Where Are They Now?

By Scott Pittman | Published: June 15, 2010

I’m sitting here in the enormous Orange County Convention Center meeting hall in Orlando, FL where earlier this afternoon SBC messengers packed the place and overwhelmingly voted to approve the report of the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force (GCRTF).

One would hope such strong support for the GCRTF report to be a reflection of a true passion for the work of our International Mission Board (IMB) in leading SBC churches to fulfill the Great Commission.

Yet the testimony of the thousands of empty chairs that surround me now do not support such a conclusion.

On the platform at this moment Dr. Jerry Rankin and our missionaries are presenting the 2009 IMB report. The IMB is the very heart of Southern Baptist’s response to the Great Commission. The absence, however, of a great majority of the messengers present for the vote earlier today seems to suggest that the GCRTF report failed to generate a resurgence of enthusiasm for the IMB and its work . . . . at least among the messengers here in Orlando. I wonder: Where are they now?

Posted in IMB | Comments closed

Children’s Mission Education: What’s Your Opinion?

By Scott Pittman | Published: June 5, 2010

I am curious about the current status of children’s mission education  in our Southern Baptist churches. Over the past few years some of the traditional programs produced by WMU and Baptist Men have been replaced in some churches by AWANA or other similar options. Other SBC churches have opted to drop the children’s mission education programs all together and go with more popular evangelistic activities such as UPWARD.

Before you form a posse to come and whip up on me, PLEASE NOTE that my intent is not to criticise or question the use of  GA;s, RA’s, AWANA , UPWARD, BACKWARD, SIDEWAYS or any other program your church may use. Rather, I want to open up a dialogue to find out:

  • What type of children’s mission education is being done in our SBC churches
  • Why that particular program is being used instead of another
  • AND (most importantly) if there is no Mission Education in your SBC church, what is the reason?

I look forward to receiving your comments using the box below. Feel free to make constructive negative comments that might help explain why your church does not use a particular program, however, any comment that disparages a certain program  or church will not be approved for posting.

Posted in Mission Education | Comments closed

New Name for Adams and Associates International

By Scott Pittman | Published: June 2, 2010

Name Change for Adams & Associates International to Gallagher Charitable International Insurance Services

The company provides all active field personnel with coverage for emergency medical evacuation, repatriation, personal property, and accidental death coverage purchased through Adams & Associates International. In November 2006, Adams & Associates International merged with Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Service.  We are pleased that little has changed. The merger has enhanced their ability to develop the products and services that uniquely serve the international charitable and nonprofit community. As part of the merger, they have gradually phased out the Adams & Associates International name that you have become familiar with over the years.  It will be replaced on literature and other communications with the new operating name: Gallagher Charitable International Insurance Services.

Please note that Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services, the legal company name, may also be included on certain proposals, invoices, or other communication that you receive.

This does not signify any change to you. The contact information and other processes you are familiar with will remain unchanged.  More importantly, there will be no staff changes, so you will be working with the same individuals that you have come to know in your prior dealings with Adams & Associates.

Gallagher Charitable International Insurance Services

PO Box 5845 – Columbia SC 29250-5845

Tel: 800-922-8438    Fax: 803-252-1988

Web: www.aaintl.com

Posted in Travel and Security Issues | Comments closed

IMB Connect.NET Training Video

By Scott Pittman | Published: May 28, 2010

Now you can access imb’s best practices, projects, training and field information all in one place.

See a video about how to use imbconnect.net.

Preparing the churches of your association for short-term missions has never been easier. We have developed training and project templates that will help churches have an effective and streamlined experience on their short-term overseas mission. It is all available to Southern Baptist churches and your association. Please go to http://imbconnect.net to sign up.

If you have further questions about how to use this tool please contact the KBC Partnership Missions Department.

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments closed

Impact Your World Pastor’s Conference

By Scott Pittman | Published: May 24, 2010

Here’s what we’ll cover:

October 18, 2010

  • The Great Commission – God’s Grand Plan for the Nations – Ed Stetzer
  • Dialogue – Q & A with Ed Stetzer
  • Banquet
  • Stories of God’s Work … from the Field
  • The Challenge and Status of World Missions

October 19, 2010

  • Creating the Climate for Church Planting Movements, Local & Global – Ed Stetzer
  • How You Can Significantly Engage and Impact the Mission Field
  • A Church’s Mission Pilgrimage
  • How to Fund Your Mission Vision – dialogue
  • Strategic Mobilization Tool: imbCONNECT.net
  • How to Equip and Mobilize Your Church – dialogue
  • Mobilizing Your Church Workshops – dialogue

October 20, 2010

  • How to Close the Gap of Lostness, Locally & Globally
  • Orality Strategies for Non-Literate Peoples
  • Pastor to Pastor dialogue
  • Student Opportunities & Impact
  • How to Grow Missions Heart and Vision in Your Church
  • Making World-Wide Connections – dialogue
  • Engaging the World Strategy Workshops – dialogue

Registration Information:

Space is limited to 100 pastors, so please register early!

