[1]RICHMOND, Va. (BP)–Carey Bates, a former missionary to Portugal, has been named to lead international outreach ministries for the Southern Baptist Foreign Mission Board.
In his new position, Bates will continue to develop a relatively new program reaching out to internationals temporarily living in the United States. It uses a network of retired missionaries and other former mission workers with cross-cultural and language skills.
Estimates put the number of internationals coming to the United States annually at up to 21 million. In a rapidly shrinking world, the United States has become a land of many nations — and thus many mission fields.
In 1994, FMB President Jerry Rankin — then newly elected — named Bill Wakefield, formerly a regional vice president, to open work with internationals for the board. Wakefield retires this month.
Bates and his wife, the former Lynne Pepin, both of Memphis, Tenn., were appointed missionaries to Portugal in 1983. He was a student and youth worker there until coming to Foreign Mission Board offices in Richmond, Va., as a consultant for missionary candidates in 1994.
With many international students in this country, one of the emphases of the program Bates will lead is encouraging Southern Baptists to participate as “friendship families” relating to an international person in the local area.
As part of the board’s public relations and development office, Bates also will work with returned Southern Baptist volunteers to capture their newly found excitement about overseas work and equip them for a collective role as missions promoters. He also will make public appearances at promotional missions events throughout the country.
The Bateses have three children.