By Sharon Mager, BCM/D Correspondent and Bob Simpson

COLUMBIA, Md.—General Mission Board members met with the North American Mission Board (NAMB) representatives during a question and answer session on Oct. 20, 2009 to review the Strategic Focus City (SFC)/Embrace Baltimore initiative as it draws to a close this month. This was in response to questions posed to Bob Mackey, executive director of Embrace Baltimore at the May 5, 2009 General Mission Board (GMB) meeting. At that time, Mackey pledged to get the answers for the GMB and report back at a future date.

That future date became Oct. 20, 2009. Bob Mackey did not attend. Ritche Carney and Dave Howard, director of NAMB’s Strategic Focus City teams, presented a basic financial overview and answered questions about expenses and regarding the disbursement of remaining funds. Carney explained that when the calendar year ends, designated church plant money will be disbursed and any remaining funds will be returned to the NAMB.

“That’s standard operating procedure,” Carney said.

“Is there any reason that money couldn’t stay in the state?” Daniel Sheard, pastor of Calvary Missionary Church asked. We’re reproducing, he said, referring to the Embrace Wilmington initiative, which is a partnership of the Delaware Association (DBA) and the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware (BCM/D).

Howard answered that funds are tight and reiterated that the money returning to the NAMB is standard policy.

Sheard asked if other states have attempted to do a strategic focus on a city without NAMB funding.

Howard answered yes, Georgia is doing it and other states and associations have taken SFC components and put them in practice.

Tim Simpson, senior pastor of Greenridge Church, expressed appreciation at receiving some financial data which Carney provided, but suggested that having more detailed financial information and having it earlier in the partnership would have been beneficial. It helps to know what questions to ask, Simpson said, adding that BCM/D operates openly with all numbers, including salaries available for review.

“This data is very important for transparency,” Simpson said.

Howard said NAMB is also open but has a specific policy against revealing individual salaries.

Danny Crow, senior pastor of The Church at Covenant Park, Ellicott City, said he doesn’t have to know individual salaries, but that an aggregate number should be reported.

Crow said it all boils down to one question–what did SFC/Embrace cost?

Carney said that number is available with the exception of salaries. Howard clarified that they can only show what the NAMB spent on SFC in total.

EDITORS NOTE: At press time BaptistLIFE received an update from Mike Ebert, NAMB communications team leader. According to the SFC staff, the amount spent on Embrace Baltimore was $2,894,809 if the 2006-07 ramp-up is included.

Several pastors expressed frustration at the confusion that it caused in reviewing the Embrace Baltimore budget, not knowing in what areas and how much other entities have been contributing.

“There is no way to know exactly all that it costs…there is a certain amount of ambiguity and that’s just part of the cooperative world,” Howard said.

For example, when Ritche Carney travels for SFC, that travel expense comes out of NAMB’s budget, not out of the individual SFC budget. Howard explained. “There are so many layers. That’s the depth of complexity…,” he said. Salaries and contributions come from many different funding streams.

“Maybe the lesson we walk away from here with is that there needs to be a central entity that can be reporting collective means of income that can then report back to a group like ours,” Sheard offered.

BCM/D executive director, David Lee, said he doesn’t know of such a document that includes every resource. There’s really no way to track that, he said. We can track BCM/D, NAMB and Baltimore Baptist Association (BBA) dollars. If we could start all over again it may be worthwhile to have that kind of system.

Embrace Baltimore did have a central group that met monthly to provide oversight to the SFC in Baltimore. That group, the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) was made up of Bob Mackey, Ritche Carney, David Lee and Gary Jennings (LifeWay Christian Resources).

Bill Cochran, pastor of First Church, Lansdowne, said, “I can tell you, as a BBA pastor, and a satisfied participant, that I have complete trust in the integrity of the system and am thrilled Baltimore had the opportunity to be the last recipient.

“The system was set up very carefully with integrity and accountability. On the association level, as an autonomous body, the BBA understood the system and has had, what I feel, full disclosure. BBA trusted that system and where the dollars went. BBA chose to leave decisions to a leadership team.