The registration fee ($89.00) covers the following:

  • Lodging at ILC
  • Food
  • Conference Materials
  • Transportation from Richmond International Airport to ILC and back. (Note: You are responsible for your airfare)

Your spouse may join you with no additional registration fee, but please make sure she registers!
(Note: There will be a session for women with Paula Hemphill)

KBC PARTNERSHIP MISSIONS DEPARTMENT IS OFFERING REGISTRATION FEE ($89) SCHOLARSHIPS TO ELIGABLE KBC PASTORS, STAFF, AND LAY LEADERS.

FOR MORE INFORMATION INCLUDING A VIDEO ABOUT THE CONFERENCE VISIT: http://iyw2010.com/

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments closed

What is the MOST Important Thing?

By Scott Pittman | Published: May 19, 2010

Share your testimony with people all over the world through the internet!

Thanks to the practical on-line tool from the NAMB, “What is the MOST Important Thing?”, anyone can share their testimony with an unlimited number of people throughout the world. Once you have uploaded your personal testimony, there are many ways that others can read what you have to say about your faith in Christ.

Random Site Visitors.

Persons visiting the sight can search through testimonies and will undoubtably yours will be read by many. Only one day after my testimony was posted, I received an email (optional) informing me that someone had read it. I hadn’t even had time to tell anyone about it yet! Here’s the email:

Dear Scott
On Wednesday, May 19, 2010 a visitor to the MostImportantThing.org web site read your story.
If the reader makes a decision based on your story they will have the option to send you another alert.
You are making a difference in sharing the most important thing.

Thanks,
MostImportantThing Team

People directed to your testimony by you:

Business Card. There are a number of “business card” styles for you to choose from that you can purchase from the site and give to people you come into contact with to direct them to your on-line testimony. When circumstances are not favorable for sharing a full testimony with everyday encoutners like a waiter, cab driver, or store clerk, you simply share a quick testimony, give them the card and say, “I hope when you have the time you’ll visit this website and read more about how Christ has changed my life.”

E-Cards.  The site also provides many styles of eCards you can send for just about every occasion that directs the recepient to the site and/or your testimony.

Other site features include articles and videos designed to help non-believers find out more about faith in Christ, links to other helpful sites, resources for utilizing the resources mentioned above, Facebook and Twitter links, and even a way for new believers to share their decision. 

Ready to get started?

Sharing your story on the MostImportantThing.org is easy! Just answer three questions and click submit. Once your story has been approved, you’ll be sharing the Gospel all over the world!

Send us your story and we will host it for free. Just submit your story and be sure to to include the name of your church. The Most Important Thing website is made possible by the donations of Southern Baptists to the Cooperative Program. The North American Mission Board, SBC is proud to present this website to help individuals and churches fulfill the Great Commission.

Disclaimer: MostImportantThing.org has the right to not post any testimonies for any reason it deems necessary.

Before submitting your story, be sure you have the following information:

  • Your contact information (email address, phone numbers, mailing address)
  • Your story broken down into three sections (before you met Christ, when you met Christ, and after you met Christ), with each section having no more than 100 words.
  • A photo file of yourself (ex. timsmith.jpg). A photo is not required to submit a story, but it is helpful.
  • Click the “Share Your Story” button below to begin.

JUST GO TO www.mostimportantthing.org/ and click the SHARE button at the top right of the page. If you’d like to read my testimony, simply type in “Scott Pittman” in the box at the top left of the page.

