VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 12/3/13)—December 1-17, 2013, seventeen American Baptist women are traveling in Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand on a mission encounter co-sponsored by American Baptist Women’s Ministries and International Ministries. While there, they are participating in the 200th Anniversary Judson Celebration, meeting women’s ministry leaders, and visiting historical Judson sites as well as today’s American Baptist missionaries engaged in mission and ministry in Thailand.
While in Myanmar, the American Baptist women are meeting with Kachin Baptist women in order to convey greetings and prayers that have been collected from American Baptist women, men, and children in churches in the United States. Cards and letters for the internally displaced Kachin people (“IDPs”), some living in refugee camps within the borders of their own homeland, will convey to the Kachin people the prayers, hopes, and loving support of congregations in the United States. Discussion of other needs will provide information to American Baptist Women’s Ministries for ministry initiatives to provide support and relief to the Kachin IDPs during this critical time.
Additionally, AB Women’s Ministries Executive Director Virginia Holmstrom will be presenting to the Kachin leaders a resolution of prayer adopted at the recent conference, “The Judsons: Celebrating 200 Years of Baptist Missions,” held at Mercer University in Atlanta, Georgia. The resolution states, in part, “We pledge not to forget you. We pledge to remember you in our prayers and to hold you in our hearts as we work with you for peace and justice in the world, for God’s Kingdom to come, God’s will to be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” The resolution was signed by participants in the conference.
AB Women’s Ministries has produced a bulletin insert “Prayer Guide for Kachin IDPs,” available for use by congregations, groups, or individuals. The prayer guide may be downloaded from www.abwministries.org/kachin.
“I solicit also your prayers for the women that are traveling and for the strengthening of relationships with our Baptist sisters and brothers in Burma and Thailand. Participants will be blogging about their first-hand experiences that include the celebrations commemorating Ann and Adoniram Judson’s arrival in Burma 200 years ago,” said Virginia Holmstrom, executive director of AB Women’s Ministries. The blog can be viewed at 2013abwmmissionencounter.wordpress.com.
American Baptist Women’s Ministries is a Christ-centered ministry with a commitment to encourage and empower women and girls to serve God. Additional American Baptist Women’s Ministries resources are available at www.abwministries.org.
American Baptist Churches is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with over 5,200 local congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.