“I think the Embrace folks did a wonderful thing in a city that desperately needs Christ,” Cochran said.

“Thank you for the partnership,” Carney said. “I love working with pastors and working in cities.”

Lee thanked Carney and assured pastors that though SFC Embrace Baltimore remaining monies will not stay in Baltimore, NAMB will still be working with BCM/D to help support the convention and is open to requests for needed funding.

Lee asked board members what type of reporting would provide the kind of information that they want as the convention moves to Embrace Wilmington?

David Hemphill, pastor of First Church, Edgewater, suggested that Embrace Wilmington should be represented at General Mission Board meetings, that the numbers be clear, and that if there are ten staffers, that the salaries are shown to come from a specific fund for a certain amount.

“All that stuff should add up and make sense,” Hemphill said.

David Lee assured members that Mitch Dowell, Embrace Wilmington executive director, will be at every Board meeting to give an update, a written report and answer questions.

By Sharon Mager, For Embrace Baltimore

BALTIMORE, Md.—In 2004, “Embrace Baltimore” and “Strategic Focus City” (SFC) were words that were a little elusive and maybe even mysterious. The thought of a huge partnership with Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware, Baltimore Association and neighboring associations, LifeWay and the North American Mission Board, with enormous resources supporting a massive effort to reach the city and surrounding areas sounded impressive, challenging and perhaps daunting. It began with prayer. And then, God ignited a Holy Spirit fire that began to catch and burn brightly and now, five years later, the initiative is winding down. The thousands of volunteers and the committed missionaries are gone. But the fire lit in Baltimore churches and their partners, and in those who came to help, continues to burn brightly and only God knows how far and long the fire will burn, how many souls will be saved, churches started, communities engaged and Christians discipled and matured.

David Lee, BCM/D executive director, prays for Bob Mackey, Embrace Baltimore executive director.

Mitch Dowell was a key piece of the Embrace process. He came from Chicago to Baltimore as an urban strategist, to prepare Baltimore pastors and their churches and to develop the required infrastructure for the possibility of Baltimore becoming an SFC.

Prayer meetings flourished. Ryan Palmer, pastor of Seventh Church, had prayer meetings at the church and pastors joined together to earnestly seek God’s face. Robert Hurd, then pastor of East Baltimore Church, formerly known as Second and Fourth Church, led prayer walks. There were meetings at Skycroft. God began to bless mightily. As the pastors began meet and pray together, they began to trust each other.

“They began talking about personal issues in their lives and their struggles. Guys really began to talk to each other,” Dowell said.

“Those were the beginning steps. Those pastors’ prayer meetings were catalytic,” Dowell said.

The North American Mission Board (NAMB) did indeed select Baltimore and appointed career missionaries and US/C2 missionaries from Baltimore and from across the country to serve with the newly named Embrace Baltimore executive director, Bob Mackey, who led Cleveland Hope’s SFC effort. Dowell served as associate director.

The team jumped into action and Baltimore began changing. Pastors were meeting, sharing, laughing and partnering together to engage their communities. Mission teams poured into the city providing thousands of man-hours and in many cases funding. They tirelessly led VBS and Upward camps, distributed materials, did light construction and much, much more. Dying churches were resurrected in new ways. Targeted church planting areas saw new works begin and grow. Quietly, pastors had coffee shop meetings with Earl Gray, the Embrace evangelism director, for one-on-one time for encouragement and get and share evangelism strategies.

Community groups began seeing churches want to partner with them to help their neighborhoods, without wanting anything in return. Volunteers painted schools and cleaned parks. Churches partnered with Baptist Family & Children’s Services to provide school supplies and Christmas toys. There were large church picnics, huge evangelistic events, prayer concerts, backpacks and Christmas toys. Summer missionaries and “May-Mesters” provided extra temporary staff hands to overworked pastors.