Posted in Opportunities | Comments closed

Tates Creek Panama Partnership in Full Swing

By Scott Pittman | Published: May 13, 2010

The Tates Creek Association has entered into their second year of partnership with Panama missionaries, Kenny and Cheryl Morris. The association’s missions leaders have planned for five teams to go this year. The second of those which returned from Panama April 28th was involved in Women’s Ministry and VBS in San Juan, Panama, a suburb of Panama City. The team consisted of volunteersVincent Carman, Sandi McDowell, Jill Tanner, Connie Hubbard, Betty Parke, Sarah Gibbs, Joy King, and Mitchell Smith. Team Leader, Vincent Carman sent this report:

Team Members lead a VBS

We had a great trip. We were able to accomplish what we set out to do. We did most of our work in San Juan. (Kenny took Kenny Davis and me to this community last April and asked us to pray for it.)  San Juan is a community by itself. It has about 1200 homes.  These are starter homes for young families.  They are quite small and are in row after row. The houses are about 6 feet apart. We did women’s ministry as well as children’s VBS there. We did three days of that. There were about 30 women (mostly Kuna Indians) and about 75 children at each event. We also did children’s activities while the women were meeting. The children are just wonderful. We had an extremely good response from the adults as well.   We also did Prayer Walking, Scripture Distribution, as well as door to door witnessing. I believe we had four or five saved. The witnessing was not the main emphasis. The house where we held the Women’s Ministry is right across from the park where the children met. The man and women who own the house have opened their home for a new Kuna church plant. 

Team Leader, Vincent Carman, preaches at a Kuna church plant

 We are excited about that! Sunday, we worshipped in a Kuna Baptist Church in a community between Panama City and San Juan. I don’t remember the name of the community nor the church. There were about 40 worshippers present. They had been praying and fasting since 7:00 that morning. We had a great worship experience with them. I had the privilege of preaching in their worship service. There were five or six who responded during the invitation, but we were not sure why they came.  I recognized most of them and took them to already be Christians. The weather was “hot!”  We did have a couple of days with cloud cover which helped some.  It was the beginning of rainy season. It rained all around us, but did not rain on us. When we got everything loaded, it started to rain.  God is good!

Posted in Trip Reports | Comments closed

Is God Calling Your Church to South Asia?

By Scott Pittman | Published: April 27, 2010

South Asian Peoples 2010 Summit

Has the Lord given you a heart and passion for South Asians? 

Bangladesh ~ Bhutan ~ India ~ Maldives ~ Nepal ~ Pakistan ~ Sri Lanka

You are invited to participate in the South Asia Summit October 3 – 5, 2010 at Kingston Pike Campus Missions Center; FBC Concord – Knoxville TN. Come and learn how to move forward in your involvement in reaching South Asian Peoples for Christ. If you are just getting your feet wet, our IMB missionaries will be there to help equip you. If you are already partnering with us, we will give you more training and information to help you go the next step. Everyone – pastors, prayer warriors, campus and college ministers, missions pastors, youth ministers, children’s leaders and more – will benefit from this event. 

Here are a few things you can expect from the summit:

  • How to connect to short-term mission trip opportunities
  • How your church can reach South Asian peoples around you and around the world
  • How to arrange for IMB trainings for your church to learn to reach South Asian peoples
  • How to serve overseas through the IMB or in conjunction with the IMB
  • How to engage in stateside prayer advocacy and other prayer initiatives for South Asian peoples

Conference Schedule:

  • Check-In: Sunday, October 3, 2010 from 3 PM to 5 PM (International Meal Provided at 5 PM)
  • Opening Celebration Sunday October 3 at 6 PM
  • Summit ends 5 PM October 5 – (box dinner provided)
  • Conference Fee: $60 (7 Meals are included in this price) *KBC scholarships available
  • Early Registration ends August 1 (after August 1, fee increases to $75 per person)
  • Last day to register is September 25, 2010

More Information ???

  • Register Here if you are the contact person for your church/ministry. 
  • All others Participants Click Here to register.
  • For Hotel Reservation Information Click Here.
  • For even more information click here.
  • Need EVEN MORE information or have questions? WOW! Email us here. 

Letter from “Todd*” the IMB Affinity Global Strategist for South Asian Peoples (* name protected for security reasons)

Dear Co-Laborers in Christ:

You are invited to join us in the task of reaching the greatest concentration of lostness on earth with the greatest message in the world. What do I mean by that? Imagine almost one billion Hindus, nearly five hundred million Muslims, over thirty million Buddhists, and tens of millions of others with various worldviews, all living in one concentrated area of the earth – and also spread abroad to the four corners of the globe. Our task is to reach South Asian peoples no matter where they live in the world, from London to Lahore and Nairobi to New Delhi. And they are responding to the Gospel – when they get an opportunity to hear it!

The Apostle Paul reminded the Philippians that they were to stand firm and strive together for the sake of the Gospel (Philippians 1:27). We recognize that the task is too vast, the peoples are too dispersed, and the lostness is too endemic for us to get the job done by ourselves. We are searching for colaborers for the sake of the Gospel, for those who will strive with us to bring the Good News to those who have yet to hear it for the first time.

