A Note from John Roach
World Missions Offering
I am overwhelmed and grateful for the continued generosity of our church. We asked you to consider supporting our mission efforts by giving toward a goal of $1,000,000. You did more than that—our church raised over $1.1 million! Your generosity makes a worldwide impact, enabling our team to care for and support missionaries and church planters, join their efforts by mobilizing short-term teams, and offer care in ways that very, very few churches are able to do.
THANK YOU! Thank you for trusting our team. Thank you for sacrificing your finances, time, and resources for the Kingdom. Thank you for being a church that cares for its own community, state, country, and the world.
Compassion International on January 21, 2024
Last April I had the chance to join a Compassion International vision trip. Compassion International (otherwise known as Compassion) is a worldwide organization that serves impoverished people, especially children. The ministry meets physical, spiritual, and emotional needs by partnering with local churches around the world. As Compassion comes alongside a local church, that church is empowered to be a light and a resource to meet the needs of the most impoverished in the community. Every sponsored child is connected to a local church, which is the catalyst for care for these children and their families.
As you know so well, the end goal of missions is to see people come to faith in Jesus Christ by planting and empowering the local church. As you read the New Testament, you can see God’s strategy for reaching the world with the gospel is empowering and equipping believers to be the church by regularly gathering in worship, prayer, and commitment to God’s Word (Acts 2:42-47). While the gathering’s primary focus is the worship and adoration of Jesus, the intended result is that God’s people would leave full of the Spirit and the Word and then declare this Word to their community.
As many of us know, an individual’s heart often becomes fertile soil for the gospel to take root when a physical need is met. What a tragedy to feed a belly yet starve a soul. Compassion works hard to meet the poor where they are and help them receive physical and emotional care, but most importantly, this creates an open door to share the gospel with the children and their families.
On Sunday, January 21, 2024, our church body will be given an opportunity to sponsor a child through the work of Compassion International. All the children available for sponsorship will be from countries and cities where our church already has relationships with missionaries and church planters. This means you can sponsor a child and, by the grace of God, join one of our trips to the area your sponsored child lives and meet the child and the family. The countries represented will be Bangladesh, the Philippines, Indonesia, Colombia, and Mexico.
Would you begin praying now and consider sponsoring a child? Maybe you could do this as a family or as an individual effort. Sponsorship is especially meaningful when an entire family is involved, and you begin communicating with your sponsored child through letters monthly. This is a great discipleship opportunity and a unique way to highlight the need for the gospel around the world!
GABC Institute
We have an incredible partnership with East Texas Baptist University where you can deepen your biblical knowledge through a series of in-depth courses right here at GABC on Monday nights from 6pm-9pm. The GABC Institute is the perfect fit for believers of all ages looking to dive deep into God’s Word. Visit our table in the foyer this Sunday to learn more or email missions@gabc.org.