The impact?
•    Fourteen new churches started
•    Over 9,000 volunteers were mobilized for evangelism from 25 states, representing 162 entities.
•    410 evangelistic events
•    66 Vacation Bible schools
•    15 Back-yard Bible clubs
•    78 Upward camps
•    21 other sports camps.
•    And the best – 2,030 professions of faith were reported and growing…

Those statistics don’t represent the thousands of volunteers whose lives were transformed through their ministry in Baltimore and many of them want to and will come back. The ripple is huge and may not stop until we all reach heaven.

“It has been incredible to see our pastors encouraged, their ministries changing their DNA, the great staff God put together for such a short season, and finally, the ownership our pastors and planters are taking of reaching their communities for Christ. We celebrate the movement of God in the future of the BBA. Great days are ahead,” Bob Mackey said. The BBA is deeply grateful for all who have been a part of all that God has done.

Embrace director of church planting, Troy Bush, said God used Embrace to not just start churches, but to begin healthy, disciple-making churches.

“When I first met with Dr. Lee about coming to Baltimore, I shared with him I was more concerned with us establishing viable processes of church starting than reaching numerical goals. In many areas we have met or exceeded our goals. More importantly, there are a group of leaders who have both the vision and the capability of continuing the work we have begun. They are already shaping the strategy and initiatives for church starting in days ahead. They are taking ownership of this process.”

Now, as most of the Embrace team has said their goodbyes to pursue other ministries where the Holy Spirit leads, the association and churches are picking up the baton and they’re running with it.

To make the transition, teams have been established to continue the evangelism and mobilization emphasis. Mackey is staying as Baltimore’s director of missions. Theresa Sassard, who served as executive office administrator, will serve in that capacity for the BBA and assist Mackey as they continue to support churches, assist with partnerships and continue to embrace Baltimore, to hold the city and county closely and gently share encouragement, support and love through Jesus Christ.

“I think it was best assessed by a pastor who said, “Embrace gave us hope,” David Lee reflected on the Embrace initiative.

“I want to say ‘thank you’ to everyone who played a role in Embrace Baltimore. Only God knows the ultimate impact of this effort,” Lee said.

Embrace Wilmington has begun with Mitch Dowell serving as executive director. If you are interested in partnering with Embrace Wilmington contact Mitch Dowell at embracewilmington@gmail.com or call him at (410) 707-7614.

By Sharon Mager, For Embrace Baltimore

PERRY HALL, Md.—Embrace Baltimore, now in its final stage, had a staff appreciation lunch on Sept. 12 at White Marsh Church. The bittersweet occasion brought Baltimore pastors and Embrace staff together to relax, fellowship and to share how God has blessed Baltimore churches through the Strategic Focus Initiative/partnership.

David Lee praying with Bob Mackey, Embrace Baltimore Executive Director

After an icebreaker Embrace trivia game and a lunch of Heavenly Ham sandwiches, pastors began to share how God was blessing through Embrace.

Tinney Parrish, pastor of Tabernacle Church, Essex, said it was later in the afternoon and he was ready to head home when Theresa Sassard, executive office administrator, called and wanted to send over a potential partnership mission team.

“Theresa did not take no for an answer,” Parrish said with a smile. But that meeting changed Parrish’s life. That was the start of a wonderful relationship, both with the mission team and with Embrace.

“I thought everything was fine,” Parrish said. “The Embrace staff helped me see my community in a way I’ve never seen it before. In two years, because of all of you, I am different,” Parrish said.

Parrish told of a mission trip to Dover, Va., that he and several church members participated in along with Bill Cochran, pastor of First Church, Lansdowne, and Ed Reece, pastor of Hazelwood Church and team members from those churches. After receiving help from outside churches, the Baltimore churches were giving back. Parrish’s daughter was part of the team.

“My daughter now wants to be part of missions,” Parrish said. “You guys mean so much to me,” he told the Embrace staff. “Thank you.”

Chris Gudmundsson, pastor of First Church, Dundalk, said that a decade ago, some in the church felt a bit fearful or resentful about how the city’s problems with drugs, crime and other ills were spilling over into the Dundalk community. The pastor told his church then, “A sovereign God is bringing Baltimore to us. We can either fear the city as our enemy or embrace it as a troubled friend.” Within two years, pastor and church were fully engaged in helping plan, pray, and work to make Embrace a reality. Since that time, the church has hosted several highly successful Embrace-connected events and one family has made an entire house available for Embrace staff to live in.

