“This is my first time to Missions Connection; it's been a great week!” commented one lady from Hardy Central Church.
“I want to volunteer to be a youth leader in 2007; I'd like to work with the Pregnancy Center,” stated a lady from High Hills Church in Jarratt.
“Might we have a youth worksite next year with the ‘Sticky Sticks'? They were wonderful!” inquired a lady from Buckroe Church after the presentation by a group from Victoria Church during the Thursday night Talent Show.
“I didn't realize that Missions Connection is multi-generational; having all age groups here, from a 2-year-old to a soon-to-be 80-year-old, is great!” said a youth leader from Fredericksburg.
Similar comments could be heard across the Eagle Eyrie campus during Missions Connection, July 10-14.
Missions Connection offers service and mission opportunities for people of all ages, as well as Bible study and worship. Youth and adults dispersed throughout the greater Lynchburg area to be the “Hands of Jesus” to many people. Some youth roofed; others served in soup kitchen; several led a sports camp; many involved children in a Bible club; some shared their testimonies with inmates at a juvenile detention center.
In addition to Bible study and worship, children and adults learned with missionaries, while at the same time knowing that they themselves are called to be missionaries. One children's leader was so enthusiastic about Jerry Jones' sharing about our partnership with India. “He knows how to talk with children, how to hold their interest; he actually sat on the floor with the children!”
Missions Connection happens because of a wonderfully gifted and committed group of people. Dawn Fisher and Debbie Dawson from Flat Creek Church in Lynchburg devoted hours and hours of telephoning and contacting people and agencies to secure 30 work sites for our youth and their leaders. Doug Harris gave overall direction and supervision to the youth ministry during Missions Connection. His wife, Karen, transferred youth from one worksite to another with ease and a smile. Many thanks to Dale Saunders from First West Point, Doris Wampler from Tomahawk Church in Midlothian, Gerard and Denise Huff from Goochland Church, and Hutt Williams from Beale Memorial in Tappahannock.
And I applaud the preschool ministry under the direction of Rebecca Woolard from Calvary Church in Lynchburg and the children's ministry coordinated by Cindy Middaugh, also from Calvary Church in Lynchburg. These women are talented, gifted individuals who have a vision for children to grow in their understanding of, love for and service to Christ.
I saw children smiling as they interacted with one another, as they learned about Baptist heroes and missionaries. The children's activities varied from using a laptop to record their prayers to making music with Boomwhackers to learning sign language to Spanish sessions to cooking experiences to Bible games to making pillows for healthcare facilities to reading by a campfire.
Many of these children's leaders consider ministering to children during Missions Connection as part of their ministry. They return year after year, always enthusiastic.