How does a “global consultant” serve, when “globetrotting” is out the window and out of the question?

I would bet that the answer is, “Probably a lot like you!”

Some of my work has continued just the same as before. Some has been radically transformed. Some has been postponed for… “later.” Though, honestly, nearly six months later, it is anybody’s guess when that “later” will become “now.”

One of the mini-stories we told was about an amazing youth discipleship program called Sayang Anak Indonesia (SAIN – “Beloved Indonesian Child”). The Union of Indonesian Baptist Churches has set an ambitious goal for itself: recruit 2,000 mentors from local churches who will work with 10,000 children and youth ages 6 to 15.

A friend wept as he recounted the horror of last Friday’s massacre in Christchurch, a colleague fought back tears as she welcomed students to class, a city volunteer’s voice broke as she welcomed parents to a kids’ program and asked for a moment of silence.

The Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches (CPBC) held a series of events to commemorate the 75th anniversary of what happened at a place called Hopevale, a remote valley located in the center of Panay Island. It was there that 11 American Baptist missionaries, one of their children, and four other American citizens hid for 18 months until they were found and executed by Japanese troops on December 20, 1943 at the height of World War II.

“This peace pole is how we deal with conflict among our people,” the young seminary student explained, pointing at a huge wooden column in the center of the building.

Mariamsina Bekele is a dynamic young woman from Ethiopia. She is a missionary to university students serving with the campus ministry known as EvaSUE. Mariamsina is also a wife, a mother and a terrific Bible teacher.

Have you ever wondered what it means to be “the church”? While it’s common to say we “go to church” on Sundays, theologians remind us we “go to be with the church” since “church” is the fellowship of God’s people

You often hear from us that in today’s world all God’s people are working together in God’s mission ‘from everywhere to everyone,’ as missiologist and friend Samuel Escobar described it. Ann’s recent ministry trip to the Philippines was a marvelous demonstration of this new reality.

May we daily present our lives as offerings to the Lord with the awareness that “a wandering Aramean was my father….”

Here are some of the stories we heard during a recent ministry trip to three countries in Southeast Asia.

American Baptist International Ministries and the American Baptist Churches of New Jersey invite you to participate in a unique mission opportunity. A week of friendship-building and cross-cultural engagement in South Korea!

You may have been too busy to think much about it, but I have been unusually quiet in recent years—especially the last couple.

“Where exactly are you now?” a friend asked. Good question! It depends on requests from Baptist partners across the Asia-Pacific region, and how God leads.

Denise Gratzel (second from the left), ABCNJ's Disaster Relief Coordinator, was part of a team representing ABCNJ in the Philippines this week. The group travelled in order to take part in a ministry round-table which shared wisdom between several ABCUSA regions and ministry organizations, and the Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches. ABCNJ was a significant partner in the event.
Denise, in particular, travelled across