General Baptist International Ministries July 2017

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Capsule“Christ tasted death for every man.” Hebrews 2:9

LAUNCH Give Offering 2017

We are calling the 2017 LAUNCH (VBS) Offering our “Raise the Roof” campaign. Over the years our beautiful tejas roofs at Faith Home have developed leaks and need to be replaced. In addition, we need to finish casa (cottage) three which was destroyed by the 2009 earthquake. Offering goal is $20,000.

Ed Stevens Offering

The Ed Stevens Offering is in honor of the 100th Anniversary of Ed Stevens’ birth. Several missionaries need help with funding and we have designated the offering for missionary support. Offering goal is a record $100,000 and the date is September 17.

Meet Your Missionaries

• Pre-Summit event at New Life Church (Evansville), July 16, 5:00 PM. Food is $5 donation per person. Concert with Earthlight and The Conquerors follows at 6:30 PM.

• Poplar Bluff Area Conference at Agee Fellowship Church, July 22, 10 AM-3 PM. Lunch is $10 donation per person.

Exciting News about the Medical Clinic! (Honduras)

Through a contact at Faith Home and Christina Massey, the clinic is opening today as a clinic for the children of Faith Home. Teresa Walls will be working with Dr. Sharon Castro to provide health care to the children. Dr. Sharon will also be helping Teresa get the clinic registered so that, in

the future, care can be provided to those in the community as well! The clinic will also be used as a physical therapy site several times each week. When God opens doors, it is fun to be a part. Of course, additional needs come as the ministry expands (the doctor's expenses, the physical therapist needs, basic medicines, etc). If you want to be a part of what God is doing at the clinic, just mark all donations “Honduras Clinic." The clinic continues to be the site for the Food Pantry as well (over 150 families helped so far).

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GBIM -Summit - at a glance

Missionaries at the Summit:- Vemula family, India- Slater family, Saipan- Dr. Rodney Walls, Honduras

National visitors at the Summit- Phillip Pusey, Jamaica- Danilo Jamero, Philippines- Joyce Porcadilla, Philippines- Miguel Ramirez, Honduras- Pedro and Elida Quezada, Mexico- Angel Leon, Mexico- Elvira Garcia, Mexico- Bob Murphy, Guam

GBIM Staff at the Summit- Mark Powell, Director- Dr. Jim Pratt, Mission One- Sue Schremp, Missionary Support.- Melody Manley, Admin. Assistant,

Associate Clerk of GA

Breakouts- Marianas Update - Pastors Bob

Murphy and Josh Slater will update ministry on Guam and Saipan.

- Honduras - Missionary Dr. Rodney Walls will bring current information about Honduras inside and outside the gates of Faith Home.

- Dr. Jim Pratt - Mission One- Jessey Vemula - The ministry of

Calvary Grace General Baptists in India

- Phil Warren - Matigsalug Bible Institute

- David Stevens - Life and Legacy of Ed Stevens

- Sponsorship - Joyce Porcadilla and Rodney Walls will share opportunities.

Emmanuel Church Welcomes New Pastoral Family (Honduras)

Please help welcome Pastor Ezequiel to our General Baptist family with your prayers. He is the new pastor at Emmanuel General Baptist Church in El Porvenir, Honduras. Pastor Miguel and missionary Rodney Walls recently introduced him to the church. This is his first pastorate. His wife's name is Heidy and they have a 3 or 4 year old daughter (Angie Belen). The Union Grove Association helped with the construction of this church and dedicated it to the memory of Rev. Jack Hargrave. Pastor Ezequiel comes from the Betel Church in San Manuel and has been part of Pastor Miguel’s leadership training program. Pastor Miguel not only works at Faith Home but is also President of the Pastors Association in Honduras.

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Update From Prakash Pamu (India)

1) Dorcas Sewing Centers: Due to severe summer heat, we gave holidays for a period of 20 days. The centers resumed work on June 5 th .The DSC are in 1)

Pithapuram, 2) Bojjavarithota 3) Thimmapuram 4) venkatanagaram 5) Rowthulapudi 6) Sankhavaram 7) Ponnada 8) China Jaggampeta 9) Peddanapalli. We are ministering to destitute poor women in these DSC and preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ regularly.2) Grace Home for Poor Women and Widows: We have reached 55 poor women with cooking oil and some summer refreshment from the heat 3) Gospel outreaches: We reached one area Jaggayyacheruvu and conducted gospel out reach. We reached almost 30 homes . Our Bible women are involved in this ministry.4) Ministry to Poor and Sick people: We have made it our aim to help people whom we come across in our ministry area with some kindness towards poor and sick people.5) Church Construction Help: we supported one pastor named Yesudas who was handicapped doing ministry in Kakinada with Rupees 5000/every month. We are making this church construction help project.6) Tribal area Ministry: We had three areas to minister to Tribal people.We visited with them and shared about the General Baptist ministries. We have two DSC working in this area right now.List of projects and funding needs: 1) Summer Children camps( VBS) =$15002) Special camp for Grace Home for widows= $ 1000 3) Sewing machines on subsidy =$3000 4) Church renovation=$ 50000 5) Bicycles for pastors=$ 10006) Aids children education =$300 per month7) Music and sound system in church =$2000