“Our folks have and do Embrace Baltimore now,” Gudmundsson said.

Elwood Ulmer, director of Inner Harbor Ministries, said Embrace made a big impact on the Curtis Bay Feeding Ministry through the mission teams Embrace provided. Ulmer said he was touched to see one young woman from a mission team pray and lead a guest at the feeding ministry to Christ.

Fred Dyer, pastor of White Marsh Church, said Embrace provided not only help, but also opportunities for churches to do ministry. White Marsh Church partnered with Riverside Church in Baltimore to do a backyard Bible club in the park across from Riverside.

“It is good for us to see and be involved in this kind of partnership ministry,” Dyer said. “It was a really good experience for our youth. They had done backyard Bible clubs for our church, but to go out and partner with another church was great.”

Bill Cochran, pastor of First Church, Lansdowne, said, “In 2001 Lansdowne turned 53 years old and we thought we’d arrived.’ But really I had fallen into a model of ministry that maintained the status quo,” he admitted.

Cochran said the Embrace staff showed him that he and his church were looking inward instead of outward. When that changed, everything changed.

“We’ll never be the same because of you. I can’t tell you how much you have meant to us,” Cochran told the Embrace staff.

Robert McKoy, pastor of CrossWay International Community Church, came to Baltimore the same year Embrace was forming and immediately grasped the opportunity to get involved. “Not only have you impacted me, but you impacted this community. You impacted Owings Mills,” McKoy said.

Dallas Bumgarner, campus pastor of Grace Place, was preparing to retire from Elvaton Church when Embrace began. He went to a meeting to see how Elvaton could be involved. After speaking with Bob Mackey, executive director of Embrace, and Troy Bush, Embrace director of church starting, Bumgarner was introduced to the possibility of becoming a campus pastor for a Dundalk satellite church of North Arundel Church. Bumgarner caught the vision.

“You guys have given me fresh life. I’m excited about doing ministry again,” he said.

John Rudd, pastor of Reisterstown Church, said the true impact Embrace has had on Baltimore will not be known for years to come. He said that each time a mission team came to help his church, the team painted part of a mural.

“That mural isn’t finished,” Rudd said.

Bill Cochran sang “Thank You for Giving to the Lord” as a tribute to the Embrace staff.

Bob Mackey, Embrace Baltimore Executive Director, showed blue duffle bags with the Embrace Logo that were given to each Embrace staff member. He pulled glasses, a water bottle, a paperweight and other items from the bag. Mackey said somewhere down the road, he hopes one of the Embrace team, as they reach for one of the glasses, will remember their time in Baltimore with Embrace and reflect on how God worked and is working in the city.

In closing, pastors, wives and other guests laid hands on the Embrace staff as Matt Stevens, Embrace’s prayer team coordinator, thanked God for the staff and the ministry and asked His blessings and direction for the future on each of the Embrace team.

By Sharon Mager, Embrace Baltimore

BALTIMORE, Md.—Years ago, when the McCormick Company was a well-known landmark on Light Street in South Baltimore, the harbor had a pungent fragrance as the scent of various spices mingled together and diffused a distinctive enticing, almost exotic smell. The spice company eventually moved to Sparks, leaving behind a great picture of Baltimore. People of all nationalities, ethnicities, races, at various socio-economic levels, mingle together to give the city its incredible diversity. That mix provides Baltimore church planters a cornucopia of ministry opportunities as well as a bounty of challenges.

Baptist Church of Baltimore members give away breakfasts to men who stand on Broadway Avenue in the mornings hoping to find work.

“There is no one-size-fits-all strategy or planter,” Troy Bush, Embrace Baltimore, director of church starting, explained.

“We have church starters who have had much experience and for some this is their first. Some have degrees from Bible colleges while others attended seminaries. We have Anglo church starters, African American starters and ethnic starters. We have all ages, from the early 30’s through their 70’s.

