Do you have eyes to see the hungry, the sick and the hurting?
When we have eyes to see as Jesus did, we will see the world as it really is: broken, hurting and lost. And we’ll be compelled to make a difference.
“Eyes to See” is the theme of this year’s North Carolina Missions Offering (NCMO). The annual offering supports a variety of ministries that respond to physical and spiritual needs in North Carolina, across the country and around the world.
The theme is based on John 4:35b, where Jesus said to His disciples: “Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!” (NKJV).
Generally received in September of each year, the NCMO supports the 17 different ministries of N.C. Baptist Men, also known as Baptists on Mission, as well as church planting, mission camps, associational projects and missions mobilization projects. The goal for this year’s offering is $2.1 million.
Thanks to the generous support of the NCMO by N.C. Baptists, lives are being transformed by the power of the gospel. Each year, numerous individuals come to faith in Christ through the ministries supported by this special offering.
“As North Carolina Baptists, we have to see opportunities and needs before us and respond accordingly,” said Richard Brunson, executive director of Baptists on Mission. “But we can’t do it alone. We need each other.”
Helping meet physical needs is a great way to build bridges to the gospel, and many of the ministries of Baptists on Mission do just that. In the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, scores of Baptists on Mission’s disaster relief volunteers from across the state came together to help those impacted by the storm.
By helping repair and rebuild victims’ homes, volunteers had opportunities to share the love of Christ in both word and deed. To date, more than 60 victims of Hurricane Matthew have placed their faith in Christ.
And Baptists on Mission has committed to continue ministering to those in need, with an ambitious goal of rebuilding up to 1,000 homes in eastern North Carolina in the coming years. Support of NCMO is what makes ministries like disaster relief possible.
Support of NCMO also helps get more people engaged and involved in missions through short-term projects and a variety of national and international partnerships.
Baptists on Mission operates two mission camps located in Red Springs and Shelby, which give local churches an opportunity to engage in community missions projects. Baptists on Mission also has a number of missions partnerships designed to mobilize individuals and churches for service through short-term missions trips.
Each year, thousands of volunteers serve with ministry partners all across the
United States in places like the Appalachian coalfields, Hawaii, Pennsylvania, the Rocky Mountain states and Vermont. Volunteer teams also serve in other places around the world, such as Armenia, Cuba, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Kenya and Romania.
The NCMO is also vital to the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina’s (BSC) church planting efforts. The convention’s team of church planting consultants provides training, coaching and additional support to church planters, equipping them to reach their communities for Christ. By giving to the NCMO, you help plant churches that make disciples of Jesus Christ.
“People see what they are prepared to see,” said Mark Gray, who leads the state convention’s Church Planting Team. “We will only reach the 5.8 million who are lost in North Carolina if we learn to see them like Jesus.”
NCMO also supports missions on the local level. Each year, a portion of the offering is designated for the 77 local Baptist associations across North Carolina for a variety of missions and ministry efforts.
God has equipped each believer with unique talents, skills and abilities that can be utilized for missions and ministry. But before we can respond, we have to see people the same way Jesus did.
And when we have eyes to see people as Jesus did, we are moved to action.
The NCMO supports many ministries around our state and world. Together we can reap a harvest through your faithful prayers and generous support of this offering.
