The Great commission
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20
Hudson Taylor said, “The Great Commission is not an option to be considered; It is a command to be obeyed.” Therefore, the inescapable reality about Christ’s command to go is that no one gets an exemption, the command is for every Christ follower. This is why it is so important for us to create opportunities for the students to begin being involved in missions while teenagers. We are actively involved in backyard missions in our community as well as serving globally. We serve in many ways throughout the year but here are a couple of areas that we are committed to consistently. We have seen that one of the most constant ingredients in opening the door for the gospel is relationships, so we go back!
The Sioux
Every June we send a team to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota to minister to the Sioux Indians. While there, we partner with Sharps Corner Baptist Church and Chanku Waste Ranch to offer a week of camp for children from ages 5 to 18. Each day of camp we teach the bible, share testimonies, keep the kids busy and entertained, make sure they are well fed, build relationships, and provide a safe and healthy environment. We have seen God move mightily as children and teenagers have turned to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. And, our week of camp creates tons of year-round ministry opportunities for the full-time missionaries that live on the reservation. Our team is made up of a mixture of core students and adult leaders. This is a great trip for the whole family.
THE CHILDEREN’S VILLAGE
It doesn’t take long to realize that we take James 1:27 seriously here at Michael Memorial Baptist Church. We believe that orphan care is close to the heart of God, so it is close to our heart as well. The Baptist Children’s Village is a faith based orphanage located in Wiggins. This is a great place for students to be involved in foster/orphan care. We make a trip to visit them on the second Saturday of every month. We spend the day celebrating any birthdays that the kids have during the month, providing lunch, building relationships, and basically just spending time with the kids doing whatever they like to do. We also make another visit each month for a bible study led by our students. We have built some wonderful relationships during this time and have seen God open the door for our students to minister in some very special ways.