Each church start is unique. Some began with a few couples working together in an area; others were built on the foundations laid by laborers who are now senior saints that want to pass the baton on to the next generation. There are single campus churches, satellite churches, multi-campus churches, house churches—all with the goal of sharing the gospel and making disciple-making disciples.

The Garden Community Church seeks to be indigenous. Church planter Joel Kurz moved from the Eastern Shore to live in Bolton Hill, an area where two socio-economic groups come together and where affluence and crime coexist. Kurz led his church recently on a “trail of tears.”

Church members visited five areas within a mile of the church where there had been recent murders and prayed for the community and the victims’ families. They gave out flyers ahead of time so the neighborhood would know what they were doing and inviting them to join the church in prayer.

“We received a whole lot of great feedback from people who saw us and appreciated it. It opened up a lot of avenues of conversation.”

Grace Place is a church start that arose from the embers of Woolford Memorial Church members’ 65 years of ministry. The church had dwindled to fewer than 30 and members were praying for wisdom on how to proceed.

Meanwhile, God was preparing James Pope, pastor of North Arundel Church (NAC). Pope was praying for a way to reach more people and was considering the multi-church concept. Pope discussed his vision with Troy Bush and Bob Mackey, Embrace Baltimore executive director, and was introduced to the idea of giving new life to Woolford Memorial Church in Dundalk.

Woolford became Grace Place, a contemporary satellite of NAC. Dallas Baumgarner is the campus pastor.

Now, Grace Place is not only flourishing, it is now offering space to another Embrace Church start, Disciples Fellowship International Church (DIFC), Baltimore, started by Disciples Fellowship International Church, Gaithersburg. DFIC meets on Sunday afternoons. Stephen Magua, a native of Kenya, is the planter.

The church members go door-to-door ministering in O’Donnell Heights, a poor, drug infested Baltimore neighborhood. Magua said sixteen people have come to Christ through that ministry.

“It has been God,” Magua said. “It has been amazing to see people broken down and saying to us, ‘I’ve been waiting for someone to share the good news with me.’”

Meeting in a community recreation center flanked by bars on every corner, New Hope Church serves breakfast and gives away bag lunches each Sunday at their Curtis Bay site. New Hopers, under the leadership fo planter Larry Baker, strive to truly give hope to this inner city area by offering community festivals, sports camps, “Free Markets” (yard sales where the merchandise is free) and community beautification projects.

Church members also donate school supplies and Christmas gifts and share Christ through weekly small groups and worship services.

The Light Church, planted by Roger Kim, in Baltimore’s arts and entertainment district, is both a church and an art gallery, regularly featuring the work of local artists and participating in such events as Artscape and local parades. The church also works closely with the Maryland Institute College of Art.

At the Village Church in Hampden, members partner with the community doing outreach such as cleaning a local park and repairing playground equipment.

Church planter Dan Hyun is finding that as they intentionally engage their neighborhood, people are responding.

“More and more people are joining us to see what The Village is doing. I think it reflects a spiritual dryness that’s been here for a long time,” Hyun said.

Samuel Cho and his wife, Young, are Korean but felt God leading them to start a Nepalese Church, Nepal Church of Baltimore, and more recently, a Bhutani church. The couple minister to refugees, who spread the word through their families and friends. The Chos have taken mission trips to Nepal and India.

Infinity Church started a plant in northeast Baltimore to reach the students of Morgan State University. Over 200 people attended the Sept. 13 launch.

The church has evangelistic block parties, sports camps, talent shows and other events to capture the attention of the community and to make and build relationships. They’ve partnered with local schools to build shelves and bulletin boards and they’re connecting together through small groups.

Recently they did a “Luv’n Laundry” event. The church paid for and helped students and other community members do their laundry. While the clothes spin, church members hope to get to know their neighbors and share where the Spirit leads them.

Captivate Christian Church, led by church planter Tally Wilgis, links a suburban and city church together, seeking to make inroads in those areas as the suburban members join arms with their city “family,” providing resources and support to reach both areas for Christ.

