Viola Webb Missions Offering
Keith Bryant, Director Of Missions, Central Baptist Association
By Tim Boyd
Keith Bryant grew up in the panhandle of Texas where he surrendered to preach at the age of twelve. He worked as a summer youth worker in his home church during his college years. He attended Wayland Baptist University and after graduation was hired to work as Director of Student Ministries. He did that for two years and then went to Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Carin Cochran, Christian Challenge Director, Ft. Hays State University, Hays, Kansas
By Eva Wilson
In mid-August, several thousand students will descend on Fort Hays State University in the west-central Kansas community of Hays. Like their peers around the world, these students are facing life-impacting decisions, such as choosing a vocation and finding a spouse. Christian Challenge, the Southern Baptist ministry at FHSU, wants to help students learn how to base their lives on Christ.
Leonardo Simbaqueva, Hispanic Church Planter In Leavenworth, Kansas
By Eva Wilson
On this humid Sunday morning, steam appears to be rising from the parking lot at Legends, the upscale outdoor shopping mall at the Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan. Stores still haven’t opened for the day, and only a few people roam the well-landscaped walkways. But inside the Legends 14 Theatres, an upbeat worship service is underway.
SiSouk Phothisane, Laotian Church Planter In Winfield, Kansas
By Melissa Busby
SiSouk Phothisane (pronounced See-Sook Po-T-sone) starts his day at 5:00 am at a meat packing plant. He works 10 hour days in a refrigerated room. “It is so cold, I have to wear many layers to stay warm during the day,” Phothisane jokes. But he is grateful for his job because it keeps his weekends and evenings free, which gives him time to pour his life into his other job as pastor of the Laotian Baptist Mission in Winfield, Kansas.
John Lewis, Church Planter In Central Nebraska
By Eva Wilson
The late afternoon sun filters through the arched windows in the rear of Brownlee Community Church. This community of “20 or so,” according to a hand-fashioned sign, is tucked in the heart of the Nebraska Sandhills, about an hour’s drive south of Valentine. Pastor John Lewis begins the service by reading from Genesis 4, his sermon text, and leading in prayer. Then he leads the tiny congregation in singing “He Hideth My Soul.” His wife, Carol, accompanies on the piano.
George Doyle, Cowboy Church Planter In Lincoln, Nebraska
By Carolyn Gibbs
Connecting cowboys to God is a challenge Pastor George Doyle has enthusiastically embraced. Doyle, who is the pastor at Three Rivers Baptist Church in Omaha, has added a new experience to his life. Where as Three Rivers was a very intentional work, Cowboy Connection is totally different. This Cowboy Church came out of a North American Mission Board team called Probe. “It was the most interesting set of people representing different ethnic groups,” Doyle said.
Mark Jones, Church Planter In Lincoln, Nebraska
By Carolyn Gibbs
Community Harvest is part of what Pastor Mark Jones does every day in northeast Lincoln. Harvesting in the community started with planting a church. “We launched Community Harvest Church September 9, 2007, but we started with a preliminary service last summer,” Jones said. Church planting started for Jones when he was doing pulpit supply in Hastings, Nebraska. For evangelism he went door to door and realized there were a lot of people who had never heard the Gospel before. “My impression was small town America where there are a lot of churches and a lot of Christians,” he said. “It was a real eye opener for me. As I passed other towns on the way to Hastings, I wondered if that was the case in other towns.” He found it was true.