[1]ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP)–The North American Mission Board has announced the selection of missionaries to be featured during next spring’s Week of Prayer for the 2006 North American Missions Emphasis.
The 2006 theme, “Tell His Story,” is based on Mark 16:15 to undergird Southern Baptists’ awareness of the need to support those who are sharing the Gospel on the North American mission field.
Eight NAMB missionaries or missionary couples are selected each year to represent the work of 5,200 missionaries across the United States and Canada. The work of the missionaries selected in 2006 includes starting new churches, student evangelism on college campuses, inner-city Baptist center ministries, associational missions, interfaith witness evangelism and ministering in resort settings.
The 2006 Week of Prayer missionaries are:
–Chet and Michelle Cantrell of East St. Louis, Ill., who direct the Christian Activity Center and minister to children and youth facing a 60 percent school dropout rate, crime-ridden streets and a life of poverty.
–Kevin and Alicia Madden of British Columbia, Canada, church planting missionaries in Canada. Kevin serves as senior pastor of The Potter’s House Community Church, a ministry offering a safe place for people to hear the Gospel.
[2]— Mary L. Gore of Zwolle, La., a resort missionary who shares the Gospel with children and adults through various campground ministries in the popular Toledo Bend Lake area.
— Randy and Denise Chestnut of Cleveland, Ohio, where Randy serves as the associational missionary for the Greater Cleveland Baptist Association. Randy and Denise use creative methods to share the Gospel where there is only one Southern Baptist church for every 46,000 people.
— Andrew and Edith Chan of Arcadia, Calif., church planters focusing on predominantly Chinese areas of California.
— Larry and Joanne Woods of East Lansing, Mich., Mission Service Corps missionaries reaching students for Christ on the campuses of Michigan State University and Lansing Community College. Larry is legally blind.
— Dave and Debbie Howeth of Helena, Mont., associational missionaries and church planters for Treasure State Baptist Association, an area encompassing 40,000 square miles. Dave works to encourage and motivate pastors as they share Christ in sparsely populated areas of Montana.
— Reggie and Anna Robbins of Decatur, Ga., who direct Set Free Memorial Drive Ministries and Sanctuary Shelter which provides a safe, Christ-centered environment for drug and alcohol addicts to move toward a new life in Christ.
To assist Southern Baptist churches, a free promotion packet emphasizing the Tell His Story theme will be mailed to every church in mid-January. Week of Prayer missionaries are featured throughout the packet, in video segments on a DVD (VHS available on request), in a daily prayer guide and on missionary prayer cards available for purchase.
The North American Missions Emphasis includes three aspects:
— The annual Week of Prayer, which is March 5-12, 2006, when churches focus on praying for the eight missionaries and their areas of service.
— The North American Mission Study, which is designed to involve all age groups in a study of the Tell His Story theme and spark a desire to tell His story in North America.
— The Annie Armstrong Easter Offering, which supports more than 5,200 North American missionaries and their ministries. The 2006 goal is $56 million, 100 percent of which is used for missionary support.
More information about the Week of Prayer for North American Missions and the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering is available at www.AnnieArmstrong.com. North American mission study materials (lesson plans and supportive material) will be added in January.
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