Baptist Church of Baltimore, an Hispanic church, started in October 2008 with an outreach event giving away breakfasts to men who stand on Broadway Avenue in the mornings hoping someone who needs their labor will stop and offer them a job for the day. Church planter Isaac Moncada said church members wanted to establish a first contact with the workers, get to know them and then share the gospel.

“The results of this event were positive,” Moncada said. “The owner of a restaurant came to us and offered an area that we could use to have meetings. He was touched by our activity since he had had the same experience, waiting for somebody to help. We were having meetings there for almost three months in the restaurant.

About three weeks ago, some of the people that attend mentioned that they would feel more comfortable meeting in a park or the street.

We listened to them, and since the first meeting in the street the attendance has increased. We start with prayer, worship, sharing the Bible, at the end we pray for them and their needs. Several people accepted Jesus Christ when the gospel was presented. During the week we call some of them in a way to nurture the relationship.”

Moncada explained the men often live in houses with up to ten people. They are without families or established jobs. They accept the gospel eagerly, Moncada said, and they don’t reject it.

The church hopes they can partner with a Baptist church in the area to have Friday meetings.

Church Planter Ellis Prince said The Gallery Church seeks to reach the communities of Washington Hill, Perkins and Douglas Homes, Harbor East, Fells Point, Butcher’s Hill,  Canton and Highlandtown.

“By merely naming the communities we are trying to reach, it exposes the unique nature of the ministry God has given us. Each neighborhood is different in just about every way one could think. We believe that it is our responsibility and calling to be used by God to bring a bit of heaven here to earth in the form of a diverse but unified expression of His Church here in the city,” Prince said.

Church members show love to the neighborhood by cleaning parks and they work with schools, painting and cleaning.

“We have served hundreds of hot dogs and hamburgers in Jesus’ name rather than saying, “Go and be filled.” We have played kickball games on fields that were once full of broken glass, trash, and used drug needles,” Prince said.

The church also participated with Hope Springs and the JAQUES Initiative to have what Prince said was the largest single-day HIV/AIDS testing that has ever been done in Baltimore. Of the 885 people tested, 32 were HIV positive and were connected to counseling and medical care.

“All the while, the volunteers are wearing bright blue t-shirts with the all-too-important question, ‘What if we decide everyone matters?’ We have been seeking to do anything that shows our community that they matter to us and to God. Everyone. No exceptions. As far as it being effective, I suppose it depends on how you define effectiveness. I think many are coming to see that they matter to God and to Gallery. That’s a pretty good start.”

Hamilton Community House Church members don’t limit themselves to meeting in houses. They also meet in coffee shops or a nearby park. Each Monday evening they gather in a different “kid-friendly” location. Church Planter Jeff Elkins said the church is geared to attract those disenfranchised from institutional church. Since there’s no building, people aren’t going to wander in. They come because of a relationship, because they’ve been invited. There’s no overhead, so the offering goes into community projects. Elkins said the church is very unique.

Additional church starting efforts are underway. A church for Portuguese-speaking people will start later this year. A mentoring and equipping process for African-American church starters will launch early next year with a goal that 15 candidate church starters will begin the process.

Troy Bush said a key factor is that while Embrace has been intentional about starting new churches they have put at the forefront making new disciples.

“We are not simply congregating those who are disenfranchised. Our primary focus has been engaging those who are not Christians–reaching them with the gospel, engaging them with love and compelling them to be followers of Jesus Christ.

“That’s what is at the heart of what we’re doing,” Bush said.

“I believe our church starting efforts will be fruitful and will  stand the test of time.”

By Sharon Mager, For Embrace Baltimore

CURTIS BAY, Md.—New Hope Community Church (NHCC) partnered with Embrace Baltimore, a Strategic Focus City effort of the North American Mission Board (NAMB), the Baltimore Association (BBA) and the Baptist Student Union at the University of Southern Mississippi (UMSM) to host a sports camp at the Curtis Bay Recreation Center during spring break in March. By the end of the week, over 114 children came to the camp, 23 people made professions of faith and three young adults on the mission team decided to be summer missionaries. The twenty-three college students and their leaders worked alongside New Hopers leading the camp and doing outreach evangelism throughout the Curtis Bay community.

