June 10, 2002

Reccord urges messengers to join race to win North America
___By Stella Prather
___Arkansas Baptist Newsmagazine
___ST. LOUIS--Holding up a relay baton, Bob Reccord, president of the North American Mission Board, challenged messengers attending the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting to join NAMB in the race to win North America to faith in Jesus Christ.
___ "Your missionaries are on mission and running the race," Reccord declared as more than 50 Mission Service Corps volunteers stood in the audience holding batons. "They are ready to slap these batons in your hands to complete the race" in taking the gospel to America.
___ "We need your hand," he said.
___ Reccord reported that many Southern Baptists are faithfully striving to reach the evangelistic finish line. He conducted a personal interview with two "soul-winning sprinters," Johnny Hunt, pastor of First Baptist Church of Woodstock, Ga., and Vance Pitman, pastor of Hope Baptist Church of Las Vegas, which was started last year by Hunt's congregation.
___ Via video, messengers also heard other mission volunteers and workers who shared how God is using them in telling people around the nation about Jesus.
___ One race has led volunteers and missionaries to several U.S. cities where NAMB has focused evangelistic efforts. In Phoenix, for example, Reccord reported record numbers of baptisms, missions giving, church starting and professions of faith.
___ In another ongoing race to share Jesus, Reccord praised Baptists for their willingness to aid disaster victims in New York and Washington, D.C., over the last nine months. Since Sept. 11, volunteers have distributed more than 1.2 million meals in the two cities and cleaned 700 apartments in New York, he said.
___ "Because of the cooperative work of Southern Baptists in New York, ... the New York Times published ... a story which reported that residents said, 'Tell those Yankee contract workers to stay home; give us more Southern Baptists.'"
___ Noting that this relief ministry has in part resulted in the establishment of a new church at Ground Zero, Reccord said, "The new church plant has started because Southern Baptists don't just offer temporarily help; Southern Baptists give eternal help."
___ Looking to the future, Reccord said NAMB will join efforts with several SBC agencies in 2003 to enlisting 1 million Southern Baptists as prayer warriors. By 2004, the SBC will seek to equip 1 million "soul winners." And in 2005, NAMB leaders are praying for 1 million baptisms.
___ Reccord urged messengers to commit to take part in a mission project somewhere in North America between now and 2003.
___ "North America needs Southern Baptists to go on mission right here in North America," he exclaimed. "Our cities need you, ... our campuses need you. Where is God calling you?"
___ Noting that Baptists are good about praying for missions and opening their checkbooks to support mission causes, Reccord said, "We just need to get people to go.
___ "We can't do it on our own. Will you take the baton? Take the anchor leg, and will you run to the end of the finish line?"
___

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