IT TAKES A VILLAGE & THEN SOME

It has been said, “It takes a village to raise a child. ”  It takes more than a village to prepare a college student missionary!  It begins with nurturing families and churches that grow them up in the Lord. Along the way, there are youth ministers, mentors, Baptist Campus Ministries and others that invest in them. When college students begin the application process to be a Go Now Missionary, more than a village has already contributed to their lives. At this point, hundreds more invest in our students through the application and appointment process, serving as prayer and financial partners and participating in training and orientation. I am proud to say that members of our church are some of those “investors”.

Go Now Missions is the collegiate mission-sending arm of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. For the last eight years, I have had the privilege of directing Go Now Missions. In 2007, 338 students from 35 campuses in Texas will serve as Go Now Missionaries in 20 US States and 24 countries. The majority of these will serve as summer missionaries. 121 Community Church has been directly involved in sending out these Go Now Missionaries in several ways.

David Parker was the worship leader for the orientation weekend earlier this month. Members of the 121 praise band joined David in leading worship for the Commissioning Service, as hundreds of wide-eyed young missionaries prepared to hit the field. During that weekend, four 121 CC families provided host homes for some of the students before they flew out on Sunday. These students, who left for assignments in South Asia, East Asia, Argentina, and Pennsylvania, joined us in Sunday worship at 121 on June 3rd.

One of our own, Reuben Landge, will be a Go Now Missionary for the second time. Last year Rueben served in Gulfport, Texas at the Seaman's Center. This summer, Rueben is doing “home missions” back in India, taking along with him a fellow classmate. Joe and Ashley Harmonson, who are also members of our church, are the Adult Team Leaders for a group of Go Now Missionaries serving in Mansfield, Texas. Their team will be assisting Bethlehem Baptist Church in a Sports Camp for children and youth. In addition, four of our Go Now Missionaries will serve in Russia under the supervision of Scott Werntz with Spoken For. God's people at 121 CC are certainly investing in His mission through the Go Now summer missionaries.

Besides an investment of people, an investment of money is required to send out the college students. It takes an average of $3200.00 to send a summer missionary overseas and $1200.00 for a student to serve in the USA for a summer. Students raise all of the funds to send out our student missionaries, with half of the budget coming from Baptist Campus Ministries across the state. Students are challenged to give sacrificially toward their mission trip. The rest of the funds come from individual Partners in Missions. These individuals contribute financially to student missionaries. Each student also enlists Prayer Partners in Mission. This year, members of 121 have been both financial and prayer partners. Click the button below to see the creative ways that God provides financially for Go Now missionaries.

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I am thankful to 121, my home church, for being part of the Go Now Missions “village” sending out collegiate student missionaries.

::Brenda Sanders

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