E-News
Volume 2, Issue 5
May 8, 2008

 

Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Virginia • 3400 Brook Road • Richmond VA 23227• 804-213-0412

 

Making a Connection

There are many ways that you can connect with CBF Global Missions Field Personnel, particularly through assistance with special projects and ministries. Affiliate Missionaries Sue and Greg Smith, who work with Latinos and live in Fredericksburg, Virginia, offer several opportunities for partnering with them in their work. They work locally through a nonprofit organization, LUCHA Ministries, Inc. You can learn more about LUCHA on the web at www.luchaministries.org.

The Smiths and other CBF field personnel on the Internationals Cluster serve in a variety of ministries designed to reach immigrants, refugees, and asylees with the love of God through Christ. Please visit www.cbfinternationals.org for more information about the Internationals Cluster.

School Supplies Project for Latino Children

Thousands of crayons and markers, gallons of glue, reams of ruled paper . . . can these simple school supplies make a difference in the life of a child? Yes!!!

Five years ago, LUCHA Ministries, Inc. initiated the School Supplies Project for Latino Children, and we served 21 children that year. Last year, LUCHA filled the school supplies lists of 144 Latino children. In addition to helping the children to be prepared for school, the project provided opportunities to develop relationships with the families, to learn more about their needs, and to demonstrate the love of Christ for them through concrete acts of care and concern.

What you can do: Collect school supplies; send birthday notes to the children; covenant to pray for the children during the school term; provide money to purchase school supplies, backpacks, or Spanish-English dictionaries for the families.

Summer Youth Ministry Project

CBF Summer Missionaries through the Student.Go program serve in Fredericksburg and provide leadership for a youth ministries program for middle and high school Latino youth.

The youth participate in community service projects to help others, engage in activities to increase their self esteem and sense of identity as Latino youth, and learn about God’s love and concern for them as individuals. Last year, some of the highlights were a lock-in, a trip to Washington, D.C. on the train, and a family day spent at Kings’ Dominion. And serving meals to the homeless on Thursday nights, followed by a stop at locally famous Carl’s ice cream!

What you can do: Help with expenses for youth to attend activities; sponsor or host an activity, such as a cook-out or picnic; provide an opportunity for LUCHA’s youth to participate in a missions or community service project to help others in your community.

Student.Go Summer Missionaries

Several college and graduate students will be serving with LUCHA Ministries this summer. While they receive a basic stipend for their service, the organization is responsible for their food, lodging, and transportation costs.

What you can do: Write cards or notes of encouragement to them; invite them to your church to tell about their ministries; help financially with their costs; stock their pantry; help provide items to set up an apartment for them.


For additional information about these and other ways to partner with Greg and Sue, please contact them at:

sue.smith@vbmb.org
greg.smith@vbmb.org

LUCHA Ministries, Inc.
P. O. Box 8239
Fredericksburg, VA 22404-8239
Phone: 540-370-4502

 

 

Sign up for Mission Opportunities
at the
CBF General Assembly

 

Myanmar Situation Report #1:
CBF Response to Cyclone Nargis

Date: May 8, 2008

General:

  • Estimated death toll of 100,000 in the Irrawaddy Delta in southern Myanmar after Cyclone Nargis struck
  • World’s most devastating cyclone since a 1991 storm that killed 146,000 in Bangladesh
  • 1 million homeless
  • 5,000 square km of the delta region underwater
  • First food drops have been conducted by Myanmar government, no overland convoys yet. Helicopters can’t land in flooded areas.
  • UN just got permission on Wednesday to go in with a ship of supplies.
  • Many NGO’s including UN still waiting for visas for their workers.
  • 26 countries have committed $30 million to date plus $10 million from UN

Response:

  • A donation button has been set up in the middle of the CBF home page at www.thefellowship.info for contributions to Cyclone Response fund #17023. An initial contribution of $5,000 has been made for immediate assistance. Our focus will be on the recovery effort rather than rescue.
  • CBF will partner with BWAid, Asia Pacific Baptist Federation (APBF), International Ministries of American Baptist Churches USA, the Virginia Baptist Mission Board and others to assist the Myanmar Baptist Convention (MBC) in their response. BWAid has committed $50,000 and ABC has sent $5,000.
  • 24 members of Baptist World Aid Rescue are assembling in Bangkok but have yet to be issued visas. The team includes 6 from Australia, 2 Hungarians, 4 Americans and standby’s from Norway, Sweden, UK and Canada. This team specializes in immediate rescue response but this window is closing. Transition plans to recovery will be made.
  • Rick Burnette, one of CBF’s field personnel in SE Asia, had a previously planned trip to Myanmar, so he already has a visa and tickets to go in on May 15-17. He will connect with MBC and the Baptist team including Kabi Gangemi of APBF who is going in on May 15 as well.
  • If you know of anyone who already has visas issued for travel to Myanmar, please let David Harding know at dharding@thefellowship.info
  • If volunteers are requested by MBC and the Baptist team for recovery work, then CBF will be able to send qualified volunteers through the Disaster Relief Ministries of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board. For those interested in serving, please contact Nichole Bulls at nichole.bulls@vbmb.org or 800-255-2428 ext 7242. All qualified volunteers will be placed on standby depending on the plans and resources that emerge in the weeks ahead.

Challenges:

  • Visas
  • Communications are down in the affected area.
  • In country transportation

 

Click for CBF General Assembly Details and to Pre-Register

 

 

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