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Associations: Changing lives with NCMO funds
Mike Creswell, BSC Communications
August 23, 2010
5 MIN READ TIME

Associations: Changing lives with NCMO funds

Associations: Changing lives with NCMO funds
Mike Creswell, BSC Communications
August 23, 2010

Pastor Francisco Ortiz is

quite healthy, but thousands of North Carolina Baptists help him step into the

pulpit each Sunday.

His small but growing

congregation is “Iglesia Bautista Hispana Cristo el Salvador,” or Christ the

Savior Baptist Church, in Jefferson. Most of the Spanish-speaking members are

from Mexico, Ortiz said.

They meet Sunday afternoons

in the building of partnering Fletcher Memorial Baptist Church in Jefferson and

are receiving start-up funds from Ashe Baptist Association, the local

fellowship of 44 Baptist congregations.

Ashe, in turn, received the

funds to help the new church from North Carolina Baptists through their North

Carolina Missions Offering (NCMO).

Each year 10 percent of the

North Carolina Missions Offering is distributed to the state’s 79 Baptist

associations from which they came for use in area missions and ministry

projects.

Here are samples of the

diverse and life-changing ways associations put those NCMO funds work.

NCMO: New churches

The Cooperative Program

provides two-thirds of the funds used by the Baptist State Convention for

church planting.

The NCMO supplements Cooperative Program funds by providing

the other one-third.

Together, these funds

supported 98 new churches in 2009.

But associations also use

NCMO funds to start other new churches locally.

Greater Gaston Association,

based in Gastonia, was one of the leaders in church planting — they worked with

19 new church plants in 2009, said Larry McElreath, associational missionary.

“Some of these received NCMO

funds,” McElreath said.

“Thousands of people’s lives

were impacted with the gospel message. Without these funds, we as an

association could not have made much of an impact in the community.”

NCMO funds also helped

Greater Gaston send out summer missionaries to hold Vacation Bible Schools and

Backyard Bible Clubs.

“I am more thankful every

year that we have an opportunity to be part of the NCMO. I believe that doing

together what we can’t do alone makes a huge difference in Kingdom growth,”

McElreath said.

Sandhills: New church plant

in Pinehurst, new Hispanic ministry in Robbins, plus lifestyle evangelism

training for pastors.

Sandy Creek: New cowboy

church and purchase of witnessing tracts for use in public events.

Raleigh: New church plants:

The Creek Church in Cary and The Passage Church in Wendell.

New churches are needed

throughout the Raleigh area as the capital city’s population has topped 400,000,

exceeding the populations of cities such as New Orleans, St. Louis or

Cincinnati.

NCMO: Outreach, ministry

Yancey: Witnessing booth and

diaper-changing station in downtown Burnsville for the Mt. Mitchell Crafts Fair

last year.

“We had 33 professions of

faith,” said Harvey Sharpe, missions director.

Catawba River: Ministered at

the Historic Morganton Festival last September, partnering with volunteer teams

from Hull’s Grove Baptist Church, Vale.

“Hull’s Grove sent their

Horseshoe Ministry Team and we passed out over 600 horseshoes, each with the

person’s name stamped on it. While they waited (on the stamping), we were able

to share the gospel message,” said Phil Oakley, associational missionary. He

said 28 people prayed to receive Christ that day.

Catawba River also used NCMO

funds to support their annual Christmas toy store.

In 2009 the association

helped 504 families and gave toys to 1,069 children and 49 people prayed to

receive Christ.

Randolph: Held a Sports Expo

in March which drew a whopping 1,200 hunters and fishermen for a meal and

evangelistic message.

“Sixteen were saved and

about 13 made rededications to Christ at the event,” said Steve Sells, director

of missions.

Robeson: Supported Hispanic

mission in Raeford, constructed wheelchair ramps and repaired roofs on area

homes.

Metrolina: Supported three

college students for 10 weeks to work with Vacation Bible Schools, youth camps,

outreach projects, ministry in multi-housing areas.

“NCMO has been the primary

funding tool for our summer missions effort in Metrolina Association,” said Bob

Lowman, missions director.

Green River: Sponsored

worship services during the summer at two campgrounds in the Chimney Rock

recreational area.

NCMO: Missions trips

Stanly: Sent dozens of area

Baptists on their first missions trips, including some to overseas.

New South River: Helped high

school seniors make mission trips with Baptist Student Union, sponsor a youth

crusade, bought resources for churches.

West Chowan: Sending

missions team to Quebec, Canada, this summer.

Beulah: Sending missions

team to Rhode Island; supporting a local pastor and his family serving two

years in Turkey. Sent pastor on missions trip to Peru.

“Each of these has produced

Kingdom purpose results and we are so grateful we were able to help,” said

Danny Glover, associational missionary.

NCMO: Meet needs

South Fork: Funded local

missions projects by Baptist Men.

“So far, we have helped

purchase a used mobile home and renovate it for a woman,” said associational

missionary Bob Wise. Her previous house was in such poor condition that Social

Services deemed it unsafe; the agency took the woman’s children.

Three Forks: Local missions

projects, including home repairs, handicap ramp construction, roof repair and

providing food and heating costs to needy families. “The majority of our funds

are set aside for our Oct. 2 Operation Inasmuch Community Blitz Day,” said

Barry Neely, associational missionary.

Macon: Planted garden to

feed needy families; ministered to carnival workers.

Surry: Supplemented

support for their Surry Christian Counseling Center, seeing more people because

of high unemployment. “Thanks for helping us to help our community with

Christian counseling,” said Billy Blakley, associational missionary.