Sue Sprenkle

Larry McCallon is 86 years old, but don’t tell the group of 13-year-old boys clustered around his table. Sure, they see him as an adult; after all, they respectfully call him “Mr. Larry.” But deep down, he’s one of them and so much more — friend, spiritual mentor, confidant, co-conspirator and jokester.

RICHMOND, Va. -- The IMB invited its global partners to its training facilities outside of Richmond to share knowledge between the three mission sending agencies. Jacob Boss, IMB vice president of Global Engagement, thanked the six representatives for being an example of collaboration and partnership among global Baptists.

MIDDLE EAST – The phone buzzed, flashing an unrecognized number. The Middle Eastern pastor deliberated before accepting the call. It wasn’t spam but a voice from the past. 

ATHENS, Greece – Peppy music blared from the neon flashing speaker as members of the local Greek evangelical church walked up the cobblestone road, waving. They called to residents sitting on their balconies to meet them at the park in this Athens neighborhood.

Children aren’t the church of tomorrow, International Mission Board missionary Kathy Shafto contends. They are the church of today!

All the small Illinois church wanted to do was be involved in missions. They prayed about it and prayed some more. Then, they sent two of their own to investigate partnerships with the International Mission Board.

SÃO PAULO, Brazil – When Peter and Tina Kim arrived in São Paulo, they felt right at home. The new International Mission Board missionaries expected a lot of culture shock with their move from Rockville, Md., to South America. Instead, the biggest city in the southern hemisphere felt like moving to an urban area in the United States.

KINGSTON, Tenn. – Eight women sat around a table, their laughter filling Union Chapel Missionary Baptist Church. Flour flew in all directions as Janice Poland instructed the group of 70- to 82-year-old women on how to make fried apple and peach pies. They have a hefty goal of making 2,000.

Africa has an urgent need for laborers to share the Gospel. The image among Christian circles often portrays this area as mostly evangelical and reached. But according to International Mission Board missionary Josh Rivers, that’s not really the case.

Short-term volunteer mission projects can make a long-term impact. The key, according to International Mission Board missionaries Cade and Ginny Wheeler, is for the local church to be fully invested and use volunteers within an already existing strategy.