Missions Is Part of Life
Reflection by Rev. Matt King
“Missions is part of life,” that is the lesson that Kelli Kirksey, one of our church members, said we needed to teach our children. She was giving details for a wonderful mission opportunity for those who are part of our ministry to families that will be coming up at the beginning of November. She said that we have to teach our children early that missions is part of life, so that by the time they grow up it will simply be a natural part of the way they live out their faith.
Her words have stuck with me, and I have thought out how true they were in my own life. I remember sitting in the Sunday school rooms at the First Baptist Church of Aiken, South Carolina hearing stories about the great Baptist Missionaries like Lottie Moon and Annie Armstrong. I remember hearing about people going across our country, and across the world to incredible places to do incredible things that share the good news of Christ in both word and deed. I remember first recognizing how that church took that message to heart by going to nearby migrant camps where men would come to work the peach fields for a season. I watched as my parents, teachers, and teenagers and other adults from our church showed love to these complete strangers whom they might never see again. I remember most vividly learning that missions service comes in countless forms as the Royal Ambassadors (the old Southern Baptist mission groups for boys) went at least once a quarter to the local clothes mission, A.C.T.S. (Area Churches Together Serving) and sorted donations so that others could find exactly what they needed.
I remember mission trips with our youth group at Wieuca Road Baptist Church in Atlanta to Alaska, Montana, North Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia. When I started working with teenagers in seminary I wanted to make sure that missions service was central part of what we did. We wouldn’t just be a fund group that occasionally taught Bible lessons. We would serve. I was truly inspired as I watched my own students work alongside homeless men and women, sorted cans, worked on houses, and taught the stories of Jesus to kids of all ages. Some of my greatest memories come from living an active faith in missional service with my brothers and sisters in Christ of all ages. It is honestly when I have felt most part of the church. It helped me realize that to be the church is to be on mission for Christ.
Kelli was right. Missions is simply part of life. It is part of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Jesus said that if we are going to consider ourselves his disciples, then we need to take up our cross and follow him. While there are many lessons we should take from that profound image, one of them certainly is that our faith life, and therefore our entire life, is shaped by the sacrificial service we offer to others in Christ’s name and in his way. It doesn’t come naturally. It requires us to look beyond our most basic urges and desires. It requires us to sacrifice instead of being selfish. It is what Christ requires of us if we are going to claim to follow him. We actually have to follow the path he laid for us, and live by his example.
On Wednesday night, the children that were with us helped put together blessing bags for the teachers in our preschool. It didn’t take much effort for them, but they understood that it was important. They understood that even a small gift given out of gratitude for the work of Christ in our life, and with no expectation of receiving anything in return, is part of what leads us into free and abundant life in Christ. It is how we learn the narrower, but better way. It helps open our eyes to the needs of those around us. It helps deepen our sense of gratitude for every blessing we have received. It helps us recognize that our blessings are not for our own benefit, but for the benefit of those around us as we bear witness to Christ’s Spirit at work and on the move in the world.
I am glad to say that our congregation continues to place a major emphasis on our missions efforts. It continues to move toward the heart of all that we do as a church. During the month of September we will be collecting money to support the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of South Carolina (CBFSC). We do this every year, but this year it is particularly important as they work to serve those impacted by hurricane Dorian. We will also be supporting our local mission partners through the Augusta Roach Churches United in Ministry (ARCUM) pumpkin patch during the month of October. In the same month we will be collecting items for Operation Christmas Warmth to support under-resourced children in our area with items to keep them warm in the winter. During November we will be collecting canned goods for Samaritan House. During December we will take part in CBF’s Offering for Global Missions.
In addition to giving and collecting items, we will also have plenty of opportunities to serve side by side with our brothers and sisters in Christ. If you want to hear more, and find out ways that you can plug into the missional opportunities at Augusta Road Baptist Church, I’d encourage you to attend our lunch after worship this coming Sunday, September 8. We will share all of the exciting opportunities in the season before us.
Missions is part of life. Missions is part of what leads to life abundant and free. Join the work of Christ’s mission in the world for your sake, and for the sake of all the generations who need to learn that lesson as well.