VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 02/20/08) - American Baptist Women's Ministries Executive Director, Virginia Holmstrom, announced today the donation of $5,000 to New Church Planting.
This year, AB Women's Ministries directed the $5,000 gift from its Refit Fund for mission outreach in the U.S. and Puerto Rico to 12 new church planters, selected by National Ministries. American Baptist women also encourage new church plants through prayer support.
In a cover letter to the new church pastors receiving the Refit funds, Holmstrom expressed hope that women's ministries will flourish in the new congregations. She referenced the Real Women, Real Leaders: Dynamic Leadership for Women's Ministries resource produced by AB Women's Ministries, noting that, "We're sending them the resource as an additional gift to develop leaders for ministries with women."
The gift from AB Women's Ministries' Refit Fund represents over-and-above contributions received in 2007 by individual women and women's ministry organizations across the denomination to empower mission outreach in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Additional Refit Fund monies are given annually by AB Women's Ministries to International Ministries to respond to current needs of missionaries transitioning between locations of mission assignments.
The Rev. Marilyn Turner, National Ministries' associate executive director for Program Ministries, acknowledges that "the partnership in ministry and mission between AB Women's Ministries and National Ministries continues to be a tremendous blessing in so many ways. AB Women's Ministries' generous contribution will be a great encouragement to those who live out their call in the mission field as new church planters."
Recipients of this year's Refit gift for New Church Planting are pastors of the following new church plants: The Way Community Church, Overland Park, Kan.; Myanmar Christian Church of Greater Chicago, Chicago, Ill.; Lai Baptist Church, Frederick, Md.; New Life Christian Community Church, St. Louis, Mo.; Grace Tabernacle Association, Malden, Mass.; Renewed Baptist Church of Hudson, Hudson, Mass.; First Kachin Baptist Church, Omaha, Neb.; Yiu-Mienh Community Church, Richmond, Calif.; Lifespring Community Church, Parkersburg, W.Va.; Springs of Living Water Church, Princeton, N.J.; Discovery Church, Newark, Ohio; and Greater Free Will Baptist Church, Wyndmoor, Penn.
Andrew C. Jayne American Baptist Churches USA Mission Resource Development http://www.abc-usa.org/