RICHMOND, Va. (BP)–A new video on the life of legendary Southern Baptist missionary Lottie Moon offers insight into God’s will for the largest evangelical denomination in the United States as it enters the 21st century.
“A Journey of Faith and Sacrifice” retraces Moon’s life from her roots in Virginia and Georgia to China, where she spent her adult years sharing the good news of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, ultimately at the cost of her own life.
The 32-minute video tells Moon’s story from the perspective of International Mission Board President Jerry Rankin, who reflects on Moon’s life through his own experience of calling and missionary service a century later. The video incorporates footage from Rankin’s 1995 visit to China and includes archive photographs of that land during the tumultuous time in which Moon served there.
“Those photographs provide stunning insights into the incredibly harsh conditions that prevailed in China in those days,” said David Walker, producer of “A Journey of Faith and Sacrifice.” “She chose to leave a comfortable life in the United States and a safe missionary compound in China to go live in the villages with the people.
“With all the options she had as the child of an affluent family, with all the pressing concerns at home, it’s amazing to me that she chose to invest herself in China.”
By the same token, Rankin said, God has blessed Southern Baptists with growth and resources, but he calls his people to raise their eyes toward the challenge of taking the good news of salvation to millions who have never heard.
“The greater purpose of Lottie Moon’s life may have been to show us what God wants to do through Southern Baptists as we move into the 21st century,” Rankin said. “God has not blessed us so we can take pride in being a great denomination but that we might join him in his mission to reach the world.
“When you see the marvelous things God is doing in the world today, the appropriate response — for us, as for Lottie Moon — is faith and sacrifice.”
“A Journey of Faith and Sacrifice” is available for $12.95 from the International Mission Board at [email protected] or toll-free 1-800-866-3621.
