Texas churches team up to assist
small Iowa church reach community
___By John Hall
___Staff Writer
___SIGOURNEY, Iowa--"If you build it, they will come."
___This memorable line from "Field of Dreams," a movie about an Iowa farmer who plows under his crop to build a baseball field, referred to people coming to see the field to save the family farm. But to a Texas missionary group it may mean much more.
___They built a relationship between a small church and its community. Now they are watching it grow.
___A group from two central Texas churches conducted backyard Bible studies and Vacation Bible School and repaired some of the park in the center of town July 5-13 in an effort to show the love of Christ and generate interest in a local church.
___The 23 members from Heights Baptist Church in Temple and First Baptist Church of Rogers traveled to Iowa without a plan, but they just wanted to meet needs, said Jeff Burns, minister of education and students at Heights Baptist Church. He shared this desire with Eric Smith, pastor of Family Life Church in Sigourney, and developed an excellent relationship with him and his congregation.
___"Their work really increased the visibility of Family Life Church," Smith said. "It showed we have an interest in the people of Sigourney and gave us opportunities to share the love of Christ."
___Not only did the members provide the first missionaries to visit the church in the pastor's tenure, they also started the first backyard Bible studies and Vacation Bible School.
___The group ministered to 53 children through four backyard Bible studies that happened simultaneously at four places. The members also worked with 36 youth through the Vacation Bible School. Smith said the Iowa church normally has 20 people for Sunday School.
___The last night the group was in Iowa, the church held a parent appreciation night to wrap up VBS. Smith said he had never seen his church as full as it was that night. He met three families who never had been to church before.
___Two people made decisions to follow Jesus as a result of the group's work, and Smith said he continues to talk to many of the people who came into contact with the missionaries.
The Baptist Standard
News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.
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