FIRST-PERSON: Praise of encouragers
"In a day when snark is considered normal, when complaint is common, what a gift encouragement is," Illinois pastor Doug Munton writes. By becoming an encourager, he writes, "you might just find how much you will like giving this priceless gift."
FIRST-PERSON: Call a missionary
O'FALLON, Ill. (BP) -- Missionaries returning to the States "still want to serve the cause of Christ," pastor Doug Munton writes of the International Mission Board's downsizing. "Might Southern Baptist churches consider them when seeking a pastor and church staff member?" he asks.
CALL TO PRAYER: Practical ways to pray for missionaries
Illinois pastor Doug Munton recounts what he learned visiting his daughter, son-in-law and their children in Madagascar. "Career missionaries need our prayers and love," Munton writes. "And, a package of goodies from home doesn't hurt."
Taking the Gospel Beyond the Bible Belt
The Bible Belt does not buckle in Illinois. Many of my neighbors don't even own a Bible. Most have never been to a Southern Baptist church and don't know anything about potluck socials, Lottie Moon, or the Cooperative Program ("Is that kind of like a Christmas program?"). But I know this — my neighbors in […]
FIRST-PERSON: Making evangelism good news again
O'FALLON, Ill. (BP)--The Bible Belt does not buckle in Illinois. Many of my neighbors don't even own a Bible. Most have never been to a Southern Baptist church and don't know anything about potluck socials, Lottie Moon or the Cooperative Program ("Is that kind of like a Christmas program?").
FIRST-PERSON: A pastor’s journal from Burkina Faso
 |
| Opportunity Illinois pastor Doug Munton, leading a Bible study during a missions trip to Burkina Faso, underscores "the joy of sacrifice [in] these days of opportunity." |
Burkina Faso is poor and overpopulated. The village where I am has no electricity or running water. There are no cars and no hospitals. Many of the people are Muslims and many have little knowledge of the Gospel message.
