Know, Grow, Go: Meadow Brook Baptist
Building churches and rebuilding lives is normal activity for Meadow Brook Baptist Church (MBBC) in north Shelby County. Its members have been known to climb rafters, milk cows, juggle golf balls, sort sutures, and blow bubbles all in the name of Jesus. The Great Commission offers no option but to “be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Meadow Brook finds a variety of ways for students, individuals, couples, and families to “be witnesses” by tapping into their talents, interests, and hearts to make Christ known while meeting the spiritual, emotional, and physical needs of others. “The Scriptures teach that God’s power is at work among his people to spread his message to the world, and we want to be involved in that,” says MBBC Pastor Chris Jones. The church’s Mission Statement is “to glorify God by knowing God through biblical worship, growing together as disciples of Christ, and going throughout the world with the gospel of Christ.” In short, Know, Grow, Go. Jones emphasizes, “We want to display a heart for the nations, just as God does.”
Short-term mission opportunities this year included church building in Wisconsin with the Builders for Christ; student choir/ministry in St. Louis and Ferguson, Missouri; children’s and missionary support in Thailand; Vacation Bible Schools in the Dominican Republic; and most recently medical/surgical intervention in Honduras with Baptist Medical and Dental Missions Iternational (BMDMI). The Honduras partnership started three years ago as a cooperative effort with Jones’ home church in Arkansas. The first year focused on surgical needs, water/food distribution, and evangelism; the second year focused on community clinics; and this year combined the two. The weeklong trip incorporates not only the medically-skilled but the spiritually-filled!
Another partnership developed last year with Dancu Baptist Church in Moldova. The rich hospitality of the Moldovans humbly surpasses the widespread unemployment, human trafficking, and disability challenges in Europe’s poorest country. Strategy initiatives addressing the diverse needs are planning to be implemented in a spring 2017 mission trip. Economic development through agriculture (farming, irrigation) and career skills education (tatting) will be interlaced with sharing the Gospel.
Building bridges locally, nationally, regionally, and internationally provides networks ofGospel opportunity. Pastor Jones and MBBC members are working toward mission partnerships across the globe, with a mission team on six continents by the year 2020. To learn more visit www.meadowbrookbaptist.org.
-Karen O. Allen
Mission Team Member, Meadow Brook Baptist Church
