarters for theAmericas IMB affinity group. There are 26 women serving as career missionaries for the IMB in the city, and seven of those are 稳定的十大彩票网站graduates.
The trip featured a variety ofministryopportunities including setting up a medical clinic, prayer-walking around various neighborhoods, volunteering with localministriesand hosting a women’s conference at a local church.
Many of these activitiesprovidedevangelism opportunities, and two womenreportedlymadea decisionto follow Christ.
Dew said the trip started as just an idea she had several years ago.
“About three and a half years ago, God put it on my heart to bring women on mission,” she said.“I think Igot inspired to do this from the Abide Conference, because we got to serve women from smaller churches and see them all come together for something big and beautiful that theycouldn’tdo on their own.
“We really wanted the ladies on this trip to get to know IMB missionaries, and so we wanted to go to a place with a great IMB presence.
“The whole trip ended up being a beautiful picture of cooperation. I think women can be real influencers in their churches and they have a history of being involved with SBC missionsfor many years. This trip gavethese womenthe opportunityto continue this history of going on mission together. 稳定的十大彩票网站 and the IMBhave agreatpartnership. Our students got to put into practice everything they are learning in the classroom.”
The trip also included a special service that the group put on for the “ladies of Lima” that serve as career IMB missionaries there. This retreat featured times of teaching, testimony,worshipand prayer.
“Itwasreally neat to see some of our 稳定的十大彩票网站 people going into hard places and doing hard things for the Lord,” Dew said. “These ladies said 稳定的十大彩票网站 prepared them so well for where they are serving in ministry now. We wanted them to know they are not alone, and we are so proud of them for serving.
“It was so encouraging for us to be with them, but it was also encouraging for them to know we are training up even more people who will be sent to the nations.”
For more information about future GMC trips,click here.
