Monday night, the North American Mission Board held an appointment service in our city, the first time in anyone’s memory and perhaps the last for a generation. I wish all our people had been there. It was beyond inspiring.
I worried a little about whether enough of our people would attend to keep the building from appearing too empty, but shouldn’t have given it a thought. When you commission 108 missionaries and count their families in the audience, then add to that the trustees and staff of the NAMB who are present, you don’t need too many locals to pack out the place. The lovely First Baptist Church of New Orleans was filled–with people, with joy, and with love.
I wondered what this appointment service would be like. Three decades ago, while serving as a trustee of the old Foreign Mission Board (now, International Mission Board), I attended many such services in which our new missionaries gave testimonies and were commissioned. It was much the same, and every bit as great a blessing.
There are differences in IMB and NAMB missionaries. For one thing, in the case of an international missionary, the person(s) being commissioned has almost always never been to the country which is about to become their home. The NAMB missionary, however, has usually been laboring in their particular ministry for several years and only recently came under the auspices of the NAMB. A NAMB missionary, too, may receive only part of his/her financial support from this national missionary organization, and some from other sources–a local church, the association, the state convention, or even their friends and supporters. Each entity rightfully claims him/her as their missionary.
Several of our new missionaries are actually directors of missions, doing virtually the same work in their assigned territory we do here. So, why are people like Rik Danielson, Glenn Davis, Roland Lopez, and Jim Turnbo considered “missionaries of NAMB” and I’m not? Because they serve in areas of the country where the churches cannot afford to pick up their salaries; so NAMB does. Rik is serving in north central Arizona, Glenn in Wichita, KS , Roland in San Antonio (with language groups) and Jim in Grants, NM. Freddie Arnold and I helped these four men drain a pot of coffee on the back patio of the Airport Hilton for a couple of hours last Saturday afternoon, and came to a deep appreciation of them.
Newly appointed missionary Jamie Dunbar has been working for the past two years at Bay St. Louis, MS, helping with the rebuilding. “I hope to stay there a long time to come,” she said.
Bonnie Eaton is a medical missionary in El Paso. Darell and Judy Eldridge are hospice workers in Madisonville, KY. Darell has had lymphoma for ten years, with five rounds of radiation and two of chemotherapy; yet, here he is devoting himself to ministering to others. Jack and Ginny Helton work with 185 different people groups in Ohio, finding ways to bring the gospel to each. Bruce and Gloria Landry serve in Nome, Alaska, “575 miles from the nearest Wal-Mart!”
Enoch and Sandra Nyakoon are from Liberia and serving in Philadelphia. “The Word is coming to America!” he told the crowd.
“Hey y’all!” Stacy Rains greeted the audience as though she might be a local girl. She is. She’s serving at the Rachel Sims Mission Center here in our city.
Matt and Rebecca Smith were appointed to LaJolla, California, where the average home value is $2.6 million. These church planters have their work cut out for them.
“Thank you for praying for us,” every missionary said. And most went on to add, “And thank you for giving to the Cooperative Program and the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions.” Those are the sources of the finances which allows these good people to serve Christ without having to spend time and energy to raise their own funds.
Dr. Wanda Lee, head of the SBC Woman’s Missionary Union , headquartered in Birmingham, led the time of prayer for the commissioning. She asked the missionaries to stand in the aisles and people to gather around them and pray. “Everyone pray at once, and it’s all right to pray out loud.” Someone near me teased, “But we’re Baptists; we don’t do it that way.” But we did, and it was a blessing.
The executive director of the North American Mission Board is Dr. Geoff Hammond, who is so clearly in the right job. One of the sharpest men on the planet, a gifted preacher, and possessing an incredible talent for remembering names, he inspires all who know him.
Using the 4th chapter of John’s Gospel as his text, Dr. Hammond told the new appointees, “God sent you. He sent you to do His will. You are to consider obedience to His will more important than meeting your own needs. And He promises you a harvest.”
Dr. Hammond gave us the six principles of sowing:
1) We must sow to reap
2) We reap what others have sown.
3) We must sow where others will reap.
4) We will reap what we sow.
5) We sow in tears; we reap in joy.
6) We must sow together for an abundant harvest.
“Every 11 seconds someone dies in the United States,” Dr. Hammond said. “And three-fourths of those die without a personal relationship to Christ.”
Earlier in the service, Dr. David Hankins, leader of Louisiana Baptists, gave an inspired welcome to the city and the state, emphasizing that “NAMB has been here a long time.” Since Katrina, no entity has poured as much of itself and its resources into the rebuilding of this city and our churches as has NAMB through its leaders and Operation NOAH Rebuild.
Host Pastor David Crosby reminded the congregation that when NAMB was formed in 1845, as the Domestic Mission Society, New Orleans was on the heart of the founders. “We are your city and we need you so much.”
I teased someone earlier that with the New Orleans Saints playing in the Superdome tonight, scheduling this meeting at the same time was creating problems for a few locals. Our service lasted until 9 o’clock–two full hours of inspiration–and we all managed to catch the last half of the game. It was a game of great highs–how about running back Reggie Bush returning two punts for touchdowns–and incredible lows (blocked punts turned into touchdowns, fumbles, missed field goals).
By the time the game ended, I was in my bed and turning off the light, and pleased I had not wasted any more emotional energy on that game than I did!
I’d spent two hours in the dentist’s chair earlier Monday and my mouth was still hurting (the Tylenol had run out). I toyed with the idea briefly of leaving the service following the missionaries’ introductions. Glad I didn’t. Every stage of the service just got better and better.
Freddie Arnold and I sat toward the back off to one side. I was happy we were represented by the two Davids (Crosby and Hankins) and there was nothing for me to do but enjoy it. A young mother was trying to corral her two children in the row in front of us. I know enough about four year olds to figure that little boy would love for me to draw him. I volunteered and the mom acquiesced, and I was sketching him when I got caught.
Dr. Hammond was speaking. “We’re grateful to the Baptist Association of Greater New Orleans for hosting us tonight. Joe McKeever is here–in fact, he’s sitting back there drawing a child!” Ooops. Got caught by the principal. (A familiar feeling, incidentally.)
Someone from NAMB told me afterwards, “Dr. Hammond misses nothing. You ought to see him at chapel back at the building!” I believe it.
Afterwards, milling around the crowd, greeting missionaries and friends old and new, a pastor from Salmon, Idaho, introduced himself. “I went to seminary here. Since Katrina, I’ve kept up with what’s happening through your blog.”
Thank you, friend. And, to all the North American Mission Board people, thank you, friends.