The Missions & Evangelism Action Group shall research the need for new churches and missions and prepare mission and church planting strategies. They shall encourage and coordinate partnership missions. They shall encourage and support ministries to groups such as non-English speaking people, migrants, jail residents, or others as needed. They also shall enlist volunteer churches and individuals to help carry out Missions and Evangelism ministries.
2021 and thereafter: Missions and Evangelism Action Group may be re-worked to form a different group.
2020: No Missions and Evangelism Action Group meetings in 2020 due to covid-19 pandemic.
2019: An active year for missions in the MTBA. The Missions and Evangelism team began the year with a $3,000.00 budget under the mission volunteer support line item. Three individuals requested and received assistance for ministry to the Standing Rock reservation in July. Another received financial assistance on a mission trip to Africa in November as a consultant to a medical facility. The Missions and Evangelism Committee expects to utilize most, if not all, of the budgeted amount for mission support. The committee thanks our dedicated churches for their support of the MTBA that make our support possible.
2018: The Missions and Evangelism team, as of October, has provided $86.00 in mission volunteer support for 2018. That leaves almost all of the entire budget to work with for any subsequent mission trip assistance. In early summer the Missions and Evangelism team agreed to expand their assistance to teams going out for disaster response efforts. Any requests for assistance will be disbursed from the Mission Volunteer Support Fund with unexpended funds being sent to the disaster relief account at the BGAV. In early fall the Missions and Evangelism team agreed to provide funding for the purchase of approximately 30 Bibles for the athletes and coaches who are participating in the newly formed Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
2017: We have been able to assist financially all individuals and groups who made requests. These represent several different churches and mission ministries. We are grateful to be able to help them respond to the call of the Holy Spirit to serve as the hands and feet of Jesus. We also were able to send $3000.00 to Virginia Baptist Disaster Relief efforts. We offer a special Thank You to all who have served in ministries which spread the love of Jesus and the Gospel message. God Bless You.
2016: Spring Hill Baptist Church sent a mission team of six to East Africa Tanzania. The group left on July 7, 2016 with plans to serve for two weeks alongside missionaries in the field. Five Hermitage Baptist Church members journeyed to the Standing Rock Reservation Little Eagle site the week of July 23-28, 2016. Members of the group were able to assist with a horse camp held at the Sitting Bull School which was something new this year. Workers also fed the people, participated in cultural and Bible studies and assisted with craft activities. We are thankful to each one who answered to call to go and serve those in need and to share the “Good News” of Jesus Christ!
The Missions and Evangelism Action Group provided financial assistance throughout the year to a number of individuals participating in mission trips.
2013: The Association Missions and Evangelism Action Group had kicked off a local fund raising campaign on April 21, 2013 in support of “More than Nets”, an anti-malaria campaign in Ghana. By March of 2014 almost $16,000 had been collected by MTBA churches and sent to the BGAV and a team of Association members had traveled to Yendi, Ghana to distribute nets. The Association continued receiving donations in support of this life-saving campaign throughout 2016.
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MORE THAN NETS
Missions & Evangelism helped with More Than Nets, a two year project (2013-2014) between the Virginia Baptist Mission Board and the Ghanaian Baptist Convention.
How We Will Reduce Malaria
Virginia Baptists have entered into a 2 year agreement (2013-2014) with the Ghana Baptist Convention to reduce malaria in Yendi, Ghana and to plant churches in the surrounding area. We hope to significantly reduce the cases of malaria through:
- Distributing 100,000 chemically treated mosquito nets within the Yendi municipality. The population of Yendi is approximately 181,000
- Providing vital education into the proper use of the mosquito net
- Providing additional education on health, awareness and prevention of malaria
Malaria kills nearly 500,000 people per year (mostly children under age 5). Your $10 contribution will save the lives of two children by providing a chemically treated mosquito net that will last for over five years. As of early 2018, there have been 82,000 nets distributed to 345 villages leading to a 43% decline in malaria cases and over 200,000 lives saved. Additionally, over 448 congregations have been planted with over 20,000 people coming to know Christ.
If each BGAV congregation contributed only $250 we would meet our goal of providing 100,000 mosquito nets to Yendi, Ghana. Can you join us?
Learn more at BGAV.org/MoreThanNets and follow More Than Nets on Facebook
What is Malaria?
Malaria is a disease, which is only carried by humans, is caused by a parasite (plasmodium) that gets into the bloodstream by injection from a mosquito bite, reproduces in the liver, emerges into the bloodstream and destroys red blood cells. The disease can cause high fever, shortness of breath, and death if not treated promptly. Those most vulnerable are small children, pregnant women, the elderly. However, by breaking the disease transmission vector (preventing the mosquito bite with an insecticide treated bed net) the disease can be curtailed, even eliminated.
We are seeking to reduce malaria in this specific area of Africa because malaria in the number one killer in Africa. As we work with local Health Departments and Officials in the Yendi are we know malaria cases can be reduced due to the targeted approach in this targeted area. By placing the nets in the hands of the people in the village, by education and due to the follow up with each village the targeted approach that More Than Nets is using will have a very positive impact on people’s lives.
Most net distributions elsewhere in the world have been by the “scatter gun” approach, give some nets out here, another village there, and
then in a small city neighborhood. More than Nets is a new, targeted, and unique distribution method. 100,000 nets is a “saturation” strategy to cover completely the municipality of Yendi and the surrounding district, and protect every living person in the region. This is why we visit every woman in every hut and house to give out the nets. If this is to be successful, it has to be 100,000 nets or none at all. This is not to say that a number less than that won’t be appreciated, but it won’t be successful in eliminating malaria in Yendi, which is the the goal of More Than Nets.
We are motivated to do this because we want to follow Jesus’ example by addressing both physical (protection from mosquitos) and spiritual need (evangelism). More Than Nets is helping saves lives both spiritually and physically.
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Missions & Evangelism sent people to The Standing Rock Indian Reservation is a Lakota, Yanktonai and Dakota Indian reservation in North Dakota and South Dakota in the United States. The sixth-largest reservation in land area in the United States, it comprises all of Sioux County, North Dakota, and all of Corson County, South Dakota, plus slivers of northern Dewey and Ziebach counties in South Dakota, along their northern county lines at Highway 20.
The reservation has a land area of 9,251.2 square kilometers (3,571.9 sq mi) and a population of 8,250 as of the 2000 census.[1] The largest communities on the reservation are Cannon Ball and McLaughlin. Other communities within the reservation include[citation needed] Bullhead, Fort Yates, Kenel, Little Eagle, McIntosh, Morristown, Porcupine, Selfridge, Solen, and Wakpala Cannonball.
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