Rain fell through much of the week while New Hope members and the mission team saturat

ed the area with prayer. Each day Shannon Baker, wife of New Hope Church’s pastor, Larry Baker and New Hope’s children’s minister, led the team in up to four hours of prayer each day.

“One of the college students, longing to be out of the streets, shared that at first she felt sad that she was doing the least important part of the ministry. After two hours of intense prayer, she confessed that she realized that the prayer was the most important work of the day! It was beautiful to watch these students transform right in front of our eyes,” Shannon said.

“I knew that prayer was important, but I guess I never actually realized the power or prayer until this trip,” Kris Katie, one of the UMSM students, wrote in an email.

Amy Thomason, another UMSM student wrote, “I learned how to pray for the lost which I never really thought about doing before and I also learned that we should not be afraid to share the gospel because if we disobey God it could cost someone their opportunity to become a Christian. The music minister at New Hope (Ken Miller) put it like this: ‘if the person that shared Christ with us had disobeyed God and not shared with us, would we be Christians right now?’ That really encouraged me to be bold about my faith.”

As the team continued to pray and share the Gospel, God poured his blessing down on that camp experience.

“On Sunday, in the rain, we had 45 students. On Monday, still raining, we had 59 kids. Then on Tuesday, we had 81 and on Thursday, we had 114!” Shannon said.

As a result, the children’s ministry at New Hope’s second site, which was launched on Dec. 21, 2008, has grown. Before the event, five children regularly attended. Now attendance fluctuates between 15-25 students each week.

Larry Baker led the college students in evangelism projects before their work with the evening’s camp activities. The young adults picked-up trash, gave snacks to area merchants and even cleaned toilets throughout Curtis Bay community.

“It was really awkward at first asking people to clean their toilets or trying to convince someone to take a snack during servant evangelism,” UMSM student Kathryn Plunkett said. “I just had to remind myself that it doesn’t matter how stupid I feel and it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks about me. I know God can use any situation in order to save lost souls, so I just had to let my guard down and share about my relationship with the Lord. What was most challenging to me was also most rewarding.” 
“The college students really caught a vision for reaching a community in need in very practical ways,” Brandy Caffey, Embrace Baltimore sports evangelism associate, said.

“The kids in Curtis Bay need so much attention, love and care. The UMSM students were able to share the love of Christ with these kids and New Hope Community Church was there to also make connections throughout week and to follow up,” she said.

“Our experience with Embrace and NHCC was tremendous. I really could 
not have asked for a better experience for our students,” Kris Walters, Baptist Student Ministry associate director at Southern Mississippi, said. “Without a doubt, God used this trip to 
change us (as He usually does!) Our students saw a very hard side of 
life but saw how God was at work in the midst of it. Out of our experience, three students decided to serve as summer missionaries. One girl is coming back to work with Brandy at Embrace and the other two are going to Peru to 
serve for a month. I think this speaks to how much this trip meant to 
our team.”

By Sharon Mager

BALTIMORE, Md. – During a recent whirlwind, two-day visit to Baltimore, Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) president, Johnny Hunt, told Baltimore church planters, “if Christians don’t reach the cities, we won’t reach America.”

Hunt came to Baltimore to see first-hand the work of “Embrace Baltimore,” one of the SBC’s “Strategic Focus Cities” initiatives – a cooperative effort by the Baltimore Association, the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware (BCM/D) and the North American Mission Board to foster evangelism and church planting.

During his two days in Baltimore, Hunt, pastor of First Church, Woodstock, Ga., toured the city, met with church planters and directors of missions, preached a one-night revival service at a local African-American church, and dined with Embrace Baltimore and BCM/D staff and Baltimore pastors and their wives.

