VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 9/5/14)—In recognition of the 200th year of American Baptist International Ministries (IM) in global mission, this year’s World Mission Offering’s (WMO) educational resources highlight a new ministry to teenagers affected by gambling, addictions, crime, prostitution and broken families on the Chinese island of Macau. This new ministry of evangelism and discipleship was made possible by churches’ and individuals’ gifts to the WMO.
Why Macau?
Macau is the home of the largest casino gambling mecca in the world, far surpassing Las Vegas in revenue and size. Less than 1% of the population is estimated to be Protestant Christians, according to a recent survey by Dr. Ellis Yau, former principal of IM partner: the Macau Bible Institute. Evangelize China Fellowship (ECF), another IM partner, saw a great need to help the teenagers and college students. It approached IM for help to change the hearts of teenagers and to raise up a new generation of Christian leaders.
Congregations’ gifts to the World Mission Offering made this new ministry possible.
Empowered by U.S. and Puerto Rican churches’ gifts to the World Mission Offering, IM was able to respond. IM worked with ECF to assess the situation, then found and prepared a couple with a strong track record of working with youth. In 2013, IM development workers, Emerson and Ivy Wu joined with ECF to open a new field of ministry in the heart of this world-famous gambling mecca.
World Mission Offering resources were mailed to congregations in July.
WMO educational materials based on this year’s theme, Rise to the Challenge, were mailed to churches in July and are available for free download on the WMO website. To order additional materials, call 1-800-4JUDSON.
These resources include an inspiring four-part video series telling the story of IM’s response to the call for help from Macau and how Emerson and Ivy Wu stepped in the meet the needs. Also included are a full-color map of IM’s missionaries and development workers, bulletin inserts, pew envelopes, a Leader’s Guide and a Mission Study Guide. These educational materials can be used in worship services, Sunday school classes, adult and youth groups, Bible studies and more!
The World Mission Offering is a vital source of support for the entire work of IM, including the Wu’s new ministry with teenagers and college students in Macau. Gifts to the WMO support current global personnel as well as new missionary recruitment and training efforts.
Contributions to the WMO will be used to glorify God in all the earth by crossing cultural boundaries, with the goal of helping people come to faith in Jesus, grow in their relationships with God and change their worlds through the power of the Spirit. Many of the global ministries that IM supports and develops could not continue, nor could new areas of mission be established, without generous contributions to the WMO. Individuals and churches can give to the WMO year-round.
For more information, contact Catherine Nold at catherine.nold@internationalministries.org.
American Baptist International Ministries is celebrating 200 years of ministry in 2014. Organized in 1814 as the first Baptist international mission agency in America, it began its pioneer mission work in Burma and today works in Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas serving more than 1,800 long-term and short-term missionaries. Its central mission is to help people come to faith in Jesus, grow in their relationship with God, and change their worlds through the power of the Spirit. It works with respected partners in over 70 countries in ministries that meet human need.
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.