By Chris Hindal, Director

What were the 2007 highlights for the International Ministries of the GARBC? It is a good exercise to reflect back before you plan ahead, lest we become short-sighted or lop-sighted.

When I accepted this position, I asked Dr. Mark Jackson if he would go with me on my first trip to India. That trip took place in January into February 2007. It was a pass-the-baton type of trip. Dr. Jackson knows our partners in India and he provided the introduction that I needed to begin a personal relationship with the goal of strengthening the partnership. The trip consisted of 30 flight segments, covering 30,000 flight miles, but more importantly we visited 11 international partners not only in India, but also Myanmar and Bangladesh. We now have 19 associations that have partnered with us in India, which means that I will probably be in India at least once a year.

I am humbled and amazed at what God is doing in India where 85 percent of the population practice Hinduism.

Pastor T. Jyothi Babu in Hyderabad pastors the Vimukthi Baptist Church and School. He has trained 13 men that are planting 13 village churches. A Christian school Bible class in Des Moines, Iowa raised the funds and bought 13 bicycles for those pastors. The IPFBM supplied $14,000 to assist in erecting a second story on the Christian school which will add room for another 200 students. Most of those children come from Hindu or Muslim families.

In May Deb and I visited Liberia in West Africa, a country still reeling with the devastation of years of civil war. We were encouraged by the commitment of the pastors of the African Fundamental Baptist Mission and another group called the GARBC of Liberia. These godly brothers are continuing to seek further Bible training so they can properly train Liberians pastors for the work of the ministry even with a lack of adequate finances still they press forward to start more churches to reach their people.

ABWE currently has two couples and two singles pioneering work in Gbanga, about 120 miles from the capital. One couple, the Elsers, have the vision and support to begin an evangelistic outreach in the unreachable area of Northwest Liberia via the use of a helicopter. While Liberia has a long history of missionary work, there is still a great need and perhaps the key will be the training of the nationals.

This year we welcomed the Association of Baptist Churches in Guyana into the IPFBM. They are our very first partner in South America. Deb and I visited them in September where I had the privilege of preaching in two of their five churches. On that same South American trip, we were invited by the Association of Baptist Churches in Trujillo, Peru to minister at their seminary and preach for their 36th anniversary celebration. During those days the association voted to begin the application process to join the IPFBM. Praise God for brothers and sisters around the globe who are standing for the truth and seeking to reach the world for Christ.

The year 2007 marked the 34th year of Gospel Literature Services distributing Regular Baptist Press Sunday School and Vacation Bible School materials to 109 countries. This year we faced up to the challenge of underwriting the shipping costs. GLS Team 300 was introduced at the GARBC annual conference at Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Since then over 100 families and churches have stepped up to commit $30 a month. We are trusting God to raise up the remaining 200 in 2008.

Chris and Any Brown, our GLS media missionaries, made a ground-breaking trip to a remote location. Chris was able to video a Bible course and train a dozen students to video, edit and reproduce these courses in DVD format. He left the equipment with them so they can continue the work. These DVDs will be distributed in restricted access countries as training tools for pastors.

Lord willing, as 2008 unfolds we will continue a heavy travel schedule to meet our ministry partners for the first time. We plan to be in India twice, the Philippines, China, Indonesia and Malaysia. We are asking God to work out the technical challenges of sending some of our materials electronically. Though many of our partners are in developing countries, we are investigating the best way to distribute these Biblical resources.

Pray for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. China presents a unique venue as we think of touching the lives of the international community with the gospel message. Pray that the government will exercise some tolerance during the Olympic Games.

Jesus said, “Lift up your eyes and look on the fields for they are white, already for harvest.” Let’s both open our eyes and our hearts as we think about our personal involvement in Great Commission work.

As you think about world missions, remember to pray for the International Ministries of the GARBC.

Chris Hindal
Director of International Ministries of the GARBC