New Podcast - International Seafarers

Check out the latest Acts 1:8 Challenge Podcast with Adrian Turner of the International Seafarer Center in Pascagoula, Miss., who discusses how churches can assist in reaching seamen at www.ActsOne8.com/podcastfeed or search for the Acts 1:8 Challenge on iTunes.

Hawaii Churches Honored for Acts 1:8 Work

Veryl Henderson, the executive director of the Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention, recently recognized churches active in carrying the gospel to all four fields of the Acts 1:8 Challenge at their 66th annual meeting.

Churches recognized were First Baptist Church of Haleiwa, First Baptist Church of Wahiawa, Kaumana Driva Baptist Church, Waikiki Baptist Church, Lanai Baptist Church and Happy Valley Baptist Church.

Read the Baptist Press article here.

Direct Link: http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=29494

Acts 1:8 - "The bonfire around which the church gathers"

I have traveled throughout the Southern Baptist Convention this past year helping dozens of local churches, associations and state conventions to more fully implement and utilize the Acts 1:8 partnership. As a result, I am amazed and humbled by the renewed passion God is creating among His people for His mission.

The Acts 1:8 Challenge is unique among denominational emphases of recent years. From the beginning, the purpose of the Acts 1:8 Challenge initiative was to not to become a program, but a passion!

Pastors and other key leaders of Southern Baptist churches of all sizes are identifying a return to an Acts 1:8 style of missions as God's way of refocusing their ministries. The purpose of the church is for every member to be actively sharing Jesus Christ with a lost and dying world..."in Jerusalem, in all Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth!"

Versailles Baptist Church in Versailles, Ky., recently celebrated what God has done through its focus on Acts 1:8 since officially kicking off its Acts 1:8 Challenge emphasis in November 2007.

“Our missions giving has increased over 30 percent this past year,” said Michael Cabell, minister of discipleship and evangelism. “Our Lottie Moon giving was double what it was the year before. In 2007, we had 16 people go on short-term mission trips. In 2008, we had 138 people [go]…that’s an 870 percent increase!

“Acts 1:8 has made a marked difference in our church,” said Cabell. “It has become the ‘bonfire around which our church gathers.’”

Stories like that of Versailles Baptist are being repeated in many of the nearly 3,500 churches across the Southern Baptist Convention that have accepted the Acts 1:8 Challenge.

When a church focuses on the Acts 1:8 paradigm of missions, every aspect of the church—His church—has purpose. For example, no longer is a small group Bible study, music or youth ministry only for members who have been assimilated into the body of the church. Rather, these programs become strategic and significant outreach tools to share the message of Jesus Christ.

First Baptist Church, Star City, Ark., was founded in the 1800s and has a long history ministering to the rural community surrounding it.

During an Acts 1:8 conference hosted at the church for the Harmony Baptist Association, I visited briefly with the church's young pastor, Stephen Beavers.

As with many churches its age, tradition sometimes trumps new and innovative ministry to the community. But through the church’s focus on God’s mission and a commitment to the Acts 1:8 Challenge, Beavers said God continues to keep its evangelistic glow alive.

Recently, after the church’s youth pastor left, God used a mission trip to its Samaria to raise up a new leader for the church’s youth.

“While in Wichita, Kansas, where we were dong street witnessing, God ignited a passion for youth ministry in a man who was saved at our church,” said Beavers. “He personally led several people to the Lord.”

Today, the man serves as the church’s interim youth pastor.

“God has done a great work there,” said Beavers. “And it started during a missions trip experience. He is a real soul winner!”

At this time of year with the Christmas Season and New Year at hand, now is a great time for a church to consider "rebooting" its mission, so to speak, and install new Kingdom focus "software" and missional DNA that will fuel everything it is and does.

A commitment to making disciples of all nations by taking the Gospel to a church's community (Jerusalem), region/state (Judea), nation/continent (Samaria) and world (ends of the earth) clarifies purpose, simplifies and gives direction to a church’s earthly existence.

While it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement and pageantry of Christmas programs, churches with God’s mission at their core focus on the true reason for the season and how they share Christ in a world so desperately in need of Him.

Tim Yarbrough is a mission strategist and leader of the Church Relations Team at the North American Mission Board. He serves as the national coordinator of the Acts 1:8 Challenge initiative. More information about the Acts 1:8 Challenge is available at www.ActsOne8.com.

Acts 1:8 Facebook Group Launched

If you are a Facebook user, the Acts 1:8 Challenge now has a group for you! Recently, the group was launched and will feature updates, videos, events and more.

Already, several hundred people have joined the group. Check it out here today (you must be a registered Facebook user to access, but it's free!).

A18C Forum Held in San Diego

Sharing at Acts 1:8 Forum
Tiffany Smith, Acts 1:8 Challenge Coordinator the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention (SBTC), shares at the Acts 1:8 Challenge Forum.