North Mexico Association Update (Mexico) by Eylin Rodriguez

Presbytery Meeting: The first Presbytery meeting was held by the North Mexico Association (Baja California)

at the Iglesia Fraternidad Cristiana El Yo Soy (Christian Fellowship Church I AM) in Tijuana, Baja California North, Mexico. Pastor Alvaro Alarcon was the host pastor for the meeting. The message was brought by Pastor Jose Manuel Perez. The event was very well attended with 10 deacons ordained, 10 Sunday School teachers licensed, 11 ushers licensed, one associate was ordained, and several other leaders including Women’s groups, music leaders, youth leaders, evangelist, church secretaries and treasurers and a local Drug Rehab Center. There were 60 people in all attending the Presbytery meeting.

North Mexico Bible Institute: Pastor Angel Leon of Tecate, Baja California gave a

report from the North Mexico Bible Institutes (Tecate and

Tijuana). Tecate currently has 17 students enrolled on its campus and Tijuana has 35 students. GBIM is currently needing $200/monthly to support these two centers. Pastor Angel will be in attendance at the Summit in Evansville.

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The Eternal Value of a Life Consecrated to God by Mark Powell

For many years General Baptists have celebrated the life of Rev. Ed Stevens. Ed Stevens was a missionary who served on Guam, Saipan, Tinian, and Chi chi jima. He died at an early age while en route to Guam to receive medical treatment. As is often stated, we honor his sacrifice each year through an annual international missions offering on the Sunday closest to September 22 in honor of his passing. But is that the only reason we honor this singular life? Not at all.

Ed Stevens accomplished an unbelievable amount of good in a few very short years, and in doing so his life reminds all of us how one singular life, consecrated to God, can have an eternal impact on thousands.

The length of Ed Stevens' ministry as a missionary was from 1946-1952. He was ordained in 1942 and was on his way to Guam shortly thereafter. Ed Stevens in two short years accomplished more than many would in a life time! As a missionary he pioneered Saipan, Tinian, and Chi chi jima. As a church planter he started the Saipan Community Church which has literally touched hundreds, if not thousands, of lives. As a pastor/missionary, he ministered to the hurting in the leper colony on Tinian. As a personal evangelist he led many to the Lord, among whom was a

“Filipino boy” who would later become our first General Baptist missionary to the Philippines impacting thousands of lives and producing over 300 churches to date! As a pastor/evangelist he would make a hospital visit to a man from Chi chi jima resulting in a new work for General Baptists on that island. The product of these two years has made an eternal impact on so many that only heaven knows the singular value of this one man's life! The ministries on Guam, Saipan, and the Philippines continue to change lives to the present day.

Ed Stevens spent two years back in the States from 1949-1951 where he finished his degree program at Oakland City University, serving as pastor, and tragically losing a son in an accident. Despite the pain of that loss, Ed, his wife Gertie, and son David would return to Chi chi jima in the fall of 1951 to continue the work he had pioneered three years earlier. In September 1952 Ed Stevens would fall ill and seek medical attention on Guam. His ship was in sight of Guam and ready to enter the harbor when God called this faithful servant home.

What a life! Missionary, Church Planter, Pastor, Evangelist! In really only three years (1948-49, 1952) of missionary life, Ed Stevens had made an eternal impact that would result in thousands coming to know Jesus Christ and hundreds of churches being planted! Add to that the impact on lives he had as a pastor during his few short years of stateside ministry and you have a legacy worth remembering.

In 1872 a British revivalist named Henry Varley befriended a young man named D. L. Moody and commented to him “Moody, the world has yet to see what God will do with a man fully consecrated to Him?” The words stirred Mr. Moody to become one of the world's great evangelist. Those same words could well be applied to the life of Rev. Ed Stevens. His singular life reminds all of us what God can do “with a man fully consecrated to Him” no matter how short or long that life may be!

This year we will honor Ed Stevens at the Summit on Tuesday, July18 at 10:10 AM. We will have a new book, written by Glenn Jenkins and David Stevens available at the Summit and many of Ed Steven’s family will be present including his son David Stevens and great grandchildren. David Stevens will lead a Workshop on Wednesday, from 1:30 -3:00 PM entitled the “Life and Legacy of Ed Stevens.”