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Dear First Baptist…
What a blessed joy it was to attend the 113th Annual Session of the Lott Carey Baptist Foreign Mission Convention in Columbus, Ohio, August 9 – 13, 2010, representing First Baptist Church with our Missionary Circle delegate, Mrs. Velma Bullock. The fellowship was rich with disciples of Jesus Christ with a heart for mission from churches all over the United States, and mission partners from around the world.
Our Mission Curriculum this year was to explore the missionology of the late Dr. Wendell Clay Somerville, an awesome servant of the Lott Carey Convention for more than 50 years. Also, it was a joy, to share from the book, A Divine Assignment written by our current Executive Secretary–Treasurer, Dr. David Emmanuel Goatley, highlighting the enormous impact this giant-of-mission made during the 20th century.
We learned that the church of Jesus Christ exists to share the gospel to the entire world. Therefore, as a missional church, we are called upon by our Risen Lord to world evangelism, and to preach conversion through Christ. We also learned that this conviction is best displayed when members of the church are missional in their personal lifestyles, i.e. the missional life. This reminds us that after we have experienced personal conversion, we should develop a heart for others who have not received salvation through the gospel message of hope.
We further learned about the critical importance of the church developing and implementing efforts for mission work (locally and abroad) and the importance of strong missional strategies used by the leadership of the Holy Spirit. This effort will change the world during the 21st century as Dr. Somerville, and the Lott Carey Convention did in the 20th century.
It was a wonderful study and a great time of Christian fellowship for us who gathered in the name of the Lord. In addition to the ongoing commitment of the Missionary Circle, we want to share these principles with all members of First Baptist Church.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Dumas A. Harshaw, Jr.
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