In January, Mississippi River Ministry (MRM) announced their
newest regional coordinators, George and Cathy Chinn. For the past several
months, the two have traveled and established relationships within the
ministry’s eight state region. MRM serves to impact lostness by ministering to
those in poverty and connecting them with churches.
“There is a great need out there,” said George Chinn. “We
find that there is not only a large percent of lostness in poverty, but a lot
of lostness in general.”
The Chinns say only God alone could qualify them for such a
task. With a heart for missions and having collectively been involved in more
than 30 international missions trips and countless domestic efforts, they
believe their commitment to missions and sincerity comes through. The couple
has spent the last several months using that sincerity while familiarizing
themselves with the regions MRM serves, which spans from Iowa to Louisiana.
“If there is one thing we’ve learned,” Cathy Chinn said,
“there are a lot of really committed people out there.”
George Chinn tells of a church which planted a seven-acre
garden that distributes food to local ministries. Currently, half of the garden
is open to the general public to work so that those affected by poverty have a
source for fresh food. The garden has provided nourishment to a community along
with celebrations of marriages and salvations.
During their travels, the couple also learned of a local
farmer in one region who refurbishes bicycles to give away to children so they
may have one growing up. “It’s just pretty amazing how God works through some
of these people,” Cathy Chinn shared.
As coordinators for MRM, the Chinns hope to get church and
associations more involved. Many living within the 196 counties served by MRM
suffer from inadequate health care. The area has the highest infant mortality
rate in the United States and the lowest ratio of doctors and nurses per 1,000 of
the population.
Founded more than 20 years ago, MRM is a Southern Baptist
ministry in partnership with the region’s eight Baptist state conventions, the
North American Mission Board, and national WMU. The ministry focuses on
responding to the physical and spiritual needs of those impacted by poverty
along the Mississippi River. MRM seeks to evangelize, strengthen existing
churches and start new churches.
The Chinns will continue their travels as they encourage those
in MRM’s region. They hope to see a greater number of volunteers in the region
and to have opportunities to share the stories, needs, and callings of
missionaries with churches and associations to help them be more
missions-minded.
George and Cathy Chinn welcome invitations from any church
or state convention to share about MRM.
Contacts:
George Chinn
(270) 256-1451
Cathy Chinn
(270) 298-7570
(EDITOR’S NOTE – Savannah Cyree, a senior at Samford
University in Birmingham, Ala., is working this summer as an intern at national
WMU. She will graduate in the spring with a degree in English.)