We’re excited to announce we’ve been awarded a mission grant from the American Baptist Churches – Great Rivers Region! This grant, available to congregations engaging in a new ministry or mission effort, gives us a significant boost in our fundraising efforts! The total grant award is $1,500. That’s 25% of our fundraising goal!
Here is part of the grant proposal narrative written by Pastor Rob…
Every so often God’s Spirit makes its presence known in profound ways, nudging and tugging a congregation to step out of its comfort zone and expand its impact. Such is the case with the First Baptist Church of Highland. After much prayer and discernment, it has become clear to us that God’s Spirit is leading us to Debrecen, Hungary, for a mission trip of discipleship and evangelism in support of IM Global Servants Jon and Amanda Good.
Our congregation has a long history of local, regional, and global mission support. In fact, we’re pleased to share that, in 2018, $0.15 of every $1 received by our church treasury went back out into the mission field in some capacity. Our members routinely volunteer with local neighborhood missions and outreach projects as we recognize the mission of the church extends well beyond the walls of our building. However, never before in our congregation’s 70-year history have we answered God’s call to go into the mission field in the form of a short-term mission trip.
Beginning in the spring of 2018, we began diligently praying, discerning if it was within God’s will for our church to organize its first-ever mission trip. God answered clearly through the affirmation of both our IM Global Servants and our congregation’s membership!
An identifying element of our congregation’s membership is a significant number of retired school educators. A core aspect of Jon and Amanda Good’s mission in Hungary is working in Debrecen schools operated by the Baptist Church there. Sometimes God’s will is made especially clear; such was the case for us. Why not take our retired teachers to Hungary to support, encourage, guide, and help the Goods in their efforts to provide English language classes and discipling workshops to Hungarian children and families? From this purpose, our congregation’s new mission was born. This summer (August 30 – September 10, 2019), our congregation will send a group of ten dedicated individuals to Hungary to minister in a way our congregation has never previously experienced. We will be teaching in the Hungarian schools and discipling in the Hungarian Baptist Church. We will be sharing God’s love by giving our time and talents to a people we’ve never before engaged. Not only will this be our congregation’s first-ever mission trip, this will also be the first foreign mission trip for each member of our mission team! Following the nudging of the Holy Spirit, God is leading us to new ministries in new places!