First Baptist celebrates new mission

Members of First Baptist Church have set forth to change the world. This week marked the start of that goal.

The church started a Global Impact Celebration Wednesday night. The celebration was five days of prayer and planning for First Baptist’s new call to spread the gospel through missions.

Luke Lane, pastor of First Baptist Church, said the church was introduced to a company called Global Focus last January that shared information about missions and helped the church plan how it would become an Acts 1:8 church.

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth,” said Lane, quoting the biblical text that sprung First Baptist into action. “So, our leaders, deacons, staff and mission partners have prayed on it and had planning meetings since November 2012.

This weekend is the culmination of those plans and prayers. On Wednesday, the congregation met missionaries who had served all over the world. They learned about the mission trips and heard from guest speakers.

Lane said GIC was an introduction.

“It allows our church to meet and be introduced to 23 different missionaries, from local to around the world,” he said. “It’s really a revival to the church.”

Stephanie Baker and Ginny Hamm coordinated the celebration.

“We got involved in it because our church was searching for a unified form of missions,” Hamm said Thursday afternoon. “I think, even at this point, it has exceeded our expectations.”

The church heard from those involved in disaster relief, ministries at Troy University, people who had taken mission trips around the world and people who were starting new churches in New York and Florida.

Jerry Rankin, president emeritus of the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, will be one of the GIC guest speakers. He has done mission work in Indonesia, Thailand, India and Singapore.

Johnny Hunt, pastor of First Baptist Church in Woodstock, will also speak. Hunt’s church is involved in church revitalization, or church planting, in the United States. Woodstock’s mission is strengthening churches that have dwindling memberships.

The event will conclude Sunday with commitment ceremonies. The congregation will commit to monetary support during Sunday morning service. The evening service will have a commitment ceremony for those called to take mission trips.

The church’s next step will be planning mission trips.

“God has called us to that,” Lane said of the mission. “He has saved us for the purpose of honoring Him with pure lives, with our talents doing ministry.”

To learn more about GIC, visit www.troyfbc.org.