Leading a Church Family into Greater Diversity and Community Impact
Sr. Pastor of Hope Community Baptist Church in Sterling Heights, MichiganJesus has commissioned all of His followers to “make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:18–20 NIV), “preach the Gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15), and be His witnesses “to the ends of the Earth” (Acts 1:8). These are clear biblical commands. Therefore, it seems logical that His Church, on His mission, must have a global impact and composition.In the Revelation, the heavenly vision the apostle John received, he tells us that he saw “a great multitude . . . from every nation, tribe, people, and language” worshiping the Lamb (Revelation 7:9). Again in Revelation 15:4, he writes, “all nations will come.” In light of these biblical realities, I’ve always had the conviction that while our world is locked up in the sins of bigotry, prejudice, discrimination, hatred, racism, strife, and the like, it cannot be—no, it must not be this way in Christ’s Church. Sunday morning cannot be the most racially divided hour of the week. God forbid!I came to Hope Community Baptist Church in July of 1990 back when it was still Ridgemont Baptist Church. I started out serving as the youth/Christian education pastor. After the joys of having Jesus as my Lord and having a lovely Christian family, serving this local church has been a significant high point of my adult life. The first eleven years as the associate pastor and the last nineteen years as senior pastor have been so rewarding I would do it all over again.
Cameroonian Pathology Program
In the midst of nearly a million people being displaced and many being killed due to the civil unrest and violence in Cameroon, God continues to use our NAB missionaries to minister alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ in the Cameroon Baptist Convention. Along with many other areas of ministry, the hospital in Mbingo continues to be a source of light in the midst of the darkness and peace in the midst of the chaos of violence and suffering in Cameroon.
One piece of the ongoing ministry at Mbingo is the pathology program that processes thousands of specimens annually. Many of you may remember hearing of Dr. Mbanga Evan who is currently being trained to join Dr. Richard Bardin in the pathology program. Upon completing the program, Dr. Mbanga will be the first qualified Cameroonian pathologist to serve at any Cameroon Baptist Convention health facility. This is a huge answer to prayer.
We are excited to have been offered a $10,000 matching gift from a donor, and we would love for you to take advantage of this opportunity by contributing to the Pathology Training Special Project that is providing the much needed resources for Dr. Mbanga during his training. All gifts given during the month of June 2020, will be matched by this generous offer up to $10,000.
Click below for more details, to read more about Dr. Mbanga, and to partner with us in this opportunity!
Cameroon Crisis Relief Fund – Eighteen Month Report
In Matthew 25, Jesus tells the parable of the sheep and the goats. He states that when His followers feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, cloth the naked, care for the sick, and look after the prisoner, they are performing these deeds to Christ Himself.
Beginning in November 2019, the NAB family was given the opportunity to live this parable out with our brothers and sisters in the Cameroon Baptist Convention due to the ongoing civil unrest in the English-speaking regions of Cameroon. As presented in the attached report, “The conflict has resulted in approximately 3,000 deaths, 50,000 refugees, close to 700,000 internally displaced persons, and over 600,000 prevented from attending school for 2+ years. Over 200 villages have been burned.”