“Time is short and we must engage the culture now,” Hunt told the group. “I desire to lead First Church-Woodstock and influence other churches to become engaged in your great city. I’ll be challenging my church’s missions staff to really seek to be engaged at a level where we could really make a difference.”

Hunt spent much of his time in Baltimore with church planters, listening as the young men described their visions. Hunt also toured the neighborhoods the planters want to reach for Christ.

“Dr. Hunt was very encouraging,” said Tally Wilgis, lead pastor of Captivate Church in Towson, Md. Captivate Church is a new plant Wilgis plans to launch in September. “He’s the real deal.  When you talk to Dr. Hunt, he’s not pretentious. He’s a pastor’s pastor.”

Joel Rainey, Mid-Maryland director of missions, called Hunt’s message and tone “refreshing.”

“While he stands unapologetically on the authority of Scripture, he made it clear to our guys in the field that he is not interested in narrowing the parameters of cooperation. His responses to questions from church planters were candid, transparent and full of passion regarding the future of the Southern Baptist Convention,” Rainey said.

Rainey said Hunt also made it clear to young church planting leaders that “walking away” because they sometimes disagree is not the way to generate the kind of change they want to see.

“He knows there’s tough terrain within the denomination and he responded frankly to the questions we asked him,” said Aaron Pankey, pastor of Infinity Church in Laurel, Md. Pankey plans to launch a second church in Baltimore in September.

Pankey said he asked Hunt about recent articles in USA Today and The Christian Science Monitor about the predicted collapse – by secular media – of the evangelical church in the next 10 years.

“Dr. Hunt’s response was that the word ‘evangelize’ means spreading the good news and as long as the church continues to share the good news, there is no threat to the evangelical church dying. He said church planters are a cause of celebration,” Pankey said.

“We are Christ’s church,” Hunt told the group. “As long as there is a prophet proclaiming Christ, there will be evangelical Christianity. Don’t buy into the surveys and polls out there, but just be faithful to what God has called us to. As church planters, you are the future of Christianity in our country.”

Hunt preached a one-night revival at one of Baltimore’s leading African-American congregations, Colonial Church. Preaching from I Kings 17, Hunt told listeners the place Christians must be is in God’s “there” – the place God tells you to be. Hunt explained “there” is the place of God’s purpose, a place of God’s power and a place of dependence (on God).

“I’ve heard young seminary students say, ‘I tell you one thing, I’m not going to an established Baptist church and fight through all that tradition. I’m going to start a church.’”

“That’s not your call!” Hunt said. “You don’t make the decision as to where you are going. We’re reporting for duty. Last time I checked, He’s Lord. I surrender. He gives the orders and I need to serve exactly where He sends me.

“Men wonder why they never feel God’s power or see any evidence of His working and it’s because they’re out of His purpose and not in His will. Sometimes, the place of power and dependency is a place of dryness. Some who go through difficult times are right smack dab in the will of God,” said Hunt.

Fellow Southern Baptist pastors joining Hunt in Baltimore for the two-day “Capture the Vision” tour were Ken Lassiter and Jim Law, First Church, Woodstock, Ga.; Keith Kluthe, First Church, Danville, Ark.; Bill Morgan and George McRae, First Church-Concord, Knoxville, Tenn.; Jim Locke and Brian Barlow, Hillcrest Church, Pensacola, Fla.; Brian Foster, Burnt Hickory Church, Powder Springs, Ga.; Cliff Smith, First Church, Daytona Beach, Fla.; Chuck Tanner and Ken McCoy, Baptist Church, Chattanooga, Tenn.; and Patricia Marder, Calvary Church, Clearwater, Fla.

Embrace Baltimore offers “Capture the Vision” tours designed to give attendees the overall vision and needs of Embrace Baltimore, and how their churches can participate  Upcoming “Capture the Vision” tours in Baltimore are May 18-20, July 20-22, Aug. 17-19, Sept. 14-16 and Oct. 12-14. For more information, contact Jaimee Lafave, Embrace Baltimore director of mobilization, at jlafave@embracebaltimore.com.

Sharon Mager is the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware’s staff correspondent for BaptistLIFE.