Fourteen state conventions, association representatives and numerous Southern Baptist entities were in attendance for the annual Acts 1:8 Challenge Forum held July 9-11 in San Diego.

Acts 1:8 representatives from Indiana, Louisiana, California, Illinois, Texas, Georgia, Maryland-Delaware, North Carolina, South Carolina and Arkansas attended. All of the states are at various levels of developing their Acts 1:8 Challenge strategies.

A vision tour of San Diego was held on Friday afternoon following the end of the Forum. San Diego is a North American Mission Board Strategic Focus City. You can learn more about the work going on in San Diego at www.visionsandiego.com.

The meeting is the annual strategic planning meeting for the Acts 1:8 Challenge. The 2009 meeting will be held July 8-10 in Baltimore, Maryland.

Check out more photos of the Forum here (a free Shutterfly account is required).

Below was our schedule:

Acts 1:8 Challenge State Coordinator Forum
July 9-11, 2008
San Diego, California

Wednesday, July 9

3:00 p.m. Check-in and Registration

6:30 p.m. Banquet
- Welcome
- Vision San Diego Presentation
- Embrace Baltimore Presentation

Thursday, July 10

7:00 a.m. Breakfast

8:00 a.m. Devotion – Robby Tingle, Arkansas

8:30 a.m. Welcome and Introductions

9:00 a.m. Update on Next Steps (Phase 2)
- Leadership Seminar Pilots
- A18C Event Planning Guide
- State Partner Pages
- Bi-monthly Conference Calls
- Dialogue

10:00 a.m. Break

10:30 a.m. Update on Next Steps (Phase 2)
- A18C Curriculum; A18C Renewal – Jim Burton and David Nelms
- Consultant/Coaching Directory
- A18C Podcasts, Website and Doc Store
- Dialogue

Noon Lunch and Fellowship

1:00 p.m. A18C Assessment – Jerry Chamness

3:00 p.m. Break

3:30 p.m. Show and Tell (State/Association Best Practices)

4:30 p.m. Adjourn

5:00 p.m. Gather in Hotel Lobby, Leave for Dinner

Friday, July 11

7:00 a.m. Breakfast

8:00 a.m. Devotion – Tiffany Smith, Texas

8:30 a.m. Show and Tell (State/Association Best Practices) Continued

9:30 a.m. A18C Consultation Tools and 2008-09 Promotion/Deployment
- A18C Leadership Seminars
- A18C Renewal Weekend/Student Weekend
- A18C Pastor Practitioner/MOM Network
- A18C Regional Conferences & Training (Association and State)
- A18C Website Development (Phase 2)
- A18C 2008 Enlistment (advertising, promotion, direct mail)
- Updating A18C Church Registration in States

10:00 a.m. Break

10:30 a.m. A18C Consultation Tools and 2008-09 Promotion/Deployment

Noon

Lunch and Closing Dialogue

A Passionate Soul Winner!

You Will be My Witnesses...
James McCollough, the "Witnessing Hitchhiker," left, in Indy with my son, Caleb.

My 18-year-old son, Caleb, and I are at the Southern Baptist Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana, where I have manning an exhibit for the Acts 1:8 Challenge, among other responsibilities.

Speaking of Acts 1:8, I have met perhaps no better example of "You will my witnesses..." in my life than the Rev. James McCollough of California.

I have know James for nearly 18 years. James has used his "hitchhiking" ministry as a way meet people and tell them about Jesus. Believe it or not, he hitchhiked all the way from his home in California to Indianapolis, witnessing to people all along the way!

My prayer is that we all will have the same passion for sharing Jesus as James does!

During our meeting with James, Caleb prayed for God to protect James on his way home to California.

First Acts 1:8 Leadership Conference Held

Four Fields of the Acts 1:8 Challenge
From left, Tim Yarbrough of the North American Mission Board and national coordinator of the Acts 1:8 Challenge; Eric King of the International Mission Board; Robby Tingle of the Arkansas State Baptist Convention; and Dwayne Tanton, director of missions of Harmony Baptist Association; led a discussion of the four fields of Acts 1:8 at the first Acts 1:8 Challenge Leadership Conference Feb. 16.

I was privileged to be a part of the team that conducted the first-ever Acts 1:8 Challenge Leadership Conference Feb. 16 in Arkansas.

The conference was held at First Baptist Church, Star City, Ark., and was hosted by Harmony Baptist Association. Dewayne Tanton is the director of missions.

I spoke at the confernce, along with Tanton, Robby Tingle of the Arkansas State Baptist Convention, and Eric King of the International Mission Board. The new leadership conferences are one of many new tools being introduced in 2008.

Here's a link to more photos from the event, as well as other Acts 1:8 Challenge photos. Check it out!