Serving the Lord in Ohio and Around the World

God is moving in the West Region of our state, and I am so excited that I have a front-row seat to watch Him move. 

Our partnership with the West Region of Florida is off to a great start. In March we hosted 12 pastors from the panhandle. It was great to see the connections made and the partnerships that have continued to develop. There is potential in this partnership for prayer, relationships, and ministry opportunities. I am hopeful that no matter what region you live in you will work with your state catalyst to get involved.

Cooperative Learning in West Region

One of my favorite aspects of serving as a catalyst is the opportunities to fellowship and learn alongside fellow pastors. We need each other. I recently attended a Lunch and Learn with Dr. James Risner, associational mission strategist, Greater Dayton Association of Baptists,  to discuss Rob Peter’s book “The Overseer.” What a great time of learning. I also loved hearing how God is revitalizing churches across our region. 

Dr. Kie Bowman, SBC national prayer director, led a Lunch and Learn in April. Dr. Bowman was my pastor when I served on his staff at Hyde Park Baptist Church. I learned so much about the power of prayer from him. His new book, Evangelistic Prayer: Engaging the Power of God for the Lost, is excellent and I encourage everyone to pick up a copy. One of the things I learned about prayer is that the more we pray for the lost, the more we will want to share the gospel with them. This philosophy can also apply to missions.

Hands On mission opportunity 

One of the people I pray for each day is my daughter. She is 20 years old and has spent the last two semesters serving with the IMB outside the United States in the Hands On program for college-age students. I was not familiar with this program before my daughter connected with it last year. It is an incredible opportunity for students to serve overseas. As I talk to my daughter, I am amazed at what God has done in her life. She has had the opportunity to live in an international city of 12 million people and to share the gospel in ways that challenge me.

In March I had the opportunity to visit her there. One night we went to dinner with friends that she made there. I watched her repeatedly lead the conversation back to the gospel and the importance of a relationship with Jesus. Just a year ago she was a senior in high school and now she is learning another language and making disciples halfway around the world. If you have a college student in your church who might be interested in serving in Hands On, I encourage you to check it out at: www.imb.org/students/semester-hands-on.

Together for the Nations Event

This leads me to something that I believe has the power to transform your church and our state. On September 14, 2024, FBC Kettering will host the IMB’s Together for the Nations event. This will be an amazing day of learning how you and your church can engage in taking the gospel to the nations. This event is not just for pastors but for every member of your church. There will be missionaries from every part of the world, so no matter where you are interested in serving, there will be opportunities for you to learn and speak to people serving in those regions. More details will be coming, but plan to spend the day engaging with other leaders on the Great Commission. This event is open to everyone, not just the West Region, so make plans now to attend and bring a busload of people from your church with you