Prayer Focus: SBC Missional Offerings

Throughout the month of December, we will focus our “everywhere” prayers on 3 ministries that UBC financially supports. Our desire is after learning a brief overview of their Kingdom work you will be better equipped to pray for them.

ANNIE ARMSTRONG Annie (1850-1938) lived during a time when there was very limited opportunity for women. Despite this, out of her devotion to Christ; she lived a life of service and leadership. She organized women to pray as well as give to and meet the needs around them. Annie also challenged pastors and churches to action and rallied vital support for missionaries. The financial offering began in 1895 by the Woman's Missionary Union. This benefits the work of what is now called the North American Mission Board (NAMB), and continues today via the Annie Armstrong Easter offering. Today more than $2 billion has been donated by Southern Baptist churches and individuals supporting thousands of missionaries in church planting and compassion ministries.

https://www.anniearmstrong.com/

LOTTIE MOON Lottie Moon was sent as a Southern Baptist missionary to China from 1873-1912. She was able to see the world's greatest problem, that they were lost without knowing Jesus as their Savior. This reality compelled her to communicate with American Churches by letters sharing the need for greater missionary presence. Her appeal for increased prayer and financial support to sustain and send more missionaries bore fruit and the Lottie Moon Christmas offering began in 1888. The Lottie Moon offering goes to support international missionaries through the International Mission Board (IMB).

https://www.imb.org/generosity/lottie-moon-christmas-offering/

RAY ROBERTS Dr. Ray Roberts was born in North Carolina. In 1952 he began serving as a missionary in Ohio for the Home Mission Board, Kentucky Baptist Convention and White Water Baptist Association. In 1954 the State Convention of Baptist of Ohio (SCBO) was organized under his supervision. The convention represented 39 churches and 10,000 members. Dr Roberts served as the SCBO Executive Secretary for 25 years. Upon his retirement the SCBO offering was renamed the Ray Roberts State Mission Offering. The proceeds are used for disaster relief as well as the Send Network Ohio that plants churches and revitalizes struggling churches.

https://www.scbo.org/event/ray-roberts-offering-season-prayer

Suggested Prayers:

To be intentionally praying for Kingdom building ministries.
Ask God to show you where He has gifted you to serve and get involved in God's work outside the walls of UBC.
Praise GOD for UBC and how HE is working in and through us Here, Near and Everywhere.

Mission Highlight: ND and Family in Nepal

The Missions Team is excited to announce UBC's support for ND and his family. ND and his wife are from Nepal; ND himself was born and raised in a Buddhist priest family and was the first believer in his entire village. Despite opposition and physical attacks, he was able to share his faith and see several in his family and students come to be saved.

After several years of training in the US, their family has returned to their home country with a few very ambitious goals:

Currently, we have two schools and three affiliated schools, making a total of five schools with 1,000 students (their goal is 1,500 schools). We also have four churches (goal is 400). Additionally, we have a TEE Bible college with 7,000 students (involving 1,000 churches). We are currently piloting an undergraduate program with eight students from Serampore University in India. Moreover, we are in the process of piloting a teacher education program from Cedarville University in Ohio, USA. We are also exploring possibilities to establish connections with Chinese universities for medical and computer science studies.

Some of the ways that UBC can pray for their family is 1) for their health and 2) for their studies - ND is currently pursuing a doctor of education ministry from SBTS, and both son and daughter are in high school with dual-enrollment at Cedarville University.

If you would like to follow their family, here is a link to sign up for their newsletter: https://scarydream.org/sign-up-for-news-updates/

Opportunity: Perspectives - Meet the Teachers

Bob Sjogren. Lesson Two: The Story of His Glory.

Last name is pronounced (Show-Gren). Bob will challenge many of our incomplete conceptions of the Bible with his well received theme about Cat and Dog theology. Will you be aloof like a cat or loyal like a dog? How do we make sure we follow the Bible as God fully intended? Sometimes we are one small step away from full obedience to God. You may never know, unless you visit this last trial class Jan 25, 2024 at UBC east.

Pam Arlund. Lesson Six: The Expansion of the Christian Movement.

Pam will be doing a wonderful overview of the expansion of the Church from the Council in Jerusalem (Acts 15) to the present day. Pam has a Phd and presently resides in Kansas, is a Missionary trainer, editor for the Perspectives textbook’s next edition and a translator of the Bible. She is developing a respite for missionaries called Raytown Ranch, and works to support church planting through All Nations International with a book club that reads about the great missionaries of history.

Brian Hogan. Lesson Fourteen: Pioneers of the World Christian Movement.
Buckle up your seat belt! Are you ready for ludicrous speed? Brian is the guy you want to hear as he explains how we share the Gospel in cultures that have no or limited Gospel presence. Who are the “People of Peace?” How do we contextualize the Message of Jesus into an unreached culture? How do we avoid our own cultural preconceptions and pitfalls so we can share a clear Gospel message and have a full missiological breakthrough. Brian will walk us through all of this as someone who has done this work in Mongolia; He is an author and missionary and He is the kind of guy that is always in the thick of things. If you want to learn more about him try his book An A to Z of Near Death Adventures. Where he tells stories about sharing the Gospel that almost cost him his life.

Register before December 15th to receive $25 discount.

Perspectives - Evening Class

Register for Early-Morning Classes at the Xenia Perspectives Class by clicking the button below.

Perspectives - Morning Class

Contact Sharon at skerestes4@gmail.com for more info.

Monthly Mission Quotes:

“…they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others.” 2 Cor 9:13b ESV

“The golden rule for understanding spiritually is not intellect, but obedience.” -Oswald Chambers (Jul 27)

Planning for 2024

Interested in going on a mission trip this year? The following UBC-sponsored trips are open to UBC members and regular attenders.

Contacts to learn more:

Jim Corbin jim.corbin@ubcbeavercreek.com

Aldin Falfulovic aldin.fafulovic@ubcbeavercreek.com

To read past Mission Updates or to get more information about UBC on Mission, visit www.ubcbeavercreek.com/mission.

UBC Mission & Mercy Ministry Update - 2023, Issue 12

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