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For every 10 students involved in BCM, there is
1 person led to Christ.
By Buck Burch | Catalyst bburch@gabaptist.org 770-936-5241
During 2020, your Cooper- ative Program giving reiterated that pastors are heroes, churches are the priority and Georgia is the mission field. Even during a pan- demic, the mission of God moved forward in 2020 in creative ways. The pandemic forced Georgia Baptists to consider new methods for sharing the gospel and disci- pling new believers when per- son-to-person contact was limit- ed.
Pastors are heroes
It is no secret that pastors and ministers have the most import- ant jobs in the state. It seems there is always a challenge to balance spiritual life with vocational pro- ductivity, relationships, physical and financial wellbeing. Because of your Cooperative Program giv- ing, the Georgia Baptist Mission Board initiated 3,600 contacts with pastors, youth leaders, min- isters of music and other church leaders to provide support and partnership in their ongoing steps to wellness.
Pastors’ and pastor wives’ re- treats and wellness opportunities helped Georgia Baptist ministers know that they are our heroes in the faith and on the field through encouragement, life-equipping teaching and an environment that was relaxing and refreshing.
Several events in 2020 have connected pastors to one anoth- er and facilitated much-needed friendships.
Churches are the priority
Mission board consultants de- ployed across Georgia to partner with pastors and churches in the areas of evangelism, discipleship, missions, worship and reaching the next generation for Christ. These men contacted over 2,000 Georgia Baptist churches, result- ing in 8,350 individual contacts.
Those churches that part- nered in these church-strength- ening contacts experienced a net increase in baptisms in 2020 – even while regular meetings were hindered by the pandemic. Thirty-eight discipleship learning communities were established. Eighteen new mission fields were engaged.
Over 5,000 Georgia Baptist church leaders became involved in church-strengthening Face- book groups to share best prac- tices, and the annual Spark Con- ference drew over 6,100 unique viewers and countless more at 208 host sites.
Although there were fewer churches holding in-person Vaca- tion Bible Schools in 2020, alter- native methods like outdoor VBS or online VBS became a hit. In 2021, over 450 churches commit- ted to hold in-person VBS, and many have received training for this summer.
Georgia is the mission field
God blessed Georgia Baptists in 2020 and early 2021 by al- lowing Georgia Baptists to give to missions efforts throughout Georgia via the Cooperative Pro- gram. Because of the regular mis- sions giving through CP, students of college campuses were espe- cially impacted.
Although some colleges and universities went to digital for- mats for course delivery, Baptist Collegiate Ministries were active on 40 college campuses in Geor- gia. Almost 3,000 students were involved in BCM in 2020, and 900 students were trained in person- al evangelism. As a result of your church’s CP giving, 300 students took local and international mis- sion trips and 247 students were called into Christian ministry.
There were over 300 salvations reported, so that means for ev- ery 10 college students involved in BCM in Georgia, another new person was led to Jesus.
At the Georgia Capitol build- ing in Atlanta, your Georgia Bap- tist public relations office lobbied legislators to support the moral is- sues that affect our state. Because of CP gifts, 30 pieces of legislation were monitored. Through meet- ings, public events and mobiliz- ing voters, new pro-life legislation like Gracie’s Law (HB 128) and Simon’s Law (HB 212) passed.
Legislation against human traf- ficking, like SB 33 and SB 34, also passed. Your gifts made an impact on the mission field of Georgia’s legal landscape.
Your giving not only reached Georgia as a mission field, but it helped mobilize missionaries from Georgia. Pastor-to-pastor training brought basic pastoral education to hundreds of pastors in South America. Hundreds of Georgia students were mobilized to engage in international mis- sion trips. Your CP dollars affect the mission fields of Georgia and beyond.
The net result of your Cooper- ative Program giving in Georgia is that pastors are being encour- aged, churches are being priori- tized and the mission field closest to home is being reached.
Thank you for your ongoing Cooperative Program giving.
Your Cooperative Program gifts have a gospel impact
3
900
volunteer days
Over 200 chaplaincy contacts
In 2020, there were ...
93 gospel presentations
184
chainsaw jobs
40 roofs were tarped
Testimony
By Buck Burch | Catalyst bburch@gabaptist.org, 770-936-5241
Missional opportunities abound corporately and personally. Although your CP giving supports the weekly preaching and teaching of consultants throughout Georgia, often resulting in many souls
being saved, consultants also have personal witnessing opportunities when visiting pastors. One of your church-strengthening consultants shared recently about a couple of personal evangelism encounters. Tim Williams, Southwest evangelism consultant, had a flat tire in Albany, so he pulled into a tire store for a repair. Striking up a conversation with
an older trucker also waiting for a repair, Tim asked about his family, his occupation and his religious experience. Although the man was in his late 60s or early 70s, and although he’d had good experiences in visiting some Baptist churches like Sherwood and Byne Memorial, he had never received Christ. Tim shared God’s plan of salvation, and the man prayed to ask Jesus to be his Savior.
A subsequent tire event brought Tim to a tire store in Leesburg, where he met an older veteran and shared the gospel with him. The man admitted that he had made a public profession of faith years ago when he was just a kid but had never been discipled or committed to a local church. Overhearing the conversation, the mechanic jumped in to invite the man to First Baptist Leesburg and promised to
sit with him on Sunday.
Because of your gifts, God is blessing the personal evangelism by consultants every week, and it is strengthening local churches.
The Georgia Baptist Journal is a publication of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board.
W. Thomas Hammond, Jr. | Executive Director John Courtney | Lead Strategist
Linda Wilkins | Editor
gabaptist.org
JULY 2021 GEORGIA BAPTIST MISSION BOARD