On October 3-5, 2010, many of our South Asian peoples personnel will be gathering in Knoxville, Tennessee, at First Baptist Concord. We want to invite you to be part of the 2010 Summit – “A Billion Eyes Searching.” You will hear firsthand accounts of how Christ is changing lives. You will have an opportunity to be trained by field practitioners who work with Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists. And your church will have an opportunity to go deeper as a Strategic Partner Church. Don’t miss this opportunity to strengthen your church’s Acts 1:8 vision, enlarge your church’s capacity to engage lost peoples effectively, and become a Strategic Partner Church – striving side by side for the sake of the Gospel. There are a billion South Asian eyes se arching for the truth. Will you be the one who chooses to make a difference by showing them the way to the Truth and the Life?

Please take time to consider prayerfully this unique opportunity to learn from some of God’s servants working among the greatest concentration of lostness on earth, and find out how your church can partner with us in the Great Commission to make disciples of all South Asian peoples!

Posted in Nations & People Groups, Opportunities | Comments closed

Delaware Baptists Prepare to “Embrace Wilmington”

By Scott Pittman | Published: April 22, 2010

Earlier this week I traveled to Delaware to discuss the upcoming “Embrace Wilmington” initiative with NAMB missionary, Mitch Dowell. Mitch served as Associate Executive Director of “Embrace Baltimore” until it ceased operations last year. He is presently in transition as he has begun his new duties as Executive Director of “Embrace Wilmington,” but at the same time has a house to sell in Baltimore. In the meantime, Mitch is staying in a house provided by one of the few Baptist churches in the Wilmington area. 

Embrace Wilmington is still in the development phase, so most of the needs for Kentucky volunteer teams will not begin until 2011. Its vision statement, as well as its strategic focuses, however, have already been laid out. 

VISION: People partnering together to embrace the City of Wilmington with the love of Christ. 

Four strategic focus areas: 

  • Church Strengthening
  • Church Starting
  • Creative Evangelism
  • Community Impact Evangelism

    Latter Day Baptist is the only SBC church in the City of Wilmington, DE

During my visit I had the opportunity to sit in on an planning meeting with Mitch, Mal Utley, the interim Delaware Association Director of Missions, and five pastors and staff members from local Southern Baptist Churches. The meeting focused on the present status of Embrace Wilmington and how it can become most effective in reaching the city of Wilmington for Christ. Exisiting programs and events were evaluated and new ones discussed. 

The leaders recognize that their churches are not ready to launch into a full fledged campaign at this time, but  first need to prepare their churches in the following areas: 

  • Visioning/Strategic Planning
  • Evangelism Training
  • Discipleship/Follow-up training
  • Leader Development
  • Member Mobilization
  • Community assessment/Outreach
  • Church Planting in an urban culture
  • Hosting mission teams

It’s not too early to consider partnering with one of the Wilmington area churches and begin making plans for your first trip. If you are interested in taking a vision trip, please contact the Partnership Missions office.

Posted in Maryland/Delaware Partnership | Comments closed

Gospel Saturation in Mexico

By Scott Pittman | Published: April 16, 2010

One of hundreds of new communities in the area in need of evangelization

With maps in hand, the saturation team prays together before heading out for the day

I recently returned from Morélia Mexico where I led the first of eight KBC OPERATION: GO MEXICO 2010 teams. We successfully covered our assigned area, leaving 3000 gospel packets in the homes surrounding a local Baptist church. Since our main goal was gospel saturation, there were not a lot of opportunities for direct witness, yet eight persons prayed to receive Christ during our two days of gospel distribution.  Before leaving on the trip, everyone on the team was questioned by others about the danger of traveling to Mexico at this time. Recent headlines of drug wars have left many with serious safety concerns.    

Our experience, however, was very tranquil and we did not observe any dangerous activity, nor did we ever feel threatened by anyone or any situation. One of the missionaries explained that the area in which we are sending our GO MEXICO teams from Kentucky has no tourism appeal to U.S. citizens and consequently there is no draw to the area for those who might have intentions to assault or kidnap an American.    

Another purpose of the trip was to provide an opportunity for team members to see other possible partnership possibilities, both in Morélia and the city of Querétero. The needs are great in these two cities which have a combined population of 2 million and are located in the “Heart of Darkness.” After building new relationships and seeing the needs first hand, team members returned to Kentucky anxious to assemble their own teams for return trips to the area in the near future.   

 
Posted in Trip Reports | Comments closed
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