VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS – 7/28/09)—Workshops are an integral part of the learning experience for attendees at the Biennial Meeting of the American Baptist Churches.  The International Ministries (IM) workshops offered by the missionaries proved to be very popular with the Biennial crowd this year.

Hands-On Discipleship through Economic Development was led by Ed & Miriam Noyes, IM missionaries in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Kit Ripley, IM missionary in Thailand.  They demonstrated how using the skills that people possess (crafts, making jewelry, planting coffee) can be used to develop skills and generate income through economic development.

The issue of Human Trafficking was tackled in a two part workshop.  Karen Smith, IM missionary in Thailand addressed what American Baptists are doing to combat the problem in Southeast Asia through the New Life Center, where they minister to victims of this form of modern-day slavery.  Jill Lowery, IM missionary in DRC and Adalia Schellinger-Gutierrez, missionary in Mexico discussed the challenges involved in reaching out to women and children at risk in their two countries.

Cross-Cultural Equipping of Leaders, led by Mercy & Rick Barnes, IM missionaries in Baja California, looked at the unique difficulties of meeting the needs of theological education, church development, leadership recruitment and training when coming from different cultures.

Mision y Globalizacion was a Spanish-language workshop led by Jose Norat-Rodriquez, IM Area Director for Iberoamerica and the Caribbean.  Using a panel of missionaries serving in Hispanic cultures, participants in the workshop were able to discuss the challenges and benefits of globalization on cultures and their implication on the mission field.

IM also partnered with National Ministries (NM) on Radical Engagement in Global and National Mission and Immigration and Resettlement of Refugees.  These workshops focused on energizing volunteerism and how churches are responding to refugee resettlement on their doorstep respectively.

American Baptist Churches is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with 5,500 local congregations comprised of 1.3 million members across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.